The sweet things of life
I.
The first time he eats a slice of cake is at the funeral of his mother. It tastes so sweet and creamy, as if it wants to contradict the reason why they're all here, as if it tries to soothe away his pain with its sweetness. He doesn't need soothing. He doesn't need sweetness. The only soothing and sweetness he accepted was that of his mother. But he'd never get that again. And food would never replace that, nothing would.
A cry rips him out of his thought and as he looks up his eyes fall on his baby brother's small bed. No one in the room seems to notice, no one seems to care and no one tries to soothe him. His relatives are too occupied, his mother can't, his father won't and the cake is just wrong.
But Seto isn't occupied, Seto can, Seto will and Seto is just right.
So he spits the cake out again and walks over to Mokuba.
II.
Three years later he only eyes the cake snidely. Now his father is dead too and he's alone with Mokuba. He feels the hostile glances of his relatives in his back, as if he doesn't already know how much they despise him. Well, it's not that he cares about their opinion about him. Why should he? The only thing he cares for is his dear, little brother. He puts an arm around him protectively and glares at his aunt on the other side of room. She just sips her drink and looks arrogantly back at him. Seto's determined not to break eye contact first, to show her he won't back down, not from her, not from anyone.
"Nii-sama!" Mokuba's excited voice brings him out of his staring contest and for a split second he's a little angry at himself for getting distracted so easily but when he looks at Mokuba's face, his anger vanishes. He has chocolate all over his face and the slice of cake on his plate is almost gone.
Seto can't help but smile a little.
"Do you like it?" He smiles back at him gently and starts to slowly stroke Mokuba's shoulder. His little brother nods enthusiastically, with the spoon still in his mouth and when he pulls it put after a moment it's spotlessly clean and Mokuba flashes him a broad grin. His lips and teeth are stained with chocolate and there's a small speck on his nose too and Seto is actually able to chuckle a little. On instinct, he wipes the chocolate away from Mokuba's nose and licks it off his finger. Only when the taste reaches his nerves does he remember how much he abides this sweetness. This time though he refrains from spitting it out. He doesn't want to startle his little brother, not after all what happened, not when he likes the taste so much.
Sure, he could lecture and tell him that nothing won't bring neither his Mum nor his Dad back, that the comfort it offered was only temporary, that all the people here were just vultures, waiting to sink their claws into them. But his brother was only three and if he'd do anything to protect that smile, he would.
He pulls Mokuba closer and then stares back at his aunt, silently promising to never let anyone separate them.
III.
It was just one of these days where Seto just barely made it to his room. He could have easily collapsed on the floor in his study but granting Gozaburo that triumph was the last thing he would allow himself to do. But to say he was exhausted was an understatement; every bone and muscle in his body aches and he can hardly keep his eyes open any longer. With heavy legs he scuffles over to his bed and flops down on the mattress. He has to gather all his willpower to suppress the groan that threatened to leave his throat as he shuffles on the bed to get himself into a comfortable position. When he's finally lying on his side and the mattress supports his aching body in the exact right places, he sighs contentedly.
But before his eyes fall shut he notices something dark on his nightstand and within a second he sits straight on his bed again, breathing heavy and glancing around frantically in a search for an intruder. No one is there though and he calms down a little, blaming his fatigue for his nervousness. He looks at the item more closely and huffs when he sees it's a slice of cake. How could he think that could be a threat? He must be really exhausted.
Or the manners of his step-father had taken a deeper root inside him than he thought until now.
He pushes the thought aside, willing himself not to fall for that man's methods like the unworthy prey he tells him he is and reaches out to inspect the small plate.
It's been years since he last saw a slice of cake and he rather not thinks about the occasion. Maybe Gozaburo found out and tries to hurt him with it, maybe he discovered the carrot now next to the stick he always uses.
Seto frowns at the cake, turning the plate over in his hands to look for any sign that this is some kind of test but the only thing he discovers is a small piece of paper, pasted on the bottom of the plate. His frown deepens as he peels it off and reads the little handwritten note that simply says "A slice from my birthday cake. I put one aside for you and Mokuba-sama. Please enjoy it. Isono."
Seto snarls.
