It was early morning when Mai woke and
slid out from under Kaiba, pausing for a moment to look at the other
three, curled together like puppies on the very rumpled mattress.
Smiling, she spread the quilt over them, and yawning, padded to the
bathroom.
It was Christmas week, and the city was all but snowed
in.
Perhaps, she thought as she showered, I should give Yuugi and
Yami a call, and invite them to breakfast. Breakfast. Now there was a
lovely thought. "Unfortunately," Mai muttered to herself as
she tried to untangle her hair, "the list of things I know how
to cook properly is pitifully short, and I don't think the boys will
be thrilled to wake up to instant coffee and cold cereal. But Tea--"
Mai dug through Kaiba's closet, looking for something to wear. "Tea
knows how to cook. If I can wake her up without waking the boys,
between us we ought to be able to get something on the table."
"Hey you, good morning."
Tea squinted up at
Mai, eyeing her ragged gym shorts, and a tee shirt that must have
been Kaiba's at some point, judging from the way it clung to her.
"I
brought you some clothes. There wasn't a whole lot to choose from,
unless you want to wear suits that are a foot too long for you, but
there's some sweats that look small enough, and a couple of tee
shirts. The bathroom's through that door-- grab a quick shower, and
let's see about cooking some breakfast.
"Thanks, Mai."
Tea said, gathering the clothes and heading to the bathroom. "But
I thought you didn't cook."
"I don't." Mai
answered, shutting the door, and gasping as the steam from the shower
hit her. "But you do. Could you possibly make the water any
hotter?"
"I don't think so." One arm fumbled around
the edge shower curtain, and Tea stuck her head out. "Want to
join me, Mai?" she asked, dripping soapy water on the tile
floor.
"If I must. We've gotta make it quick, though, I'm
starving."
Mai and Tea walked down the hall towards the
kitchen, damp, flushed and pink. Mai was blushing, and a satisfied
smirk hovered around the corners of Tea's mouth.
"You learn
way too quickly, Tea." Mai remarked, pushing open the heavy
doors to the kitchen.
"I'm skilled. You check the cabinets,
I'll raid the fridge."
"But what am I looking for?"
Mai started opening cabinets at random, looking for something
prepackaged.
"Oh, good grief." Tea dumped an armload of
food on the counter and stuck her head back in the fridge. "Never
mind." she said, her voice muffled by the door, "I'll look.
You wash the strawberries and cut them up. After you do that, I'll
show you how to make waffles."
"I was thinking of
calling Yuugi and Yami." Mai said, chopping berries and dropping
them into a serving bowl.
Tea blushed, and said nothing.
"What?
You don't want to?" Mai asked, feeding Tea a strawberry.
"No--
I--" Tea stammered, growing pinker.
"Come on, even I
think he's cute."
"I like him, it's just that, he's so--
I can't see him ever--- I mean, what if we offer and he's
offended."
"You'll never know unless you ask." Mai
replied, popping the last berry into her mouth.
"I guess."
Tea poured the last of the muffin batter into the pans, and set them
on top of the oven. "I could get used to this kitchen." she
said, dumping the dishes into the sink. "Everything's
computerized and precise and--"
"There's no Joey eating
the muffin batter."
"Yeah, that too. If you're gonna
call Yuugi, you'd better do it now, brunch'll be ready in about
forty-five minutes, and it'll take them that long to get
here."
"What's brunch?" Mai asked, looking for the
cordless phone.
"Brunch. Breakfast and lunch. Duh." Tea
rolled her eyes and shoved the muffin pans into the oven.
'Why
brunch?" Mai asked, pulling herself unto the counter and
cradling the phone against her ear. "It's ringing. Why not
lukfast?"
"Lukfast sounds stupid."
"And
brunch doesn't?" Mai muttered. "Yuugi? Oh, hi Yami."
Tea
slowly wiped off the counter, trying to eavesdrop discretely. "I'm
fine. Was wondering if you and Yuugi wanted to come over for
breakfast." She paused. "No, we're still at Seto's. Tea and
Joey." A longer pause this time. "I would have said stupid,
but either way."
Tea edged closer, trying to hear Yami's
half of the conversation. No such luck. Why couldn't he learn to talk
louder?
"Yes, the problem was resolved." Mai continued.
"It took longer than I expected, but I was satisfied with the
solution. Regarding your related problem..." Mai trailed off,
and again there was a silence.
This time it lasted so long that
Tea contemplated looking for another phone and eavesdropping
properly.
"I think it might help, Hon. You'll never know
unless you try. How about this: I won't do anything blatant until I
have some idea-- Yes, Mokuba is at home; he'll be there. Of course
not! I'd never-- Well, say that, then, it's as good a reason as any.
