Kaiba looped his fingers through the chain-link fence and held on tightly, gazing down at the steep drop right beneath him. He curled his toes over the concrete edge, feeling his hands ache as his breath came out in slow, shallow pants.
He tensed, seeing a couple of people walk by underneath him, and he sighed, staring at the white space of concrete far below him.
It was a sunny afternoon and there was a pleasant wind that ruffled through his hair.
Not a bad day to commit suicide.
Not a bad day to leave his body twisted and splattered on the ground right outside the school grounds.
Not bad at all.
Yami leaned the rooftop door shut behind him, breathing a sigh of relief.
He had narrowly avoided the hall monitor and managed to sneak up to the roof for a quick smoke.
He palmed his box of cigarettes and patted his pockets for his lighter, hearing a soft rustle beside him.
Glancing around cautiously, he spied a pair of shoes tucked neatly against the wall, and a folded piece of paper sat pinned underneath the heel.
Deeply curious, Yami clicked his lighter off and tucked the cigarette behind his ear, walking towards the shoes and kept his senses sharp. Someone was on the roof with him.
He heard another rustle and Yami jerked his head up, seeing a fellow student standing on the other side of the safety barrier, leaning over the edge of the building, looking as if he was about to jump.
He was wearing an honor student's armband and his fingertips were white against the cold metal as he clung tightly onto the fence, and Yami felt his heart stop in his chest.
He was about to witness a suicide!
He let out a huff of air, half-amused, half-disgusted. It was painfully clear that the way the honor student was gripping onto the fence meant that they didn't want to jump.
He daringly took a few steps closer towards the student, suddenly recognizing the light brown hair.
Seto Kaiba.
Letting out a snort of derision, Yami approached the fence with a smirk. This guy was a pain! It would be glorious if he witnessed him leaping off the edge today! There would be no one to report him for breaking dress code or for smoking on the roof.
Kaiba froze, hearing footsteps behind him, and he whipped his head around, his heart threatening to explode out of his chest with anger as he was caught in the dark violet gaze of the delinquent he hated the most.
Yami.
"Nice day for a jump," Yami goaded, biting back a smile as he grabbed the cigarette from behind his ear and lit it with a soft click. "I'll wait. Want to yell at me for skipping class one last time before you go?"
He leaned heavily against the fence, causing it to sway, and Kaiba grit his teeth furiously as he felt his body sway along with it.
Cursing to himself, Kaiba took several deep breaths, steadying himself. God was cruel indeed. He couldn't even die peacefully without the school's most violent troublemaker standing behind him, grinning, watching with amusement. Despicable.
"…Fuck off please," Kaiba managed through gritted teeth, hating himself for even saying 'please'.
"No." Yami answered simply, taking a long drag and holding his breath tightly, feeling his heart pound thickly in his ears. What was this feeling? Fear? Concern? For this arrogant, straight-laced, top student?
No way. This feeling was excitement.
Excitement at the thought of seeing him dead on the pavement below on this bright sunny day.
"Try to land on your neck," Yami advised heartlessly, giving his cigarette a careless flick, seeing ash fall from the tip and onto the ground. "Otherwise you'll just end up paralyzed and useless in a bed for the rest of your life."
"SHUT UP!" Kaiba shouted, his throat growing hoarse from his sudden outburst, and he could hear his own voice echoing painfully around them on the empty rooftop. "You don't know anything about my life, so just…fuck off!"
"And you don't know mine," Yami said calmly, sitting down on the ground and taking long, slow drags and exhaling quickly, seeing the smoke float before his eyes. "Always giving me cleaning duty…and reporting me for smoking. What if acting out like this is what's keeping me alive?"
Kaiba drew in a deep breath through his clenched teeth, willing himself to feel nothing.
What the hell was this guy trying to do? Talk him down? Because it wasn't working.
"Smoking will kill you." Kaiba shot back stupidly, feeling his head spin as another light breeze grazed his cheeks.
Yami let out a hearty laugh, stabbing his cigarette stub into the ground by his feet, creating a dark, ashy mark. "Hanging off the edge of the building will kill you."
He threw a careless glance over his shoulder and pointed at the note tucked underneath the pair of shoes. "Hey, is that your suicide note, Seto Kaiba? I'll check it for errors."
Kaiba let out an angry hiss and then a furious shout, attempting to turn his head to glare at Yami behind him, but he couldn't do so without slipping off the edge.
"Get the fuck away from there!" he yelled, giving the fence a vicious shake, feeling himself sway dangerously in the wind. "It's not meant for you! I didn't want you to find it!"
Yami let out a mirthless laugh and paused in his step. "Listen to yourself, Mr. Top Student. You don't get to decide who reads your shit when you're dead!"
Kaiba felt his fingers ache as he gripped the fence with all his might, giving it another shake, hearing it rattle, the clinking, tinny sound ringing in his ears.
"Get…the fuck…back here!" he growled at Yami. "Don't fucking read it! Help me back over so I can kill you!"
Yami blinked twice, feeling himself nod. Well, that worked….
He walked back towards the fence and watched Kaiba nimbly let go of the fence with one hand to flip himself around and pull himself up with the other hand.
"Don't fall," Yami drawled, thinking Kaiba didn't need any help at all. "I don't want your spirit coming back to haunt me."
He saw Kaiba's bare foot slip ever so slightly on the edge of the concrete barrier, and he rushed forward to grab onto Kaiba's forearm, giving him a strong tug over the edge of the fence.
The wind was knocked out of him as Kaiba landed painfully on top of him, and his elbows stung as they hit the ground.
Yami gasped in pain, feeling Kaiba roll off of him, panting lightly. His back was damp with sweat and his light brown hair matted handsomely across his forehead.
"Fuck…you," Kaiba panted, watching Yami sit up slowly and shoot him an affronted glare.
"Is that how they say 'thank you' on your planet?" Yami responded mildly, watching Kaiba rise unsteadily to his feet and stride frantically towards his shoes.
"You're welcome!" he called spitefully after Kaiba's retreating form, watching him pry the door open and slam it loudly behind him.
