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Seto Kaiba was one of the richest men in the country, so he was accustomed to getting what he wanted. It wasn't even a matter of being selfish, or spoiled… it was just habit at this point. Want, get, have. It wasn't difficult. He knew difficult; he grew up in an orphanage. He had to struggle to get where he was. A better portion of his childhood was difficult; Seto Kaiba knew difficult.
Emotions were difficult.
Things used to be simple. Mokuba was to be protected at all costs. Mokuba was the only person on this planet he could even say he loved, and he never really voiced it. He let his actions speak for themselves. When he started finding himself feeling anything toward anyone else, his walls went up and he reacted the way he reacted to everything else: with cruelty. He was never particularly nice to people… he found himself wishing sometimes that he could be kinder, but when he would try, he’d end up blurting out something even nastier instead.
Which is why, he was slowly discovering, he was such a complete asshole to Yugi.
He actually liked Yugi. Quite a lot. To the point that it felt like... lord help him, he felt like he was in middle school, but it definitely started as a crush. Their circumstances weren’t typical, to say the least. The first time they really met wasn't... well. It didn't end fantastically. He kidnapped Yugi's grandfather, stole his most prized card and then proceeded to rip said card in half right in front of him before the old man had to be taken to the hospital because his duel monster holograms had scared him so badly.
So as far as first impressions went, Seto didn't make the best one on Yugi and his friends. That being said, he felt like a different person after that day. Dueling with Yugi changed him. He wanted to get better. He wanted to defeat him.
Admittedly, he wanted to do much more than that...
But those thoughts aside, he would never understand Yugi. The fact that he was constantly proving he was more than willing to stand by his side and fight, despite what Seto had done to him. He stood by him against the KaibaCorp Board of Directors when they were trapped in his virtual reality game, he stood against Pegasus... Yugi was dueling for his grandpa, sure. He didn't have to help Seto and Mokuba, but he did, and he never asked for anything in return. And what had Seto done? He'd thrown it back in Yugi's face.
Seto only barely managed to do subtle nice things, or at least he thought so, like saving Yugi’s hide in their tag-team duel with Lumis and Umbra, giving him a larger room on his aircraft during the Battle City finals, helping him get Teá out of that life-endangering situation with the Rare Hunters (and though he claimed it was because she helped Mokuba escape, it was equal parts because she was Yugi’s friend). But it clearly wasn't enough.
Yugi seemed to have no clue that Seto was crazy about him. And crazy was definitely the operative word, because it was driving him mad, his need to see him, combined with his constant tendency to posture and just make things even worse. Their friendship was strained at best, and it was all his fault. If he wanted something more, he was going to need to do something about it.
And this was why emotions were so difficult; because Seto had no idea what to do.
I. Mokuba
Seto had been sulking all night about his predicament, so he wasn't in the best mood when he saw his brother the next morning.
“Hey, bro.” Mokuba piped up as he came into the home office of their KaibaCorp living quarters, plopping down on the couch. “What’s up?”
Seto just grunted in response, and in hindsight, that was probably his first mistake.
“Uh… everything okay, Seto? You’re not still bummed out about the tournament, are you?” Mokuba asked cautiously.
Seto sighed. “I’m fine, Mokuba. I just have some… things, on my mind.”
The younger Kaiba gave him a look. “Doesn’t sound like work-related things... ” Usually Seto would have been halfway through a rant about how incompetent his employees were if that were the case.
“No. Decidedly not work related things.” Seto confirmed in a low voice.
Mokuba furrowed his brow at him. “Did I do something wrong?”
Seto seemed a little startled at that, actually bothering to look up. “What? No, Mokuba. It wasn’t anything you did. It’s someone else.”
Mokuba was even more confused. “So you’re upset about a someone, and it’s not about the tournament, but it’s also not about work? You hardly ate dinner last night and you've been quiet all morning. What else could-?” He thought for a moment before a light came to his eyes. “Oh my gosh, are you pining? You're pining!”
Seto glared at him, but his tone faltered. “What? That’s ridiculous… how could you possibly draw that conclusion?”
Mokuba’s eyes lit up and he pointed at his brother accusingly. “Aha! It’s true! You’re lovesick!”
Seto groaned. “We’re not having this conversation.”
“I can’t believe it. My brother, the stone statue, has a crush on someone.” The boy gawped.
“A crush? You’re making it sound like we’re in grade school.” Seto muttered.
Mokuba ignored him, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Huh. It’s kinda weird, though. I guess I just always assumed you were asexual."
"Asexual?"
"Asexual." Mokuba confirmed with a resolute nod.
Seto paused for a moment. "Mokuba... perhaps it escaped your notice, but I'm not a single-celled organism."
Mokuba huffed. "No, you big dummy. Asexual. The orientation. Like, not really caring about sex."
Seto scowled. "First of all, you are far too young for that word to even come out of your mouth. And secondly, what, there's an ‘orientation’ for that?"
"Well, firstly, I'm thirteen, not five. And yes, there's an orientation for that." Mokuba quipped in a sarcastic tone.
"Thirteen is still too young. So what, people who just don't want sex, they have a label? Just like gay people and bisexual people? Did the planet undergo a sudden social shift while I was studiously avoiding the news?" Seto asked.
Mokuba shook his head. "Nah, I mean, it's on its way. You just have a really progressive younger brother. I have a blog. And it's all sorts of science and tech and humanism… sex positive, too. You gonna clutch your chest and swoon, now?"
Seto scoffed. "Save it. I'd rather it be positive than debauched garbage. Not that you could even—"
"What, get past your kiddie locks? Don't get me started on those, Seto, I broke your codes over six months ago." Mokuba shot back proudly, crossing his arms.
Seto sputtered. "Six months? And what exactly have you been doing?"
"Nothing bad, calm down. I told you, I run a blog. Hey, maybe you're demisexual? And you only wanna be with this person because you love them?" Mokuba trailed off thoughtfully.
"Love is a very strong word, little brother." Seto replied flatly.
Mokuba sighed dramatically. "Yeah, you're the worst about that. Maybe you're aromantic."
"Well, Mokuba, since you're having so much fun with this, should I go grab a label-maker from the store room?"
"Shut up. You know what I mean. I'm just saying, if you ever felt like you needed a label, to not feel... alone, or something... " Mokuba tried.
"How could I possibly feel alone when I've got a little brother like you?" It was almost a touching sentiment, until he continued, "... constantly crawling up my—"
"Rude!" Mokuba shouted. "All I mean is, you obviously wanna be with this person. But you gotta figure yourself out first before you go trying to start a relationship."
"What if I don't want a 'relationship', exactly?" Seto said carefully.
"Then please buy me a new pair of headphones first, your room is literally right down the hall from mine." Mokuba grimaced.
"That's it, I'm changing the wifi password."
"I swear I'll crash one of your satellites, don't you dare!" Mokuba yelled.
Seto didn’t end up doing it, but that doesn't mean he wasn't really really tempted.
II. Joey
Seto found the idea of having to attend high school to be ridiculous, frankly, because of his genius IQ and the fact that he already owned and ran his own multi-billion-dollar company. But based on the education he received in the orphanage, which was shoddy at best, he was forced to complete high school before he could take up any offers for scholarships at any of the major colleges (and there were a lot of offers). He practically had MIT knocking down his door begging him to come through their engineering program. He wouldn’t have been surprised if they gave him a degree on merit alone.
But, as it was, he was stuck in a completely mundane, completely unnecessary and completely public high school, finishing up the last of his credits. And being forced to attend such a high school was the reason why he had to interact with obnoxious losers like Joey Wheeler.
On this particular day, Joey was alone, which was strange... usually he and Yugi, or at least Tristan, were attached at the hip. Generally he avoided interacting with losers like him whenever possible, so he stuck to his corner of the classroom. It was meant to be a Study Hall, but with the teacher having stepped away from her desk for the last ten minutes or so of the period, it had become more of a social event. Seto had been hoping to avoid this, but apparently he was the only person Joey recognized in the class, so the boy made a bee-line for him. Great.
“Hey, Kaiba.” Joey piped up. His tone wasn’t overly friendly, but it wasn’t unkind, either. “You still go to this school? I thought you’d finally convinced them to just let you buy your diploma.”
“Very funny, Wheeler. But I assure you if I’d manage to convince them of that, it would have had a clause that included your expulsion, just so I could laugh at the look on your face.” Seto sniped.
Joey made a face. “Geez. You’re in rare form today. What’s got you in such a foul mood? Fouler than usual, I mean.”
“Well, it’s probably got something to do with the blond idiot attempting to engage me in conversation right now.” Seto replied flatly.
Joey threw his hands up in surrender. “Yeesh, touchy. This whole pining thing must be more serious than I thought.”
Seto’s blood turned to ice in his veins. “What?”
“Well I ran into your brother yesterday. He said you weren’t yourself since the tournament, and it was ‘cause you’ve got some kind of a crush—”
“My brother told you that?” Seto hissed in a tone that suggested he was seriously contemplating fratricide.
“Yeah. And now that I’ve seen this extra-foul mood of yours for myself, I gotta say, I’m pretty convinced.” Strangely, Joey didn’t seem mocking about it at all.
