"Wow, that was a fun game!" Duke said with a smile, stretching his arms upwards before reaching out to help Ryou put the game pieces away.
"I still find it hard to believe that you've never played Monster World before, either of you," Ryou commented, glancing at both Seto and Duke. He gathered up the dice and put them in their case before he started collecting the game pieces themselves.
"Must be a Japanese thing, or maybe a British thing," Duke said lightly with a laugh. Having grown up in America, he thought that it was something those countries had that his simply didn't. Seto remained reticent. He'd never played Monster World because Gozaburo had taken away all toys and games from his step-son. The only game he'd still managed to play behind the tyrant's back was Duel Monsters—thanks to Mokuba—and when he'd finally freed himself from the wannabe dictator's grasp, he'd thrown himself whole-heartedly into the game that had given him hope and a will to live through all those years of abuse.
Ryou carefully set the last miniatures in their case, glancing down at his scarred left hand as a dusty memory slowly surfaced in his mind. The Spirit of the Millennium Ring, sealing his soul into the dice, sacrificing himself to save his friends, his White Mage sacrificing himself to bring Ryou back. He inhaled deeply and imagined the memory fading as he let out his breath. It was a trick his therapist had taught him, and it was one of the many coping mechanisms he employed to keep himself from sinking back into severe depression. They were working well, and Ryou was glad of it.
Duke sat back in his chair, taking his long hair out of its ponytail to run his fingers through it, lifting it off of his neck as he tied it back up in a neater ponytail. It was summer, and while the three of them were on vacation together in the summer house Seto owned in Italy, it was hotter than any of them had expected it to be. "Even with the AC on, it's too hot in here," Duke complained, standing up and glancing over at Seto, his brow furrowed. "You alright, man? You're pretty quiet."
Seto glanced up at him and merely shrugged, standing as well. "Just thinking," he muttered noncommittally.
"How about I cook us some lunch?" Duke suggested, and his partners nodded appreciatively. "I'll help," Ryou offered.
After lunch, the three lounged in the afternoon heat, wearing the coolest clothes they had. Or, in Duke's case, going completely shirtless. He was confident enough in himself to do so, wearing only a pair of loose shorts as he lay across Seto's lap. Ryou was sitting on the floor with his back against the front of the couch, his arms wrapped around Seto's leg as he lay his own head against Seto's knee. One of Duke's hands combed through Ryou's hair as his other hand focused on rubbing ice cubes across his abs. It was his preferred method for cooling down, and while the other two found it a little strange, they weren't about to tell him to stop. They both found it surprisingly erotic. Seto idly twirled Duke's ponytail with one hand while the other held a glass of ice water he sipped from periodically.
The CEO felt like he was going nuts without something to occupy his overactive mind. He'd let Ryou and Duke talk him into leaving his laptop behind in Japan, which would effectively keep him from doing any work while they were on vacation, but without work to fill his empty moments, unpleasant memories pushed at the corners of his mind, demanding attention when Seto couldn't afford to indulge them. He glanced over his shoulder at the kitchen counter, where his phone was charging. Maybe he should call Mokuba, make sure that he was alright. Even though Mokuba was in the good hands of his personal staff, he'd asked Yugi to visit his brother every now and then to make sure he was alright while Seto was gone. If he was to call Mokuba, it would mean displacing both Duke and Ryou, and he didn't feel comfortable doing that at the moment—and it wasn't just because he savored being the center of both their attentions. Besides, Seto had always been terribly awkward with personal phone calls. Business calls he could handle with no difficulty whatsoever, but personal calls were things he rarely made and his lack of practice made him reluctant to make any at all.
Ryou, who'd been lightly dozing against Seto's leg, glanced up at his blue-eyed lover and saw his pensive expression. "Seto, is everything alright?" he murmured sleepily, looking worried.
Seto blinked and looked down at the white-haired teen. "Yes, I'm fine," he answered curtly, realizing immediately that his answer was unconvincing. Duke aimed his pair of emeralds at Seto, eying him suspiciously as well. It was only their first full day on vacation, and Seto was still trying to learn how to relax.
"No, you're not," Ryou stated with a frown. The three of them had been together for several months, now, but between his hard life and his natural disposition, Seto was still very much a closed book to Ryou and Duke. He'd dropped hints now and then, surprising little treasures of trust, as to what his earlier life had been like. He'd hinted at Gozaburo's harsh nature, ambiguously admitted that he still haunted him, implied the punishments he'd been subjected to, shown them how all of it had affected him. Ryou and Duke had spoken privately on a few occasions concerning Seto's past. They wanted to help him as best they could despite his silence, but were still trying to figure out how.
"What are you thinking about?" Duke asked casually, not wanting to add any more pressure to the situation, lest it make Seto clam up.
"Mokuba," he answered after a pause, and Ryou's features relaxed. Seto omitted Gozaburo's presence in his mind on purpose, but he wasn't lying.
"Your brother will be alright. He has good people taking care of him, and I trust Yugi to check in on him often so that he doesn't get lonely or bored." Ryou smiled reassuringly before standing and facing Seto. Duke gently disentangled his fingers from Ryou's hair as the other stood, putting his hands behind his head as he watched the Brit lean down and kiss the brunette. It was an unusual angle from which to view a kiss, but Duke enjoyed watching it nonetheless. As Seto slid his hand from Duke's hair to Ryou's, Duke slipped a hand to slightly push back the long sleeve of his button-down linen shirt to caress the faded scars on his wrist and feel the billionaire's pulse skyrocket. That was a turn-on for Duke.
Seto deepened his kiss with Ryou, his body gradually relaxing as he let the stress seep from him into the couch he sat on. Ryou's fingers buried themselves greedily in Seto's short hair. The CEO slid his hand from Ryou's hair to his waist, pulling him slightly closer as Duke shifted his other hand to squeeze Ryou's ass, making him moan.
"Might I suggest we take this elsewhere?" Duke remarked with a smirk and a faint rasp in his voice. Blue eyes and brown both gazed down at him, and they smiled in agreement.