Summary: Seto refused to be worn down by any challenge—not his "rebellious" little brother, not sunburns, not summer camps, not families with emotional problems, and certainly not the hot, shirtless program coordinator right in front of him…. Prideshipping. AU
Things to consider before reading this fanfic:
This is a SetoxYami fanfic, so yes, it is shonen-ai. Please don't force yourself to read if you do not like male-male relationship.
This does not follow the actual plot and timeline in the show. Death T, Duelist Kingdom, Battle City…ect…never happened.
Yami and Yugi are separated. They are twin brothers.
The Kaiba brother's past- the death of their birth parents and Gozaburo's adoption will be kept.
Seto, Yami, and Yugi are 22. Mokuba is 15.
No, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.
And yes, this is AU.
Chapter 1: Of Seto's dilemma and Yami's bat.
It was a widely known fact that Seto Kaiba was a reasonable man.
And being such reasonable individual of society, it was expected that his actions, as well as his words, would be reasonable. It was also expected that with his reasonable personality, he would be able to absorb and analyze any (if not all) information pertaining to any (again, if not all) aspects of his life.
Yet, despite all existing logic that was currently leaping from neuron to neuron in his brain, Seto Kaiba could not completely process the brilliant and completely comprehensible suggestion coming from the mouth of Mokuba's school counselor.
"I believed that this could help your predicament." The Mr.—Seto glanced at the impeccably clean name plate resting on the desk—McCann said, "Mokuba's rebellious actions could possibly stem from a lack of parental attention or an emotional bonding with a family figure. This," the counselor gestured to a brochure, "could help you and Mokuba renew the brotherly bond that might have faded due to your intense devotion to your company."
Mokuba shifted nervously in his seat as he watched his older brother read the cheap paper brochure in his hand. This. Was. Not. Good. This was not good at all. Fingering the hem of his shirt, he wished for any kind of distraction that might save him from facing his brother's cleverly concealed anger (a flying chicken with five pink wings would be nice. An earthquake or a volcano would be fine too). Mokuba lifted his head slightly to look out the window.
It was a hot day, and the heat wave reminded every student of the coming summer vacation lingering three days from now. Unfortunately, the students were not the only ones to be aware of the approaching summer months.
Mokuba's counselor, whose weight rivaled that of a hippopotamus with a full grown elephant in its stomach (which was, to this day, not humanly possible), was also conscious of the long break ahead (kindly informed by the 81 degree temperature). And in honor of the oh-so-wonderful imminent end to the tedious school year, Mr. McCann had felt that it was his foremost duty to report Mokuba's poor behavior in school to his older brother.
A job that he should have done earlier when the problem first started, but while he is a man of big stature, the same does not go for his brain—Seto silently thought.
And so here Mr. McCann sat, with the Kaiba brothers, in an office no doubt too small to give its occupants of relief from the scorching heat, especially when the air conditioning system had been broken by a semi-experienced mechanic.
Seto frowned in annoyance, both at the summer heat and at his current situation. The fact that he was wearing a trench coat in the summer did little to calm his nerves.
Seto could not help but be angry at himself. Wasn't he supposed to be a reliable and supportive big brother? Instead, he needed a complete stranger to tell him that there was a problem with his little brother.
Could he rely on his brother anymore? Seto felt silly for thinking such a thought—Mokuba's rudeness did not reflect incompetence or a flawed personality. Or did it? He did not know. Seto was not even sure that he knew his brother anymore.
What was Mokuba hiding? Did he have a girlfriend already? Had he tried drugs? Cigarettes? Alcohol? Mokuba was already fifteen years of age. Who knew what kind of things he was in contact with at school?
Seto regretted sending his brother to a public school. An American public school. However, Seto had to deal with some business in the United States, and he was actually considering moving the Kaiba Corp main branch to America. In addition, Mokuba refused to have a private tutor and rejected any private institution.
Seto glanced at the white brochure in his hand. It was a brochure for some kind of recreational summer camp, guaranteeing to "heal the fracture in your family relationship" and "bring your family together in a way that will change your perceptions of one another forever." Phrases like "enhance YOUR summer experience" and random quotes from complete strangers claiming the legitimacy of the program took up half the space of the brochure. Pictures of family members with bad sunburns hugging one another took up the other half.
But is the summer camp really necessary? Seto knew that being Seto Kaiba, he could address Mokuba's behavior problem with his own approach. Relying on strangers with bad sunburns seemed … unnecessary, not to mention completely ridiculous.
Summer camp was not exactly on Seto's to-do list for the summer. In fact, his schedule was already filled with business meetings and international trips. Reasonably, it was impossible to fit camping into his list. Also, reasonably, maintaining his company was of extreme importance. And Seto Kaiba was a reasonable man.
