"Seto?"
He lifted his eyes from his laptop. Yugi climbed on the bed next to him. He was holding a small black box in his hands, tied with a blue ribbon.
"Happy birthday, my love!" Yugi said cheerfully, smiling at his boyfriend.
He dragged Yugi in his arms and kissed him softly. "Yugi..." he whispered. "You shouldn't have, really..."
"Oh, shush. I just hope you like it... I am a bit anxious..." Yugi said, smiling awkwardly.
"Shall I open it, then?" Seto said, smiling at his small lover and took the box in his hands.
"Oh, absolutely not!" Yugi said strictly. "It's a birthday present and as far as I know, it's not your birthday yet! You will open it tomorrow morning!"
Seto smiled. "Fine." he said, as Yugi got on his lap, tying his legs around him.
"Good boy..." he said quietly, staring straight in the cerulean eyes he loved. Seto wrapped his arms around the small duelist and kissed him.
"I'll keep it right here, so it will be the first thing I do as soon as I wake up..." he said, putting Yugi's gift on the bedside table.
Yugi nodded. "Now, you will be honest with me...! If you don't like it-"
"That's not possible, my little Kuriboh."
Yugi frowned and punched Seto playfully on the chest. "Will you stop calling me that...? I don't look like a Kuriboh. I'm not brown and fluffy..."
Seto laughed. "No, but you have those big, amazing purple eyes and you are the cutest thing..." he whispered.
"Yes, and I explode when you over-stimulate me..." Yugi said, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh, do you...?" he said, lips caressing Yugi's neck.
"Yes..." Yugi purred, as the feeling of Seto's lips on his skin was sending shivers down his spine.
"I'd like to see that..." Seto said with a cunning look on his face.
Yugi captured Seto's lips in his own and bit them playfully. "I'd like to see you try..." he whispered, as his lover pushed him back on the bed.
He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. It had been a while since he last had to spend more than twelve hours in front of his computer, but the tournament wasn't going to plan itself.
Pegasus had of course offered his help, but Seto wasn't planning to accept any sort of help. He reached where he was today, all by himself. He always did everything by himself. It would take many hours of careful planning and work, but he wasn't planning to change that now.
There was a slight knock, before his secretary opened the door and came in. "Mister Kaiba?"
"I thought I made myself clear when I said I don't want anybody bothering me..." Seto growled.
"I know, sir... Your brother and Mr. Mutou would like to see you." the girl said quietly.
Seto stared at her for a few seconds. "Fine. Send them in."
Soon, his cheerful brother and the small tri-colored-haired duelist came in.
"Happy birthday!" Mokuba yelled.
"You wished me a happy birthday about five more times today, Mokuba." he said, eyes fixed on the screen.
"Yes. And every time, you were in front of that computer." Mokuba said.
"That's because I need to work." he stated strictly.
"It's your birthday, Seto!" Yugi said. "I am sure you could lay off just for today-"
"I am sorry Yugi, but I'm falling behind on my schedule." he interrupted the small male, not once taking his eyes off the computer screen.
"How long have you been in here...? It's eight o'clock..." Mokuba folded his arms on his chest, giving the brunette a strict look.
Which he didn't really notice...
"Long. Now if you would be so kind as to leave me be..." Seto responded.
"Did you like my gift?" Mokuba said, raising an eyebrow.
Seto nodded. "Yes, Mokie. It was amazing. I will thank you properly as soon as I am done with this-"
"You didn't open my gift..." Yugi whispered.
"I... I know. I am sorry. I promise I will open it as soon as I am done. Now can you please...?"
Yugi lowered his eyes. "Okay..." he said, dragging a very unwilling Mokuba out of the room...
It was almost like the small box appeared out of nowhere. Seto looked at it and turned his head; Yugi was standing beside him.
"Your birthday was three days ago and you still haven't opened my present." he folded his arms on his chest.
"I know. I didn't really find the time to-"
"You didn't find three minutes to untie a ribbon and open a gift?" Yugi interrupted him in a sharp tone.
Seto glared at him. "Yugi, I have been working on this the past four days. I am really not in the mood for-"
"Me?" Yugi said bitterly.
Seto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I am very tired, Yugi. I need to finish planning this."
"I understand that. What I don't understand is why you couldn't find an hour in your birthday to spend with your boyfriend and brother."