Seto eyed him suspiciously. “And?”
“And? Whaddya mean ‘and’? Kaiba, you’re in the best position someone could possibly ask for when they’ve got romance on the brain.”
Seto blinked at him. “I don’t follow.”
Joey grinned deviously. "So stop me if I’m wrong. First off, you're really rich."
The taller man rolled his eyes. "That's been well established."
"And you've got a thing for someone." Joey continued.
"According to my brother." Seto grumbled.
"And you're a complete douche—"
"Was there a point to your rambling?" Seto snapped.
Joey crossed his arms, grinning again. "Yeah. You're in the perfect position to go all Christian Grey on them."
Seto gave him a blank look. "Who?"
"Fifty Shades of Grey. It's a book series about a rich guy who's kind of a jerk, and he really likes this girl who's not into him at first, or whatever, and then he wins her over by spoiling her with lavish gifts and stuff and it gets all hot and heavy. You should pick it up, could give some great ideas to a man in your position." Joey waggled his eyebrows.
Seto narrowed his eyes at him, regarding him suspiciously. He'd heard of Fifty Shades, but he rather avoided paying attention to pointless current events that didn't have to do with the weather or card games, so other than hearing the name in passing, he didn't have any knowledge about the book.
The bell rang and he stood, packing up his things.
"All right, Wheeler. I'll look into it. But don't expect a thank you." Seto muttered, turning on a heel and walking away.
He didn't see Joey literally have to cover his mouth so he didn't outright cackle, before composing himself and replying, "Nah, Kaiba... no thank you required."
***
The next day, Seto strode into Kame Game Shop looking livid. Yugi and his grandpa were out on an important errand, so Tristan and Joey were manning the store, but it wasn't busy yet so they were passing the time with a duel. The next thing Joey knew, the bell over the door rang as it opened and Kaiba's eReader was flying at his head. It clocked him in the temple, the blow only softened by the Italian leather case it was wrapped in because, well, its owner could afford completely unnecessary luxuries like that.
"What the hell, Kaiba?!" Tristan shouted and stood up from the table as Joey picked himself up off the floor, rubbing his head.
"I should have known your taste in novels was no better than your dueling skills. That's two hours of my life I won't get back, Wheeler." Seto spat.
He was probably digging his own grave, but Joey just snorted and replied, "Two hours, huh?"
"I got through less than half of that drivel before I realized it didn't get better. How on earth was that a New York Times Bestselling novel? Is there some kind of inside joke the entire country is in on but me?"
"Afraid not. Most people actually seem to like that crap. Truthfully I just wanted to see the look on your face after reading it. Gotta say I ain't disappointed." Joey rubbed his head, picking up the eReader, which was miraculously undamaged. Good case, he supposed. "Coulda done without the lump on my head, though."
"Just desserts. I should have known not to take advice from a worthless mutt like you." Seto growled, turning on a heel.
"Hey, wait... don't you want your e-thingy back?" Joey called after him, holding up the tablet.
"Keep it. I've loaded it with some real literature. Maybe you should educate yourself, if you're not already beyond help." Seto retorted before walking out the door.
Joey and Tristan shared a look before the former shrugged and opened the leather case.
Later, when Yugi and his grandpa returned home, Tristan was boredly tossing a ball up into the air and catching it while Joey was fiddling with the tablet.
"Get a new toy, Joey?" Yugi asked with an amused grin at how concentrated he looked.
"Yeah... Kaiba gave it to me." He replied distractedly, still looking at the thing as he stood. "It's actually pretty neat. It's got books and games on it, and it can access the internet through wifi." He walked past Yugi, ruffling his hair on his way out the door. "See you later, Yuge."
"Um, okay. Thanks for your help with the shop today." He got a grunt and a wave as the other boy headed out. He looked at Tristan with a confused expression. "What was that about?"
Tristan shrugged. "Kaiba must've hit him harder than I thought." He patted Yugi's head, too. "See ya, pal." And just like that, he was gone, too.
Yugi stared after him for a moment, confused. He could feel the Spirit's confusion and a little worry, too, bubbling just under the surface as he headed up to his room.
III. Teá
Seto was walking the city the next day when he passed a fast food joint he remembered Mokuba being fond of. He stopped, only for a familiar voice to greet him. Another one of Yugi’s friends, just his luck.
"Oh... hi, Kaiba. Funny seeing you here." Teá piped up in a tone that was really much kinder than Seto deserved, but hey, that was her prerogative.
"Hm, yes, it's almost like I live in this city." He sniped sarcastically.
Teá gave him an unamused look. "I just meant this particular block, you know, seeing as I work here." She tossed a thumb over her shoulder.
"I gathered that. I didn't want to assume you actually chose to dress like that." Seto glanced at her apron and name-tag.
Teá huffed. "Well geez. Look, I'm just trying to be nice. Joey told me what happened the other day—"
"He's lucky he got off with a bump on the head and my tablet, now he's running around blabbing about it? Does he have a death wish?"
"Don't be dramatic. It was just weird, because he said you weren't acting like yourself. Said you were too busy crushing on someone, which, I mean of course I thought was ridiculous at first, but then I saw Mokuba at the arcade and he said the same thing... "
"I really need to get a kiddie leash for that boy." Seto grumbled.
"No, I'm actually glad I ran into you. Really, I want to help." Teá said earnestly.
"Oh, so after Wheeler's little incident, now it's your turn?" Seto bit back.
"Look, I just figured I could... give you a few pointers, is all." She tried.
"I can't say I'm really looking for advice from you, Madame Friendship." He retorted.
Teá huffed. "I'm not clueless, okay? Yugi and I went on a date once."
Seto studiously ignored the way his gut twisted at that. "Just the once? Oh, so instead of Madame Friendship, should I call you Ms. Friendzone?"
"Very funny." Teá replied flatly.
"Sorry, did that sting? Maybe one of your rousing speeches about togetherness and love will perk you right up." Seto goaded.
Teá sighed. “You know what, Kaiba? Sometimes. Sometimes, I think you can be really nice. Nicer than you want to admit. But other times? Most of the time? I wish someone would yank out the stick that's up your ass and beat some sense into you with it."
Seto actually looked somewhat stunned at that, and in that moment, Teá wished she had taken a picture. She was going to treasure that moment for her entire life. Instead, she used the pause to continue.
"You care so much about your brother. I've seen what you've done for him. You'd tear everything down around you for just one more day with him if you were given the choice. So I know you have it in you."
Seto's eyes narrowed. "I'm not a good person."
The girl shook her head. "It's not about being good. It's about having passion. No one's expecting you to suddenly sprout wings and a halo and start throwing money out of your helicopter."
Well that made no sense. "If I had wings, why would I use my heli—?"
"Look. The point is, no one expects you to suddenly be sunshine and rainbows. But if you transferred even an ounce of the passion you have for dueling, for your company, for all your technology, and the care you show for Mokuba, to your friends, or to a special someone? Well. They'd be a really lucky person." There was no sarcasm in her tone, only sincerity, and it threw him off.
Seto just regarded her for a moment, more than a little taken aback, but managing not to show it. His tone was completely neutral when he spoke. "So, you said you work here, right? Could I get two combo meals to go?"
Teá gave him the most unamused look imaginable before taking off her apron and throwing it in his face, stalking off. "You know, I just went on break."
Seto just shrugged, swatted the apron away and kept on walking.
IV. Mai
Seto had thought the worst of his luck was over, until he was out again the next day and ran into yet another of Yugi’s friends. Why did this always happen to him? He was all set to just ignore her, but she spotted him straight off and made a bee-line for the CEO. Great. Never a dull moment.
“Hey Kaiba!” She called. Mai, the attractive blonde who was part of both the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City finals. He honestly couldn’t fathom how she made it as far as she did, but he told himself it was probably because she never dueled Seto himself, or Yugi, for that matter. Not that Yugi was better than him, but he was at least a worthy opponent… and now his thoughts were taking off on him and the woman was there in front of him before he could pretend having not heard her and slipped away. Damn.
He tried playing ignorant, blinking at her. “Uh… ?”
She leveled an unconvinced stare at him. “Seriously? Mai Valentine. Battle City Finals.”
Kaiba nodded slowly. “Right… of course.”
Mai gave him a look. “You act like we’re strangers or something, geez. Look, I just figured I should talk to you, given what the others were saying. Something tells me they’re not helping the situation at all.”
“Is everyone in this city now aware of my private life? Can I sue for this?” Seto grumbled.
Mai shook her head. “Not everyone, don’t be dramatic. I only found out because Joey was more than happy to tell me all about how he tricked you into reading that glorified dime-novel. But anyway, don’t act like I’m the enemy. I come in peace, promise.”
“You want to help me?” Seto asked incredulously.
“Well sure, why not?” Mai retorted, shrugging.
"I hardly even know you, honestly."
Mai huffed at him, though she seemed more amused than annoyed. "Really, Kaiba? We've been through two tournaments together, I've been trapped in a virtual reality game trying to save your hide... actually I died in that virtual reality game, as I recall. And you're going to pretend like we hardly know each other?"