"Good riddance…top student my ass," Yami grumbled to himself, reaching into his pocket for his cigarettes.
He lay flat on the concrete ground and tucked his arms behind his head, staring up at the clear blue sky, puffing lightly on his cigarette, feeling mildly pleased with himself.
Days and weeks passed.
Yami found himself surrounded by gangsters who weren't his friends, all of them gazing down at him angrily, asking him why the golden boy, Seto Kaiba, was no longer ragging on him for not wearing the uniform shirt underneath his blazer.
He shrugged them off rudely, knowing he would pay for it later, but it was better than explaining what had transpired on the roof several weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Kaiba found himself being stopped by teachers, asking him why he was no longer reinforcing the dress code on the school's unruliest student.
He shrugged them off rudely, knowing he might be punished for it later, but it was better than explaining what had transpired on the roof several weeks ago.
And Yami found himself unconsciously watching Seto Kaiba from afar.
He would see him pass by in the hallway and feel himself heat up. He would feel his eyes following Kaiba's back whenever they crossed paths, and it was becoming concerning and irritating.
Even though Kaiba was pointedly ignoring and avoiding him, his eyes would immediately try to seek him out in a crowded auditorium.
Why?!
And Kaiba did his best to avoid Yami, but the irritating thing was that Yami's face kept hovering at the front of his mind every time he closed his eyes. One time, he fell asleep on his textbook, and Yami's smirking face hovered in his vision briefly before he jerked awake.
Even though he was seeing less and less of Yami every week, Kaiba found himself thinking about Yami.
Why?!
One morning, Kaiba was approached by a teacher who looked deeply concerned.
"Kaiba-kun," she began nervously, bobbing her head politely at him as she tried to catch his eye. "I'm concerned about your friend, Yami."
Kaiba felt his eyelid twitch when he heard this, and he straightened up, enjoying the fact that he was much taller, and resisted the urge to glare down at her.
Yami was his friend? Laughable.
What was it this time?
Was she here to comment about the way he kept wearing boots instead of the appropriate shoes?
Or was she here to ask about changing the lock on the door to the roof again so that Yami would stop going up there to smoke? Because he would always somehow manage to steal a copy of the new key anyway. It was a pointless fight.
Lost in his internal monologue, Kaiba missed everything she had said, so he just stared at her stupidly, waiting for her to repeat herself.
"What do you think, Kaiba-kun?" she asked, sounding impatient as she nodded at several students passing them by in the hallway.
"I don't know," Kaiba answered lamely, edging away from her and glancing over her head in an attempt to exit the conversation, but he felt her reach out to touch his arm, and he froze, feeling increasingly more uncomfortable the longer she stood there staring up at him.
"Having the student body president standing beside me would really help," she said firmly, straightening up and smiling warmly at him, and Kaiba felt his chest tighten with anxiety.
How irritating! She was guilting him with responsibility!
"I'll help." Kaiba said gruffly, sidestepping her to walk down the hallway, hearing her call after him frantically.
"We're leaving now, Kaiba-kun! Please gather your things…unless you already know the way there!"
Kaiba blinked rapidly and cursed under his breath, finally understanding what she had asked of him.
They were going to make a house call.
Kaiba watched the teacher knock genially and tuck her hair behind her ears, and he shifted his bag from one hand to the other, feeling himself sweat.
He planted his feet firmly apart, trying to quell the frantic beating of his own heart as he stared at the tiny wreath nailed to the door. A small, beige ribbon trailed down the center of the delicate wreath and "welcome home!" was printed on it in a thin,curly font.
This was Yami's house?! They were in an affluent neighborhood!
Yami didn't strike him as someone who came from a neat-looking house with white framed windows and flowery wreaths on the door.
Also, what the hell was taking them so long to answer the door?
"We'll be as polite as possible," the teacher reminded him sternly, and Kaiba nodded stiffly, totally uninterested.
The door swung open and a slender woman with short hair carrying a baby in her arms bowed nervously, glancing over their heads with an anxious expression.
"H-Hello…" she said nervously, shifting the child in her arms as she made eye contact with Kaiba, and Kaiba looked away pointedly, feeling his ears burning with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
He was making a fucking house call for that fucking delinquent. Yami had better show his damn face.
The teacher began speaking beside him, but Kaiba heard none of it as he stared at a tiny bird hopping along the edge of the pale blue fence that separated the town homes from one another.
Maybe Yami was tired of this life, and he wanted excitement, adventure…which was why he was always skipping class to smoke on the roof. He was right when he had said they didn't know each other's lives…
"Please come in!" Yami's mother said nervously, bowing them into the home as a clean-cut man wearing wire-framed glasses appeared at her side to lift the child out of her arms.
Kaiba narrowed his eyes at the man, wondering if he ought to be suspicious of him. He reminded himself that not everyone was as abusive as Gozaburo, but if he knew anything about anyone, looks were always deceiving.
"This is concerning…your son, Yami?" the teacher spoke quickly, lifting a manila folder out of her purse, and the man led them into a brightly-lit living room while burping the baby over his shoulder.
Kaiba eased himself down onto one of the soft beige couches and gripped his knees tightly, watching the man repeatedly rub the infant's back in gentle, soothing motions, while nodding nervously at the teacher, who was speaking quickly.
"His attendance records haven't been stellar…" she said carefully, shooting Kaiba a quick glance. "He doesn't follow the dress code, and his grades aren't terrible but…"
Kaiba zoned out again, inspecting the home around him with a sharp eye, wondering why everything looked so damn clean. He could see the corner of an elegant dining table peeking out from the other room, and the wall along the white carpeted staircase was decorated with tiny potted plants.
The woman appeared behind the couch, cradling another infant, looking stressed.
"We thought you were the police," she said anxiously, and her husband threw her a reassuring grimace over his shoulder. "Yami doesn't tend to come home very often…if he comes home at all."
There was a long silence before it was interrupted by a rush of light footsteps pattering down from the stairway, and Kaiba stared in shock at the toddler who was dragging an alphabet book at her side.
"MOMMY!" she cried, waving the book over her head, and the woman shushed her angrily, pointing at the baby in her arms.
