My first attempt at a Seto Kaiba and Mokuba story - I thought I'd see how well I captured dialogue, personality, etc. If anyone asks, then yes, this was influenced to some degree by my story, "Snuggles". I haven't done a Yu-Gi-Oh! fic in a looooong time, so I don't know if it worked or not. But I had fun writing it. And I apologize in advance for any typos - point them out, and I'll correct them. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Frustrated Affection

For one Seto Kaiba, today just wasn't a good day.

And what really bothered him was that earlier, there had been no indication of this whatsoever. Initially, everything had been going fine.

Until now.

"Now" referred to approximately eight o'clock in the morning, an essentially normal time, on an essentially normal day. Setting: KaibaCorp headquarters, office of the CEO. Weather: Mostly sunny, with a few clouds. Mood: Sheer aggravation.

Seto Kaiba had fallen victim to a severe case of restlessness, and he was hating every minute of it.

He stared irritably at the computer screen in front of him, aware that his brain wasn't taking in anything his eyes were seeing. This did nothing to improve his temperament.

Leaning back in his chair, Seto tried to sort through his thoughts in an orderly manner, in the hopes of finding a solution to his lack of concentration. It wasn't easy. Rationally, he couldn't think of any reason why he should be feeling the way he was. True, he hadn't gotten much sleep last night due to a series of disturbing but thankfully forgotten dreams, but that was no excuse. It had never stopped him before - he could go a couple days without sleep if it was needed.

A stubborn expression on his face, he channeled all his energies into focusing on his work.

About thirty-eight seconds later he gave it up again.

Kaiba dropped his forehead into his hands, an involuntary little growl of annoyance escaping his throat. He was sure that if Roland or anyone else happened to walk in now, he'd start yelling within moments. Then again, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. Maybe venting a little would relieve his frustration.

Or maybe he'd just get even angrier and do something stupid. Probably better not to take the chance. In any case, shouting at someone else wasn't going to solve what was clearly an internal problem.

This wasn't like anything he was accustomed to. Usually, he knew exactly what the problem was, even if he didn't know how to fix it. He'd have been much happier if someone tried to destroy a few computer files - at least then he could do something. But this lethargy, this helplessness, was pure hell. It was like being molested by a swarm of invisible, soundless mosquitoes.

He worked on and off for another agonizing ten minutes, then abruptly stood up, crossed the room - went through, closed, and locked the office door - and left.

Not long after, he stalked in the front door of the Kaiba family mansion. It was unusually quiet, which meant that Mokuba was probably still asleep. Seto had acquiesced to his brother's petition for the luxury of sleeping in this morning. Normally, he liked to have Mokuba around - the kid could handle things more efficiently than any other KaibaCorp employee - but they had been rather busy of late. And though ready to fall asleep then and there, last night Mokuba had put forth the suggestion that both he and his sibling take it easy, now that things had calmed down a bit. Kaiba, of course, had immediately rejected the absurd proposal, but finally agreed that he could spare his brother for a few hours while the other caught up on sleep.

All the better for me, then, he thought now. With any luck, Mokuba would think he was still back at KaibaCorp. Feeling uncomfortably out of character, Seto made himself a spur-of-the-moment cup of tea and retreated upstairs to his room.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Kaiba scowled down at the steaming mug held between his hands. The cheerful, transparent tendrils wreathing about his face would have soothed anyone of a milder disposition. Instead, they served only to elevate his frustration. The silence around him was equally irking. He simply couldn't stand this inactivity, and whenever he tried to occupy or distract himself, the inevitable result was failure, adding another tally to his list of current banes.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" he burst out, to no one in particular - anything to break this unnatural silence.

"I dunno," said a sleepy little voice from the doorway.

Kaiba snapped his head up as Mokuba, still clad in pajamas, continued, "What the - I mean, what is wrong with you? 'Cos something obviously is - you're s'posed to be at work!"

"Been there, done that," the other muttered, recovering himself quickly after his brother's unexpected appearance.

"What d'you mean?"

"Exactly what I said," the elder Kaiba snapped. "I went, and then I came back. It's not hard to figure out."

"Well, why'd you do that?"

He paused. "I - I couldn't concentrate." Now that sounded stupid.