Go on, ask him. No, I'll wait right here." Mai scribbled
absently on the pad next to the phone, frowning as she realized she
had been sketching a rather graphic scene from last night.
"Hey
Yuugi. Wonderful, we'll see you then. No, don't worry about it, Tea's
made plenty of food."
"Well?"
"Fret not,
Hon: they're on their way over-- even Yuugi can't resist
Tea-cooking."
"That was wonderful, Tea." Joey
said, reaching across the table to grab the last piece of sausage on
the platter, eyeing the piece on Mokuba's plate. Mokuba hastily
jammed it into his mouth, and smiled innocently at Joey.
"I
agree." added Yami, "Such a meal would have made a fine
royal feast."
"Hey, isn't anyone going to thank me,
after all, I cooked too!" Mai drained the last of her orange
juice, pretending to pout.
"Mai cooked?" Joey smirked at
Mai, and added, "Tea, I can't believe you'd let her endanger a
perfectly good meal."
"Hey, smartass, I'll have you know
I chopped all the berries you ate, and helped with the waffles."
"I
thought they tasted a bit odd." Yuugi said, reaching for the
last one and drowning it in syrup.
"And what exactly do you
think you're doing?" Mai exclaimed, glaring at Kaiba, who was
gazing intently into the dregs of the berry bowl.
"I was
looking for traces of blood." Kaiba replied, dodging the napkin
Mai threw at him.
"I need someone to take me to Yoshi's
house. There's this report-" Mokuba trailed off, looking around
the table expectantly.
"You finished that report last week."
Kaiba said. "You're planning to play video games and consume
large amounts of sugar. You won't go anywhere near a book."
"I
will so."
"Oh really? And which book would that be? Name
one, and you can spend the weekend there." Kaiba folded his arms
and stood, towering over Mokuba, who looked singarly
underwhelmed.
"The phone book: we're planning to order
pizza." Mokuba retorted triumphantly.
Mai coughed suddenly,
and Joey choked on his coffee.
Kaiba's lips twitched, and he
paused before replying, "Very well, go on. I will see you on
Monday, no sooner, is that clear?"
"Crystal."
Mokuba bounded out of the room, as Kaiba sat down, trying not to meet
Mai's eyes.
"Big Brother?" Mokuba called from the
safety of the hall.
"Yes?"
"I lied."
"Oh?
How so?" Kaiba stood, ready to glower again if necessary.
"We'll
read more than the phone book this weekend. See, I found this stack
of manga under your bed, very educational stuff. We're planning to
read--"
"You! Mokuba, don't you dare--!" Kaiba ran
after Mokuba, who scampered up the stairs torwards his room, laughing
wildly.
"Ah, siblings." Joey said knowingly, "The
fun never ends."
"I suppose I must go to Mokuba's aid."
Yami stood, pushed in his chair, and headed for the stairs.
"I
want to ride with them. Yoshi's sister is about my size, and I can
borrow some clean clothes." Tea said, tugging at the baggy
sweatpants she had stolen from Kaiba's closet. "Besides, she has
a couple of my cds; I'll never get them back otherwise. I'll see if I
can find something to fit you too, Mai."
Half an hour
later, Tea dragged Mokuba and Yami, still debating the necessity of
weak monsters in a hypothetical ideal deck, to the car, shoved them
both in the back seat, and left for Yoshi's house.
Mai finished
loading the dishwasher, and curled up on the couch with her
sketchbook, planning to draw a few scenes from the previous night.
Joey had disappeared a few minutes earlier, intending to check on
Kaiba, who was still sulking upstairs.
Mai had just finished a
rough outline of Tea, nestled between Joey and and Kaiba, when she
looked up to see Yuugi standing in front of her, looking
distressed.
"Mai, where are the bathrooms? I've been walking
around for ten minutes, and can't seem to find-"
"Top of
the stairs, first door on the left. It's near the holly plant."
Yuugi disappeared hastily and Mai went back to her drawing.
Much
to his relief, the bathroom was exactly where Mai had said.
Drying
his hands, Yuugi noticed a small marble statue across the hall from
the bathroom. Frowning, he walked over to examine it more closely,
his bare feet padding silently over the thick carpet. He had just
decided that it had to be a Kaiba ancestor, (it was something about
the ears) when he heard a whimper, quickly stifled.
Worried, he
crossed the hall, and started to push the door open when he heard
soft laughter, followed by a smothered moan. More cautious now--
Surely Pegasus' henchmen couldn't have penetrated the additional
security features-- he eased the door open a bit farther and peeked
through.