"Your brother is sleeping! Inside voice…! What do you want, darling?"
"Read me!" she insisted, shaking the book in her tiny fists. "Daddy, read me!"
"Daddy is busy," the husband responded robotically, bobbing his head apologetically in Kaiba's direction. "You must be his friend. We've never met any of his friends before."
Kaiba grit his teeth, hearing his own blood rushing in his ears. How many children did this family have? He counted three so far. If another child came running down from upstairs, he wouldn't be surprised.
"I don't mean to be rude, but what is your home situation like?" the teacher asked delicately, her eyes darting between the babies in the parents' arms and at the third child who was tugging on the edge of the wife's skirt.
"We've been nothing but kind to him," the husband spoke up instantly, sounding defensive. "They did warn us about how children adopted at an older age would have issues bonding with us, but I assure you, we did everything right."
Clearly not everything, Kaiba thought sourly, watching the toddler storm off in a huff.
"We did everything right," the wife repeated coldly, sitting down quickly beside her husband as the baby in her arms began to fuss lightly. "But after I conceived naturally, we couldn't give him as much attention, but he was never a bad child. We gave him everything he needed!"
"I'm sorry, but, you won't find him here," the husband said quietly, looking guilty. "He stopped coming home so often, we've converted his room into a nursery for the twins."
"You converted his room?" Kaiba asked, unable to keep the anger out of his voice, and he felt the teacher tense beside him.
"No, no, he didn't want a room." the wife corrected, shifting the baby in her arms, looking extremely nervous. "He insisted on sleeping on a futon in the living room because I gave birth shortly after we adopted him! He said he felt like he was a burden!"
"So, you didn't give him a room because he was a burden." Kaiba said venomously, feeling his blood boil.
"He's welcome to have a room anytime!" the husband insisted, shaking his head defensively. "If he ever shows his face at home…we've tried filing a report, but the authorities can't do much about it! At least he's still showing up at school."
"We're here because he is no longer showing up at school." the teacher said firmly, rising to her feet and bowing deeply.
Kaiba hastily followed suit, feeling slightly dizzy as he walked with her to the doorway, trying to quell the rush of guilt that bubbled up inside him.
"Please contact the school when you've located your son." the teacher said coldly, pulling open the door and striding out into the bright sunlight. "I'll come by again next month."
Kaiba followed her closely, his heart thudding loudly inside his chest as he slowly processed everything he had just witnessed.
It was neglect!
Yami's so-called parents threw him away the second they could conceive their own children.
"Ridiculous." Kaiba could hear the teacher muttering under her breath as she strode in front of him, stiffly adjusting her blouse.
She turned to him with a light grimace. "You know the way to the train station from here, Kaiba-kun. See you at school tomorrow."
Kaiba nodded silently and watched her walk away from him quickly, without turning around once, and he sighed, glancing over his shoulder, seeing the family draw their curtains shut over their tall, sparkling windows.
Despicable.
He slid his phone out to call his driver and paused, glancing up at the clear blue sky above him, seeing a few wispy clouds passing over his head. It was a nice day for a walk.
Gozaburo would murder him for coming home "late", but it would be worth it for some fresh air.
He strode down the street at a brisk pace, crossing the street and deciding to cut across a busy shopping intersection to save time.
The noise from the hustle and bustle was bringing on a small headache, and Kaiba gripped his bag tightly, intent on pushing through the crowded street, accidently bumping into a man holding a stack of flyers.
The man stumbled aside, struggling to keep the papers in his arms as half of the stack slid onto the street and were scattered underneath many pairs of shoes walking by.
Kaiba felt his eyelid twitch irritably and he stepped around the man, not intending to apologize.
"W-Wait! Young man!" the man called after him, sounding angry. "Don't be so cold! At least consider it for a moment! You'll make a lot of money!"
Kaiba grit his teeth tightly, pausing in his step, resisting the urge to shout at the man.
Did it look like he needed money?! How insulting.
Unable to stop himself, he turned to face the man, seeing him panting before him, red-faced and enthusiastic. "Your height is perfect! Here I was thinking you only looked good from the back! This is great. Say, you'll call me, won't you?"
The man pressed a shiny plastic business card into his palm and bowed happily, gazing unblinkingly up into his face, causing him to break out into a cold sweat.
W-What?
"With a face like yours, you could easily sign a contract with a luxury high-end brand!" the man declared loudly, and Kaiba flinched, curling his fingers around the card, his anxiety rising as several people stopped to stare.
"So, think about it," the man continued, sounding unperturbed to be holding a one-sided conversation with himself. "I know it's 'the dream' for you kids these days. See you! Call soon, okay?"
He made a phone sign to his ear and turned away to wave his flyers in the faces of a group of pretty schoolgirls.
Rolling his eyes, Kaiba set off down the street again, halfheartedly glancing down at the card in his palm, reading the bolded font across the surface.
+ Toru "Loser" Ueda +
WHITE LINE – Modeling Agency Recruiter
on: 4th floor, Y & M Building #834
main office: 09-9745-2211 cell: 09-9201-8374
Kaiba shoved the card into his pocket without another thought and continued on his way.
A few months later
A heavily made-up woman clung tightly onto Yami's arm, and Yami was barely listening to a word she said as she rambled on in his ear about her neglectful husband.
He forced a smile and nodded at her politely, seeing her smile back widely. There was lipstick stuck to her teeth. Should he tell her?
She continued to chatter on, and Yami let his mind wander.
This was his highest paying client, so he had to make it seem as if he was present, but she was so self-absorbed, Yami wasn't sure if his reactions to her complaints mattered. He was pretty sure that she just needed another human to listen to her talk.
They continued down the street and made a turn, stepping onto the sandy pathway of downtown Domino Park with the glow of the lamps lighting either side, creating an oddly romantic mood.
This was fine, if this was what she wanted.
Yami couldn't care less.
As long as she paid the full amount at the end of the night, his rent this month would be covered.
Suddenly, her grip tightened painfully on his elbow and Yami winced, hearing her let out a breathy shriek and point excitedly in front of them.