Mokuba apparently thought so, too, because he was now looking skeptically at his brother. "You couldn't concentrate?" he repeated incredulously. "C'mon, Seto…."

"Look, I know it sounds ridiculous." Seto placed his untouched tea down on a nearby table, without moving from the edge of the bed. He felt like an idiot.

After a few moments, Mokuba spoke again, but in a very different tone. "Are you okay, Seto?" He moved a couple steps into the room.

Kaiba glanced up and saw a clear look of concern on his brother's face. "Obviously not," he replied, still scowling. All he wanted now was for Mokuba to go away.

The other paused. "So - what's wrong?"

Couldn't the kid take a hint? Seto glared angrily at him, snarling, "Damn it, Mokuba, if I knew that, don't you think I'd have done something about it by now?!" He dropped his gaze to the floor, hoping the other would understand that he didn't want to discuss the matter.

Another pause. Then Mokuba said, in a soft, small voice, "Sorry."

Kaiba groaned inwardly. He hadn't meant to lash out at his brother, but he was just so exasperated. "Never mind," he muttered. "Just - I'm not in a good mood, okay?"

"I could kinda tell," Mokuba admitted.

"Then you'll understand why I'm telling you to leave me alone." Seto's tone was flat and dismissive as he waited for the other to leave.

Instead, Mokuba trotted across the room and hopped up onto the bed beside his brother. Kaiba looked over at him slowly, his face darkening.

"Didn't I just tell you -"

"Yep." Mokuba returned the look stubbornly. "But I'm not leaving, not until you tell me what's up."

His brother let out a slow breath. He didn't need this - he didn't want to be pestered to expose his inner difficulties, especially as he only had a vague idea, at best, of what those difficulties were.

"I - don't - know," he said finally, with forceful distinction.

"That's a new one," Mokuba observed matter-of-factly. "Was that why you were swearing when I walked by?"

"Maybe," answered Seto, unwilling to commit to anything at this point.

"So the next time something's wrong with me, and I don't know what it is, I can start saying things like -"

"Mokuba!"

"Yes, big brother?" Mokuba said innocently.

"Shut up." But the reprimand was half-hearted, because the kid had a point.

Seto knew that he had a tendency towards the excessive use of expletives when his temper was roused, but in principle he didn't see this as a problem. After all, he tried to refrain from swearing overmuch when his brother was around. But somehow, he had the uncomfortable feeling that Mokuba overheard him a lot more than he was generally aware of. And some of the words Kaiba employed in (what he hoped was) private were definitely not appropriate for a kid barely into his teens.

He was roused from these musings by the sensation of Mokuba nudging him gently.

"What?" he said irritably.

"I want to know what's wrong."

Seto grimaced. "Let me know when you figure it out, won't you?" he suggested sarcastically, his voice ill-humored. He stared broodingly at the floor.

"I'm serious, Seto." Mokuba laid a hand on his brother's arm. "This really isn't like you."

Kaiba pulled his arm free, but remained silent.

"Please don't clam up around me, Seto," Mokuba said quietly. "I know you like to work things out on your own, but if you haven't figured it out by now, I don't think you're going to. You always say I'm the only person you can really talk to - why won't you let me help?"

His brother let out a loud sigh of aggravation. "Fine. What do you suggest, then?"

"Well, what's the problem?"

"I already told you."

"What, that you can't concentrate?"

"That's what I said."

"Only you could turn that into a problem, bro."

"Look, kid, are you going to do something useful, or just sit there and make smart remarks? Because if it's the second one, you can leave now."

"Okay, okay!" Mokuba said hastily. He paused, apparently thinking hard. Seto continued to stare at the floor. In his view, he didn't need a therapist, especially if it was his own brother.

"Um… Seto?"

An ungracious grunt.

"I think I might have a solution - but I dunno if you'll like it."

"Yeah? What?"

And the next thing Kaiba knew, Mokuba's arms were wrapped about his neck, with his head pressed against his older sibling's shoulder. Shock held Seto in place for a moment as he let out a hoarse noise of surprise. Then his instincts kicked in. Eyes rather wide, he pried his brother's arms apart and firmly pushed the other away, probably more forcefully than was strictly required.

"Seto!"