What the hell is that man thinking? That he's a pathetic kid that can be lured with marble cake? That he'd actually want to eat something like this? Is he supposed to thank him now? Congratulate him on his birthday even? And thank him again for thinking so far as to let Seto and Mokuba be a part of that?
He will do no such thing! He isn't a baby that needs to be fed! Especially not with something as disgusting as cake.
But… something about this is off.
Isono obviously sneaked into Seto's room to put that pie on his nightstand. He definitely didn't have Gozaburo's permission for that and Seto is sure that if he or Hobson finds out, Isono's days at Kaiba Corp are over. That means the man went out of his way and against his boss to deliver this to Seto and Mokuba, knowing it could cost him his job. And a lot more probably.
Seto scoffs again.
That Isono is not very loyal to his employer then, is he? Betrayal is not a good trait for a security staff member. Maybe he should tell Gozaburo, just to see what happens.
Then again, hasn't Isono proofed by that that he is loyal to Seto and Mokuba? That he cares for him and his little brother more than for his actual boss? That he trusts these unworthy brats to keep his secret? If that's the case, shouldn't he doesn't he deserve his trust in return?
Seto reads the note again and wonders when someone had asked him to enjoy something the last time.
He glances between the cake and the note and then between the cake and his door and with a single bite devours half of the slice.
It's not as sweet as the last ones he tasted and he likes this one a little more but it's still not his favorite treat. But Mokuba comes to his mind, sitting in his room now as well, cake all over his face and smiling as brightly and as happy as he hasn't in too long a time and his own lips pull upward at the thought. He'd give him his slice as well if he could but he knows his door is locked from the outside.
So instead Seto reaches under his bed and pulls out the little box he has glued to the bottom side of his duckboard. The cards Mokuba snuggled in and the Blue Eyes White Dragon card he drew for him are in there safely hidden away from prying eyes but always close enough for him to reach when he needs them. It's his treasure box – a motivation that he'll be stronger than anything Gozaburo plans to throw at him, a reminder that even if everything fails he still has Mokuba by his side, a flicker of hope that someday they both will be free.
He glances to the door again and swiftly puts Isono's note into the box as well and then swallows the rest of the cake down.
IV.
"You too, huh?"
Kaiba groans and makes his way over to the coffee machine. He needs a large one to keep his mind awake and not lose focus on the task ahead – the task of solving the Ra's secrets and then use him against Malik in the finale to become the new King of Games. Of course only after he had defeated Yugi and had finally gotten his revenge on him. He doesn't know which win will feel better.
After pushing the button for an extra strong coffee he glances back at Yugi and takes his appearance in a little more.
Is he seriously wearing a baby blue pajama with stars on it? And is he drinking a hot chocolate?
He can't believe this is the same boy he had chased through half his city, the same boy that had told him earlier that day that their road of battle didn't end here, the same boy he had acknowledged as his rival.
Kaiba squints but it really is the Yugi he always duels against, the darker, more determined one.
Having a sweet tooth rather seemed like a thing for that other Yugi, the one he doesn't duel against.
He groans again and it is only when Yugi raises his eyebrow at him that he realizes he is still staring at him. Kaiba shoots him a glare before he turns around again, definitely not in the mood to talk.
"Do you intend to answer me or are you just letting me assume that we share the habit of wandering into the kitchen at night?"
"You do realize that in contrast to you I'm not wearing a ridiculous pajama. That makes your question superfluous."
"How should I know if you actually possess a pajama? For all I know you could use your coat as a blanket."
Kaiba shrugs. "I covered Mokuba with it before I came here."
"You did?" The dueling Yugi asks and Kaiba snarls at his surprised tone, not because he is ashamed that he let this information slip in front of him but because he seems to be so surprised about that. He of all people should know what Mokuba means to him.
A silence settles between them that is only interrupted by the coffee machine's sounds. Kaiba curses under his breath that it takes longer than he anticipated. He glances at Yugi once more and starts to tremble involuntarily. He could duel Yugi right here but for all his greed for victory and revenge he wanted a proper audience, enough people to see when and how deliberately he wipes the floor with him.
So he settles for teasing instead.
"I'm a little surprised though. I would have thought you'd be in your room, brooding over your cards and searching desperately for a strategy to beat me."