Kaiba was sprawled across the bed, half naked and moaning
softly, hands fisting into the heavy quilts, head resting in Joey's
lap.
Joey smiled down at him, running his hands over Kaiba's
flushed face. As Yuugi watched, paralyzed, Joey bent over Kaiba,
kissing his neck.
Kaiba arched upwards, panting, eyes fluttering
closed.
Joey bent down again, whispering in Kaiba's ear.
Kaiba
nodded, and Joey moved to lay down next to him, unzipping Kaiba's
pants. They kissed again as Joey's hands moved lower to--
No! They
couldn't possibly be doing that. Joey wouldn't do that. Joey was
tough, a fighter, a street punk. Joey was tall and strong and wrapped
around Seto Kaiba, kissing him senseless.
And Kaiba, Kaiba who
never backed down, never gave in, who was willing to jump off
Pegasus' roof before he'd admit he needed help, was writhing beneath
him, whimpering, ripping at Joey's pants, pulling him closer. He must
have been mistaken. Of course, that was it: Mai had spiked the
waffles. He'd better look again to make sure.
Well, maybe just
once more, this time sitting down.
Yuugi staggered back down
the hall, into the bathroom and locked the door.
Thirty seconds
later he was wiping off the wall, and refolding the hand towel to
hide the stains. He sat on the floor panting, eyes closed, as the
past ten minutes replayed themselves in an endless loop.
Yami
would have liked watching that. Yuugi wasn't quite sure where the
thought had come from but it brought with it a entirely new version
of previous events. He sighed, and reached for the towel again.
What
was going on? And why did it-- did he-- Surely he couldn't really
want to--with Yami. Mai. He'd talk to Mai.
Mai put the last
bit of shading on her sketch, and sprayed fixative across it, pausing
to admire it, then setting it on the table to dry. She stood,
stretching, and wandered to the kitchen. Returning with a cup of
steaming tea, she paused for a moment in front of the window,
admiring the snow covered garden. As she stood, debating between a
sketch of Joey and the statue in the garden, the door opened and
Yuugi edged into the room, red faced, flustered and very rumpled.
"Mai." He said, blushing, "Can we talk?"
It
took several pots of tea and a box of chocolate cookies to coax the
whole story out of him, but Mai was good at listening, and there was
plenty of time. Between bites, the tale tumbled out.
"But I
don't understand." said Mai, sketching absently on a napkin,
"Why does this bother you so much? Joey's your friend, the same
as before. And Kaiba, he's still-- Well, nothing's changed there
either."
"I know. It's not that."
"Than
what?" Mai said, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye,
careful not to look at him directly.
Yuugi stared at the
tablecloth, his fingers tracing the design woven into the fabric.
Then hung his head and blushing, muttered, "I think I wanted to
be there, with them. With Yami."
Mai walked around the table
and stood next to him, straightening his tangled hair.
"I'm
sure they wouldn't have minded." She watched, fascinated, as he
blushed even redder, noting absently that his neck was exactly the
same colour as the tips of his hair. "I could ask, if you'd
like."
"... I couldn't. I..." He trailed off,
confused.
"Not without Yami, huh?" Mai said, wryly.
"
I ... I guess not."
"Guess you're going to have to tell
him how you feel, then." Mai said, rubbing his shoulders.
"Relax, Hon. It's going to be all right."
"No it
won't." His voiced echoed angrily in the empty kitchen. "He'll
say I'm too young. He'll say I don't understand. He'll say that it's
a stupid crush and I'll get over it. Joey's not any older than I am,
and he and Kaiba were ... together. And I know Tea and Joey have.
Joey told me all about it."
"That was nice of him."
Mai said, grimacing. "Wonder how Tea felt about it."
"I
never told her I knew, but I told Yami about it. We can share
everything else, that's expected, but this time, when it actually
matters-"
Yuugi flung his head back defiantly, blinking
rapidly to clear the tears that were starting to gather in the
corners of his eyes. He wasn't a baby, and he certainly wasn't going
to cry like one.
"Your other self ..." Mai murmured. She
sighed, and got up to make another pot of tea. "Here's my advice
Yuugi: Tell him everything. Be honest. I think it will turn out well,
but if it doesn't we'll be here to comfort you."
"Yeah,
right." Yuugi muttered, crushing his cookie into crumbs.
Mai
opened her mouth to continue her argument, but the back door opened,
and Tea fell through, laughing and covered in snow.
"I will
throw more snow at you." Yami's voice floated into the kitchen
causing Yuugi to jump, spill his tea, and bolt for the stairs.
"Oh
good grief." Mai muttered, rummaging through the closet for
towels to dry Yami, who was heading towards the dining room, still
covered in snow.
