Title: Smiles

Author: starlight2005

Pairing: Who else? Seto/Yami

Summary: The world has expectations that Seto Kaiba never tried to meet. So why should he change just because Yami is his rival?

A/N: This is my October FB challenge. Review, please? Oh, right. This may actually be sappier and more… uhm… annoying compared to my other stories. I have no idea why. :is ashamed:

Seto Kaiba was expected to despise Yami Motou.

After all, Yami was his rival; the King of Games, himself. To Yami, Seto is always so frustratingly second, always embarrassingly defeated and always the annoying challenger. Losing once had been a blow to the proud CEO's ego, and everyone knows that. But what was there was fact; that he had lost and no one can deny that. Any average citizen would have scoffed before. Kaiba, lose? Hah. Everyone would have refused to accept such notion even possible. In the public's eyes, Seto had never lost until Yami Motou came and stripped him of such claim. Things had suddenly changed. Suddenly, he had to worry about the world's reaction to him for it was on tiptoes when he was around. The world that he conveniently ignored made its presence known through his uncharacteristic vulnerability and desire to claim what was forcibly taken from him.

Seto thought he could easily execute his plans when this duelist was concerned.

Not only was he wrong, he could not also claim his title after his attempts. One could even think that losing again and again, in one rematch after nother, would finally teach the "overbearing, cold-hearted Seto Kaiba" a lesson or two on humility. That someone was actually better than him at something. Of course, the world, who so callously judged him, was wrong. Not only did his losses imply luck—for he made sure that Yami would never win against him again—they also imply an obstacle that he could not (at present, anyway) overcome. Seto refused to lose or accept that the other duelist was better than him. Mokuba would be disappointed. Yami, he gathered, would be disappointed, too; and Yami would turn away to look for someone better to duel with. That was unacceptable; and no matter how much Seto rationalizes that he didn't need anything from his rival, the need to see Yami's eyes darken dangerously at him and meet his challenges was great. The brunet also wanted revenge aside from that.

But Yami just can't lose. He doesn't fall for the traps Seto so carefully sets. He isn't outdone by the brunet's strategies and doesn't fall prey to Seto's handpicked, powerful deck. Seto couldn't defeat him and always the brunet remembers Mokuba gazing at him with wide adoring eyes. Always Seto would remember the nights he spent in the mansion designing the latest weapon Gozaburo would sell. He remembers the proud little boy in the orphanage who'd do everything just to see his brother beam at him and call him the best nii-sama in the world. And the brunet couldn't risk losing that carefree, proud smile in Mokuba's face, or the respect he sees in his brother's gray eyes.

So every time he loses, he curses Yami. He hates Yami for making him so ashamed of himself, even if it were mere moments; and hates Yami for even re-introducing such feeling. Seto had his life and emotions in control. He had a plan. Then the 3000-year old spirit came along, made everything topsy-turvy and nothing except for Mokie and Kaiba Corp. made sense anymore.

All that he had suppressed and hid from came back. He finds himself thinking about his biological parents, whose names he had willingly forgotten. Seto remembers what they looked like, though, and remembers the affection his father used to openly display when his wife was there. Seto also remembers his mother's smile, how serene she looked when she smiles and how she could always calm him. He would try to push her away when she coddles him too much. But eventually, he gives in because her smile would always be the first thing he would want to see in her face. And he remembers being angry when they told him that he would have a baby brother. It wasn't the reaction they were expecting but he was still mad. He watched his mother get weaker everyday and he felt so weak, too. Just standing there, confused and angry at the same time was an experience he never wanted to experience again. The helplessness would drive him crazy. But when the anger faded and he saw Mokuba for the first time, Seto couldn't help but promise never to think ill of his brother. He would protect his brother forever.

Then their mother died and what was once upon a time a perfect happy family ended abruptly as any child's nightmare. He hated his father ever since. Dads were role models, not drunkards or gamblers. A father wasn't supposed to hurt his son for simply being alive. It was never Mokuba's fault! The news, therefore, of their father's death through a car accident went totally expected and the gap their father left was immediately filled up. Seto thought that they never needed him anyway. This was his fairy tale; a part of his past. And he would never have bothered thinking about this. Because whenever he does, he would ask when things started to go wrong and he wouldn't be able to answer it.

All the more reason to despise Yami.

The state of not knowing was one more way of saying that Seto was being as weak as every other person out there. The state of reminiscing about the past was the same way as breaking his vow to never be as miserable and lonely as those businessmen who at his age committed suicide. He wanted nothing but what he has. The less he deals with the other side of the coin, so to speak, the more he could concentrate. Less exposure to guilt, desperation, sadness and the likes was for the better, riaght?

Maybe?

He doesn't understand anymore. And Yami doesn't explain his side, either. Why was Yami helping? Seto also doesn't know. Rivals are antagonists, threats. They are hindrances; yet, Yami helps him as much as he could. And surprisingly, Seto does, too. Not only to return the favor, he guessed.

Seto Kaiba didn't like Yami. But when Yugi had gone missing, Seto had helped look for him. When Dartz took Yugi's soul and Yami was so close to breaking, Seto forced him back up. He never wanted the desperation to reach Yami's eyes. Yami's eyes were lovely like the brilliant rubies of the East. He refuses to see this person feel miserable the same way Seto had been in the past. The other duelist was on the verge of crumbling when Yugi was taken away and the need to protect him surged suddenly in the brunet's blood. That way, when those exquisite blood red eyes look at him, they would only darken in anger or desire—something that Seto was familiar with; those eyes would only blur with intoxication and never doubt or guilt. No one had the right to hurt Yami or even make him cry. No one had the right to make him feel less.

In a weird, unexplained way, maybe obsession had turned to something else. And Seto still doesn't understand. Somewhere along cursing Yami and protecting him, Seto developed something greater, felt something deeper. He realized that one duel had never been enough and that's why he keeps asking for rematches. One challenge, one embrace, one kiss… they weren't enough because Seto wanted Yami. His anger, his desire, his criticisms and strange addiction with the past—just Yami. While beneath him, Yami moans breathily under his caresses and pull him down for a kiss, Seto also realized that one night with Yami will not be enough, either. But that isn't a problem.

"Dragon?"

Yami was oh so satisfyingly his. And he, Yami's.

"Yes, Yami?"

"I love you."

A smile.

Does Yami know that his smile reminds Seto of his mother? Maybe not.

There was no hesitation anymore.

"I love you, too, Yami."

Sure, the world may have expectations. Well… screw them.

END