"It's him! It's him!" she cried, jutting up on her tiptoes and tottering precariously on her sky-high heels, using Yami as an anchor as she craned her head further to stare.
Yami followed her gaze and froze with shock, instantly recognizing the tall brunette male leaning casually against the water fountain in the center of the park.
Pop-up chairs were sitting along the path in a neat row, heavily laden with jackets, shirts, ties and shoes still sitting in their boxes.
Towering lightboxes were set up on metal stands in the surrounding area, and two men were bent over a computer, inspecting photos flashing across the screen while sitting on a small plastic table, and another man bounded excitedly around the fountain with a heavy camera pressed against his face.
He clicked the shutter furiously, the sound echoing sharply in the emptiness of the park, and his voice echoed loudly through the trees.
"Very good, Kaiba-kun! Let's have a smile." There was a pause, followed by more rapid shutter clicks. "And now, let's sit…sit sit, good good…sit…now stand…I want to see a mean smile. Yes! Just like that. Very mean, very good."
Yami curled his fists in his pockets, feeling himself cringe. Seto Kaiba, whoring himself out for a camera, it seemed.
"Seto Kaiba!" The woman on his arm echoed his thoughts exactly, still maintaining an iron-like grip on his elbow, and Yami was beginning to lose circulation in his fingers. "He's the face of Marimo! I own several editions with his face on it, and he's absolutely…"
Yami stopped listening.
Marimo, huh? he thought spitefully as images of preppy sweaters, pressed patterned shirts, leather belts, and brightly colored ties floated to the front of his mind.
Wasn't that a brand known mainly for its overpriced…everything?
Japanese people loved that brand for some reason, with many people comparing the quality to European luxury brands.
"I want him to sign something for me!" she squealed loudly, shaking his arm so violently, Yami felt his insides churn. "Do you know how young he is?! About your age, Yamazaki-san! Very young!"
Yami nodded stiffly, feeling his stomach curl at the way she used his host name so casually.
The last thing he wanted was for Kaiba to hear that.
The last thing he wanted was for Kaiba to know anything about him, or remember that he even existed.
Their last encounter was on the roof of their highschool, and that was an unpleasant memory in itself.
Kaiba heard a female voice in the distance, and turned to throw her a smirk, barely able to make out two dark figures underneath the bright glare of the lights.
He had attracted a fan! A fan who was out on a date with her boyfriend, no less.
"He SMILED AT ME!" she screamed, and Yami grit his teeth painfully, jerking away as his ear stung from the pitchy volume of her voice. "Come on, Yamazaki-san! I want him to sign something!"
Kaiba turned his attention back to his photographer, seeing him glare disapprovingly at him.
"Break!" the man snapped, looking irritated. "You can't work like this. Take care of your fan politely, and come back in five minutes."
Kaiba nodded silently and shrugged the blazer off, feeling himself sweat slightly as he stepped out of the lights and into the surrounding darkness, moving steadily towards the pop-up chairs and patting around them for a notebook and pen.
The woman rushed at him, the clopping of her heels extremely loud in the silent park.
Yami tensed and was dragged forward so suddenly, he barely had time to compose himself before he found himself standing against the backs of the pop-up chairs, watching Kaiba straighten up and look him full in the face.
Crap, Yami thought frantically, forcing his expression to remain emotionless as he watched Kaiba's eyes widen significantly.
Kaiba felt his fingertips growing numb as he gripped the tiny notepad tightly, his heart racing with anxiety as he instantly recognized the spiky-haired figure on the arm of this woman.
Yami.
"Yes, please sign! My name is Naomi!" the woman cried, and Kaiba blinked, snapping back to reality. He nodded and pressed the pen tip to the notebook, seeing his own hand shake.
Wow.
This was what Yami was doing?
What was he…a male prostitute?
This woman looked like she was in her late forties!
He had dropped out of school to be…a fucking escort?!
Kaiba hastily wrote out an empty message for her before tearing out the page and handing it to her respectfully with both hands, bowing stiffly, feeling the heat of Yami's stare burning through the top of his scalp as he bent forward.
The silence was awkward as the woman gazed dreamily at the sheet of paper in her hand, and it suddenly hit Kaiba in that moment, that he owed everything he had up until this point…to Yami.
It was a deep debt. Yami had pulled him back over the rooftop fence when he slipped, and he wouldn't be where he was now, if Yami hadn't saved him.
How embarrassing.
Were thanks in order?
It felt like an eternity before Kaiba straightened up out of his bow, and Yami did his best not to make eye-contact, feeling himself sweat as he could feel Kaiba's eyes roaming slowly over his face.
Recognized.
Caught.
Straight-laced, all-honors Seto Kaiba was putting everything together now in his mind. The notorious delinquent, Yami, had dropped out of school to be a whore…or something like that, right?
Yami smiled blandly, doing his best to appear unperturbed. "Thank you. Sorry for the trouble. We will be leaving now."
"Don't you want a sign too, Yamazaki-san?" she cried, giving Yami another rough shake, and Yami felt his eyelid twitch as his ears began to burn with deep humiliation.
"Yamazaki-san, is it?" Kaiba fumed, unsure of where his anger was stemming from as he stabbed the pen into the notebook and scribbled out a hasty message. "Thank you for your support."
And he tore the page out with a flourish and pressed it into Yami's hand, feeling his entire body heat up as his fingers grazed the back of Yami's hand. He gazed into Yami's face, seeing him blink steadily back at him, looking supremely disinterested.
D-Did Yami not recognize him?!
"Thanks…again." Yami hissed through clenched teeth, curling his fingers around the slip of paper, crumpling it and shoving it into his pocket furiously. "We're leaving, Nao-chan, come."
Nao-chan?! Kaiba reeled, feeling the blood rush to his head as he bit back a sarcastic retort. More like, Nao-Obaasan, he added spitefully in his head, watching the pair walk away slowly onto the dark pathway.
Yami's blood was boiling as his client chatted non-stop in his ear while they made their way through the park. That was horrific. The fucking worst.
He could've sworn Kaiba was laughing at him on the inside, and what's more, he seemed to glow underneath the camera lights, like he was some kind of heavenly deity.
