So yeah, just another random Kaiba Brothers fanfic that I thought would be cute and fun to write. This one takes place after Gozaburo died/disappeared, but before 'Lockets' (If you've read that oneshot). Hope you all enjoy!
The young boy shuffled through the papers on his desk. He couldn't afford to make any dumb mistakes, so he pushed himself to focus on every detail to make sure there were no errors, ignoring the growling in his stomach.
Knowing today would be busy, Seto had eaten a big breakfast (or at least, big to him). However, that didn't make skipping lunch any better, he was still hungry. But the same sentence kept running through his head.
'I'll eat as soon as I'm done'. He had worked hard to be head of KaibaCorp, and changing it from a weapons manufacturer to a gaming company would be difficult task, so he couldn't allow himself to get lazy and fall behind in his work.
So, Seto continued working, that is until there was a small knock at the door. The young CEO scowled. "Come in," he said, not really in the mood to hear about any issues or problems.
Luckily, that wasn't the case.
"Big brother?" An even younger and smaller boy poked his head into the room. Seto's face immediately softened.
"What is it, Mokuba?" he asked, though in a much kinder tone than their stepfather when he uttered those same words.
"I just wanted to see what you were doing," Mokuba replied, walking into the room, "Still working." Seto nodded, looking back down at his papers. Mokuba stood on his toes, looking at the papers too, but quickly realizing that he couldn't understand most of it.
"I wanted to give you this too," Mokuba added, reaching into his pocket and pulling out something circular with a napkin folded around it. He placed it on his brother's desk, carefully unwrapping it to reveal a peanut butter cookie. "Just 'cause you missed lunch, doesn't mean you haf'ta miss snack time," he said with a smile.
Seto smiled back, ruffling Mokuba's hair. "Thanks, Mokuba," he said, picking up the cookie and taking a small bite. A bit stale, but still good. Setting it back on the napkin, Seto went back to his work and Mokuba stayed by him.
It had been Gozaburo's rule for Mokuba not to be near his older brother while he worked, not Seto's. Besides, Mokuba was old enough to know he had to be quiet while Seto worked, he did that without even being told. So Mokuba knew Seto wouldn't mind if Mokuba stayed in his office.
A few minutes later, when Seto put the paper he was reading away, Mokuba decided this would be the best time to ask his brother a question.
"Seto, why's our table so big?"
Seto gave his younger brother a curious look. What kind of question is that? "Because it was made that way."
"But you and me are the only ones who use it," Mokuba told him, "so why does it haf'ta so big?"
"I guess it's in case other people join us of dinner," Seto answered. He flipped through his papers, mentally checking off which ones he had proofread and which ones he hadn't.
"Well, why is the food always under those shiny lids when we get it?" Mokuba asked, "And why did you always have to use so many forks and spoons?"
"That's just the way people eat when they're rich," Seto answered simply, "I don't know why, Mokuba, but that's just the way it is."
"Oh," Mokuba said, as if thinking about the answer, "Well, it's still weird." Seto smiled slightly.
"You're right, most of it is pretty pointless," Seto commented. Table manners were never a high priority on the list of things Gozaburo wanted Seto to learn, so Seto didn't really know the exact reason for why he could only use a certain fork with certain foods, and then only use it once. Although, part of him just assumed it was so people like Gozaburo could show off their wealth and claim they were better than others.
It was then that Seto realized something. In the several years he and his brother had lived in the Kaiba Manor, all meals had been served on silver, made with high quality ingredients that children (even one as mature as Seto) couldn't really appreciate, and had to be eaten certain ways. The familiar meals they had eaten at home and at the orphanage were now only memories.
A nearly-forgotten scene began playing in his mind, and although it pained Seto to remember, he let it play on.
It was the last time he had gone to a restaurant, or rather, a casual 'family-style' restaurant. Mokuba had been just a baby at the time, barely a toddler, but he didn't make a fuss while they sat waiting for their food. Seto played quiet but still fun games with his little brother while his parents talked and chuckled at their two sons.