"Well, it was only a virtual death, the way I remember it—"
"Regardless, while I wouldn't consider us friends, I think I'm at least a step above stranger. At least an acquaintance. A familiar acquaintance."
"What's your point?"
"My point is that it seems to me that you have a problem... "
"It's not really a problem—"
"A predicament—"
"Honestly it's not that—"
"A situation with which I am... intimately familiar."
"Oh boy."
"Yugi and the geek-brigade won’t stop talking about you. They've all got it in their heads that you have a crush on someone." Mai said in a scandalized tone.
Seto groaned. "What is this, middle school? I'm a legal adult. I think I can handle—"
"Emotions? Don't make me laugh." Mai snorted. "I know you, Kaiba. Barring your brother, you wouldn't know what an emotion was if it came right up to you and slapped you across your smug, pretty face."
"You think I'm pretty?" Seto asked with a smirk.
"Not the point." Mai shot back.
"Well everyone needs to get to their points faster because contrary to popular belief, I do, in fact, have important things to do, and a company to run." Seto grumbled.
Mai crossed her arms. "Fine. You want my advice?"
"Honestly? Not really."
"Forget emotion." She continued anyway. "Throw it out the window. Don't even bother. Life's too short and love is for children. Buy your gal expensive things. Diamonds are a girl's best friend. Lavish her with gifts and attention! You've got what every woman wants! Looks, money, fame... hell, if I didn't personally know just how much of an asshole you are, I'd give it a whirl."
"Well, a girl's gotta have standards." Seto replied so agreeably that it was clearly sarcastic, then rolled his eyes when Mai wasn't looking.
"Exactly. No woman wants some chump who can't hold his own. Women love men with passion and drive. Men who’ve made something of themselves. When you make it, all the women want you. Looks are just icing on the cake at that point.” Mai told him, grinning in that self-satisfied way of hers. “And hey, I might have higher standards, but that doesn’t mean your future beau does. Give it a shot, you never know.”
"That's all well and good, Mai. But my situation is a bit more complicated." Seto paused to look at her straight in the eyes. "You see, I'm afraid the object of my current... feelings is not, in fact, a gold-digging skank."
Seto Kaiba had never been slapped so hard in his life.
V. Solomon Mutou
Once the angry red mark on his cheek had subsided enough to not be immediately noticeable, which was not until late the next day (when he told Mokuba that morning what had happened the boy had broken down into hysterics, Seto was not amused), he found himself at the Kamé Game Shop again. He had been walking downtown and his feet just sort of... carried him there, as if he'd zoned out and his subconscious took him where he wanted to be. Which was utterly ridiculous. So what if he hadn't seen Yugi in almost a week? It's not like he was actually pining, or anything. Seto Kaiba didn't—
"Kaiba! What brings you here?" A gruff old voice spoke up. Sure enough, there was Solomon Mutou, sweeping out in front of his shop. "I'm afraid Yugi and his friends aren't here. I think they went to the arcade. Kids..."
"I'm not here to see Yugi." Kaiba replied too quickly, not particularly defensive, but it made the old man raise an eyebrow.
"Oh, now? Something I can help you with?"
Shit. No. Well. Maybe? Wait. That was a thing, right? Bonding with a person you like's parental figure? Did people still ask people's parents for permission to date them? Or was that just for marriage? That all seemed pretty antiquated to him, but it wouldn't hurt to improve his relationship with Yugi's grandpa, right? He could certainly stand to fix the man's first impression of him, which involved... kidnapping, if he remembered correctly. Jesus Christ this was such a train-wreck.
"Not particularly." Seto began, looking off at nothing specific. He felt like he was really going out on a limb here, but he'd have to try. "But... while I'm here. I thought I might... apologize."
"Apologize?" Solomon seemed confused. "Whatever for?"
"I don't think I ever did properly apologize for the incident with the Blue Eyes White Dragon card." Seto replied, still not looking at him. "I wasn't... really myself, after. Or, I'm not who I was before, I guess I should say."
"Oh, I know that." Solomon chuckled. "I suppose I never expected an apology because I knew that wasn't who you really were. That, and the real you is still very proud. But, it's water under the bridge. Yugi told me the Spirit of the Puzzle freed your mind from the darkness that consumed it and while my Blue Eyes card may be torn, it was only ever sentimental to me."
Seto grunted. Again with this Millennium Puzzle nonsense. Still, he'd be lying if he didn't admit he felt like Yugi became a different person when he dueled, and truthfully, Seto himself felt worlds different after that first duel with him.
Whether that was the work of some ancient magic or other remained to be seen.
"I have to say I'm surprised, regardless, that you can dismiss what happened so easily." Seto told him.
"Well, Yugi has always seen you for who you really were, and I suppose that made me believe in it, too." Solomon said with a resolute nod.
"So then we're square? About the whole kidnapping thing?" The taller man asked.
Solomon stared at him for a moment. "You tore my most prized possession in half and your hologram duel monsters sent me to the hospital because I almost had a heart attack."
Seto coughed. "So. Maybe not welcome at Christmas dinner just yet."
Solomon just laughed like it was the most amusing thing in the world to him. "Oh goodness. I'm far too old for grudges. And besides, Yugi wouldn't hesitate to help you, even after everything. I think we could both learn a lot from my grandson. About kindness, compassion, forgiveness... "
"... putting up with Wheeler... " Seto added sardonically.
Solomon chuckled. "I suppose that takes a special sort of someone, hm?"
"Special indeed." Seto mumbled to himself. He set the briefcase he was holding in front of Solomon. "I'd like you to have these. In exchange for the damage done to the Blue Eyes. You can sell them, trade them, keep them... they're yours." With that, he walked away, speaking over his shoulder. "And I won't take no for an answer."
Solomon just watched him go, not even moving to pick up the case. "Well then. Nice chat."
He went back to sweeping, shaking his head bemusedly.
+1
Seto hadn't seen Mokuba for hours.
That in itself wasn't unusual, but given that he’d been kidnapped more times in his life than any thirteen-year-old should have had to endure, the older Kaiba was reasonably worried.
After Battle City, he’d gotten Mokuba a cell phone, and several back-ups, since he wouldn’t be wearing his headset all the time and Mokuba was about as responsible with technology as a toddler. Seto had called it six times with no answer. Mokuba knew Seto tended to bring the wrath of the gods down on him if he noticed that many missed calls, which meant the kid was in a position that he couldn’t check his phone.
That sent Seto’s blood pressure sky-rocketing, and he pulled on his jacket, heading out of the KaibaCorp main building and out onto the streets.
***
The sky was grey and grim as Yugi walked the city. Joey and Tristan had soccer practice, which would probably wind up getting cancelled halfway through if the weather made good on its threats… so he’d taken it upon himself to walk Teá to her job. After all the kidnappings and terrible situations she’d been in… their whole group had been in, he just felt more comfortable if everyone travelled in pairs at the least. Teá tried to argue that he’d be walking alone on the return trip, then, but he just reminded her that he always had the Spirit of the Puzzle with him, and that seemed to set her mind at ease.
He knew the city well, so he took the busiest routes, just to be around crowds. He passed the arcade, which was thrumming with people; the poor weather meant people were more likely to be entertaining themselves indoors this weekend than to be at one of the local parks or outdoor attractions. He had just gotten past the large gaggle of people milling around the arcade when he passed an alleyway and heard a scuffle. There was a yelp of distress, and Yugi didn’t even hesitate: he ran down the alley full-force.
He followed the voices to a small alcove where he saw a large guy towering over someone smaller, so small that they were almost completely obscured by the hulking form. Yugi squared his shoulders and yelled.
“Hey! Why don’t you pick on someone else, huh?” He certainly wasn’t anything near the guy’s size, so he didn’t bother with that particular cliché.
It got the guy to turn around, though, and drop the kid he’d had pinned to the wall. “Why don’t you mind your own business, squirt? We’re talking business, here.”
“Yugi?” A small voice came from behind the hulking brute. “Yugi, is that you?”
The duelist knew that voice anywhere. “Mokuba?”
“Yeah, it’s me! Listen, this jerk broke my phone, I need you to call my brother—”
The guy shoved his forearm to Mokuba’s throat, pinning him to the wall again. “That wasn’t the deal, kid. I told you, you’re gonna get me all those rare cards and your brother ain’t gonna know a thing about it.”
“Leave him alone!” Yugi shouted, and just as it was out of his mouth, the Millennium Puzzle glowed against his chest. “Yugioh!”
When the light abated, it was clear the pharaoh was now in control. His voice was deeper, more commanding, when he spoke again. “I said, Leave. Him. Alone.”
The guy released Mokuba, turning to Yami fully now. “We gonna have a problem, punk?”
“If you don’t let that boy go, then yes.” The duelist told him in a cold voice.
The guy just sneered, grabbing at Mokuba as he tried to scramble and run away. He tossed him back into the wall hard, and the boy blacked out, slumping against the pavement.
“Mokuba—!” Yami went for him, but the guy stepped between them.