"Honestly, I give up." She threw a
stack of towels at them and stomped upstairs, looking for Kaiba.
Tea's voice rang out behind her "Mai? Please don't get mad,
Mai. It's only water, and we'll clean it up."
Mai snorted
rudely and continued upstairs, pausing at the top to listen.
Across
the hall was Kaiba's office; she could hear the quiet clicking of his
computer keys. She paused to collect her thoughts, then
knocked.
There was silence for a moment, then footsteps, and Kaiba
stuck his head around the door. "Yes?"
"Can I come
in?" Mai asked.
Kaiba glanced back into the room, then
opened the door for Mai, closing and locking it after her.
"What's
go--" Mai began, but stopped as Kaiba jerked his chin toward the
couch, and the tear-streaked Yuugi huddled in the corner.
"Oh,
Honey." Mai crooned. Sitting down, she wrapped her arms around
Yuugi, and he turned, snuffling into her shoulder. Mai looked at
Kaiba, eyebrows raised.
"Scared." he said silently. He
leaned over, placing his mouth close to Mai's ear.
Mai, under the
pretense of smoothing Yuugi's hair, placed her free hand over his
ear, and looked questioningly up at Kaiba.
"Won't ask."
He said, his lips barely moving. "Scared. Sick." He
gestured to the wet carpet across the room, looking mildly peeved.
"And keeps crying."
"Get Yami?" Mai whispered
back.
Kaiba shrugged, and shook his head.
"Why
bother?"
Mai gestured to Yuugi, who had snuggled against her,
arms wrapped tightly around her waist. "I'm taken. It'll be ok."
she added, smiling.
Kaiba raised an eyebrow, and gestured at the
still trembling Yuugi.
"Both do." Mai elaborated.
"Ah." Kaiba nodded, understanding. "Good." He
kissed Mai quickly and headed for the stairs, and, sighing, she
turned to comfort Yuugi.
After fifteen minutes of holding and
murmuring soothing words, Mai was starting to get frustrated.
"Yuugi." She said at last, leaning down to look him in the
eyes, "This has got to stop."
He sniffled and dragged
his sleeve across his face.
"What am I supposed to do?"
He whimpered. "It's not like I can forget today."
"You'll
have to tell him what you saw; how it made you feel." Mai
reached for a box of tissues, offering them to him.
"I
can't." Yuugi muttered, wiping his eyes angrily and tossing the
tissues at trash can.
"Yuugi, listen to me. This is enough.
It must stop. You can't spend the rest of your life hiding in Seto's
office. I'm sure Yami's already worried about you, eventually he'll
come looking for you, and you'll have to tell him something; it might
as well be the truth."
"I'll think about it." Yuugi
muttered sullenly.
"Pretend with me for a moment." Mai
said, gritting her teeth, "Suppose you loved someone. Suppose
they never showed any interest in you or anyone else. What would you
do?"
Yuugi shredded a tissue and thought. "I'd drop a
few hints, and hope they noticed."
"And if they didn't?"
Mai asked, crossing the room to pick up the wadded tissues.
"I
guess I'd wait for them, if I really loved them. 'Cause I'd know how
I felt, but I wouldn't want to force them into anything."
"Well
then." Mai said, smiling at him, "Perhaps you should let
Yami know it's time to stop waiting."
"But--"
"Enough.
You have nothing to lose. I'm going to put on some clothes that fit
me, then go and be a good hostess." Mai kissed him on the
forehead and left, sighing.
Honestly, a girl set out for a
weekend of decadent sex, and instead--
She pulled on the jeans Tea
had left outside the door for her, and followed the smell of
chocolate chip cookies downstairs, and into the kitchen. Inside she
found the boys sitting around the table, playing poker, and eating
cookies. Tea was watching, offering bad advice, and thumbing through
a stack of cookbooks.
"What?" Mai asked, astonished, "No
duel monsters?"
"I wouldn't let them." Tea
explained, pouring more milk into her glass, "I wanted a
peaceful weekend."
"Ha! My polymorhped Queens beat your
diamonds." Yami exclaimed, sweeping the messy pile of coins
toward him.
Tea rolled her eyes and added, "Of course, some
habits never die."
Mai snickered, and sat down next to Kaiba.
"Ok, Joey, deal me in."
As Joey dealt the cards, Kaiba
leaned towards Mai and murmured. "Yuugi?"
Mai watched
as Yami edged closer, listening.
"He's sulking." She
said, choosing her words carefully, "Didn't like what I told
him."
"He is all right?" Yami asked, looking at his
hand.
"I think he will be."
"Uhm, guys? What's
going on?" Joey asked, sorting his cards and tossing coins into
the center of the table.