Bitterness wasn't a good look for Yugi.
Seto glared at him. "I was busy. If it was Mokuba's birthday, or yours, you know I would put my work aside."
He was so tired... the last thing he needed now, was a fight with Yugi.
Yugi's eyes touched Seto's birthday present. He pushed it closer to him. "I want to know if you like it or not, I mean I-"
"Yugi I will open your stupid gift as soon as I am done working!" he said loudly and pushed Yugi's gift away.
"YOU'LL BREAK IT!" he yelled, managing to catch it before it fell down. He took it in his hands, staring at it with sad eyes.
He simply put it back on Seto's desk and quietly left the room.
Seto turned his head away, so he wouldn't watch Yugi go, restraining that part of him that wanted to call out for Yugi to come back...
Seto lay on the bed with a sigh, closing his eyes. He almost thought this day would never end.
Yugi's gift was still on the bedside table. Seto lay on his side, staring at the small box.
He had a feeling opening this would make him feel awful...
"Finally!"
He sat up, resting his back on the pillows. His brother was standing at the door, smiling.
"I am not done yet... a tournament needs all sorts of preparations..."
"Yes, but since you're on the bed and not hidden behind your stupid laptop, it means the worst is over!" Mokuba skipped in the room, jumping on his brother's bed.
Seto smiled at his little brother. His eyes returned on Yugi's gift. "Any sign of-"
"He's out with his friends. They went to the movies..." he said, smiling.
Seto shook his head and took the black box in his hands. "Shall I...?" he asked his brother quietly.
"Definitely..."
"Will it make me feel like shit?"
"I guarantee that..." Mokuba said, smiling widely.
With a sigh, Seto untied the blue ribbon, letting it fall on the floor. He opened the small box... and took out a figurine. It was a small, white dragon with blue eyes, holding a small brown creature.
"The Blue Eyes White Dragon... holding a... Kuriboh" he muttered to himself.
"A Kuriboh that seems to be very happy to be held by the Blue Eyes..." Mokuba said, shrugging.
Seto sat there, speechless, staring at the beautiful figurine. "It's so... detailed..."
"Yugi made it himself."
He locked eyes with Mokuba. "He did... what?!"
"It's made of polymer clay. Yugi made it by himself... He spent days on this thing..."
Seto caressed the happy Kuriboh softly. And here he thought he hated being called a Kuriboh. "It's absolutely beautiful... I had no idea Yugi could sculpt... I mean... he never mentioned it."
"He's Yugi. He never "mentions" his talents unless you ask..."
Seto kept staring at the figurine with an empty look. When Yugi came to give it to him, the other day, he had pushed and nearly dropped it on the floor. He could have broken it...
"Seto..."
He looked into his brother's night blue eyes.
"I... know you love him. You know, as well. But sometimes... you need to remind him." he said, smiling.
Seto stared blankly at his lover's gift.
The Kuriboh had its eyes closed... it was so small in the dragon's paws... and yet it looked so happy... and peaceful.
He wanted to see his Kuriboh as happy as the one his dragon was holding...
"I didn't get the ending..." Honda shrugged, rubbing the back of his head.
"That's because you need a brain to get the ending." Atem said, smiling at the tall brunette.
Yugi smiled awkwardly. This wasn't the first time Honda had used this phrase the moment they were leaving a movie theater.
In fact, it happened every time Anzu was the one to choose the movie...
"Why don't you explain it to me, genius?" Honda raised an eyebrow, folding his arms on his chest.
"I have no problem with that, dear..." the former Pharaoh smile.
"Yugi..." it was Jounouchi's turn to speak.
The boy looked at his best friend, whose eyes were looking at something straight ahead.
The sight of his boyfriend, sitting on the bench right outside the cinema, made the boy, for some reason, breathless.
"You know what...?" Jounouchi said. "I think we should take Anzu back home. Like... all of us. Right now." he said.
Jounouchi's feelings towards Seto hadn't changed; he still disliked the pale brunette. As he had said to Yugi, though, he was willing to put that aside since his happiness was at stake.
As long as "this jerk" made him happy, of course.
Truth be told, they had both changed the way the acted around each other- Seto could spend a long time in the same room with Jounouchi and say nothing offensive to him.
As long as Yugi was present, at least...
"If you're not coming home, text me." Atem whispered in Yugi's ear. "If you do come home, I'll kill him."