“Guess he and I will finish our arrangement later. In the meantime, let’s deal with you.” He cracked his knuckles, then his neck from side to side.
Yami peered at him, assessing. “You said you were speaking to him about rare cards. Am I to believe you are a duelist?”
The guy scoffed. “Sure am. A damn good one, too.”
Yami smirked. “Well then. I’m not one for physical confrontation and you seem like a reasonable man. Why don’t we duel, and settle this once and for all?”
The guy gave him a look. “You wanna duel me? You ain’t got nothin’ to offer me.”
Yami pulled out his deck, shuffling it for a moment. “If I win, you’ll leave Mokuba alone and never harass him again. And if I lose, you can have my deck, which you’ll find has several rare cards, including my Dark Magician.” He held up his deck without even looking, but the bottom card on full display was, sure enough, his Dark Magician.
The guy practically salivated. “All your rare cards? Well all right, punk, you’ve got a deal.”
Yami smirked, his puzzle glowing as a shroud of darkness crept around them, engulfing the two duelists. “Since we have no surface upon which to play, I thought I might take this duel somewhere more… appropriate.”
The guy looked around nervously, but didn’t back down. Yami wasn’t usually one to call upon his powers in such a manner, not since Yugi had convinced him to be kinder toward his opponents, but this man had harmed Mokuba and even Yami could feel how enraged Yugi was through their mind-link. Payback was in order.
This was going to be quick.
***
Kaiba tracked Mokuba’s cell signal back to the place where he’d last been, which brought him to the Domino City Arcade. It was just starting to rain, one or two random droplets here and there as he passed by an alley and noticed something strange. It was unusually dark, as if a black fog had descended there but was steadily evaporating. Behind the mist was Yugi, standing over a man who was cowering on the ground.
“You will never come near him again.” He said in a dark tone, and with a gesture from the duelist, the man was reduced from shivering and blubbering to a near catatonic state, managing barely to mumble as he sat there on the ground.
Yugi was moving suddenly, to a further corner of the alley, kneeling and checking on someone else and there he was, it was—
“Mokuba!” Seto called as he ran down the alley, straight to his brother. “What happened?”
“Kaiba.” Yugi looked surprised, but no… this wasn’t Yugi. This was… the other Yugi. He could tell just by the tone of his voice. “Your brother, I happened across him on my way home. This man was harassing him, I believe he knew that you two were related and was attempting to use him—”
“Damn… not again.” Kaiba gritted his teeth, checking Mokuba over for injuries. He wasn’t bleeding, and there weren’t any bruises that he could see, at least. “I should get him home.”
He pulled the boy onto his back, draping his arms over his shoulders and holding him steady in a piggy-back ride. He looked over at the man still mumbling on the ground. “Looks like you took care of him.”
Yami nodded. “I sent the darkness in his soul to the Shadow Realm. It doesn’t look like there’s much good to take over in its place, though.”
Seto just narrowed his eyes at him. “And here I thought you’d gone old-fashioned fisticuffs on him.”
Yami’s eyebrows knit together. “I don’t… know what you mean by that.”
Seto snorted, shaking his head. “Never mind.” He stood from the kneeling position he’d been in, looking out from under the outcropping they were sheltered beneath. By now it was pouring rain.
“I’ll leave you to it, then.” Yami replied somewhat awkwardly, unsure where to go from there.
“It’s raining.” Seto said, his tone betraying nothing. “You may as well follow me back to KaibaCorp. It’s a whole lot closer than your grandfather’s game shop, and if you’re in that much of a rush to get home, I can at least get you a car.”
Yami seemed confused by the offer, but happy for it nonetheless. “I’m in no hurry to return home. I’d be grateful for the shelter.”
Seto just rolled his eyes at how utterly formal he was being about it, producing an umbrella from one of the many pockets of his jacket. “Follow me, then.” He told him as he popped it open.
“Let me. You should keep a hold on your brother.” Yami told him, taking the umbrella. Seto didn’t thank him, but he braced a hand each on Mokuba’s legs and arms and nodded. Yami had to hold the umbrella awkwardly high due to their height difference, but he made sure none of them would get wet.
The walk to KaibaCorp was short, and spent in silence. The few people who were on the streets either rushed past trying to avoid the rain, or were leisurely strolling under their own umbrellas. It wasn’t a windy day, thankfully, just a constant, heavy drizzle, so by the time they made it under the KaibaCorp awnings, they’d managed not to get completely soaked. Seto brought them through his own private entrance, tapping a passcode into a keypad which opened the door. He opened it and let the other man enter first, then came in behind him and closed it with his foot. He hazarded a glance back at Mokuba, but his eyes were still shut.
“Most of the offices are closed right now, but I’ve found it rather pointless to drive home to sleep, so I’ve set up living quarters for myself and Mokuba here.” Seto told him as he headed for his private elevator. He tapped in another code and the doors opened.
“You do seem like the type to stay up all night working on something.” Yami replied in amusement, grinning as he followed the other man into the elevator.
“It’s not often I get my best work done in the daytime.” Seto admitted with a smirk, pressing the button for the floor he wanted.
“They do say the work of genius is more congruent with the nighttime.” Yami responded sagely.
Seto raised an eyebrow at him. “Flattery, Yugi? Honestly.”
“Well, you did get me out of the rain. Is flattery not an acceptable show of gratitude?” Yami teased.
Seto snorted as the elevator halted and the doors opened. This floor looked less like an office and more like a home… the floors were carpeted, not marble, at least in the entry. The foyer led to a full tiled kitchen that opened up into a lounge area, which narrowed into a hall that led to an office and several bedrooms. The living room TV was off, but the lights came on automatically as they entered.
“Let me put Mokuba in his room. Sit wherever you like.” It was said in a tone that was more flat than kind, but there was clearly an edge of concern there for his brother. Yami nodded as Seto headed down the hall.
Once Mokuba was in his bed, Seto checked him again for cuts, scrapes or bruises. He seemed to have some kind of bump on his head, likely what knocked him out, but otherwise he appeared to be all right. The older Kaiba tucked his brother in, turned out the lights and closed the door behind him as he headed back into the hall.
When Seto returned to the living room, he found the other duelist still standing, looking out the massive window at the dreary, rain-soaked city. The taller man just rolled his eyes and threw himself down on the largest couch, kicking his legs up on the table.
“Doesn’t look like it’s going to be letting up anytime soon.” Seto said in an almost amused tone. “You sure about not wanting that car?”
“I’m sure.” Yami replied pensively, still looking out the window. “How is your brother?”
“I didn’t see any scrapes or bruises, just a bump on his head, but I can get the medical team to look at him tomorrow if he’s not feeling well.” Seto answered. He sounded concerned, but not necessarily worried. His brother had been through much worse, and he’d tried to get better about not babying him.
Yami just nodded, eyes tracking across the lights of the city.
“I’m grateful for what you did today. This isn’t the first time you’ve been there for my brother.” Seto said, the words coming easier than they had in the past. It still sounded like it was difficult for him to get them out, though, and he was still somehow managing to say ‘thank you’ without actually uttering those exact words, as if they weren’t in his vocabulary.
“You are my friend, and Mokuba means everything to you.” Yami replied simply. Sure, he would have done it for any random kid, but maybe without sending the guy to the Shadow Realm. Maybe.
“We aren’t friends.” It was out of his mouth before he could stop it, and Seto mentally cursed himself.
"So you say." Yami seemed almost amused, turning back to look at Kaiba. "I heard about what you did down at the game shop."
It didn’t seem relevant to the current conversation, but Seto was grateful for the transition. “I could have guessed your gramps would have told you.”
“Should he not have?” Yami asked curiously.
Seto shrugged. “I didn’t do it for credit. It was something I needed to do.”
“Hate owing people favors, as I recall.”
“Wasn’t a favor, so much as an apology.” Seto corrected, motioning to the spot next to him. “This is returning a favor, for what you did for my brother today. So would you sit down?”
Yami gave a small grin at the somewhat annoyed tone and did as he asked, coming to sit next to Seto on the couch, despite that there were at least two other chairs in the room. “All right.” He was silent for a moment before he spoke again. “I sense there’s something on your mind, other than your brother, which is troubling you.”
Seto gave a wry grin at that. “Am I really that transparent? I must be losing my touch.”
“We’ve known each other for a long time, Kaiba.” Yami told him, giving him a meaningful look. “And despite your protests, I do consider you to be my friend. You can talk to me, you know.”
Seto gave a derisive snort. “Things aren’t that simple.” Yami didn’t speak, just waited patiently for him to continue. After a long moment, the taller man sighed. “You say you’re my friend, but which one of you?”
Yami’s eyes narrowed curiously. “What do you mean?”
"It's like you become another person when you duel."
Yami smirked at that. "So I'm told. Quite often, actually."
He’d already told Kaiba all about his origins, when they were in the helicopter on their way to find Joey and the others during Battle City. Seto knew he was a five-thousand-year-old pharaoh, that they both could trace their origins back to Ancient Egypt, that he was merely a spirit which dwelled within the Millennium Puzzle, that he and Yugi shared this body… Ishizu Ishtar had given him insight into his ancient past, shown him the physical evidence; the tablets in her museum, clearly depicting them both locked in a duel in a time long before card games and Duel Disks. But these were all things Kaiba refused to acknowledge. Though he'd been told, shown, he hadn't accepted it.
