I haven't written in too long, so I asked this-wreckage for a plot and she gave me this! I'm easing back into writing fanfic, and I would love suggestions on what should happen. I also have no idea if this is an AU setting or not, and I especially don't know when it would take place.
Quantum Physics
Seto Kaiba and Pegasus Crawford get struck with a cliché plot device: stuck in an elevator. The author has no idea where this is going.
With how many floors Kaiba Corp. had, it wasn't much of a surprise that it took slightly longer than half a minute for the elevator to get from the bottom floor to the top floor - and, of course, vice versa. The last floor of the building was used solely for its namesake's office, which was probably why there was a smaller, more private elevator that was built for day-to-day use of people who needed to get to it, one that clearly wasn't intended for masses of the corporation's employees to use. Because it was meant for business partners, and probably also because Seto Kaiba had to stare at its walls at least twice daily, it had a nicer interior design than the employee elevators. It was also located in a much more private area of the first floor, away from the hustle and bustle of the lobby.
If Pegasus J. Crawford wasn't already familiar with the young CEO of Kaiba Corp., he would have gotten a very good impression of his personality from the plain, periwinkle-colored walls, and the very clean, stylized Blue-Eyes White Dragon that curled around the button panel, engraved into the sleek chrome-plating. How often that must have to be cleaned, he thought, because there wasn't a single finger-print on any part of it. The passenger had very little choice on what floors to pick, as the panel only sported two buttons - it was all very no-nonsense (but also very boring).
All in all it was a lovely elevator, but it left Pegasus feeling very stiff and uninspired for creativity. The only thing to appreciate was the Blue-Eyes carving, but even that could only hold his interest for so long.
He was not looking forward to having to spend nearly another whole minute of his life having to stare at what was essentially the inside of a mostly blank box. He entertained the idea of drawing a Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon on a sticky note and placing it over the dragon on the chrome, but he didn't have anything save a small pocket notepad with him, and he was severely lacking in anything to stick a scrap of paper to the metal with. Oh, well. An idea for his next visit, he thought, as he finished toweling off his hands before he left the guest restroom. It was the only other thing on that floor, and its decoration was just as stale as that damn elevator.
It seemed that fate was treating him with pity that day, because it just so happened that the ruling businessman himself was closing and locking the door to said office right then, and he glanced over his shoulder at the sound of approaching footsteps. Apparently the meeting that the shareholders had been called to had been the last thing on the agenda for the brunette's day. His expression fell slightly when he recognized who it was approaching him.
"Ah! Leaving for the day, Kaiba-boy?" Pegasus asked cheerfully, his smile broadening when he noted the annoyance that caused the younger man's lower eyelid to twitch.
"Yes," was the clipped answer the artist received in response. Seto looked as if he were debating unlocking the door again and making up an excuse for shutting himself back in there just so they wouldn't have to take the same elevator together. Before he could make up his mind, Pegasus was back to doing that aggravating thing where he moved his mouth and sound came out.
"I must say," which was met with Seto's look of please don't, "that was one of the longest meetings I've ever been in. How do you stand having them so often?" He huffed a sigh. "I was afraid it would go over the allotted time and I would miss my favorite afternoon TV shows."
This was clearly not a problem the eldest Kaiba brother ever had, and he didn't even bother putting up the façade of caring. He also didn't even pretend to be thinking of any way to respond to that. "Why are you still here?"
Eye widening, Pegasus took half a step backwards, lifting a hand to his chest as he did so. "Do you not want to see me, Kaiba-boy? Am I not your favorite person to chat with? I feel lied to and betrayed!"
A deep breath, a long blink, and a good chance of a mental countdown from ten followed, before Seto let go of the door knob and began to pocket his key-card. "The meeting ended ten minutes ago. I was expecting everyone to have left already."
Nice save.
"I was admiring the wallpaper in the restroom," Pegasus responded nonchalantly, as if he weren't just slighted by his favorite person (to annoy).
Seto's return stare was as blank as said wallpaper.
"I'm thrilled to have your company for the elevator trip, Kaiba-boy," the older man went on, jumping subjects. He truly did seem pleased. God had smiled down upon him and rewarded him with promised entertainment on the ride down.
"Wonderful," Seto deadpanned. It seemed he was capable of new tricks! Pegasus could almost taste the sass!