The food... Seto could remember what it was but couldn't remember the taste whatsoever. He had gotten the hamburger with french fries while his little brother received small pieces of chicken (wasn't it called nuggets or something?), mixed veggies and mashed potatoes. He also remembered after dinner, he was allowed to get a small dish of vanilla ice cream for dessert. Mokuba had gotten one too, but most of it ended up on his clothes. Even so, it was a nice, enjoyable dinner. Why this one was more memorable than all the other times he and his parents had gone to a restaurant, he wasn't sure, but he still held onto the memory, even after he couldn't remember what happened afterwards.
Seto frowned, his face neutral and deep in thought. Suddenly, a small, growling noise made him blink. Almost without thinking, Seto broke the cookie in half and handed a piece to Mokuba before taking another bite of his own piece.
"Thanks, big brother," Mokuba replied, taking his half. He gave a small laugh. "Guess I'm kinda hungry too."
Seto didn't say anything. He glanced down at the papers, then looked up at the clock. It was just a little after three. It was then, that Seto made his decision. Picking up the phone, he pressed one number, and only had to wait for a few seconds. Mokuba looked at his older brother, surprised and curious.
"Yes," he started to say, "tell the chauffeur to pick my brother and I up at five." He nodded at the reply, and then hung up.
"Are we going somewhere, Seto?" Mokuba asked.
Seto smiled slightly. "Yep, so no more snacks, okay?"
"Okay," Mokuba replied, slightly disappointed but still excited about whatever his brother had just planned.
"Good, make sure you're ready to go at five." Mokuba looked up at the clock, looking at the time. He turned and smiled. "Got it! I'm gonna go play until then, kay?" Seto - still smiling - nodded, and Mokuba happily ran out of the room while Seto went back to work, though not nearly as focused (or as miserable) as before.
For the first time since Gozaburo's death, Seto didn't really care about how much work he had to do.
()()()()()()
A few minutes before five, Seto helped Mokuba with his shoes and then both boys walked outside. The long, black limo was already in front of the manor with the driver waiting to take them to wherever they wanted to go.
Buckling his seatbelt, Seto looked up. "Take us downtown, I'll tell you when to stop." The chauffeur nodded and started to drive away.
Mokuba couldn't stop looking out the window, trying to figure out where they were going and asking the occasional question. Seto only revealed that they were going somewhere for dinner, and that was all. Mokuba pouted a bit, wanting to know more, but still stayed in a happy and excited mood.
After about ten minutes, Seto instructed the driver to stop in front of a small, brown building. It looked like a nice enough place, somewhere that has good quality food, but not fancy or snobbish. It seemed like a good place for both of them. As the driver let them out, Seto told him he could also get something to eat at one of the other nearby restaurants. "Just make sure to be back here when we finish eating," he told him.
"Understood, Mr. Kaiba." With that, the boys walked inside the restaurant.
Having never been there before, Mokuba couldn't help but look all around the restaurant. The colors were bright and inviting, but not too garish. There were plenty of free tables, and right by the front door was a case filled with desserts. As his brother looked around, Seto walked up to the hostess.
"We'd like a table," he said simply. The middle-aged woman blinked, and then looked behind them, as if expecting a parent or guardian to walk in behind the two kids. "Is there a problem?" Seto asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Where-" The hostess caught herself, suddenly recognizing the boy. This was Seto Kaiba, the heir and current CEO of KaibaCorp. Unlike most people though, she didn't get flustered. She simply gave them both a kind smile and asked "Table or booth?"
"It doesn't matter." The hostess nodded and led the two boys to a nearby booth, placing two menus on the table. Seto let Mokuba slide into the booth, and then sat down himself.
Before they even had a chance to look at the menu, another woman greeted them. This one looked younger than the hostess, but still nice enough. According to her name tag, her name was Stephanie. "What would you two like to drink?" she asked, taking out a small notepad.
Turning the menu over, Seto glanced at the drinks. Most of it was soda, which he didn't care for. "Just water for me," he stated before looking over at Mokuba, who was also looking at the drinks.
"Hey Seto, look," Mokuba said suddenly, pointing at the menu, "They have chocolate milk here! We should come here for breakfast sometime."