"You know I don't subscribe to all this... Ancient Egypt mumbo-jumbo." Seto spoke slowly, considering his words.
Yami gave an amused grin, inclining his head. "As you say."
"But this... Spirit of the Puzzle.” That’s what Yugi’s grandfather had called it, anyway. “That's you. What I mean is, right now... I'm not really talking to Yugi, am I?"
Yami seemed almost... impressed. Not by the deduction itself, but that Kaiba was finally able to voice it after denying the supernatural for so long. "Yugi is here. But no, you aren't speaking to him. Rather, he is not speaking to you."
Seto nodded slowly. "So do you have a name? Other than the whole 'Spirit' thing?"
"Yugi does call me that, but I am also called Yami."
"Yami." Seto's lips curled around the world like it tasted wrong.
The man next to him instantly noticed. "If it helps... I am not averse to simply being called 'Yugi'. He and I are two sides of the same coin. It makes no difference to me."
Seto nodded. "It's nothing personal. It's just that you're the only Yugi I've ever really known."
"Well perhaps if every time we met, it wasn't always for a duel, then that would be different." Yami replied with a chuckle.
"And what if I didn't want it to be different?" Seto's tone was neutral, but Yami seemed to take note of how dark his expression was, eyeing him curiously. "What if this is... what if you're the Yugi I... well."
Yami looked as amused as ever. "CEO of KaibaCorp, eloquent as expected."
"Bite me." Seto quipped sardonically.
"Now we're getting somewhere." Yami teased.
"Was that a come-on or are you just making fun of me?" Set smirked.
"Definitely the former; I'm not quite as cruel and sadistic as you."
Yugi's spirit laughed so loud in his head that Yami actually flinched. Well. He'd gotten better, at least, hadn't he? It's not like he was sending every felled opponent to the Shadow Realm and dealing out penalty games like the good old days anymore...
Seto just stared at him for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "You cringed so hard after saying that that I thought your nose was gonna grow from lying or something."
Yami huffed an amused sort of laugh. "For a moment I thought it might. I guess I'll have to take that back; my partner didn’t agree with me."
“The… other Yugi?” Seto asked hesitantly.
“Yes.” Yami told him simply.
“So he’s aware of everything that’s going on when you’re… driving?” Seto tried.
Yami chuckled at that. “Yes, if he wishes to be. But he can choose to ignore what is going on when I am in control. That is how we won our duel with Pegasus.”
“Right.” Seto replied almost dismissively, not wanting to dredge any of that up right now. That was another mess Yugi had saved him and his brother from. He didn't need reminding.
“The reason you are speaking to me right now, and not him… is because he feels you prefer it this way. And, from what you stated earlier, that isn’t untrue.” Yami added.
“And he’s all right with all this? With you being behind the reins even when I haven’t challenged you to a duel?” Seto’s tone was slightly sarcastic, and soon they were both smirking at each other.
“A duel of sorts.” Yami responded cryptically. “But yes, he is rather insistent, actually. He’s told me not just about what happened with his grandfather, but with our friends. They all said you’ve not been yourself lately. And it wasn’t because of the tournament.”
“Rather the tournament being over.” Seto mumbled, mostly to himself.
“Competition means that much to you?” Yami asked, but instantly grimaced, realizing that was an idiotic question. This was Seto Kaiba he was talking to.
Sure enough, the taller man scoffed. “I’m not even going to grace that ridiculous question with a response.”
Yami huffed a soft laugh. “Fair enough, I suppose. But that doesn’t seem to be the only thing bothering you, given our earlier conversation. You were willing to admit there are at least some things beyond rational comprehension that are, in fact, a reality. That I am not just Yugi Mutou, but someone else… yet you don’t seem to want to acknowledge anything beyond that; your own ancient past, the powers at work intertwining our destinies… but. You do want to talk. About what, I cannot say.”
Seto snorted, shifting until his feet were on the floor, his position much more guarded now. “You’re drawing an awful lot of conclusions, there, Yugi. I’ve said all I wanted to say.”
“Liar.” Yami even looked surprised that the word had come out of his mouth. He wondered if Yugi had assumed control for just that split second.
“What would you know?” Seto grumbled bitterly.
Yami shook his head. “I would never be one to assume. Joey, Teá, even Mai came to me with similar stories regarding their recent interactions with you. Given that you and I have known each other the longest, you did not come to me. Still, I did not draw any conclusions, until I heard about what happened down at the game shop. It seemed to me as if you were trying to make amends.”
Still, Seto refused to budge. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Yami growled in frustration, shaking his head. It was a long moment before he spoke again.
“I swear, you are the proudest man I’ve ever known… ” Yami muttered. Seto turned to snap back at him, but a second later, Yami’s hand was in his hair, burying itself in the strands at the back of his head and gripping just this side of painful. Seto found himself letting out what was nothing short of a moan, his retort getting caught in his throat. Yami regarded him with hooded, curious eyes, pivoting so that he was facing him more fully.
“Look at you… ” The spirit said, his voice as dark as his expression. “Your refusal to let people become close to you has left you starved for touch. If you simply allowed yourself… ” He didn’t bother finishing the thought, leaning in to press his lips to Seto’s jugular, laving his tongue over the sensitive flesh.
Seto jolted under him like he’d been zapped by a live-wire, letting out another breathless moan. It sounded almost surprised, like he was startled to hear himself make such a noise. His hand flashed out, his palm settling itself on Yami’s waist, pulling him closer. His left hand braced behind him on the couch as Yami climbed into his lap, straddling him.
“Kaiba… ” Yami mumbled under his breath, noticing the hesitation. Of all things, it felt like submission, and that was not something his rival was familiar with. It was unlike him. He resolved to change it. “Are you just going to sit there and let me have my way? I’ve issued you a challenge, Kaiba.”
The change in Seto’s expression was instantaneous. His eyes narrowed, his jaw set. He kicked the coffee table hard and it slid several feet away from them, after which he gripped harder at Yami’s waist, moving them both like the other man weighed nothing. He turned swiftly until he was above him, toppling them both to the floor, his hips pressing his rival down into the carpet. Yami’s arms fell away to his sides, and the hand that Seto had braced behind him was now next to Yami’s head as the taller man loomed over him. They stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment, Seto looking almost startled and Yami looking smug, maybe a little impressed.
“You’re infuriating.” Seto growled, the hand at Yami’s waist sliding up his torso and finally his neck, curling around the pale column of his throat, his thumb coaxing Yami’s chin up into an almost defiant gesture. Yami craned his head up eagerly, though, not fighting it. There was that same challenge in his eyes, as if he was demanding that Seto do something about it.
Seto did, leaning down and crushing their mouths together in a bruising kiss. Yami grunted softly against his lips, a mix of surprise and relief, his right hand moving up to find Seto’s hair again. He buried his fingers into it once more and gripped tightly, the other hand bracing against his rival’s chest. Every touch only seemed to stoke the fires and encourage Seto, causing him to snarl into Yami’s mouth and grind his hips down, nipping at his bottom lip.
Yami clutched tightly to Seto’s shirt, moaning at his ministrations. Kaiba kissed like he dueled… rough and brutal, fast-paced and no-holds-barred, with a fair amount of skill. He didn’t really imagine that Seto actually had much experience at this sort of thing, so he found himself curious as to just how he was this good at it. He didn’t really have much time to dwell on that, though, when the other man rolled them over again, putting Yami on top of him. It was only to relieve him of his jacket, though, which Yami assisted him in removing. Seto didn’t seem to be able to stomach the other man being on top for long, though, because once it was off, he rolled them yet again, working to get his own jacket off, now. Yami shoved it from his shoulders so the taller man could shrug it off and pitch it aside.
Seto’s clothes did him plenty of favors, but without the jacket, it was much more obvious how tall and lean he was. Yami got to work on the straps adorning Seto’s arms while Seto himself set his sights on Yami’s belts; first the one that held his deck box and then the one actually threaded through his pants. They both came off with ease, and by the time he was yanking the second from the loops and tossing it aside, Yami had freed him of the belts on his shirt. Seto shed his bracers, then peeled off the turtleneck, leaving his chest completely bare.
Yami stared hungrily at the wide expanse of pale flesh before him like he didn't know where to start, just that he wanted to. He pressed his palm against the taller man's navel and dragged his hand up and over his pectorals, taking in the way the muscles rippled under his touch. Seto let him bask for a moment before tugging off Yami’s shirt, making sure the puzzle slid through the top so he’d still be wearing it. The taller man pushed it aside, letting it rest on the floor as he dove down and latched his mouth to one of his nipples with no preamble, flicking his tongue along the sensitive flesh. Yami made a strangled sort of noise and arched up into the sensation, hands moving to grip hard at Seto’s biceps.