Maybe it was the make-up, or maybe it was just his ego.
If he ever saw that pretty-boy again, Yami swore he would punch his lights out, so that the "face of Marimo" would be sorely bruised and unable to model anymore.
"Aw…our night is over!" she lamented dramatically, leaning her head on his shoulder, and Yami tried his best not to flinch. Now came the part he dreaded the most. She would continuously offer to sleep with him in a terribly pushy way, and every single time, he would have to come up with a creative way to politely say no.
"Yamazaki-san…" she pouted heavily, swinging playfully on his arm as they neared the drop-off location. "You know, you're my favorite. I would take care of you."
"I know, you are my favorite too." Yami said hastily, knowing that sleeping with a client was a sure-fire way of losing his job and his dignity.
If he complied once, all his other clients would request this service of him too.
She pouted at him again, and Yami shook her off lightly, giving her a friendly wave over his shoulder. He was fully aware that there were other hosts who would willingly sleep with clients off the record and under the table, but he was not one of them.
"Next week, same time, Yamazaki-san! You're the best!" she cried, waving energetically, and Yami did his best to smile warmly back at her.
Rent money secured for this month.
And the next, it seemed. He was safe, for now.
Kicking the pavement irritably, he tried to shake off the cold, blue-eyed stare he had received from Kaiba earlier.
Oh, right, the note, Yami recalled, and he pulled it out of his pocket, un-wrinkling it slowly and leaning against a lamp post for light, squinting at the tiny, neat handwriting.
"Yamazaki-san, is it?
We need to talk.
82-9746-80344
CALL or I find you."
A threat, really?! Yami thought angrily, crinkling the note again and tossing it into a nearby garbage can. Kaiba really hadn't changed. It had only been six months. What the hell did that guy want anyway? To yell at him for dropping out of school?
As if I would willingly subject myself to a lecture like that! Yami growled spitefully to himself, giving the trashcan a violent kick as he continued down the dark street, trying to stomach the anger and jealousy that was rising up inside his chest.
Of course Seto Kaiba would go on to become an angelic golden boy.
The face of Marimo.
Kira kira* and all that bullshit.
Marimo models usually went on to become mega-stars on runways overseas, or they became popular heart-throbs in seasonal dramas, or they started their own brands featuring their own pretty faces everywhere.
It was nauseating, but people loved the brand and ate it up every time a new model was presented, and it seemed like Kaiba was next in line.
How fitting.
Sighing to himself, Yami shoved his hands into his pockets and ground his teeth, hurrying past several dark shops with bars over their windows. This was a bad area to be in alone at night.
He heard harsh voices coming from an alleyway in front of him, and he quickened his pace, aiming to pass hastily.
It sounded like a fight or a drug deal…neither of which he wanted to be caught in the middle of.
Kaiba was caught in the middle of it.
He was surrounded by five thugs, dressed sharply in black and white suits, and he forced himself to remain silent. Yakuza? Or….
His shoulder was slammed into the brick wall behind him and it chafed painfully. Kaiba hissed and leaned into it, aiming to look hurt.
What the fuck did these men want? Had he pissed off the Yakuza somehow?
He was outnumbered five to one, and he could fight back…but he wouldn't come out of it unscathed.
They were all burly, and matched him in height. It seemed like this was an organized assault team of sorts.
"A pretty-boy! I think I recognize him!" one of the men leered, his fist curling into his collar and yanking him forward, his foul breath washing over him terribly, and Kaiba resisted the urge to wrinkle his nose.
No emotion, no fight.
No emotion, no altercation…nothing his attackers could take offense to.
"Yes, he's…what's his name? Ah…Seto Kaiba." another man snickered, poking a finger into his cheek. "Rich…and pretty. What a nice combo!"
Kaiba flinched and held his ground.
His contract strictly forbade him from getting into fights in general, because his face was his most prized asset at the moment, and Kaiba couldn't stomach what would happen to him if he fucked it up for himself.
Narrowly escaping Gozaburo's home was something he had managed only by the skin of his teeth, with the help of some sheer luck and skating by on his looks.
"My girlfriend has your face as the background of her phone." A third man spat on the ground by his shoe, and Kaiba swallowed thickly, forcing himself to remain still.
No reaction. Do not react. Do not encourage…
"Do you know…how much I hate looking at your face whenever she turns her phone on to check the time?" the man hissed, pressing his forearm into Kaiba's neck, and Kaiba stiffened and held his breath, his heart pounding ferociously in his chest.
He had to protect his face at all costs.
He could lose a finger, an arm, a leg…it didn't matter.
Anything but his face.
He was pushed into the wall again and a knee was shoved sharply into his stomach, knocking the breath out of him in a painful whoosh! and Kaiba coughed, leaning steadily against the wall for support.
Fuck…fuck.
If his face was damaged from this altercation…he would be just short of losing…everything, and his attackers seemed to know this.
"Which side should we cut first? Let's carve him a smile, like the Joker! Because this guy is a fucking joke." a fourth voice came from his left, uncomfortably close to his ear, and Kaiba stared straight ahead, feeling himself waver. He would keep his pride rather than respond to their threats.
"Let's beat him first, so much that he's unrecognizable." the fifth man declared, and Kaiba repressed a tight shiver of adrenaline. This man seemed to be the one in charge.
His eyes darted around frantically, searching for the most passive exit and finding none. He was surrounded, so charging out of this situation headfirst would only get him killed faster.
"Yeah, yeah!" the men chorused, cracking their knuckles excitedly. "Then we'll take a picture for her to see how her how pretty you look after we're done with you."
Yami passed the mouth of the alleyway and heard the word 'pretty'.
"Who wants first swing?" the leader asked gleefully, draping his arm thickly around Kaiba's shoulders and holding him down tightly in a choke-hold. "Should it be me? What say you, pretty-boy?"
Kaiba dug his fingertips into the man's sleeve, cursing internally as he realized he had missed his window for escape. He shut his eyes and gave the man's arm a forceful tug, hearing a burst of taunting laughter and leers.
"He's trying to get away…look how pathetic!" a voice cried from above him, and vicious laughter stung his ears again.
"I want first swing."