After contemplating his options, Seto broke the uncomfortable silence.
"This camping program is not necessary. I will deal with Mokuba in accordance to the severity of his actions." Mokuba gulped.
Mr. McCann tugged awkwardly at his tie.
"Mr. Kaiba, I highly recommend you and your brother enroll in this program. Considering your…" the counselor scrambled to find a word that would fit his thought, "personal attributes, I believe that this is your best solution."
"And do tell me, Mr. McCann, what you are referring to as my 'personal attributes'?"
"I…," Mr. McCann was nervous now. Thin beads of sweat trailed down the side of his head. Seto's icy blue eyes were boring down on him; he knew he was treading on a dangerous territory, "I…was referring to your…parental situation, your… personal history. They could very well be the reason for …." The counselor trailed off, his voice lowering as he watched the expression on Seto Kaiba's face.
If Seto was annoyed with the man before, he was furious now. His eyes narrowed with a deadly gleam, and his hands tightened until the knuckles turned white.
So that what it was. 'Personal attribute'. His parental situation. His personal history. Orphan. Adopted. Gozaburo.
So he was not good enough. Not good enough to be Mokuba's older brother. Not good enough to protect him. Not good enough because he was an orphan. Not good enough because he was adopted.
Memories that were far from being pleasant flooded his mind.
Mokuba panicked. Seto was shaking and his face was turning pale. "Nii-sama!"
Seto blinked as his train of thoughts was interrupted. He turned his head toward Mokuba. He looked at him for a while, confused, as if Mokuba was some strange alien species from outer space with ten horns on his head. As his mind cleared and resettled itself, he turned to the current matter at hand, Seto turned back to the man sitting across from him, ignoring his brother's concerned gaze.
Mokuba wanted to place a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder, but he decided against it.
"So you're saying that I am not competent enough to handle my little brother?"
" I've never questioned your compete…"
A ringing sound interrupted Mr. McCann from completing his sentence. Seto reached in his coat pocket and took out his cell phone. "Please excuse me," he said before walking out the door to answer his phone, mentally sighed in relief for the interruption. A faint "Kaiba" could be heard from behind the closed doors.
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To say that the ride back was awkward would be an understatement.
The Kaibas had to leave the office early. One of Kaiba Corp's lawyers had called Seto to inform him of some lunatic's attempt to sue his company over some game designs, and he was going to the office to sort things out. The two brothers remained silent. Their entire "conversation" consisted of Seto telling Mokuba that he would drop him off at home before he left for Kaiba Corp.
Mokuba did not know what he should do or say. He looked out the car window to prevent having to look at his brother.
Seto's face revealed nothing, but Mokuba knew that he was furious. This was not the first time Mokuba's behavioral problems had come up. However, the conflicts usually stayed within the home—a few minor arguments here and there. This was the first time Seto had been notified of an issue involving outsiders.
Mokuba wanted to say something. Anything. But he did not know what to say. What could he say? He felt so guilty about being a disappointment to his brother, but he could not bring himself to apologize. An intangible hand was holding his tongue tightly, and he could not speak.
I'm sorry nii-sama.
But Seto Kaiba could not hear his silent apology.
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It was unbelievably hot.
Yami Mouto yawned as he stumbled into the living room, clad in nothing but a pair of black boxers. The summer heat, with its purest intentions and great consideration for his interests in mind, had kindly nudged him awake from his slumber. He glanced at Yugi, who was currently occupied with watching some cheap American horror movie with morbid fascination.
"Morning aibou." No reply.
"Aibou?" Not even a twitch.
"Yugi!" No response.
After dowsing his hands in the cold sink water from the kitchen, Yami snuck behind his twin brother, who was too focused on the TV to notice. Just as the masked killer appeared behind the oblivious young girl in the movie, Yami's cool hand slowly trailed along the contour of the back of Yugi's neck as he whispered into his ear.
"Hey."
"ARRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!" Yugi screamed as he fell forward, toppling the popcorn bowl from his lap on to the floor.
"That…," Yugi said between each breath, "was…not…funny…." He turned around. Sure enough, Yami was standing there, his left hand clutching his stomach and his right gripping on the couch, trying not to collapse from laughter.
"It is aibou," Yami said as he took out a bowl and a box of cereal from the kitchen cabinet, "when I have been doing the same thing for years and you still have the same reaction. Besides, serves you right for not paying attention."
"I was too paying attention!" Yugi defended. "Otherwise, how could I possibly have known that Robert…" Yugi gestured to the screen, "is probably the real killer who wanted revenge for his dead cousin?"
"He wanted revenge for his dead nephew, aibou." Yami plopped down on to the couch next to Yugi. "And I was talking about your lack of response to my morning greetings."