The taller man worked his tongue over him for a few moments before moving to the other nipple, bringing his large hand up to palm at the now-neglected one, rolling his thumb over the hardened bud. Yami jolted under him, and Seto smirked around his tongue. He felt huge above Yugi, covering him with his much larger body, practically engulfing him. Yugi seemed so… big, when he dueled. His presence was larger than life. But here? He seemed so small, almost fragile. He could easily overpower him, unlike how their matches seemed to go in the dueling arena. He was in control here. Seto groaned at the thought, grinding his hips down again. He could feel how hard the other man was for him, and he was sure it was plenty obvious he felt the same, given how much he was now straining in his tight-fitted pants. He undid his fly just to relieve the pressure, but Yami apparently heard the zipper and caught his breath enough to speak.
“Right here on the floor, Kaiba? Really?” Yami asked incredulously.
Seto pulled off of him with a hard suck and a lewd smacking sound, scoffing. “What? You want the royal treatment with a bed and rose-petals or something, Your Highness?”
Yami rolled his eyes. “A bed would be preferable, yes.”
Seto shook his head, but slid his arm under the small of the other man’s back, standing and taking the shorter man with him. He picked him up like he weighed nothing, and honestly he was rather light, probably not too much heavier than Mokuba, who Seto could carry with ease.
The action caused Yami to groan, and he buried his face against Kaiba’s neck, nipping and sucking at the skin. The taller man couldn’t help but shiver.
“That’s not helping our progress… ” He grunted, steadying himself after taking a few steps. He wrapped both arms around the smaller duelist, one hand latched to his waist while the other hooked over his shoulder. Yami’s legs encircled Kaiba’s middle, crossing behind him as one arm slid about his neck.
“Don’t expect an apology.” Yami said gruffly, carding the other hand into his hair and pulling him in for a searing kiss. They licked into each other’s mouths heatedly for a long moment before Seto nipped at his bottom lip and pulled back to breathe.
“Bedroom.” He reminded him.
“Bedroom.” Yami agreed with a nod, trailing much more innocent kisses down over Seto’s neck as he walked them both down the hall. They made it almost the entire way before Yami got a little cheeky and bit down on the crook of the taller duelist’s neck.
Seto growled and slammed Yami against the wall just shy of the bedroom door, holding him up mostly with his hips as he attacked his neck with rough kisses, lips trailing down to his collarbone and leaving bright-red hickeys there in retaliation. Yami groaned and tipped his head back against the wall with a dull thud, eyes closed. They were both too caught up to even notice the door across the hall opening.
“Seto—?” Mokuba mumbled tiredly, hardly audible. He blinked a few times before his eyes went wide and his face turned beet red as he took in the sight before him. “Oh. Oops.” He ducked back into his room unnoticed and promptly decided to go grab those headphones of his. And his backup cell phone. He had texts to send.
Eventually, Seto got his wits about him enough to move them the rest of the way to the bedroom, closing the door behind him with his foot before depositing Yami on the sheets. His bed was huge, larger than a king-sized for sure and sporting a heavy wood frame with a four-poster design and a canopy, though there were no curtains on it. Even in his home away from home, Seto Kaiba enjoyed his comfort.
Seto wasted no time in relieving Yami of his pants and boots, tossing them across the room as if they’d personally offended him. He moved back for a moment to rid himself of his own boots and pants, stepping out of them before climbing back onto the bed over Yami. He was leaning back down in no time, sucking lightly under his collar again.
“Do you need to keep this thing on?” Seto asked against Yami’s clavicle, fingers sliding over the thick chain of the puzzle around his neck.
“N-no… it needs to be close, though. A few feet.” Yami explained.
Seto nodded, gingerly removing it from his neck and setting it on the nightstand. He took more care with it than he had with Yami’s clothes, which surprised the shorter man, but he didn’t have much chance to think about it before Seto was back on top of him, working his mouth over his chest again. With his rival pinned underneath him again, especially in the center of his massive bed, he looked so small. He bore his weight on his forearms on either side of Yami’s head, settling his hard cock, clad only in boxers now, against the other man’s thigh and rutting his hips hard.
The moan that came out of Yami’s mouth at that was a visceral, needy thing, and he arched up into it, hips bucking off the bed.
Seto grinded his hips down once more, smirking at the noises it produced from the other man. “You seem to like that. So that’s how you want me?”
“Well. Seeing as you have trouble defeating me in a fair duel, I see no problem allowing you to dominate at least one aspect of our relationship.” Yami goaded, raising an eyebrow at him.
“You cocky little shit.” Seto growled, moving just one hand to take the other duelist’s arms and pin them to the bed. His fingers were long enough to wrap comfortably around both of Yami’s wrists in a tight grip. “I can dominate you in this arena because I’m nearly twice your size. Don’t pretend like this is some charity case of yours.”
Yami smiled confidently. “Oh, it isn’t. But I'd be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy riling you up."
"I reiterate: you are infuriating." Seto growled, his face inches from Yami's.
The man under him just smirked like the cat who got the cream. "Then do something about it, Kaiba."
"Oh I will." Seto drawled, his grip tightening as he pressed Yami harder into the sheets. "I know exactly what I'm going to do about it."
"And what's that?" Yami goaded, challenging.
Seto leaned down until his lips were brushing the smaller man's ear. "I'm going to pin you to this mattress and fuck you so hard you'll forget everything except my name, which, incidentally, will be the only thing you'll be saying for the rest of the night."
Yami groaned, hands balling into fists in Seto’s grip as he let out a breathless, "Yes."
The taller man huffed a laugh. "Well. I suppose that's acceptable, too." He nipped at his rival's ear, flicking his tongue over the shell before trailing gentle nips down his neck as he moved the hand that wasn't bracing Yami's wrists against the bed. He pressed his palm gently along the heat of the shorter man's cock through his boxers, teasing him.
Yami hissed, arching up into the attention. "K-Kaiba... "
Seto snarled, shoving Yami's wrists into the bed even harder. "That is not my name. That is the name I earned. Call me the name I was given."
Yami stared up at him for a moment, wide-eyed, before responding. "Seto... "
It sounded almost foreign on his tongue, but his rival's eyes positively gleamed. "Mm... better."
“Please.” Yami said imperatively, holding his eyes in a molten gaze.
Seto shivered, but his expression remained smug. “Begging already? I expected more of a fight.”
“I’m not fighting.” Yami told him, not looking away. “I want you.”
It could have been a confession, but it sounded more like a challenge, somehow, and Kaiba took it. He leaned over the other man, to the nightstand where the Millennium Puzzle now sat, rifling through the top drawer until he came back with a small bottle of lube. Even if he never exactly had guests, Seto was still human, and he kept a supply around for himself. He set the bottle aside for a moment, curling his fingers into the waistband of Yami’s boxers and dragging them down, pitching them aside once they were off. He wiggled out of his own, then sat back on his knees and grabbed the lube, slicking a few of the fingers on his right hand.
He looked at the other man to see him staring at those fingers with a foggy expression, needily biting his lip. Seto regarded him for a moment before sliding his free arm under Yami, pulling him off the bed and into his lap. He laid back on the mattress, figuring in this position that gravity could do a bit of the work for them.
Yami settled over Seto, knees on either side of his hips, their hard cocks brushing up against each other when one of them moved. The man beneath him held onto his thigh with his left hand while the right slid between their bodies. Kaiba pressed one slicked finger against his rim, gently running it along the sensitive flesh until it was all but dripping with lube. Yami was letting out little keening noises, moving down against the ministrations, but jittery all the same. When the taller man finally pressed the digit just inside, only to his first knuckle, he jolted at the foreign sensation, stilling above him.
Seto paused, and, most surprisingly, his left hand started rubbing up and down Yami’s thigh in an almost soothing gesture. Yami didn’t want to look down, catch his eyes… not knowing if he’d find the other man looking at him impatiently or heatedly or something else entirely, so he kept his eyes closed, focusing on his breathing as he started rocking back against his hand, slow but not unsure.
Even with Yami moving against him, Seto took his time before pressing his finger deeper inside, to the second knuckle and finally the third. He held still for several seconds at each interval before moving again, a slow rhythm but not overly gentle, since Yami was rutting back so insistently against him that it was virtually impossible to treat him like some kind of breakable thing. When he had finally bottomed out, the smaller duelist let out a long, low moan, his head dropping back.
Seto watched his rival’s face for his reactions… though his brows were knitted together at first, soon his entire face went slack, his mouth hanging open as little grunts of pleasure escaped his throat with every slow thrust of Seto’s finger. Curious, he curled his finger inward as he was pulling out almost to the first knuckle.
Yami jolted like he’d been struck by lightning, his eyes flying open as a loud, startled moan pushed out of his chest. Seto’s eyes gleamed and he did it again, earning another, somehow even louder and just as surprised.
Yami had been able, in the past, to feel certain sensations when Yugi pleasured himself, as teenage boys did. But those were only the ghosts of feelings, sent along their bond unintentionally even when Yami had stayed in his own mind room, knowing the boy didn’t want to be disturbed. This was like nothing he’d ever felt, such pleasure, combined with this feeling of… fullness, this closeness with another person. His bond with Yugi was something he treasured but this was in a class of its own, and it was maddeningly addictive. He rocked back into Seto’s ministrations even more insistently, little whines coming out with every exhale. He moved like he was desperate for it, chasing that heated sensation pooling behind his navel.