Atem winked at his smiling Light and dragged away with Jounouchi's help, Anzu and Honda- who wanted to "give that Kaiba a piece of his mind".
The small duelist walked towards his anxious lover and climbed on the bench next to him.
Seto took a deep breath. This was more difficult than he expected...
Gently, he pulled Yugi's gift out of his pocket. The boy widened his eyes.
"It's... it's beautiful. I can't believe you never told me you were an artist..." he said, once again, stroking the Kuriboh.
Yugi shrugged. "You never asked... And I don't think "artist" is the right word here. I don't consider myself one..."
"You know..." Seto whispered. "I..." he closed his eyes, exhaling sharply. He was so horrible at this...
"I am such a jerk, aren't I?"
"Yes..." Yugi said, his voice sounding cheerful.
Seto looked at him. "This is the part where you are supposed to say "Oh, no, of course you are not..." and other similar stuff."
"But that would be lying..." the small boy smiled.
Seto returned his smile. "Yes..."
Defeaning silence once again fell between the young lovers.
"Yugi..."
Beautiful, purple eyes were fixed on Seto.
"This... is the most amazing thing. I can't believe you spent all this time to make something... for me. And I... I treated you like such a..."
He raised his eyes and met Yugi's. "Yugi... I want my Kuriboh to be as happy as this one is... but... I always manage to hurt him..."
His eyes caressed the figurine. "Frankly, I don't think I deserve-"
Long, thin fingers were placed on his lips, silencing him. "Seto, that's enough. Can I... come closer?" he said, looking around to make sure nobody was staring; this was a public place and they were still extremely famous.
Seto wrapped a numb arm around the boy and pulled him closer.
"Sometimes..." Yugi whispered, "You are... irritating. You forget to sort your priorities, you are a workaholic and sometimes... you speak before you think. Or worse, you overthink before you speak."
Seto's heart was beating fast. Was... was this a break-up speech...?
"Sometimes... I am oversensitive. I am... emotional and I cry a lot. I am easily aggitated..." he smiled at Seto. "Nobody's perfect. I am not perfect... you are not perfect. I love you with all your imperfections."
Seto was rendered speechless, simply staring in Yugi's beautiful eyes.
"I'll be honest. Yesterday when you pushed my gift away... it was... painful. Of course, I should have thought that you were tired..." he shrugged. "I'm not done!" he said strictly, preventing Seto from speaking.
"All that really matters in the end is that you like my gift... and that you came here to find me..." he smiled.
"You're an angel..." Seto muttered.
Yugi smiled and found his way in Seto's arms. "By the way, how did you know I was here...?"
"Blackmailed my brother..." Seto answered, placing a kiss on Yugi's forehead.
"Should have known... So... do you really like my gift, or-"
"Yugi. The world "beautiful" is demeaning for this." he said, smiling at the boy.
They were silent again for a few moments. Seto gave his heart the chance to stop trying to escape his chest; the danger had passed.
"Will you stay the night with me...?" he asked quietly. Yugi complied happily.
"And while you do that... I think we should discuss a few things. The fact that I didn't know about this other amazing talent of yours unnerves me. Maybe we should... talk about each-other."
"You mean talk about me and then, fuck me in the matress when the time to talk about you comes...?"
"You are reading my mind..." he said, smirking.
Yugi chuckled and took the figurine that was resting on Seto's lap in his hands. "My... other amazing talent. I have more amazing talents...?"
"Sadly for me and every other duelist in this world, you are possibly the most talented duelist." he said, raising an eyebrow.
"That's not true. Everyone has the chance to win against me, but-"
"No." Seto stated.
Yugi seemed irritated. "But I-"
"No."
Yugi chuckled softly. "Seto!"
"No."
"Anyway... what is my other talent...?" he asked, smiling.
"Can't you guess...?" Seto whispered in his ear.
"You're such a pervert..." he said, hiding his face in his hand.
"My car is over there. How about we get back home, so I can act on my perversion...?" he said, getting up and taking Yugi's hand. "Oh, and give me that..." he said, taking the figurine from him. "I am not planning to push this away ever again..."
Yugi's eyes followed the figurine, that was gently placed into Seto's inner pocket again.
He should text Atem that he wasn't going back home right now.
He probably wouldn't have the chance to do that later...