Seto Kaiba could do it all. He had managed to remain the protective big brother through their parents' deaths, kept them together and even made sure they had fun while being passed from greedy relative to greedy relative. When they had been dropped at an orphanage, he had flatly refused to go with every single couple that had shown interest in him as they had all wanted only one child. Mokuba had viewed him as his hero. Then he managed to not only challenge a wealthy businessman to a bet but had beaten him, too. Seto, being only a child at the time, had procured for the two of them a place to live. Just a few, albeit rather torturous, years later, that child was not only running the illustrious Kaiba Corp., but had turned it from a mainly militaristic company to one that made games and various playthings. He had also won custody of his younger brother, all while attending a public high school, saving the world multiple times over, defending his title, and helping his rival (who suddenly wasn't a teen with multiple personalities, but two people) gain documents proving he had not just materialized out of nowhere, but had been living out of the country for the past several years.
So why couldn't his vice-president handle one night alone, in their over-sized house, when he had spent so many others in solitude as his superman of a big brother did it all at an office in the city?
"Please, Yugi? I really just need someone to come over right now." The teen was now fifteen but had still not experienced the growth spurt Seto had promised him.
"Are you sure it's alright with Seto? I don't want to-,"
"Please. I'm here all by myself right now. Seto isn't going to be back until late tomorrow and I-," he paused, not sure what he wanted to say. He hadn't even realized he'd been calling Yugi until he heard the duelist's voice. His voice unintentionally dropped to a desperate whisper. "I just need another human. Someone I can just . . . I don't know, talk to. Be near. Be . . . normal with for a bit." His eyes squeezed shut. He already knew he sounded pathetic on a level no Kaiba ever should. He didn't want the knowledge of actually admitting he wasn't okay alone to finish off his dignity by allowing him to cry.
Yugi took a minute to respond, but when he did, his tone was more understanding than Mokuba had ever heard it. "Yami and I will be over soon. Would you like us to invite Joey, Tristan, and Tea? It sounds like some friends are just what you need right now."
"Y-," Mokuba broke off to rub angrily at his face. He hadn't wanted the warm, wet trails to form down his cheeks, but they had happened anyway. "Yeah. That sounds great. Thanks."
"We'll be there soon. Just try to relax until then, alright?"
"A-alright." He wasn't used to anyone other than his brother and kidnappers telling him what to do, but he knew Yugi. He knew the teen was trying to help. He hung up and turned to gaze out a nearby window. "I'll relax." He told himself. And then the sky lit up.
Yyyyy
"You want us to go out in a storm like this? Because Mokuba wants someone to hang out with?" Joey knew his best friend always liked to put others first, but this was ridiculous. The three had already been spending the night at the Motou house when Mokuba called. "Why would he call us, anyway? Doesn't he know his brother hates us?"
"Joey, come on." Tea admonished. "He's home alone in a storm. Wouldn't anyone want to have people over at a time like this? And besides, who else is he going to call? I don't think he really has any other friends."
"We'd better hurry up if we want to get there before the storm gets any worse." Yami shrugged on his raincoat and placed a hand on the doorknob. "Are you all coming?"
They all looked at Joey. He noticed their stares and grit his jaw, but then sighed. "Yeah. We're coming."
Yyyyy
The five of them were lucky enough to catch a cab for their way over, but the driveway was still long enough that none of them ended up at the front door remotely dry. Mokuba opened the door after the fourth knock and ushered them in, but still had to search a few guest closets for spare clothes.
"Why on Earth do you have so many clothes? Are we wearing, I dunno, some maid's things?" Joey eyed his reflection in the mirror wearily.
"Seto keeps all kinds of clothes on hand in case we need to house a business partner temporarily." The young teen stepped into the room, arms full of other male clothes, as he had already pointed to Tea where she could find female attire. "Yugi, you might need to roll up the legs on this, but it's all I could find, unless you want a pair of mine."
"That's okay. Thanks, Mokuba." Yugi smiled and took his place in the closet for privacy. Tristan, Joey, and Yami had already dressed and were lounging around on the large, comfy bed.
"Man, I could get used to this." Joey sank into the mattress, half flopped over Tristan's legs. "Hey, Mokuba." He got the young businessman's attention. "How about I just move in here. I could just hide out in one room and your brother would never know."
Mokuba broke into a grin "He'd know. He's Seto. And besides, I've never been good at keeping secrets from him."