It was only around ten feet away from the other's office door, and even though Pegasus reached there first, he waited for Seto to push the button, intent on drawing this torture out as long as possible. A light-up arrow alerted them that the contraption was on its way up, and he could feel Seto tense up. "I hope this building never catches fire," Pegasus said, looking down the hallway at the doors that lead to the emergency stairs. "You'd certainly get a week's workout out of the way after thirty-seven flights of stairs!"
It looked as if Seto had suddenly turned religious and was praying when Pegasus turned his gaze back to him.
"I certainly would," he parroted back monotonously.
"Would you even have time to reach the ground floor before this whole place went up in flames? Is it a message you're trying to send out - that the captain must go down with his ship? Goodness, how morbid! The world just wouldn't be the same without such a gifted young man in it, and I do hope you'll reconsider!"
"I'll make room in my schedule to think about that."
"Wonderful! If I can change your mind, I'd be happy to, Kaiba-boy. Do you even know how much I'll miss you?" Pegasus' expression turned into one worthy of a clinically depressed puppy.
Seto didn't even look. "I can hardly imagine."
Finally, there was a ding that interrupted whatever was going to come out of Pegasus' mouth next, and Seto moved so quickly through the opening doors that it may as well have been a race. "I love the decorative design of this, by the way," Pegasus went on, his voice airy as always. "But don't you think it's a bit busy? I mean, I can understand wanting to cram as much imagery as possible into one place, but there are just times when you need to control yourself, Kaiba-boy."
Seto threw him a look as he jammed the button that would take them down. "Alright, I understand; you don't like plain walls."
Pegasus smiled cheerfully. "Just giving an artist's opinion of it is all," he said.
"I'll take note of that, too," Seto said, and he crossed his arms. Pegasus only just noticed that the dress-shirt the brunette was wearing under his white suit was the exact shade of blue as the elevator walls. Pegasus wondered how much of that was that it was Seto's favorite color or if it was just all inspired by his signature card. (Pegasus had been honestly flattered when he saw the level of which his game had influenced the other's life.)
He only realized he'd been staring while briefly lost in thought when Seto turned to give him an odd look, probably because his mouth had stopped running. Pegasus was about say something that was borderline flirty when suddenly a loud thud sounded from all around them and the elevator stopped a full second before the lights went out.
Both men were in shock, looking up and around, as if there were some hint as to what happened written somewhere in there (though it would have to be back-lit, Pegasus thought, for them to read such a message).
Seto cursed under his breath, and it sounded as if he started to dig around in his pants pocket, before the room was suddenly lit up by a painfully bright rectangle of light. Pegasus realized it was the screen of a cellphone, as Seto turned on its built in flashlight and shined it around, making sure the light hadn't burnt out from an electrical surge. "Damnit," he cursed again. "The storm knocked out the backup generator."
Pegasus was actually surprised by this news, because that meant that the power had been out before this, and that Seto had known about it. "When did it go out?" he wondered aloud.
"About half an hour ago," Seto said, and it wasn't full the sort of irritation that was directed at the questioner, so he was clearly speaking on autopilot as he tapped his thumb against the screen of his phone. "The weight of the ice brought down a power line," he went on, and Pegasus could see how he was frowning in the light. Then it turned almost completely dark again as the teen turned off the flashlight and then held the phone to his hear. It rung several times before finally reaching a point where it was obvious no one was going to pick up. Seto cursed again. Then a muffled voice came on that signaled the person's voice mail and Pegasus realized who the other was trying to contact when he said, "Mokuba; the generator failed and I can't leave the building yet. I don't know when I'll be home."
After hanging up, Seto immediately went back to checking his phone. Apparently the cell towers were still working, which meant that at least one of them had a connection to the world outside their four-by-four box.
It was only now, in the silence, that Pegasus realized that he could hear the wind howling outside.
"I've never been in a snow storm before," he admitted almost quietly. Seto only spared him a second to look curious. Pegasus responded with a shrug. "I live on an island off of the coast of 'sunny California' - it's never snowed more than a few flakes on me before. ...Shit."
The cuss in English brought Seto's attention to the other fully, and Pegasus was even important enough to get a raised eyebrow. With a long-suffering sigh, he whined, "I'm going to miss my TV shows even though we left on time!"