"Yuugi saw us." Kaiba said
simply, glancing at his cards, and upping the ante.
Joey paled,
and dropped his cards face up on the table, the game forgotten.
"Oh
crap. He hates us now, doesn't he? I mean, it's ok if he hates you
Kaiba, you guys can just go back to being rivals, but, he's my friend
and-"
"Joey."
"He's my best friend, and
this-- this whole weekend really-- was kinda a surprise, and maybe if
I tell him that he'll think about forgiving me, I mean-"
"Mutt."
Kaiba said, exasperated.
"Hey! You said you weren't going to
call me th--"
"Joey, hush." Tea said, putting her
arms around him. "I think Kaiba's trying to tell you
something."
"It's ok, Joey." Mai said, watching
Yami, "Yuugi doesn't hate you."
"Are you sure,
Mai?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Very sure, actually."
"Good
grief." Tea whined, hugging Joey tighter, "How many people
do I have to share you with?"
"It's ok, Tea. I think
Yuugi is taken." Mai said, gathering up the cards.
"He
is? By who?" Tea glanced around the room, looking confused.
Yami folded his arms and smirked at her, tilting his chair back.
"Oh." she murmured, blushing.
"Hey, how many
people do I have to share you with?" teased Joey, leaning down
to kiss her.
"None." she mumbled around his lips.
Kaiba
snickered, and put his arms around her, winking at Mai.
"Hey!
What are mmm-" Tea managed, before her mouth was covered
completely.
In the midst of the resulting chaos, Yami took Mai's
arm and dragged her into the sun room.
"What happened Mai?
What did he see?"
"He saw Joey and Seto.
Together."
"Ra." Yami sagged wearily against the
window. "Did he-- What did he do?"
"Panicked."
Mai hid her smile, watching Yami fidget.
"Well?"
"Then
he talked to me and Seto."
"Could you be any less
helpful?" Yami growled, unconsciously crushing a violet plant in
his fist.
"Yami," Mai said gently, "he's afraid
that you'll reject him."
"My light--" Yami headed
for the stairs.
"No wait--," Mai grabbed his arm. "he'll
come to you, I promise. You just need to be patient a little
longer."
"But he's scared." Yami argued, "I
can't let him-- I have to--"
"No Yami, you don't. He has
to come to you; you are well aware of that. If you don't allow him to
consciously choose you, you'll always wonder if he was somehow
coerced."
"But I have to do something." Yami
sighed, slumping against a potted tree.
"Oh, Hon. You can
still reassure him, just don't initiate--"
"You are
bossy." Yami muttered peevishly. "How does Kaiba put up
with you?"
"I have my uses." Mai replied, silently
gritting her teeth. "Besides, he's just as stubborn as I am. But
I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me for a minute, Yami, my
pager-"
"Go." Yami poked at the scattered dirt and
the crumped violet plant. "Ugh. Do you think Kaiba is going to
notice this?"
"I doubt it." Mai called back,
pulling out her cell phone as she left the room. "Not if you
clean up the dirt, anyway."
Mai slipped through the door to
Kaiba's office, closing it behind her.
"Yuugi." she
whispered, "Yami's alone in the sun room."
"Uh-huh."
Yuugi muttered, watching the snowflakes melt and drip down the
window.
"Oh no." Mai replied, pulling him to his feet,
and walking him out the door, "You're not going to do this to
me. This is my vacation, and I'm not going to sit here and watch you
mope all week."
"Uh-huh."
"Yuugi." Mai
said, thoroughly exasperated, "This is selfish. It's not fair to
me, to your friends, to Yami."
Yuugi paused, and Mai watched
his eyes flicker back towards Kaiba's bedroom as he thought.
"No."
he said slowly, "I guess it's not." Looking dazed, he
stumbled slowly downstairs toward the sun room.
Mai watched him
for a moment, then, cursing the size of Kaiba's house, headed for the
back stairs. She was just in time to shoo Yami back into the sun
room, and shush the others.
Joey and Tea were clamoring for an
explanation, but Kaiba had already knelt against the wall between the
kitchen and the sun room and was listening eagerly.
Yuugi
stood in the doorway of the sun room, watching Yami repot a violet
plant. He stood there a long moment, then, gathering his courage, he
crossed the room.
Yami scooped dirt around the half crushed
plant, watching Yuugi out of the corners of his eyes. His light was
trembling, and Yami wanted nothing more than to hold him, kiss him
and-- No. Mai was right, as much as he hated to admit it. He might be
able to duel for Yuugi, but this was different. He turned to Yuugi,
smiling, sending waves of reassurance through their bond, and
waited.