"Speaking of which," Tea walked into the room, clothed in garb that appeared the very definition of 'upper-class casual'. "When were you expecting him, again?"
"He said he'd be back tomorrow, around mid-afternoon to evening. Why?"
"The room I was changing in was right above the driveway. I think I just saw him pull up."
Everyone froze, and sure enough, they heard the telltale sound of the heavy front door opening and closing. "Mokuba, I'm home! That storms getting pretty bad."
"He's home early." Mokuba whispered belatedly, eyes wide in shock. The one time he invited Yugi and his friend over just had to be the one day that his brother took off form work early.
"We should probably go-," Yami, not wanting to stir up trouble, ended up being cut off by Joey.
"We're not going anywhere."
"Joey, we can't stay. I don't think Kaiba would like it if he found us here." Tea tried to reason. The firm look in his eyes, though, told her this wasn't just Joey trying to avoid getting wet in the rain.
"There's lightning going on out there. Yami, Yugi, with all your buckles and such, you're like a pair of lightning rods. And there are muggers crawling around out there like crazy. The storm's only gotten worse and visibility is really low, so we'd never see them coming. Not to mention, I don't think we'll be so lucky as to find another cab." He listed his reasons off on his fingers as they were mentioned.
"Cut to the chase. What are you thinking?" Tristan crossed his arms, having known the blonde long enough to read him.
"We stay out of the rain, and Kaiba's wrath." Was his simple reply.
"You just want to prove that you could live here without Kaiba ever knowing."
"That's the general idea. Although you can't argue that my previous statements were false."
"Alright, I know this is going to sound ludicrous, but . . . okay." Tea held up her hands. "As long as Mokuba says it's alright, and nobody disagrees."
They all looked at each other, eyeing their resolve. "I'm fine with it. I should probably go greet him, though, so he doesn't think I've gone to bed."
"Alright, Operation: Hide and seek is now underway." Joey was about to place his hand on the doorknob when he paused. "If we manage to make it out of the house after the storm is over, and Kaiba never knew we were here, what are the chances of us getting to actually stay here? Like, for a weekend or something?"
"I think I could talk him into letting one or two of you stay for that long, but the whole group together tends to attract . . . well, in his words, more work and strange people." Mokuba opened the door and made his way down he hall. "I heard the storm is supposed to be over by morning. People or pairs who don't get caught, I'll see what I can do for you. After you've won, of course."
Yyyyy
We could just go to the other side of the building or an unused room, where he'd be sure to not go." Yugi suggested, stepping lightly behind Yami.
"Where's the fun in that?" His other half grinned back at him.
"We're going to make him think he's either going crazy, or being robbed. You do realize that, don't you?"
"Why, yes. I do."
They were going to hide in the most-used areas of the mansion, in the spirit of fair play. Currently, they were in the game room. They hadn't been looking for it; they'd just stumbled across it. But what better place could the two have gotten for a hiding place?
For the first twenty minutes, the need for secrecy kept them form playing any of the games. After a while, though, they decided on Scrabble as a suitable pastime. The silence, coupled with the faint sounds of rain and distant thunder, soon lulled the two to sleep.
Yyyyy
Tristan had decided on the opposite route, getting as far away from the unknowing Seeker as he could. He was regretting it.
"I know there were some more spare blankets down this way." The CEO, tie and jacket removed, but still in his work clothes, muttered to himself as he walked right past his intruder, somehow missing the percussion beats of his heart.
Tristan had dove into the first door he had come across the instant he'd heard the footsteps heading in his direction. He was now cramped in a linen closet; praying that Seto Kaiba didn't decide to open the doo-, wait. Seto said spare blankets. And people keep their spare blankets in-
Click
"Ah, here they are." The tall teen grabbed as many blankets as he could hold, then shut the door and made his way back to the living room. His brother had insisted on making use of their rare time together by building a fort.
"Owww." Tristan groaned from his hurriedly found spot; wedged under the lowest shelf in the closet. "I think I'm stuck."
Yyyyy
"I am officially lost." Tea turned another corner and sighed as, again, she didn't see anything familiar. "Well, I guess this means that Joey was mostly right. This place is so big, I don't think Kaiba will ever find me." Another corner, another unrecognizable hallway. "I just hope that I can manage to find me."
"Tea? Is that you?" A disembodied voice reached her ears and she jumped.
"Um, yes? Who's asking?" She turned in a circle, swallowing her fear as she realized she was the only one in the hallway.