Seto pursed his lips. "That's honestly what you're worried about?" he asked, annoyed.
Pegasus shot the other an affronted look. "Of course it is! It's the end of this television season, which means tonight will be filled with the finales! I won't be able to touch any forums until I'm able to watch them! Don't you understand the severity of this situation? The online communities will believe I'm dead!"
Seto rolled his eyes, visible even in the poor lighting, and he went back to checking what looked to be a news article. Pegasus was struck with slight pang of jealousy that the other could read words on such a small screen. The fact that he himself was only working at half-power as far as vision went was the reason why couldn't make heads or tails of certain letters in size 1 font.
"I wasn't aware you even knew how to turn on a computer," Seto quipped back. "You're pretty tech-savvy for an old man, I must say."
Pegasus gasped. "I am not old!" he snapped. "But even if I were, someone like me only improves with age, just like fine wine!" He arched his back and it caused his chest to puff out. "That was rude and uncalled for, Kaiba-boy."
Seto snorted softly. "You're right; my apologies. I should respect my elders."
Pegasus gave the other a dirty look. "I would watch my mouth so as not to lose business partners," he finished with an indignant huff. Though his voice still lilted, there was a vague underlying tone of a threat. Not that Pegasus would ever actually break off being partners with Seto over petty insults. No; he liked the other far too much.
"That may be a concern for someone like you, but I won't lose sleep over such a thing." Seto was smirking - that little brat.
Kaiba Corp. may have found its true calling in Duel Monsters technology and merchandise, but it was true that Seto's company would stay afloat even if he lost the rights to Pegasus' work. Kaiba Corp. was now a household name, and the company had branched out far beyond just the popular card game.
This turn of conversation actually made Pegasus happy, though, truth be told. It meant that Seto, on some level, had become comfortable with him. That thought brought a small smile to his lips. That was when Seto's smirk faltered, as the teen wasn't sure what to make of Pegasus' expression as a response. Why did the silver-haired man look... content?
"Well, I could certainly be stuck in an elevator with worse people," Pegasus said, voicing his current thoughts. "So I'll take comfort in that."
Seto didn't seem to share that sentiment or even know how to respond, so he just shifted his weight and looked back to his phone, which had gone to an even dimmer screen from its lack of immediate use.
Even though the building was well insulated, the cold had begun to seep through, now that the heater was rendered useless. Pegasus had known about the nasty weather conditions before being chauffeured to the meeting, but that didn't mean he was as dressed as he should have been. He had only brought a coat, gloves, and scarf with him to cover his usual red suit. It had been alright attire for the miserable few minutes he had to bear the freezing temperatures between the limo and the front doors of Kaiba Corp., but he had left all of said items with his driver in the lobby. He crossed his arms now, mimicking Seto's previous stance, but it was to warm himself up. The wind screamed louder for a moment before returning to its usual (raging) volume.
Seto didn't seem affected by the rapidly cooling air, and it was probably because he housed such a frosty personality, Pegasus decided.
"How long does it typically take for the generator to come back on?" he asked.
Seto replied with a quiet, "Hn," before he grew silent again as he thought. "That depends on the weather," he finally answered soberly.
So they could be stuck in here for as little as a few more minutes to an hour or more. Lovely.
Pegasus figured he may as well get comfortable and he leaned against the back railing. Seto sighed and seemed to give up on any immediate return call from his brother and put his phone back into sleep mode. Neither of them spoke, which was strange, and it almost bordered on awkward for the seconds that stretched into several minutes. The sound of the wind outside made Pegasus feel colder than he actually was and the sensation of an oncoming shiver built at the base of his skull. "To avoid freezing to death, I vote that we should huddle for warmth."
He could sense Seto giving him a look through the pitch dark. "You're so dramatic."
Pegasus raised an eyebrow, though unless the other had night-vision, it was a useless action. "This coming from Seto Kaiba," he scoffed. "The pot's looking a little black itself!"
An amused sound came from Seto's side of the elevator but in the way that it was cut off, it was obvious that Seto hadn't meant for it to escape. Pegasus smirked triumphantly to himself, but he held his tongue. The silence that followed was much easier on them both.
Unfortunately, it did nothing to distract them from their current situation. Which, in layman's terms, sucked ass.