Kaiba struggled to breathe, his chest tightening with hope at the familiar voice.
The arm around his neck tightened and he was swung downwards heavily, still stuck in the painful head-lock of the burly leader.
"Who's there?!" the man shouted hoarsely, and Kaiba winced, his vision slowly turning green as his lungs were bursting for air.
Yami. Again.
"It's me," Yami said calmly, his heart racing frantically as he saw five vaguely familiar faces, all looking red-in-the-face drunk and very hostile. "Yo. Angel, what's up?"
Angel? Kaiba choked, thinking this man looked like the farthest thing from an angel he had ever seen, and he patted the man's arm angrily but was ignored.
"You want to have fun with us, Chibi?" the man called Angel sneered, and Kaiba felt faint. His ears were ringing and his vision was fading. Chibi?! How many fucking nicknames did Yami have?
"It's not fun with all of you involved." Yami said cleverly, eyeing the growling men and seeing Kaiba's light brown hair hanging forwards down across his handsome face, and he willed himself to feel nothing.
"This guy used to give me detention like it was his only hobby." Yami said loftily, leaning against the wall, hiding his nervousness when he saw Kaiba's fingers twitch in response.
"Well, good thing I don't go to your school, pretty-boy!" Angel jeered, giving Kaiba another vicious shake, and Kaiba felt his world spin horribly. "I'd beat your face in every day if we went to the same school."
"Give him to me." Yami suggested, smirking as nastily as he could. "I'll have some…fun with him, but you can't be involved unless you want to be charged for assault."
There was a long silence, and Kaiba felt the arm around his neck loosen suddenly, and all the cold air came rushing back into his lungs painfully as his vision turned red and green at the same time.
Bracing himself against the wall, Kaiba pressed a hand to his chest, gasping for breath as his knees grew weak.
Damn it all to hell.
Saved by Yami…again.
How many fucking debts did he owe this delinquent?
"Oh…you sure about that, Chibi?" the leader said uncertainly, and all five men backed down the alleyway, suddenly sounding very fearful. "That's a little…"
"He's graduating in a few months." Yami said evilly, reaching out to grab Kaiba by the arm and giving him a rough shove, pressing a hand to his chest and keeping him upright against the wall, knowing he was on the verge of passing out. "I'm going to give him a graduation present he'll never forget."
Yami could feel Kaiba's pounding heartbeat underneath his palm, and he felt himself break out into a cold sweat.
If these men called his bluff, they would want to stick around to watch him…assault Kaiba, and maybe even take a video to pass around for laughs.
There were many illegal things he would do, but Yami was sure that assault was not one of them, and certainly not on a fellow ex-classmate, however pretty he was.
"Okay, Chibi, whatever you say." the leader said nervously as three of the men in his group turned and shuffled away, their footsteps sounding frantic and eager to leave the scene. "Come have a smoke with us under the bridge afterwards, hm?"
"I think I'll be busy…all night." Yami hissed, patting Kaiba's chest twice, and feeling Kaiba tense mightily.
Kaiba rubbed his neck gingerly as he watched the remaining men flip them the finger and make an obscene sex gesture before hurrying off down the alleyway.
"Let's get out of here, now!" Yami hissed, tightening his grip around Kaiba's arm and leading him out to the street, feeling himself tremble with the residual rush of adrenaline.
Was Kaiba an idiot?! What the hell was he doing hanging around this area alone?
"Fuck." Kaiba growled, his skin burning from the heat of Yami's hand, and he stared at the spiky mass of red and black hair in front of him, feeling a rush of gratitude. "Thanks."
Yami let go of Kaiba's arm and whirled around furiously, glaring. "Top of your class, and you're walking around alone in this area. Are you asking to die?"
"So you do remember me…Yamazaki-san." Kaiba said furiously, adjusting his shirt and belt, feeling as if he had been violated. "I need to repay you. I hate being in your debt."
"You don't owe me anything!" Yami insisted through clenched teeth, thinking that Kaiba owed him his entire sparkly life. "Do yourself a favor, and just die properly next time."
And he turned away angrily to stalk off, but a restraining hand on his shoulder held onto him tightly and Yami stiffened, unsure of how to react as Kaiba grabbed onto him and fell into step beside him, sounding anxious.
"I need to repay you. Somehow, in any way." Kaiba said desperately, feeling despair rising quickly in his chest as Yami continued to ignore him. "How about a ride? To the station?"
"All the trains have stopped." Yami answered dully, keeping his gaze ahead and feeling his ears burn with a strange heat. Oh look, Kaiba was attempting to be nice. This ought to be entertaining.
"Then, a ride back to your house." Kaiba said as he reached out to grab Yami's arm again, and to his surprise, Yami stopped walking and turned to face him, smiling wryly.
"Fine. I accept." Yami nodded, hoping this would end their interaction for good. If Kaiba repaid him, then he would have no reason to talk or keep in contact anymore.
That was probably the reason for the phone number on the paper, Yami mused as he watched Kaiba gesture for him to follow.
He hung back a few steps and stared at Kaiba's tall frame walking in front of him.
A few steps behind.
He was always a few steps behind this man, no matter what the situation was.
Even though he had just saved Kaiba from a possible career-ending situation, Kaiba always somehow stayed at the top, with luck, grace, and his damn good looks.
It was unfair.
"Here." Kaiba said curtly, pressing a button on his keys and hovering by a white two-door sports car. "Get in."
Yami complied and tugged the door open, sinking begrudgingly down into the leather seat and feeling the engine roar to life. He stared at the shiny lights on the dashboard and felt his chest tighten strangely. A fancy car…for his fancy life, to match his fancy personality in his fancy world.
The monthly payments on this car probably cost three times his rent.
The distance between them was real, even though they were almost sitting elbow-to-elbow in the car.
Kaiba tightened his grip on the wheel while his mind was bursting with questions, but the main question was...
"You weren't really going to assault me, were you?" Kaiba said before he could stop himself, and he heard a deep chuckle in response.
"What do you think, Mr. Top Student?" Yami replied mockingly, unable to bring himself to sound nice. He had always felt a tight resentment for Kaiba, and now, while sitting in his shiny car, he knew why.