Yuugi reached Yami, took a deep breath, and said: "Y-Yami,
I love you."
Yami smiled and pulled Yuugi to him, ruffling
his hair.
"And I, you, aibou." He sat down next to a
potted tree, and motioned for Yuugi to join him.
"No."
said Yuugi, pulling back to look at Yami, "No, you don't
understand." "What don't I understand, Yuugi?"
Yuugi
broke off a strip of trailing vine and, winding it around his hands,
he began to talk.
"So you enjoyed watching Joey and
Kaiba?" Yami said sometime later, shifting uncomfortably,
embarrassingly grateful for the early winter sunsets.
"Uh-huh."
whispered Yuugi, blushing. "But--" He trailed off, picking
the last leaves off the battered piece of vine.
"But what?"
said Yami, brushing leaves out of Yuugi's hair, and shifting closer
to him.
"I, well-" Yuugi unconsciously snuggled closer
to Yami as he spoke, "I didn't just want to watch."
"Oh?"
said Yami, trying to keep his voice steady. "Are you interested
in Joey or Kaiba?"
"No!" Yuugi looked shocked, then
paused, reconsidering. "No, I don't think so. I mean, Joey's my
friend, my best friend, but he has Tea," He wrinkled his nose
and thought for a moment, "At least I thought he and Tea were
together. And I know Mai and Kaiba are. And Kaiba, well, I like him
well enough now, but I hardly know him. I'd never consider-- well,
you know. Mai would kill me."
Yami thought of Mai going after
Yuugi with a frying pan, and bit back a snicker.
"I am
afraid I don't understand, then. You are not attracted to Joey or
Kaiba, yet you wished to join them."
"I don't know."
Yuugi bowed his head, and sifted through the gravel littering the
floor, "I guess they looked happy together, and I wondered what
it would be like to be there, to have someone happy to be with me,
someone who loved me."
"You have many people who love
you, Yuugi." Yami said gently, stroking Yuugi's back, forcing
himself to keep quiet.
"I know." replied Yuugi, and he
looked sadder than ever. "It's not the same thing, Yami."
He said helplessly. "I watched them, and I kept thinking of
you."
"Oh?" Yami shifted a bit closer, and bit his
tongue, hard.
"I thought-- I was hoping that-- maybe you and
I--" He trailed off, gesturing.
Behind him, Yami bit his
tongue harder, tasting blood, and ran his hands through Yuugi's hair.
"I mean, we're a lot closer than Joey and Kaiba, maybe--
Well, maybe we could--" Yuugi blushed and fell silent.
"You
want to experience what you saw."
"No! Well, yes, but
it's not just that. I mean, I want-- Oh, forget it Yami. Just forget
I said anything." Yuugi muttered, flopping down and closing his
eyes.
"Aibou?"
"I'm going to sleep." Yuugi
wiggled around on the gravel trying to get comfortable.
"Is
that all you want, Yuugi?" Yami asked, tugging at Yuugi's arm
until he sat up again.
"No." Yuugi turned toward Yami,
exasperated. "No, that's not what I want at all. I love you,
Yami, and, well, we share everything else. After what I saw today, I
had hoped we could share this as well. But I don't want it to be a
one-time thing. I want to keep you-- I want you to love me best."
"My
light." Yami replied, smiling, "I would be delighted to do
that."
"What?" asked Yuugi, nonplussed, "Don't
you have to think about it or something?"
"No, love. I
did that a long time ago." Yami gathered Yuugi into his arms and
held him close.
Yuugi snuggled against him for a minute
then--
"Why didn't you say something, Yami?"
"I
knew what I felt, Yuugi, but I was not going to influence you merely
for my pleasure."
"Perhaps you were scared as well?"
Yuugi said.
"Nonsense." Yami replied a bit wryly,
"Pharaohs are incapable of feeling fear."
"Sure
they are." Yuugi buried his face in Yami's shoulder, muffling
helpless laughter. "And I have this bridge I'm looking to
sell--"
"Why do you own a bridge?" Yami asked,
perplexed. "And why would you wish to sell such a thing?"
"I--
You--" Yuugi fell backwards unto the ground, laughing
hysterically.
It was over. He had actually talked to Yami.
"Aibou? Yuugi? Are you well?" Yami was hovering over
him, looking genuinely worried.
"F-fine." Yuugi managed
before collapsing into helpless laughter again.
Snickering,
Kaiba turned to the other three, scattered around the kitchen.
"Well,
it's settled."
"But what happened?" Tea asked, as
she chopped vegetables for dinner.
"Yeah, where are the juicy
details?" Joey added, eating the veggies almost as quickly as
Tea sliced them. "Ow! Stop it." He added, as she wacked his
hand with the knife handle.