It seemed like only a few minutes had passed when suddenly, Yami went rigid for several long seconds, letting out a completely wrecked sound before he came hard over Seto’s chest, his release striping across that pale expanse of flesh. The other man stared up at him in surprise and… something else. There was smugness, yes, but there was a distinct need on his face, like he was witnessing the hottest thing he’d ever seen and couldn’t wait to have it for himself.
Yami was panting as he came down, finally opening his eyes and meeting Seto’s gaze. He was flushed with arousal, but somehow it was still extremely obvious when he blushed. “I-I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting… ”
“I wouldn’t be concerned.” Seto cut him off, his hand starting to move again. Yami let out a low, broken moan as the taller man pressed a second slick digit in alongside the first, his relaxed body taking it easily. The taller man watched in something like fascination, his eyes dark. “It’s not as if I can’t coax a second out of you.”
“Gods… ” Yami groaned, his head falling forward and shoulders slumping as he unspooled, all of the tension leaving his spine. He looked as if he was barely holding himself up.
Seto seemed to take pity on him, the hand on Yami’s thigh moving to his waist as he pivoted them, his fingers still staying inside him even as he rearranged them so Yami was lying back on the bed with Seto above him.
He didn't say anything, just started gently fucking him with his fingers again, two this time, scissoring them slightly but staying away from that bundle of nerves that was likely over-sensitive, now. The taller man leaned down and nuzzled at his rival's neck, nipping and suckling at the flesh as he slowly worked him over. The only sounds were those coming from Yami; small, needy grunts every time Seto thrust his fingers into him. He took time with it, almost seemed to take care, clearly more concerned with Yami’s comfort than his own pleasure.
It felt like an eternity had passed before Kaiba was urging a third digit in alongside the other two, grabbing the discarded lube and drizzling more over his fingers as he worked them in and out of the smaller man. His cock was straining, hard and curved up against his abdomen, but he ignored it in place of preparing his partner. Yami had already come once but he was hard again in no time, halfway to begging for more, so he couldn't imagine the kind of self-control that Seto was exhibiting right now.
"Do you think you could take four?" Seto asked, his voice low and husky, his eyes trained on his hand where it was working inside the other man.
Yami groaned. "I can take you, now just... "
Seto gave an amused sound, smirking and shaking his head. "Not to sound arrogant—"
The sound Yami made at that was like a bitten-off hysterical laugh, but Seto turned it into a breathless grunt when he crooked all three fingers against his prostate, hard.
"But," He continued pointedly, "I don't think this is nearly enough."
Yami honest-to-God whined. "Kaiba, please."
The taller duelist frowned. "Just one more."
"Seto... " Yami tried, and dammit if it didn't almost work. Almost.
"One more." Kaiba insisted in that low tone again, drizzling the lube onto his pinkie finger before pressing it in alongside the others.
Even four of his fingers, slender as they were, weren't quite the girth of his cock. And Yami was tight, remarkably tight, so if he didn't prep him right, it wouldn't be pleasant for him. But damn him to hell if Yami wasn't begging him for it, greedily rutting his hips down onto his fingers, wanting more.
He only managed to prep him for another few minutes before Yami became unreasonable, grabbing at his shoulders, tugging at his hair hard.
"Seto—!" He growled, like an order and a threat all in one. "Dammit, come on... give it to me!"
Well. Pride or not, how could he say no to that? Seto pulled his fingers out and grabbed Yami's hips, turning him over roughly and pulling him up onto his knees. The smaller duelist groaned and pressed the side of his face into the pillows, his arms sliding under them until he could grip the side of the mattress. He couldn’t seem to sit still, hips moving as if trying to entice the other man to just take.
Seto fished around in the sheets for the lube, grabbing it and snapping open the cap, coating his hand liberally. He hissed when he finally touched his cock, slicking it up but having to stop after a few strokes to clutch at the base and calm himself down. He'd neglected it for so long that now he was too worked up. He took a few steadying breaths, thinking about anything but the pliant, needy man under him, doing math formulas in his head until he didn't feel quite ready to blow.
Said needy man beneath him was becoming impatient, though, whining and writhing back, practically presenting his ass. "Seto—oh-!"
That threatening tone of his was cut off abruptly when Seto pushed three of his still-slick fingers back inside him, crooking them mercilessly against that spot that made Yami's legs shake. "Have a little patience. I'll fuck you when I'm good and ready."
Yami whimpered in something between pleasure and protest, pressing his face into the pillows. Kaiba took pity on him and grinned in amusement, shaking his head as he slipped his fingers out of him. He pressed the head of his cock against his rim, no real pressure just yet, only teasing. The man beneath him made a small whining noise, pushing back against him. Still, Seto just held him there for a moment, rocking gently against him, letting just the head of his cock slip inside. The sound he made when Seto finally breached him was as wrecked as anything, his back arching obscenely once the taller man was sheathed fully inside him, his hips pressed against his ass.
Seto had never had another partner, and honestly, he didn’t think Yugi had, either, so while they were definitely being complete idiots by not using protection, it was probably safe to say that nothing would actually come of it. Yami made no protest of it, at least, in fact he was doing quite the opposite, rutting back against him needily, practically begging him to move. He obliged, leaning over him and pulling out nearly all the way before thrusting back in. Yami groaned, trying to get his hips to match with Seto’s rhythm as he started to move in a steady cadence.
Over him like this, Seto completely dwarfed his rival, curling his spine inward just to be able to get his mouth next to Yami's ear. Hunching over him, he gripped the headboard with one hand, the other latching to the smaller duelist's hip, tugging him back into every hard thrust. He nipped and sucked and kissed at his neck, watching the muscles ripple and contort under his ministrations. He moved his mouth back up to Yami’s ear, his tongue flicking over the shell, his breath harsh against it.
"You belong here." Seto growled, and goddammit he really needed to shut up before he said something stupid, but once he started he couldn't stop, the words pouring out of him in a torrent. "Look at you... taking me like you were made for this."
Yami seemed to have zero qualms about it and even less shame, writhing back against each thrust and moaning wantonly at his words. It really didn't help Seto's self-control that the other man was encouraging him so. While he would never admit to anyone but himself that he’d thought about this moment since practically their very first duel, he would be the first to say it was nothing like he had imagined. He never would have thought Yami would be so receptive, so responsive, and to see him wanting this, hear him begging for it… that made the experience all the more intense.
Seto kept his pace steady, not blindingly fast but certainly just this side of rough. After a while, Yami was reduced to mumbling sweet little desperate sounds, quiet hisses of, "yes, like that" and, "that's so good" with every thrust. It took Seto several moments to realize that he wasn't speaking English anymore. Somehow, though, he could still understand it. As clearly as he could read the ancient text on the Winged Dragon of Ra card back during the Battle City finals, he knew exactly what the man under him was saying, even though he had never studied the language. He didn't think Yami even knew he was doing it, so caught up in the pleasure that he was reverting to what was apparently his mother tongue.
It was strangely hot, and Seto found himself snapping his hips harder, which only turned Yami's muttered words into unintelligible, drawn-out groans. He had been trying to push himself up on his forearms, force his body back against the taller man's movements, but now he was just scrabbling at the sheets for some kind of purchase, his hand eventually found the headboard just to anchor himself.
Seto’s hand still grasped the headboard, too, much higher up, using it as leverage to buck harder against the other man. Yami practically wailed, back arching obscenely and gods that was hot. He could feel himself getting close, dangerously so, and he slid his right hand underneath Yami, finding his cock. He stroked him fast and hard, and he knew when the smaller duelist started shivering that neither of them was going to last very long. It was a miracle he’d gone as long as he had.
Seto came first, the added vibrations of the body beneath him simply becoming too much. He’d barely let out a strangled groan when Yami felt him come and loosed a wrecked sound of his own before coming even harder than the first time, clamping around him and shuddering with it, streaking the sheets. Seto worked him through it with sporadic thrusts and a looser hand, but that didn’t seem to make it any less intense. By the time he stopped moving, they were both practically heaving for air. The taller man rolled off next to him onto his back with a groan, and Yami just collapsed with a weak grunt, apparently not even caring that he was in the wet spot.
They both lay there for a while, catching their breath. Eventually, Seto sat up and combed his damp hair out of his face with his fingers before turning to the smaller man. “We should clean up.”
Yami just grunted noncommittally, clearly not wanting to move.
Seto sighed. “Shower. Clean sheets. Now.”
Yami actually made a noise of protest at that, like a kid not wanting to get out of bed on a school day. It was both cute and ridiculous.
“Get in the fucking shower.” Seto growled, nudging him.
Yami sighed, but nodded, rolling off the bed. He grabbed his puzzle by the chain as he went, setting it on the very edge of the counter nearest the shower. He looked around, blinking. Kaiba’s bathroom was bigger than Yugi’s whole bedroom, and this was just his office home. He couldn’t imagine what the Kaiba mansion was like. He’d only been in the dueling arena portion, but he imagined the rest was pretty spectacular.