Kaiba was just…better than him, at life, at everything. And he hated it. He hated being reminded of it.
"Can we drop the nicknames?" Kaiba hissed, clenching his jaw as they stopped at a red light. He was waiting for directions from Yami, but Yami seemed perfectly content to continue arguing with him.
"Call me Yamazaki-san one more damn time, and you'll learn a real lesson." Yami growled, gripping his knees tightly and wishing he had hit Kaiba at least once in that alleyway.
"Sure thing…Chibi." Kaiba retorted, biting his tongue as he felt the corners of his mouth turning upwards. Oh fuck. Why was he always picking a fight with this guy?!
He made a turn down a familiar street and felt his palms sweat against the leather of his steering wheel.
Yami hissed and bit the tip of his tongue, feeling a rush of anger. "Stop the car and get out, so I can hit you in the face, because I've just figured out how you can repay me."
"You can hit me anywhere except my face." Kaiba shot back frantically, stopping in front of the garage in his apartment complex and pressing another button on his keys, watching the metal gate rise slowly.
Yami blinked and sat very still in his seat, stunned.
Wait. What was this place?
He had neglected to give directions while they were bantering, and now Kaiba seemed to have driven them…to his home?!
Speechless, Yami began to feel nervous as Kaiba pulled into a reserved parking space and got out of the car, giving the roof a few rough knocks. "Get the fuck out of my car."
Yami hurriedly climbed out and slammed the door behind him, glancing around the garage with contained panic. He had also failed to keep track of which street they had driven down, but this was clearly a very wealthy area of Domino City. Other shiny cars with foreign badges were parked alongside them, and Yami couldn't help but stare.
"Since you didn't give me directions, I'm going to assume you're homeless." Kaiba said nastily, locking his car with a solid click and walking towards a door at the far end of the garage. "You don't look bad for someone who hasn't showered in months."
"Fuck you." Yami said icily, following Kaiba into the building and through a long, brightly lit hallway decorated with plush, potted plants. He was at a loss for an insult, so he decided to dredge up the past again.
"I've been meaning to ask you…what did your suicide note say, Mr. Top Student?" Yami asked innocently, seeing Kaiba's hand clench into a fist as he punched the up button on the elevator panel.
"None…of your fucking business." Kaiba hissed anxiously, knowing full well that Yami would laugh in his face if he knew. It was a simple farewell and fuck-you letter to Gozaburo, and he would go to any lengths to keep the abuse extremely private.
If people knew, he would be over, as a model, and as himself.
"Seen the inside of a textbook recently, or have you lost the ability to read?" Kaiba shot back lamely, seeing the elevator doors open, and he strode inside quickly, eager to distance himself from Yami.
"Oh you're angry, Mr. Perfect!" Yami goaded, stepping into the elevator with Kaiba and accidently bumping elbows with the man inside.
The woman on his arm gasped and Yami froze, recognizing that gasp.
"Yamazaki-san!" his client cried, pressing a manicured hand to her mouth as her eyes darted between him and Kaiba, her cheeks slowly reddening with embarrassment as her husband's face turned equally as red, but with anger.
"YOU!" the man hissed, lunging at Yami and grabbing him roughly by the shirt, ramming him painfully back against the elevator wall, and Yami let out a cry as the metal railing bruised his back.
"Let go of him! He's just a friend! We're not dating!" the woman shrieked, and Kaiba felt himself grow light-headed. Was this a double nightmare?! It was one fight after another! Somehow, Yami's chaos had been brought into his hemisphere.
"Yeah?!" the man shouted, turning purple as he swelled with rage, raising his fist threateningly and jerking his head towards Kaiba. "What about him? This guy's face is all over your computer screen and your magazines."
Yami froze in a moment of disbelief when he heard this, and the man's fist narrowly missed his cheek as Kaiba swung out at the man and punched him solidly in the mouth, just as the elevator came to a gentle stop.
Deeply shocked, Yami clutched the railing for support as his back ached and stung. He watched Kaiba frantically stab at the 'door close' button on the elevator panel, looking absolutely livid.
The man stumbled out of the elevator and his wife followed quickly while crying hysterically, "Oh my god! My love! My angel! Are you okay?! He hit you! You hit him!" She whirled around to face Kaiba, and her husband shoved her aside roughly, leaning heavily against the elevator doors and keeping them apart, preventing them from closing.
"I'll sue you! I'll fucking sue you for hitting me, you scumbag!" The man shouted, making sure his voice echoed down the hallway, and heads were beginning to poke out from behind closed doors. "And you!" he pointed furiously at Yami with a shaking finger. "I'll sue you for stealing my wife!"
Kaiba tensed and curled his fingers into his palm, ready to strike out again. He was tired of being pushed around for the night, and this man was the last straw.
"Back the fuck off!" Kaiba hissed angrily, throwing out the first careless statement that came to mind. "This is my boyfriend, and there is no way he would date a woman…much less a married woman."
Yami felt his jaw drop and he quickly closed it, his eyes watering with a mixture of pain and incredulity.
Wh-What?!
"Isn't that right, boyfriend?" Kaiba asked viciously, whirling around to glare at Yami, seeing him nod vigorously, clearly still in a lot of pain from being shoved against the metal railing.
"I-I'm so…gay," Yami managed weakly, catching a horrified expression plastered on his client's face. "Can't stop…thinking about you…Model-san."
Well, there goes rent money for next week.
And the entire job, probably.
"Then what the hell were you doing with my wife?!" the man asked loudly, reaching for his phone and tapping on a picture, showing a blurry photo of a spiky-haired individual with the woman on his arm. "I hired a private detective to follow you two, because I knew she was cheating on me!"
Kaiba winced at the man's volume, his anxiety rising higher while the elevator began chiming loudly, indicating the doors had been held open for too long.
"We were shopping, my love!" the woman cried, clinging onto the man's arm and gazing adoringly into his face. "Did you see the lovely coat I bought yesterday? He helped me pick it out…for you!"