"Well, you can have chocolate milk with your dinner, we serve milk all day," Stephanie informed them. Mokuba's eyes widened in amazement. He then turned to look at his brother, but before he could even ask, Seto looked at the waitress.
"He'll have the chocolate milk, and bring an extra glass of water too please." One glass of chocolate milk would be plenty, after all, Seto didn't want him to get too hyper. Mokuba grinned, silently thanking his big brother.
Stephanie giggled. "Alright, I'll be back in a bit." With that, she walked away, leaving Seto and Mokuba to look at the menus.
There were three pages, one with appetizers, two with meals, and one with desserts. There were no 'courses', and the silverware was a fourth of the amount they usually had to deal with... and that was just fine with them.
"Onion rings?" Mokuba said to himself as he looked at the appetizers, "I wonder what those are. Hey, Seto? What should I get?"
"Whatever you want, Mokuba," Seto replied. Mokuba blinked. Usually his brother did most of the talking for them, and that included ordering food. However, it was kinda nice to decide what he wanted. It made him feel older and grown up, just like Seto! Grinning to himself, Mokuba continued searching for what he wanted while Seto did the same.
As nostalgic as they were, Seto wasn't interested in hamburgers or chicken fingers, so he just ignored that section all together. There were plenty of other dishes like chicken fried steak, soups and salads, grilled fish and shrimp, pork chops, even turkey! One dish however caught his eye.
'Beef fillet,' he thought. The picture made it look appetizing, and it came with two sides, so if it was terrible he would still have those two eat.
It seemed as if he had decided just in time, because Stephanie returned with their drinks, along with a piece of paper with various games and pictures on it and three crayons of random colors. She placed it by Mokuba. "Thought you may enjoy this while you wait," she told him. Mokuba thanked her, happy to have something fun to do. "So, what'll you two have?"
"I'll take the beef fillet," Seto stated, folding up his menu, "with mashed potatoes and carrots on the side." Mokuba made a face. Seto was the only kid he knew who actually liked eating vegetables.
"Alright. What about you, little guy?" Mokuba flinched, remembering it was his turn.
He looked back at his menu. "Um, I'll have chicken tenders, with onion rings?" Seto noticed that Mokuba was pointing at the chicken under the main meals, not the one in the kids' section that had two less pieces, but he figured that Mokuba would know better not to stuff himself, and it wasn't as if they had to worry about spending a ton of money.
Stephanie wrote it down. "Okay. Thank you." Seto handed her the menus, and the waitress left them alone once again.
"So, you decided to try the onion rings?" Seto asked Mokuba.
"Yeah, I mean, the picture looked good," Mokuba replied, already coloring the picture on the piece of paper. There was also a word find that Seto allowed himself to do. It was easy of course, but still, it killed a few minutes so, why not? The two brothers also took sips of their drinks and talked while they worked on the activity sheet, the conversation mostly consisting of what Mokuba had done that day and possible plans to go to the park again sometime in the next two weeks.
"What bird is with you at every meal?" Mokuba asked, reading off the list of food related jokes.
"A swallow," Seto answered without a second of hesitation.
Mokuba giggled at the silly joke. "Okay, what kind of nuts always have a cold?"
"Cashews."
Just to make sure he wasn't cheating, Mokuba used his hand to hide the paper. "Why do monkeys like bananas?"
Seto gave an amused smile. "Because they have appeal."
Mokuba looked at him in disbelief. "How did you know all of them?!"
'Because they're simple kids jokes, anyone could figure them out.' That's what Seto thought. But, he decided a better answer was just, "Older sibling secret." He looked over at the paper. "What are you drawing?"
"Hold on!" Mokuba quickly colored in a few more things and then held up the paper to show what he had drew. Rather than coloring inside the lines of a picture already there, Mokuba drew his own in the margins and corners of the paper. The biggest ones were of a purple-outlined dragon that looked similar to a Blue Eyes, and two stick figures with different heights, messy hair and smiles. "Do you know what it is?"
Seto nodded. "A Blue Eyes White Dragon, and then the two of us?"
Mokuba beamed. "Right!"
"So, is there any reason why I have green hair?"
"I didn't have a brown crayon."