"It's me, Tristan. Please help me. I can't feel my legs anymore."
His voice sounded strange, but this time she was able to tell it was coming from a door just a little ways away. Opening it, she found nothing but blankets, sheets, pillowcases-,
"I'm down here."
His cheek was smashed into his knee, and he was wedged into a space only someone of Yugi's size would be able to find comfortable. Grabbing his hand, she pulled and tugged, but it was still a few minutes before he was able to stretch his aching limbs. "Have I ever told you how much of a live saver you are?" He asked, stiffly sitting up and attempting to rub some feeling back into his legs.
"I'll take that to mean you're alright. Should we get moving?" The dancer took his hands once again and pulled him up, only to have to support his weight for the walk down the hall, as an onslaught of pins and needles suddenly caught him.
Yyyyy
"I'm sorry, Mokuba. I'll be done in a few hours, but until then, you'll have to play by yourself." Seto patted his brother on the head sorrowfully. He didn't want to leave him for more work, and he would still be in the mansion, after all, but one of his General Managers had just called him about a minor emergency. Minor, sure, but if left alone, it would quickly fester into something huge.
"It's . . . okay. I'll be fine until you're done." Mokuba refused to let his brother see how disappointed he was.
"I'll be back out as soon as I'm done."
His young vice-president just lay down under the blanket fort and began fiddling with the tassels on a nearby pillow.
Yyyyy
"You've gotta be kidding me." Joey gaped, nearly drooling. He had just decided to wander around, and ended up opening the one door that led to the best room in the house.
The kitchen was spotless, and every dish was put exactly where it went. There was nothing in the sink, no food left out on the counters, no stains anywhere to be seen. "This is amazing. I . . ." he quickly looked over his shoulder, then up and down the hall, just to make sure he was alone. "I'm just gonna grab a snack."
Two minutes later, he had a slice of the best-smelling bread he'd ever encountered, slathered in a healthy coating of peanut butter. "Oh, yeah. Come to Papa." He licked his lips, raised it up to his mouth, and then all of his muscles spasmed in shock as he heard the kitchen doorknob turn. Before he even had time to think, he dove into the nearest open space, which just so happened to be between the refrigerator and the wall.
Seto Kaiba himself walked in, deciding to take a small break as he'd missed lunch. It appeared that Mokuba had already helped himself to a snack, as the bread and peanut butter were still out. Figuring 'why not', he got himself out a plate and began spreading the gooey substance on a slice of bread. He finished, replaced the lid and the remainder of the loaf, and returned them to their places. Just as he was about to take a bite, though, a piece of peanut butter bread fell directly onto his.
"What the heck?" There, on the ceiling directly above him, was a splattering of sticky, brown, peanut butter. He sighed; hoping this wasn't another of those 'phases' Mokuba was going through. Oh, well. Either way, he now had two pieces for a snack. He shrugged and walked off, not noticing the gaping, wide-eyed blonde who had just born witness to the entire episode.
Yyyyy
It had been a good two, (alright, maybe three. Or four) hours since Kaiba had left his brother, and he had only just finished. Checking the fort, he found it to be empty. The young teen's bedroom was, also, deserted. Not concerned at this point, he decided to check the game room, blinking in surprise at the sight that met him. Yugi and his friends had apparently all managed to converge there, and were all asleep together. Yugi's head was on Yami's torso. Yami, who was on his side, curled around his brother, had his head resting on Tristan's ankles, while Tea was half on a nearby couch, half on his arm. Joey was flopped over Yugi, serving as either a blanket, or a friend with no concept of personal space, Seto couldn't decide.
Curled up in the middle of the mess, however, was his brother. He was sound asleep as well, and Kaiba couldn't help but smile. Just a quick one. As soon as he got his usual expression back, he pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and went to drape it over Mokuba-, no, wait. That way, it would suffocate Yugi. From a different angle, Yami would be tangled up with just one wrong move. This way- aw, screw it. He unfolded it completely, revealing it to be rather thin, and flicked his wrists, bringing it to lay over them all. They would be warm, and able to breathe. He was going to bed. But first, he had something he needed to say. Grabbing a pen and paper out of a drawer, he quickly scribbled his message and left it where they would be sure to find it the next morning.
"Your jackets are still hanging by the front door. They are dry now. Better luck next time."
Yyyyy
Requested by the 200th reviewer to my other story, House Rules! Personumberone, I hope you liked this!
Don't forget to review! :3