"Guys, that's really not our
business." Mai said, slouching in her chair, boots on the table,
sketching costumes. "Ok, who stole my yellow pencil?"
"It's
on the floor."
"Besides I was listening, not watching."
Kaiba added, fishing the pencil out from under the table."
"True.
Thanks, Hon." Mai replied, kissing him. "What's the plan
for the rest of the weekend?"
"I know what I'm doing."
"Hey! Stop it-- I'm working. My boss'll kill me if I don't
get these done, Seto."
Mai swatted at his hands, and leaned
forward to set her sketch book down.
"I am your boss, Harpy.
Hold still."
"If you insist." Mai froze as she set
her book down, feet still on the table.
"This is convenient."
Kaiba smirked, kicking the chair out from under her.
"You
brat!" Mai exclaimed, giggling, as she fell, taking Kaiba with
her, to land in a tangled heap on the floor under the table. "But,
seriously, guys," she said as Kaiba kissed her face, his hands
fumbling under her shirt, "what are the plans regarding Yuugi
and--"
She broke off as Kaiba whispered in her ear.
"That's
what I'm doing tonight, my pet harpy. I do hope you're up to the
challenge."
"Mai, I've never seen you blush before."
Joey commented, looking interested. "What did you say to her,
Kaiba?"
"I said--" Kaiba stood, leading Joey away,
and murmuring softly near his ear.
"Well, if they're
interested, I'm all for it." Joey replied, his eyes measuring
the girls.
"Mai, I'm suddenly frightened." Tea said
dumping vegetable peels into the trash.
"Hell, there's only
four of them. We can take them." Mai said, picking up her
sketchbook once again.
"Oh, you'll take us all right."
Joey snickered, putting his arms around Tea. "In fact, let's
suppose that--" He trailed off to whisper in Tea's ear.
"Oh
my." Tea said slowly, "That's just-- wow."
"Does
that mean you approve?" Joey asked, running his hands down Tea's
back.
"Yes." Tea nodded quickly, "Of course I
do."
"Wonderful. Move your feet, Mai." Joey said,
putting a stack of dishes on the corner of the table.
"Yes,
it is indeed wonderful." Yami said, appearing in the doorway,
Yuugi clutching his hand tightly.
Mai smiled: Yami looked
indecently satisfied, and Yuugi was glowing.
"Congratulations,
you two."
"Thanks, Mai." Yuugi chirped. Yami led
him over to the table, and sat, pulling Yuugi into his lap.
"You
won't be able to eat like that, Yuugi." Tea said, opening the
oven to check on the roasting chicken.
"I'll be fine. Yami'll
have a hard time, though." Yuugi said, stealing Tea's forgotten
glass of milk, and helping himself to the cookies.
"Not at
all." Yami replied, stealing Yuugi's cookie, "My dinner's
sitting in my lap."
He smirked as Yuugi slowly turned bright
red.
"Yami, may I speak with you for a moment?" Kaiba
asked, biting into the last cookie. "Tea, you'll have to make
more of these."
"I'll help!" Joey exclaimed,
opening the chocolate chips.
"Certainly Kaiba." Yami
said, setting Yuugi on the floor and standing.
"Excuse me a
moment, Yuugi." Yuugi nodded, his mouth full of cookie crumbs,
and, a moment later, Yami and Kaiba disappeared upstairs.
Tea
peeked in the oven again, then pulled out the rolls, setting them on
top of the stove. "I think everything's pretty much done; when
everyone gets back, we can eat. In the meantime, I want to see the
sun room I keep hearing about. Mai, is there really a fountain in
it?"
Mai nodded gratefully.
"Uh-huh. The switch is
to the right of the door, next to the light switch. I'll call you
when the boys get back."
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about
that." Tea said, shoving Joey through the door, managing to
balance two plates of food in one hand, as she reached for a couple
cans of soda. "If we're not back, just go ahead and eat without
us."
The door swung shut, and Mai turned to Yuugi.
"What
do you think Yami and Seto are talking about?" She watched as he
stood thinking, and finally shook his head."
"I ... I
don't know."
"Sure you do." Mai replied. "Tea
and Joey are still together, as are Seto and I."
"But I
saw Joey and he was--" Yuugi stammered, confused.
"I
know." Mai said quietly, setting the table. "They're
beautiful together, aren't they?"
"Yes." Yuugi
muttered, blushing.
"You mentioned something about wanting
to join them?" Mai continued, pouring water into the glasses.
"Perhaps with Yami?"
"I don't know." Yuugi
whispered.