"I already have one, thank you." Yugi chuckles lowly, stands up and walks over to him. "But I take it you need that coffee to stay up long enough to come up with a master plan. Or why are you still awake?"
"Sleep is for the weak." Kaiba answers with a triumphant smirk of his own and Yugi's dueling personality raises his eyebrow as if to tell him
"It's the other way around actually. You get weak when you don't sleep enough." He tells him as if he's a stupid little boy and Kaiba stares at him. "You should get some rest if you don't want to collapse on the field tomorrow."
"Same goes for you."
"Are you worried about me, Kaiba?"
He sneers at him. "Yugi, I can assure you the very last thing that I am is worried about you."
This weird boy with his starred pajamas smirks mischievously at him and as Kaiba smirks back at him he suddenly gets a strange feeling of heaviness in his head. It's as if he loses focus but at the same time can only concentrate to Yugi's grin. It's as if he's glued to the ground but at the same time is pulled closer and closer to him. He tries to regain control but fails somehow and is relieved when the beeping of the coffee machine rips him out of his thoughts.
He turns, a little too hasty maybe and the heaviness turns into dizziness for a second but he doesn't let it show. Instead he purrs the black liquid into a cup with a stern face and waits for Yugi to step aside. He doesn't, of course, Kaiba wouldn't have either, and he walks around him with a soft grunt.
"Kaiba." Yugi calls out and Kaiba realizes with a start that he's somewhat relieved that he stops him from leaving. He doesn't know why and he really doesn't want to think about it but he takes a sip of his coffee, just in case he mind decides to drift further away.
"What?"
"Why not sit down and eat these with me?" Yugi gestures to the table he had been sitting at before and Kaiba only now sees the little muffins that are piled up on the table. It's the ones Mokuba instructed their cook to make, one for each contestant as a little surprise, as his brother had said. Kaiba supposed Mokuba wanted to eat them himself but he didn't say anything. He still didn't like sweets and he knew he never would but why should he spoil that for his brother?
He glares at Yugi. "And turn this already needless conversation into a coffee party? No, thank you."
For a split second, Kaiba imagines an expression of regret flicker over Yugi's face but then it's gone and he smirks like that again, as if he's changed his strategy and Kaiba can instantly feel the blood bumping through his veins at the sight. "Really?" He asks and the mocking tone in his voice does nothing to calm Kaiba down. "You let me eat this Blue Eyes White Dragon muffin?"
And just like that the fire in his veins is exchanged with ice. "What?"
With a push of his hand he shoves Yugi aside and storms over to the table, only to stop dead in his tracks.
Oh, they hadn't.
He clenches his jaw and his fists at his side and his vision blurs with anger as he looks down on his most loyal servant, degraded to a sugar icing on a fucking. Chocolate. Muffin.
This… is treason and he's going to show no mercy to the one responsible for this, this…
"She looks so cute." Yugi stands beside him suddenly, Kaiba hasn't even noticed that he walked over and he smiles at both the muffin and then at him and Kaiba just… stares at him, unable to come up with a reply.
"What, don't you want it?" Yugi blinks surprised at him and this heaviness is back in his head, rendering him slow and unable to answer. And Yugi obviously takes Kaiba's silence as affirmation, because he shrugs and then moves so fast that Kaiba doesn't have a chance to react before the muffin with the Blue Eyes White Dragon disappears in Yugi's mouth.
Kaiba stares some more and as he watches Yugi chew his anger slowly but surely gets replaced by bewilderment.
Had… Had this little prick just eaten his Blue Eyes White Dragon muffin with a triumphant grin on his fucking face?
Sure he didn't like cakes or muffins or sweets in general and this formidable creature of his certainly didn't belong on a fucking muffin but it still was a Blue Eyes White Dragon, it was his. And he supposed she couldn't taste so bad.
"It's really good." Yugi mumbles with a full mouth as if he's reading Kaiba's mind like he always does when they duel. He hates it then and he hates it even more now.
He thinks about pouring his coffee over Yugi's head as revenge but he really needs the caffeine and then his eyes fall on the second muffin on the table, the one with the Dark Magician on it and he has a far better idea.
He smirks at Yugi, his typical smirk to let him know he's right where he wanted him, then reaches out and grabs one of the knives on the table.