“If you’re done ogling, the water doesn’t take time to heat up.” Seto said in a somewhat exasperated, if slightly amused, tone, opening the glass door and climbing into the shower, which he’d apparently already turned on.
Yami rolled his eyes and followed him. They didn’t have to fight over the spray because with one button, Kaiba had the thing shooting water at them from all sides, a warm, comfortable stream that surrounded them. The only wall that didn’t have a row of jets was the front one, which had a normal shower head rig… except it was so wide that the water fell like rain, and it was high enough that even someone as tall as Seto could stand under it without hitting his head.
Once they were relatively clean, Yami looked the other man up and down and smirked, nudging him against the front wall before going to his knees.
Seto balked. “What’re you—?”
“Evening up the score.” Yami interrupted, before taking his cock into his mouth.
Seto hadn’t even really considered that at all, but now that the other duelist was on his knees in front of him, doing that, he supposed he had to thank some deity or other for the other man having such a competitive nature.
Yami found himself rather enjoying this shower of Seto’s… the main showerhead was perfectly placed so it rained down onto his back as he sucked the other man off, keeping him warm but not getting into his eyes. He glanced up to find Seto watching him through hooded eyes, fully leaning back against the marbled wall, now. The smugness he felt must have come through his expression, because in response, the taller man carded a hand into Yami’s hair and guided him to move faster, though he didn’t try to force him deeper, not wanting him to gag.
When Seto came, Yami pulled back and sat on his heels, letting him come over his neck and chest. That had Seto dragging him to his feet and kissing him senseless, so even if he had to take a few extra seconds to scrub off under the spray again, it was definitely worth it.
Once they were actually clean, Seto turned off the water and presented him with probably the fluffiest towel he’d ever felt, and it was warm… who even had warming towel racks anymore? Rich people, apparently. Still, he took a moment to enjoy the small luxuries, taking a little longer to dry off since he had to deal with his hair. By the time he walked back out into the bedroom, Seto had already changed the sheets and was climbing under the comforter. He couldn’t see how much clothing he was (or wasn’t) wearing, so Yami just grabbed his boxers from halfway across the room and pulled them on.
“I can’t remember the last time I had to change my own bedding. Usually my housekeepers do it.” Seto remarked as he settled in.
Yami snorted. “Oh, poor you. I’m sure it was a completely demeaning experience.”
Seto just rolled his eyes, grabbing Yami’s wrist when he was close enough and yanking him into the bed. He pinned him against the sheets and kissed him senseless yet again… Yami didn’t think he’d ever get used to that. The taller duelist just gave a self-satisfied smirk before he fell back onto his side of the bed, burrowing under the sheets with a simple, “Good night.”
“Goodnight… ” Yami replied, staring at Kaiba’s back for a long while before sleep took him.
***
Yami found himself standing in the puzzle of his own mind, surrounded by cold stone walls. Generally, Yami would allow Yugi to take over in sleep, but given that he wouldn’t be waking up alone, that hardly felt appropriate. Instead, he crept across the hall to the door of Yugi’s mind room, opening it slowly.
“Yugi?” He called, stepping inside.
“I’m here, Yami.” Yugi replied, suddenly in front of him. He was smiling broadly. “Things went well?”
Yami looked at him curiously. “You weren’t watching.”
Yugi blushed. “No, I, uh… kind of tuned out after you made the first move. Didn’t really feel like it was my business.”
Yami nodded. “Thank you, Yugi. I’ll let you know when it’s safe for you to take control again.”
Yugi waved him off. “It’s all right. I was just trying to stay out of your way. I figured you’d tell me when the coast was clear.”
“I appreciate this, Yugi. I’m sure Kaiba did, too.” Yami told him, his tone heavy with gratitude.
Yugi turned bright red at that. “So, um. Speaking of Kaiba. Is this going to be a… regular thing, you two?”
Yami shrugged, mouth pressed into a thin line. “I don’t know. Assuming it was, would you be opposed?”
Yugi shook his head, smiling. “This body is yours as much as it is mine. Our destinies are connected. And you deserve happiness.”
Yami gave him a fond grin. “And what of your happiness, partner?”
Yugi scratched the back of his head. “Maybe when I’m older. Right now, I’ll leave that to you.”
Yami nodded. “All right. You should sleep. I will come and get you when you should take control again.”
Yugi smiled and waved him off. “Sounds fine to me. Good night, Yami.”
“Good night, Yugi.” Yami replied, returning his consciousness to sleep.
***
The next morning, Seto rolled over to find Yugi… no, Yami (and thank the gods for that), still in his bed, sleeping soundly. He couldn’t help the way his gut twisted at the sight, but whether it was a good or bad thing, he couldn’t say. He grimaced when he realized Mokuba was still home. He rolled out of bed, putting on a black bathrobe over his boxers before heading down the hall. What had happened last night was… well. It was better than anything he could have possibly managed to dream up, but now that it had actually happened? Seto didn’t know where to go from here. Would they keep doing this? Remain rivals? Friends? More?
Sighing, he peeked into his brother’s room, finding the boy already sitting at the edge of his bed, a game controller in one hand and a Hot Pocket in the other. He looked up with a sheepish grin.
“Morning, bro. Sleep okay?” The younger Kaiba hoped he didn’t sound too obvious.
“Yes, thank you.” Seto’s tone was a bit sarcastic but not angry. “How are you feeling? I brought you home after what happened yesterday. Yugi found you.”
“Yugi saved my butt, more like.” Mokuba corrected. “I feel fine. Was just hungry.”
“That’s not an acceptable breakfast. I’ll make something better. You can stay in bed, I’ll bring it to you.” Seto said, pausing in the doorway for a moment. “… Yugi’s still here, he stayed the night. Because of the rain.”
Mokuba barely suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, trying to act casual. “Oh, all right. Well you should make him breakfast, too.”
Seto actually did roll his eyes. “This is my home, not a charity banquet. Hell, it’s not even really my home, it’s my office-home.”
Mokuba gave him a look. “Just make him breakfast, Seto. For me.”
The older Kaiba snorted and shook his head. He turned and headed for the kitchen, closing Mokuba’s door behind him.
Seto had already started on the pancakes by the time Yugi… no, still Yami, wandered into the kitchen. He was wearing his pants and his puzzle, but was decidedly shirtless. He made a bee-line for the living room, though, fishing his discarded tank-top from the floor and pulling it on before going into the kitchen. There was the slightest of limps in his gait, and Seto felt a wash of pride, smirking to himself.
“Good morning, Kaiba.” Yami said almost cautiously, watching him. “I didn’t know you cooked.”
“Mokuba was eating a Hot Pocket for breakfast and that’s not acceptable.” He said simply.
Yami grinned, chuckling softly. “I see. And how is your brother feeling?”
“He said he’s all right. Didn’t look any worse for wear.” Seto replied as he flipped one of the pancakes.
“I’m glad.” Yami regarded him for a moment before speaking again. “And how about yourself? How are you feeling, Kaiba?”
Seto froze at that. Yami’s attempt at stealthily testing the waters wasn’t even remotely delicate. Seto was going to do it again. He was going to say something stupid. He was going to turn around and snap about how he felt nothing, how it meant nothing, how it was a one-time thing, how he just needed to let off some steam and now everything could go back to the way it was… he wasn’t going to be able to tell him how much he enjoyed himself, how much he wished it could continue, how much this, no matter how much he denied it, this is what he really wanted.
Sure enough, the look on his face was cruel as he turned to respond, but he found himself at a loss temporarily, because Yami wasn’t across the room anymore, but instead he was right in front of him, smiling patiently. When Seto paused, the shorter man leaned up on his toes and kissed him softly, though there was no hesitance in it. Despite his surprise, Seto returned it, chaste and gentle. When Yami pulled back, he was still grinning.
“I enjoyed our time together last night.” He said, again with zero hesitance, though his words were careful. “And I would very much like to do it again.”
Seto could only blink at him for a moment before nodding, giving a small grunt of affirmation. It was better if he just didn’t try to speak, that way he couldn’t say anything hurtful.
Yami smiled fondly, giving him one more light peck before telling him, “Don’t let the pancakes burn.”
Seto let out a bit of an undignified sound as he turned around and attempted to salvage them. Yami just chuckled and went to go sit at the kitchen table, watching him all the while. He winced a bit when he climbed up onto the stool, but it went unseen by Kaiba.
After dropping a plate of pancakes in front of Yami, Seto delivered a slightly smaller plate of them to Mokuba’s room. He heard his phone chirp in the pocket of his robe, and pulled it out to check while he was still in the hallway.
He opened the text message to find an image of two men holding up a cake, the icing spelling out, “Congrats on the Sex.” It was signed, ;D –JW
Seto had no idea how Wheeler got his number, or how he found out (he had a sneaking suspicion it had been Mokuba on both counts), but when he saw him next, he was going to kill him. He supposed he also owed Mokuba a new pair of headphones, after he chewed him out for broadcasting his sex life to Yugi’s pathetic friends.
First, though… pancakes.