"Yeah, there's your proof, now let go of the door." Kaiba said coldly, thumping his fist down onto the man's fingers, but the man held his ground, still leaning against the beeping elevator doors, clearly unconvinced.
"No!" the man insisted furiously, shaking his head. "I need proof that you're gay! This is all lies!"
"It's true! It's all true!" his wife shrieked, tugging on her husband's arm and attempting to pull him away from the elevator door. "I've seen it with my own eyes! I can tell you all about it…at home!"
"I need to see it with my own eyes." the man said coldly, his beady eyes darting hungrily between Kaiba and Yami, sensing a rising panic. "Go on. Kiss each other. Mr. Model and…the man who is not dating my wife. Go ahead."
"Okay, watch closely, you fuck." Kaiba growled, shoving his foot into the man's groin and sending him stumbling back once again.
He turned around to grab Yami and pulled him close by wrapping an arm around his waist, catching a look of pure surprise flitting across his face, causing his lips to part, and Kaiba wasted no time, bending down to press his lips tightly onto Yami's and kissing him deeply, feeling Yami tense before softening into the kiss.
Yami blinked rapidly as he was assaulted by too many sensations at once.
The shrill beeping of the elevator doors was ringing in his ears as the warmth from Kaiba's lips traveled up and down his entire body, causing his toes to tingle, his knees to weaken, and a hot breath filled his lungs.
Kaiba's lips were…so soft! And he tasted…so sweet!
This was wonderful!
No, this was terrible!
Then why did it feel wonderful?!
Kaiba's lips were still pressed tightly against his as the elevator doors slid shut, and Yami swore he saw matching looks of shock and horror from the man and his wife out of the corner of his eye.
Mustering all of his strength, Yami gave Kaiba a rough shove, and they broke apart breathlessly.
Yami pressed a knuckle to his teeth, feeling his lips burn and sting with a strange sensation as he caught a dazed look sitting on Kaiba's face.
"You could've punched him again!" Yami cried angrily, feeling so hot, he could've sworn his skin was on fire. "Where was that version of you when we were in the alleyway?"
"That's one guy, a stranger, versus five gangsters, who go to our rival school!" Kaiba shot back, resisting the urge to shout as the elevator stopped on his floor. "Who the hell is that woman?!"
The doors slid open again with a soft ding. Everything was now oddly calm and quiet, but Kaiba was raging furiously on the inside with a mixture of confusion and arousal.
"This is how you repay me?" Yami barreled over Kaiba's question, unwilling to answer it without a fight. "Assaulting me in an elevator? Punching a man in front of his wife?!"
"I got you out of a fight, so consider us even!" Kaiba said stiffly, striding down the hallway and ignoring Yami's venomous comments. "And you live with me now, boyfriend, so keep up appearances until that man sees you coming and going from my apartment."
"I am not a live-in boyfriend!" Yami protested and was unable to keep the mirth out of his voice as he suddenly felt like bursting with laughter. What a horrible and yet hilarious turn of events. Was Kaiba being serious?!
"Whatever." Kaiba rolled his eyes and tapped a keycard against the lock and leaned the door open to his apartment, gesturing for Yami to step inside quickly. "Hurry up, before someone else sees you and thinks that their wife is cheating on them with you."
"No." Yami said firmly, standing his ground in the hallway, catching a glimpse of luxurious white leather furniture behind Kaiba's elbow. "I am going home."
"Fine. Find your own way back." Kaiba said, acting as if he was about to close the door. "Hope that man doesn't see you walking out of the lobby, and reports you for assault. And I hope Angel doesn't ask you for details of your assault."
He saw Yami blink, and he shut the door, seeing an arm thrust in through the crack at the last moment and push back with force.
"Fine…fuck you, Mr. Perfect. I stay one night." Yami growled, leaning his weight against the door as he felt Kaiba pushing back with equal force, now keen on keeping him out. "Let me in."
"No," Kaiba answered gleefully, feeling the blood rush to his head so suddenly he felt dizzy. "I think all my debts to you have been repaid. Take your chances out on the street with Angel and his friends."
Yami let out a low growl and Kaiba waited a few seconds before leaning away from the door and letting Yami shove his way into his apartment. Cute.
"Take off your fucking shoes, you brute." Kaiba snorted, "the carpet is fucking expensive." And he watched Yami kick his shoes off and throw them towards his head.
He ducked and they hit the door behind his head with two solid thumps.
"Where is your shower, I reek." Yami said emptily, gazing around the spacious loft, taking in the night view from beyond the tall glass windows and marble kitchen counters.
"I didn't know you knew what a shower was," Kaiba taunted, unable to stop himself, and he caught a contemptuous look from Yami over his shoulder.
"You better have beer or some kind of alcohol on this table when I come out." Yami commanded, pointing at the glass coffee table in the middle of the living room before striding into the bathroom and slamming the door shut with an echoing bang.
"I don't want a noise complaint! Stop slamming the doors around!" Kaiba called, hearing another violet bang on the door in response.
He smirked and glanced around his room, feeling oddly light. Well…that was an eventful night.
Now…alcohol, as Yami had requested. Then after this, his debts would finally be repaid.
Author's note:
AYEE WHADDUP MY CUTIES.
UGLI IS HERE WITH A FLARESHIP.
This is a school-life type of story, what do you think?
First, it'll be prideshipping (yami x kaiba) with eventual flareshipping (yami x kaiba x yugi)
There is gonna be some threesome sex, lots of drama along with some twists and turns….
Okay?
No likey
no reeedy
no flamie
no complainie,
please and thankies.
This fic will update every week? (find me on tumblr uglifish or on discord ugli#7509 for more info!)
And this fic miiight have shorter chapters while I figure out how to pace this story properly? Biiig question mark.
HAPPY SUMMER EVERYONE! (im melting)
leave a reviewwww bitchiieesss!
footnotes:
1, obaasan = directly translated from Japanese, means old lady/grandma or auntie.
2, kira kira = directly translated from Japanese, means sparkly sparkly.)
and as always, a huge thanks to editor, YLJE for breathing life into me via virtual CPR, + eternal friendship, and for her ability to edit like the wind. Whoosh.
XOXOXOX
Ugli