"Kaiba, wait." Seeing how Yugi's unnatural purple eyes grow wide with realization satisfies Kaiba a lot and he savors this triumph a little.
"Now look close, Yugi. And say goodbye to your precious magician!" He laughs loudly and with a swift swing of his hand slices the Magician in half. Yugi gasps and Kaiba turns back to him, grinning gleefully. "Memorize this picture well, Yugi. It's what you will see tomorrow."
With one more triumphant laugh he throws the knife back on the table, picks up the two halves of the magician, then shoots Yugi one last glance and turns around in a swift motion as if he was still wearing his flaring coat.
It's not until he's made his way through the corridor a little that he hears Yugi laugh and he stops for a second, contemplating if he should go back and tell him that there's nothing to laugh about. Instead he strains his ears to the sound just a moment more before he resumes walking back to his office and his little brother.
Mokuba is still sound asleep when he enters and Kaiba tiptoes around so as to not disturb him. After placing his coffee and the two slices of muffin on the table he turns to Mokuba and smiles gently as he pushes a strand of wild hair out of his face.
But he turns back to his work just as quickly, occasionally sipping at his coffee and every now and then his eyes fall on the muffin. Even cut in half, even in this ridiculous form this damn magician gets on his nerves and at the same time awakens his fighting spirit.
Just like Yugi.
Only with Yugi… there's something more, something so demanding and intense, it's great, it's vitalizing and it's tantalizing.
He has to beat him tomorrow.
It's not until his cup is long empty and his eyes start to burn that he finally reaches out to the muffin and stuffs it into his mouth.
If it wasn't for the sugar icing this one tasted quite delicious, maybe a little weird for a muffin but he liked it.
It was sweet, yes but it also had a bitter note to it and he can taste something sour too. It was strange and yet had a completeness that startled him.
Yugi's smirking face flashes through his mind as he swallows the muffin down.
V.
He's gone.
The fucking coward just went and died and didn't even tell him he was leaving.
So, apparently all he ever told him, all he ever wanted Kaiba to believe in… he negotiated it himself in the most ridiculous, humiliating way possible by simply running away.
It made him so indescribably angry.
It hurt.
It was unacceptable.
He'd get him back. Or get to him. Or whatever. But he would tell him… that. Tell him just what he thought of what he did and said and just how much he despised his actions. And Atem himself. Tell him everything.
Tell him just how much he miss…
He groans and shoves a chocolate bar in his mouth to shut his pathetic thoughts up.
The sweetness disgusts him to no end but he needs sugar and caffeine to stay focused.
He takes a large gulp of his coffee to get rid of the sweet taste and then directs his attention back to the calculations in front of him.
This cube was definitely the last piece he had needed.
He will get to him now.
VI.
Kaiba never thought it hard to tell or show someone just how much he couldn't stand them. It was part of his staff of life and his favorite one honestly.
But it was a totally different matter to show his fondness of someone. Mokuba was an exception of course. He knew him his whole life and was by now able to interpret his big brother's clumsy attempts at socializing. Granted there weren't a lot of other people he was actually fond of, except Mokuba of course. Isono probably. And… well Atem as of late.
Not really as of late of course but still new if he compared it to his other relationships. It didn't really help that his relationship with Atem was of a total different nature. He's still adjusting to all it involves but so does Atem. They were trying and failing more than often to find a middle ground but they were walking this road next to each other. And that was all Kaiba had ever wanted, really.
To show him thatthough wasn't exactly his strongest trait.
After Atem had… well let's call it baked a cake for his birthday last year, he felt obligated to return the favor on one hand and to show him how to make this right on the other. He knew their relationship wasn't a competition but their rivalry was the cornerstone on which they had built it.
And besides baking couldn't be that hard, could it?
Okay he had to admit that he had been more than confused when he had read the recipe for the first time and there were a couple failed attempts at getting it right at first but now the three tiered, split cake was perfect. It was violet on one side, silver-blue on the other and cake figures of his Blue Eyes and Atem's Dark Magician (he had of course made more of an effort for his dragon but the Magician looked all right too, for all he cared; his dragon still wasn't made to be a sugar figure but he remembered that night before their duel still quite vividly) and he'd chosen caramel flavor since he knew Atem loved it.