"Ah." They laughed a little at the silly image of Seto having green hair before Mokuba continued scribbling. Just before they started to get bored, Stephanie came back with their food. Before it arrived, they didn't even realize how hungry they were. As soon as they saw and smelt the mouth-watering food though, they were definitely ready to eat.
"Here you go, hope you two enjoy it," she said before leaving.
Picking up an onion ring, Mokuba immediately dropped it. "Hot!" Spotting the ketchup, he covered a small corner of his plate in ketchup for dipping. He passed the bottle to Seto, but he declined it. He didn't say it out loud, but the fillet looked good enough without it. The potatoes - which thankfully didn't have a glob of butter but just a small dollop on it - and carrots looked good too.
It didn't take a lot of effort for Seto to cut it, which was nice, and when he was finally able to take a bite of it, the beef practically melted in his mouth. Before he could stop it, a small "Mmm," escaped.
'Seto's food must be really good for him to do that,' Mokuba thought as he picked up the onion ring again, now a bit cooler. He scooped some ketchup on it, took a bite, and ended up copying his brother. "Mmmm, these are really good!"
As much as they tried to pace themselves, the two boys couldn't help but gobble up the delicious food, though they managed to save a couple bites for the other to try. Seto didn't care for the onion rings as much as his brother did but he did admit they were 'okay', and Mokuba liked the fillet as much as Seto did. By the time Stephanie came back to clear their plates, both of them were getting pretty full.
"That was really good," Mokuba told her while Seto nodded in agreement.
The waitress smiled. "Well, I'll let the chef know. Now, do you two want any desserts. We've got pies and shakes, and anything you can't finish we can put in a to-go box so you can have it later."
Seto saw the look Mokuba was giving him out of the corner of his eye. Well, it was a special treat after all, and even he could enjoy sweets every once in a while. "Do you have any chocolate pie?"
()()()()()()
Even if he did feel completely stuffed now, Seto did have to agree with Mokuba. The chocolate pie was definitely worth getting, even if they ended up taking half of it home (he would have to make sure Mokuba wouldn't have more than one piece of it at a time). Glancing outside, Seto could see the sun starting to set, as well as the front of his limo. He could also feel Mokuba leaning against his shoulder, more than ready for a nice long nap, the kind you could only have after a great meal.
"Mokuba," he said, gently shaking his brother awake, "Time to go." Mokuba mumbled something as he yawned and followed Seto towards the front of the restaurant. It only took a few moments to pay the check and for both of them to thank the hostess for the meal. Stephanie smiled as she watched the two cute boys walk out before heading over to their table. But what was perhaps the biggest surprise of her night, was that underneath a plate sat a one hundred dollar tip.
"Did you two enjoy your meal, Sir?" the chauffeur asked. Seto just nodded and then told him to drive them home. Mokuba leaned up against Seto again, smiling softly.
"Hey, big brother?"
"Yeah, Mokuba?"
"Can we eat at a restaurant every night? That was a lot of fun, and the food was really yummy. 'Specially the pie and the onion rings."
Seto smiled slightly. "We'll see."
He looked down at Mokuba, who's eyes were closed and his face content. As surprisingly as it would be, Seto knew that if he looked in the mirror, his face would look the same.
Dinner had not only been nice, but kind of fun too. Maybe he needed someone like Mokuba to convince him to take a break from work sometimes and go do stuff that... that normal brothers would do. That a family would do. That's what they were. A small one, and a bit broken, but a family nonetheless, and Seto was thankful for that.
Maybe they couldn't eat out all the time, but Seto was sure they would return to the restaurant soon.
"Love you, little brother," Seto said, just loud enough for Mokuba to hear it. Mokuba just smiled and snuggled up closer to his brother as the limo continued towards their home.
Hope this wasn't too cheesy towards the end. Btw, I was kind of basing the restaurant off of 'Village Inn', since that's where my family and I were eating at when I got inspired for this story. Also, according to the Yu-Gi-Oh wiki, Kaiba's favorite food is beef fillet, so I decided to add that into the story, along with all the cute, brotherly fluff. Anyway, please review, and have a nice night!