"Well, at least I got the name right," Yugi mumbled.
"The killer's name was Benjamin."
"You spoiled the movie!" Yugi lightly punched his brother's arm. "Besides, what are you doing up so early?"
"It's too hot to sleep," Yami said, grimacing as he remembered the sheets, damp and sticky with sweat. "And we don't have air conditioning."
"And that is why I started to sleep on the floor instead. There was something for you in the mail by the way." Yugi grabbed a white envelope from the coffee table and handed it to Yami. "Some kind of summer camp?"
"Oh yeah!" Yami placed the cereal bowl on the table and cut open the envelope. "I applied for this thing… last month?" Yami tried to remember the exact time, but could not recall the date. "It's a summer camp for families with problems. Apparently, this will 'enhance my summer experience' and I will gain 'leadership skills that will last a life time.' I applied for a position as one of the coordinators. It's somewhere in California, I think."
"That's so cool, but…you would rather spend your vacation there than with Anzu and me in Hokkaido?" Yugi sounded hurt.
"No, it's just that... I don't want to be a bother to you and Anzu. Besides, this," Yami held up the letter, "will probably be an interesting challenge."
"You would never be a bother! I would not have asked you if I thought so!" How could Yami have thought of such a thing? Yami was his aibou, his partner in crime, the darkness to his light—Yugi frowned at his last thought. Okay, now that was corny.
"I don't want to be a third wheel," Yami said. "Also, you know how you two are."
"I know how what?"
"How you two are. You know, all cuddly and kissy and touchy. I'm not exactly a fan of The Yugi and Anzu Porn Show, available every two seconds for the world's viewing pleasure."
"What? It is SO not!" Yugi defended, "It's available every three seconds. Besides," he added with a sly tone, nudging his brother's arm, "everyone knows you would probably prefer the Seto Kaiba's Strip Tease on channel 322 instead."
"I do NOT!" Yami denied, his face turning red from embarrassment, "And it is NOT a strip tease. Also, he's on channel 325, thank you very much." Ok, so he was a little infatuated with Kaiba. So what? It was nothing serious—just a small crush. Yami was too scared to make a move back when they went to high school together. Back then, he was confused with his sexual orientation and was not exactly sure that the CEO even prefers men.
But damn, Seto Kaiba was a nice piece of eye candy on the screen. Yami often tried to catch a glimpse of his image on TV whenever he would make a public announcement. Yami did not know that a channel dedicated to game and technology even existed until Seto Kaiba came along. Last time he checked, the CEO was in America doing something with virtual technology.
"…friend." Yami snapped out of his reverie.
"What?"
"I said, 'You need a boyfriend.' Well, not even. You just need to get laid."
"Yugi!"
"Well it's true. You need something to loosen you up from all this tension."
"I do not need to get laid!" Yami huffed.
"I mean, at least I got to second base. You— you haven't even used your baseball bat yet. Wait a minute. Is there a problem with your bat Yami?"
"No, there is nothing wrong with my bat. It works perfectly fine," Yami retorted, ignoring the urge to look down.
"How do you know? Did you even bother to check? I bet you haven't even tried touching it yet!"
"Yugi!"
"It's completely normal if there is a problem. There are certain types of helps you can get out there for your bat. Some people would take certain pills to enhance their chance of getting at least one hit. If you want, we could order some…"
"Yugi! For the last time, there is nothing wrong with my bat!"
"Are you sure?" Yugi faked a professional tone. "Satisfaction guaranteed. Try a free sample for 30 days and get your full refund if…"
"This is ridiculous. I DO not need any HELP to get sex." Besides, if I do get those pills, which I do NOT need, who do I have to test them out with me?
As if reading his twin's thought, Yugi continued, "You're going to America this summer right? Maybe Seto Kaiba could check your bat for you. He would know what's wrong with your bat. Just ask him to examine it, give it a few squeezes and swings. I heard he is quite the batter. Did you know that his homerun record—"
"Yugi! I'm warning you!" Yami's voice was reaching its dangerous pitch.
"Ok ok, I'll stop, I'll stop. But really, don't be such an uptight ass. Seriously, consider getting an American boyfriend this summer. I heard Americans are quite good with loosening tight asses."
Note:
And that is the end of the first chapter. Yes, this is my first fanfic :D, and yes, there is no prideshipping actions yet, but hey, there is more to come. Hopefully.
I still need to set some background stuff first before Seto and Yami meet.
(1*) refers to the shape of the Mouto's living room/ kitchen. It is an open kitchen connected to the living room (with no doors). The kitchen faces the back of the couch. To have a general idea of what it looks like, find the link on my profile.
Oh, and please review. All suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Especially grammarical ones, which is my weakest point.