Yes, he was a perfectionist and he hadn't stopped until he was satisfied. He wanted and he would impress Atem with the result.
He could see that he had achieved that when not only Atem's eyes widened but his jaw fell open as well after Kaiba had moved his hands from his eyes.
Kaiba watches with great satisfaction while Atem struggles to find words. "You…" A small laugh leaves him and he clears his throat softly. "You're definitely better at this than I am."
Kaiba laughs about how crestfallen he hehhh he sounds, not hiding that he appreciates this comment immensely, while Atem steps closer to his work and examines it some more. "It's too beautiful to eat."
"Oh, but you have to." He puts a hand on the small of Atem's back and loosens the sugar dragon from the cake to hold it out for Atem whose eyes widen again.
"You let me have your dragon?"
Kaiba laughs again and smirks meaningful at him. Usually he wouldn't of course but he had hid his present within the dragon – a golden pendant for Atem's bracelet, a small djed-pillar, the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyph for eternity. He didn't need to say more than that. "You already had it once, remember?"
"Not just once, or have you forgotten."
Kaiba leers at him. "I meant the sweet one this time."
Atem chuckles but does as told and Kaiba watches him closely for any sign of reaction. It takes a while but when Atem's face lights up delightful Kaiba breathes out.
And then a deep frown etches itself on Kaiba's face again when the man before him scrunches his face in what appears to be confusion and… distaste.
He clears his throat before he speaks. "Did you put nuts in it?"
"I…" It takes Kaiba just a second before he realizes what this question means. "What?"
"There are nuts in it, I just swallowed one."
"You… swallowed one?"
"Well, yeah." There's a soft chuckle in his throat and one of his eyebrows goes up mockingly. "I don't really like nuts, remember?" Kaiba solely stares at him and Atem's chuckle get louder. "It's okay. I liked your dragon." He winks, then goes up to Kaiba and stands on his tiptoes like he always does before he kisses him on the cheek. Kaiba doesn't really like it that much when he does that but his arising anger helps him to come to.
"You swallowed it down? Whole?"
"Yeah, well luckily I didn't choke on it." He jokes obviously totally unaware of the real struggle Kaiba goes through as he pats his arm reassuringly. "You know what? We could invite the others and have a small party!"
Kaiba still needs to comprehend that this dork just swallowed his present down and that he himself was so stupid as to believe his brother that baking into the cake was a good idea.
And he actually really wants to be angry with him but he finds himself unable to, not when Atem's smiling at him like the idiot he is. There are still a few crumbs in the corner of his mouth and some chocolate between his teeth and it may be a sense of déjà vu but just like that the laughableness of the situation hits him full force and he throws his head back and laughs loudly.
"What you swallowed, you idiot, wasn't a nut. It was your present."
"My…what?"
"Mokuba suggested that I hide it in the sugar figure to surprise you." He laughs again. "Guess that backfired…"
"Oh…" He can't tell if his boyfriend is disappointed or confused, probably a mixture of both and he touches a hand to his stomach regretfully. "What… was it?"
The smirk is back on his face. "I could tell you…" He grabs him by the waist, pulls him flush against his body, then smirks mischievously and pats Atem's butt playfully. It takes Atem a moment to realize what Kaiba means and when he does a deep blush creeps his way up from his neck to his ears. Kaiba watches his color change with a sense of satisfaction and amusement, aside from the regret that his carefully chosen present disappeared down Atem's throat. "But you'll find out soon enough."
Atem looks away with a small pout that makes Kaiba laugh again. He grabs his chin and forces him to look back into his eyes. "You are an idiot." He grits out and then leans his head down to kiss him.
He can taste the cake in Atem's mouth and notes satisfied that he did a really good job at baking. But then again is it really the taste of the cake he like so much or simply Atem? He sure tastes a little different than usually but it's even more addicting and he tries to get as much of him as he can. When they part after a while, the smile is back on Atem's face and Kaiba grins pleased. "Happy birthday."
Atem goes up on his tiptoes again but kisses him on the mouth this time, short and gently. "Thank you, Seto."
Kaiba licks his lips, tasting the addicting mixture of Atem and caramel and decides that he wants more.
More of both and as much as he can get.