Mokuba was protesting loudly, but Kaiba was too busy reestablishing his comfort zone to care. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded. Didn't Mokuba realize how awkward that had been for him? He wasn't used to being randomly embraced, even by family.

The younger Kaiba seemed to retreat at this verbally violent reaction. "I don't - it was just a hug, Seto - you don't have to -" He gazed up at his brother imploringly.

"I don't like being hugged!" Why was he so angry, anyway? He felt like something inside had just - snapped - at Mokuba's touch.

"I don't understand -" Kaiba looked over to see what he desperately hoped were not tears welling in his brother's eyes. "Why're you so mad at me, Seto?"

The other didn't answer, because frankly, he didn't know what the answer was.

"What's wrong with you?" Mokuba's hurt bewilderment was rapidly transitioning to righteous anger. "All I try to do is show that I care about you, and you push me away! I thought we were family - why don't you at least try!"

"We are family, Mokuba," his brother answered, through clenched teeth. Kid, just leave… I don't want to hear this right now….

But Mokuba was having none of it.

"You can't just say it, Seto! What good is saying it if you won't even act like it?! Hugging is part of that! It shows you mean it - it shows you care!"

"All right!" Seto snarled. "What's your point?"

"My point is, there's nothing wrong with hugs! Show a little emotion for once! Show me, at least, that you're human, and not a machine!"

"How can you talk like this after what happened with Noah?" Kaiba retorted heatedly. "Wasn't that enough of a demonstration that I care?!"

"That was an extreme situation!" Mokuba contradicted him, almost sobbing now. "Why does it always take something dangerous or dramatic to get you to show your caring side? Most people don't even think you have one!"

Seto looked away. Whatever he might have said, the accusation stung. "Maybe that's the way I want it," he murmured. "Don't you remember what I told you, Mokuba - the day we arrived at the orphanage? 'Emotions will only get in the way of our survival."

"Back then, maybe! But now -" Mokuba's voice dropped pleadingly. "Now we're beyond that, Seto. We don't have to fight like that anymore. Can't you let your guard down with me, at least?"

But his brother only laughed hollowly. " 'We don't have to fight like that anymore'? What about our stepfather? What about Pegasus, and Marik, and the Big Five?" His tone was bitterly sardonic. "We'll always be fighting, Mokuba, because there will always be someone trying to drag us down. I've explained this before."

"But you're forgetting something." Mokuba's hand closed around his brother's clenched fist. "We'll always be there to help each other get up again. But I can't do that if you push me away, Seto."

Kaiba looked down at his sibling's hand, covering his own. Mokuba was asking the impossible - he couldn't show more emotion than he already did. It was more than just a habit, it was an aspect of his personality. He couldn't change something so deeply integrated into his character. But still -

"Did we seriously just have an argument about hugs?" he asked in a strained voice. Mokuba let out a choked laugh, which immediately became a noise of astonishment as Seto suddenly reached out and drew him close.

"Seto," he gasped, "are you -"

"I feel like such a jerk, Mokuba," the other said, his face muffled in his brother's thick black hair. Vaguely, he realized that the last time he had been this - well, affectionate - had been when he was reunited with Mokuba during the escapade in Noah's virtual world. Had he actually hugged his brother in front of the entire dweeb convention? He tried not to think about it too much.

"You're not a jerk, Seto," Mokuba disagreed, returning his brother's tight embrace as best he could. "You just shut youself away too much. Loosen up a bit." After a moment, he added rather breathlessly, "I meant that literally, bro - you're squeezing too hard."

Wordlessly, Kaiba straightened and drew back. His brother looked up at him happily, despite the fact that his face was still wet with tears. "You should do that more often," he suggested. "You give pretty good hugs, when you put your mind to it."

"Thanks, but I think I'll save them for special occasions."

With an uncharacteristic sigh of contentment, Mokuba rested his head against his elder brother's shoulder. Seto stiffened slightly, but did not pull away.

"Seto?"

"What?"

"You should take the day off."

"Not too damned likely." But he put an arm around Mokuba's shoulders. A pensive silence fell.

"Seto?"

"What?"

He felt Mokuba snuggle closer and rolled his eyes. So much for the original issue.

"I think your tea's cold."

Please review! May the Force be with you.