"Don't feel that you need to make a decision now,
Hon. Just remember that both you and Yami are welcome to join us. Any
of us."
"Really?" Yuugi asked, wide-eyed.
"Really."
Mai smiled, and handed him the basket of rolls. "And I suspect
that Seto and Yami are upstairs having a similar conversation. Well-"
Mai amended, hearing footsteps in the dining room, "Were
upstairs, anyway."
"Aibou?" Yami said, as Yuugi
sat quietly, buttering a roll for the fourth time. "I want to
think about it, Yami. You can, if you'd like." Yami leaned over
and whispered in Yuugi's ear, grinning. Yuugi thought for a moment,
then smiled and nodded.
"You're evil, Yami."
"I'm
not sure I like the sound of that." Mai remarked, looking into
the sun room. "Well guys, we might as well go ahead and
eat."
"That bad?" Kaiba asked, helping himself to
chicken.
"Oh, you know those two."
"Indeed."
Kaiba said, shaking his head, "And they'll show up after dinner
and the dishes."
"Hungry, no doubt." Mai added,
offering the rice to Yuugi.
"I will be sure to eat now,
then."
"Probably a good plan." Mai replied, digging
in herself.
By the time they finished dinner, the sun had
already set, and the room was all but dark. Kaiba stretched, and got
up to turn the lights on.
"I'd thank Tea for dinner, if she
was here." Mai remarked, as she stacked the plates.
"Don't
be so quick to thank her." Yuugi said. "She left the dishes
for us."
"Still with four people, it's gonna go fairly
quickly, right?" Mai replied, gathering up the last of the
silverware.
"Pharaohs do not wash dishes." Yami stated,
tilting his chair back, and folding his arms defiantly.
"And
I have to check my email." Kaiba added. "Who knows what
might have gone wrong in the last hour."
"And I-- well,
I'm company." Yuugi said quickly, sitting on Yami's lap.
"I
would like to remind you-" Mai calmly replied, setting the
dishes in the sink, "that revenge is a dish best served
cold."
"Oh, I'm scared." Yugi said, cuddling closer
to Yami. Kaiba, who had a bit more experience with Mai's temper,
edged quietly toward the door.
"As well you should be."
Mai tilted the faucet, spraying water at the boys.
"Stop it,
we'll help you!" Yuugi called, as Yami twisted, trying to shield
him from the worst of the water. Kaiba opened the freezer door,
ducked behind it, and packed crushed ice together to throw at Mai.
As the fight continued, (Yugi and Yami had armed themselves with
a stack of wet dish towels) the room grew steamy and Joey and Tea
slipped back in to join the fray. Alliances shifted, then shifted
again, and finally everyone lay laughing, panting, on the wet, soapy,
(the dish soap was Tea's idea) kitchen floor.
"You know,"
Kaiba said, his head in Mai's lap, "I do have a rather nice hot
tub."
"What about the dishes?" Tea asked.
"Oh,
let 'em soak." Mai replied, pushing wet curls off her face.
"I'll do them tomorrow."
Ten minutes later everyone
was sprawled in the hot tub, chatting quietly: Tea curled in Joey's
lap, Yuugi dozing on Yami's shoulder. Mai and Kaiba were discussing
specs for a waterproof laptop.
"Of course it'd have to be one
piece, that's a given, but if you added an additional plastic layer
that was removable--" Mai replied, momentarily oblivious to the
candlelight and snuggling couples around her.
"But how do you
seal it? It's the same problem--" Kaiba mused, absently running
his hand through Mai's tangled hair.
"Honestly!" Tea
exclaimed, throughly exasperated. "Who cares; who'd want a
waterproof laptop anyway?"
"You could combine business
and pleasure." Kaiba replied, leering at her.
"You have
some kind of hardware fetish." Tea muttered, ignoring Mai's
muffled giggle.
"Maybe sailors could use it." Yuugi
murmured, eyes closed.
"Or divers." Joey chimed in. "You
could put a solar cell in the lid to extend battery life."
"It
is dark underwater, is it not?" Yami argued. "The sun would
not help you."
"You could power it with electric eels."
Tea said sarcastically. "Come on guys, you're supposed to be
relaxing."
"I am relaxing." Kaiba replied, putting
an arm around Mai.
"He is." Mai confirmed, grinning
wryly. "Otherwise he'd be in the lab by now."
"I
give up." Tea ducked under the water, sulking.
"We
should humor her." Yami said. "But I think Yuugi's
asleep."
" ... 'M not. 'M perfec' 'wak ..."
"Well,
in that case, since we're all awake and fully alert--" " 'M
'wake!"
Mai ignored the interruption, and continued, "let's
discuss sleeping arrangements, shall we."
