What you can't hear can't hurt you? Right?
This is a new story that really is AU, The characters are OOC based on the idea that everybody as a place where they are truly themselves and even if others invade this space then they can't really go back. Sanctum Santorum Hense how out of Character Seto is. Also this is written as a request from a dear friend of mine, a massive Yu Gi Oh Fan. Thanks for all the support. You Know who you are ;)
Yami and Joey sighed heavily, they had been partnered with Kaiba for there end of year health and social studies project. "Living with disability" They had mellowed out slightly in the last few years, the insults were slightly less and Joey had given in trying to get to much of a rise out of him.
Kaiba had not been to school yet this week as he was on a business trip to America. They had received a letter from the CEO asking that they turn up at his estate the day after he returned from America so he could discuss the project with them. So here they were; sat in the overly extravagant living room. There were slight oddities about the room, the head set for the gaming system was a child's and there was only one and there was only a small sound system not like they imagined someone of Kaibas' riches would have. There also appeared to be provision for a dog that was currently not present, it must have been Mokubas.
"Hey Yami, aren't we a bit early?" Joey asked leaving back on the pristine sofa and places his feet on the marble topped coffee table.
"Joey get your feet off of that table, and yes we are a bit early." The quiet descended again. They had arrived at half three rather than four, you see the bus to the closet part of the rich town it only went there every half hour.
At about ten to four they hear the stairs in the hall creek with two sets of steps. Yami and Joey stood waiting for Kaiba so come round the corner, they were shocked to see the large golden retriever come loping into view, then came Kaiba he didn't seem to take any notice of them there in his living room and turned away from the stair case into another part of the house. Yami looked to Joey and stepped forward.
"Kaiba.." No reply " Hey KAIBA" Yami yelled again nothing, the dog stopped and turned to look at them. Joey took that chance to believe that Kaiba was blatantly ignore him. Yami was beginning to work it out. Joey began to stride forward and yelled.
"Money Bags. OI you Arrogant son of a..." Yami pulled him back before he could get to Kaiba.
"Wait. Look Joey at the Dog, the collar. That is a hearing dog." Joey cooled slightly but he didn't believe it truly. During this Kaiba and the dog had wandered further from them. Joey and Yami looked after them and followed aiming to catch up with him when the dog pawed at Kaibas leg. He stopped and looked down at the dog and watched the direct to which it cast its head. He saw Yami and Joey and looked down at his watch. Patting the dog twice on it's hind legs it moved off at a quick trot back up the stairs. Kaiba watched them for a split second then walked over to them.
"Your early." He stated, he had a slightly lisp, it didn't detract from the ice in his voice. They nodded but didn't say anything. Kaiba rolled his eyes and ushered them into the living room again.
"I can read lip as long as you are looking at me, you can speak normally to me, and you don't need to speak any louder. In fact that only makes lip reading harder. So whats the project?" Yami placed the papers the were Kaibas on the table and laughed when he remembered the title. Kaiba smirked at this.
The dog came back into the room with a small bag in it's mouth it sat obediently at Kaibas feet, laying its head over Kaibas knee.
"Excuse me one moment Yami." He took the bag from the dog "Thank you Yuki" Opening the bag and pulling out a small metal case, opening it he pulled out a pair of small buds made of metal. Appearing to adjust them then slipping them into his ears. He shook his head slightly looking back at them.
"My hearing aid, they are new from American. My medical quadrant. Quite experimental and go wrong but still they work most of the time." He almost smiled and looked back to the pages on the desk.
"Well where shall we start, I suggest that we look at the categories that we need to complete and determine time needed and them we can decide who shall do what." He suggested his lips gone completely. Yami and Joey just stared. Kaiba hadn't been insulting and cruel yet.
"Ahhh, yeah sure. Um Kaiba when, I mean..." Joey trailed off
"Since my birth and as it seems relevant I shall elaborate, My Biological father was a specialist in deafness it seemed ironic that one of his sons should have deaf." A maid appeared at the doorway with a try consisting of a pot of tea and a decanter of milk.
"Sirs, Refreshment." She placed the tray on the marble and then handed Kaiba glass of water, curtsying she left the room. Kaiba pulled out a small brown bottle from his coat and popped the cap taking two pills and the glass of water he swallowed them.
"Right where do we start: Well first we need to pick a disability. Might as well go with the obvious one, Deafness." He pulled out a note pad and wrote on the first page the title. Yami and Joey hadn't moved still trying to process nice deaf Kaiba.
"Well any input? Or are you just going stare at me like I have a second head." Yami shook his head and pulled out his own note book and wrote in it, he elbowed Joey in the side to get him going.
"Well, The first part of the project is getting to know someone with your chosen disability and if possible living a week in their life, so I guess you... oh lord I can't believe this but... you might as well stay over here for the length of the project." He offered under his breath, looking back at the papers.
"Well... Kaiba... if your not uncomfortable with us being here. Then yes" Yami looked to Joey and waited for his answer.
"Well ... I have...um ...well I can't my apartment," he sped up again grasping at straws " I need to be in residence at my apartment or I will get evicted." he smiled triumphantly.
"Joey you go oh holiday and stay for weeks at a time with me and Yugi" Yami caught him out.
"Oh yeah well, um... oh okay if I.." he muttered the last part and nodded Kaiba stood up and beckoned them to the third floor.
"Will you need anything from your appartements? I can supply most things. You probably want to bring your own sound systems if you want them or I'm sure that Mokuba could get you one." He opened the door to two rooms next to each other, both were surpassingly tame and plain. With a large four poster in one half of the room and a lounge area in the other with a door that probably led to the en suite bathroom. Yami walked into his room and fell back on the bed, it was like floating on a cloud. He was daydreaming when an image of Seto floated into his mind. Shaking his head violently he was mildly shocked.
'Seto? since when was he calling Kaiba Seto?' He stood and walked towards the door with the intention of going back into the living room and waiting for the other pair to get back so they could get on with the project. He descended the stair case and slipped into the living room.
He saw Kaiba sat on a cushy chair in the corner of the room, in the time that he had taken to leave Yami and Joey to get acquainted with their rooms he had changed his clothes, no longer was he in his pressed work suit. He sat curled up in the chair wearing black joggers and a loose t-shirt. It seemed so strange to see The Ice Cold CEO Seto Kaiba in joggers and t-shirt. Upon closer inspection Kaiba had his eyes closed and appeared to be in pain. He was just about to enter the room when he felt something at his elbow, looking down he saw Mokuba, he had a finger to his lips and went into the room and up to his brother. Placing a tiny hand on each ear and thumbs on his temples, rubbing his thumbs on his temple Kaibas head fell forward onto Mokubas chest. Mokuba moved his hand to the hearing aids and removed the small buds from his ears and tossed them away. Yami barely caught the next muttered words.
"Why fight to be normal big brother?" Putting his hands back to Kaibas temples and rubbing, quickly he fell asleep and Mokuba leaned him back against the worn chair and stepped away, scanning the room he found the small buds and picked them up.
"I don't know why he wears them, they hurt his head you see." Mokuba motioned for Yami to enter the room.
"He was never meant to hear, so I don't know why he bothers." Yami was confused wasn't meant to hear?
"What do you mean?"
Ok this story came out at precisely 2:19am when I should be asleep. Should I continue?