Me: Wow, you guys. I'm sooo happy about the reaction to the first chapter! *starts to tear up* I feel so loved!

Seto: ...

Me: Oh, shut up you.

Seto: *glares* I never said anything.

Me: I know what your silences mean! If you behave, I'll write a Puppyshipping fic next.

Seto: *eyes widen, before going back to neutral* ... Fine.

Me: Good boy. XD

Yami: Are there any warnings that need to be issued before we begin?

Me: ...Well, nothing they didn't already figure. There's cursing... some making out... OH. THERE WILL BE STRIPPERS. Just to let you all know. I know two gay men such as Yami and Seto don't particularly care, but I for one am looking forward to the stripperness. XDD

Seto: ...What about the fan characters?

Me: Oh yeah. I forgot. In this chapter, there will be three OCs; based off me, madporter13 and MysticMelodyx. They don't play that major a part, so I figured no one would mind... It's gonna be fun! Let's see... what else should I put here...?

Yami: t-o-c doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Me: Ah, yes! A disclaimer! I don't own YGO, but I think that's pretty obvious. First, I'm on a fan site. If I owned, it, I wouldn't be here, writin' me some romance fanfictions. Second, there is no yaoi in YGO. Again, romance fanfictions. C'mon people.

Yami: Enjoy! :D

Seto: Don't encourage her.

Me: Puppyshipping~

Seto: ... *shuts up*

Me: XD Here you go, guys! You asked for it! 8D

It was official; Seto was going to have to work late.

Had it been three months earlier, he would have been fine with the idea. In fact, he had been used to working late. Working late was normal, and therefore could not be considered "late," as far as he was concerned. Others disagreed with his point of view, but their opinions never really mattered to him. In fact, they still didn't. The only person who had ever mattered to him was Mokuba, who was always worrying that he was working himself too hard. Since then, he had found a cure for his overly-stressful work life, which was far from conventional, but effective regardless...

His no-strings-attached arrangement with Yami.

Now, three months in, it had become obvious that Seto was addicted. It was pathetic, his mind told him. He shouldn't be indulging in such superficial pleasures... he should be focusing on work, and achieving his goal of making something decent of his step-father's messy shit of a company. He was still striving toward that goal... five and a half days out of the week. Saturday and Sunday morning, however, work was the farthest thing from his mind.

But now, it was Friday night, and Seto had been too distracted during the day to get much done, and found himself working past midnight, well after all the other employees had left. The only other person left in the building was Mokuba, who was curled up on an armchair in the corner of Seto's office, fast asleep. He looked cute when he was sleeping, though Seto would never tell him that. No, he tended to keep affectionate thoughts and feelings to himself, especially when it came to his brother. He cared about him deeply, and wanted to tell him that – not that he thought he needed to – but he was afraid that, if he did, people would use that against him. Hell, they already have. He didn't want anyone trying to harm his brother just to get to him, at least not any more than some already had, so he tried seeming as distant from his brother as he could in the public eye. He was sure that Mokuba understood.

He was sure.

Mokuba was more than understanding of everything Seto did, and more than supportive of him. It was only when Seto finally stopped and took a step back that he realized something he probably should have noticed before.

When did my little brother grow up? he asked himself as he watched his brother's slow, heavy, sleep breathing. Mokuba was tall... he'd hit a growth spurt somewhere and had to really scrunch up to fit on the small armchair. He'd cut his hair shorter a few months ago, so that now it hung just past his shoulders. He would start high school in September. Seto's little brother wasn't so little anymore and Seto hadn't even noticed.

All Seto could do was shake his head sadly. He couldn't believe it. He knew everyone had to grow up at some point (some earlier than others), but he just didn't understand why his brother had to so fast, so early. He had all the time in the world to just be a kid, unlike Seto, who had to grow up early on in order to make sure Mokuba wouldn't have to.

He sighed, turning his attention back to his computer screen. Well, what was done was done. As much as he hated the thought of his little brother growing up and not needing him anymore, it wasn't in his power to change that. All he could do was stand back and watch, as much as he hated that, and make sure that Mokuba didn't have to worry about anything. If he had to work more in order for that to happen, then so be it.

Of course, he still took some time for himself. Like tomorrow.

Seto smiled. Tomorrow...

~SECTION BREAK~

Saturday morning, Seto woke up to a simple text from Yami:

El has details. Ask her. ;)

Seto smiled; he hadn't talked to the bartender in a while. It would be nice to see her again.

Half an hour later, Seto was walking though the double swinging doors of the bar where he and Yami had first gotten together. He took a step forward, but had to stop unless he wanted a face full of glass. A shot glass came whizzing by his face, and crashed on the wall opposite the way it'd came. He winced at the shattering sound.

"Listen you sons of bitches! This is what happens to you when you come into my bar, and decide to start a goddamned fight. Now get to cleaning and then get out before I get really pissed and really start throwing shit!"

Seto blinked. His eyes glided over the scene in front of him. Two rather burly men were crumpled in a heap on top of what Seto imagined used to be a table and was now a pile of splintered wood. The shook their heads, mumbling to themselves in slurred voices, and started to pick up the things they'd apparently broken.

"There ya go. Now, see? Isn't that painful. When you're done, leave. I don't want to see your ugly mugs again, got that?"

More grumbling.

Seto scoffed to himself. That's how El runs a bar. He took another step forward, and felt something short and fast bump into him. He looked down to see a familiar face looking up at him apologetically. "Oh. Hey, Lia," he said.

The small bar hand clutched her spiral notebook closer to her chest. Her dark green eyes glowed from behind a curtain of rich brunette hair. "Hey Seto," she replied with a smile. "Haven't seen you around for a while."

Lia was one of El's closest friends and a complete klutz. She was extremely shy, spoke quietly but often around her friends, and was one of the kindest people Seto knew. A stark contrast to her friend who owned the bar she roomed in.

"Sorry about the mess," Lia mutterd as she glanced over at the two who were still cleaning. "You know how El is about fights."

Seto smiled. "Only she's allowed to start them."

Lia giggled. "Yep. You're probably gonna want to see her. She's right back here..." Motioning with her head, Lia shuffled behind the counter and into a back room with Seto right on her heels.

"She usually goes back here to cool off after something like this happens," Lia informed him as she stood in front of a large wooden door. She knocked on it quietly. "Hey, El?"

"What the hell do you want?" El's alto voice boomed from within the room.

Lia winced. "Uhm, someone's here to—"

"Tell 'em to come back later!"

"Oh... okay."

Lia backed away from the door and frowned, turning to a shocked Seto. "Is she...?"

"She'll be fine," Lia replied. "Don't worry. She gets like this sometimes. For now, just feel free to wander around for a bit. I know how to make a few drinks, so I can get you something if you'd like..."

"No, I'll be fine, thanks."

"Alright. I'll come and get you when she's calm enough to see you."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Lia shuffled off to make drinks for the impatient drunks waiting at the bar, and Seto took a seat at one of the tables in the corner of the bar, away from everyone else. He took out his phone and sent a short text to Yami.

Gonna be late. El's in a bad mood, not taking visitors.

He soon got a reply...

You know how she can get. Don't worry, I'll be sure to make it worth your wait ;)

Seto felt his face start to burn. Since he had nothing to say to that, he slipped the phone back into his pocket and made the mistake of looking up.

"Well, look at you. Not feeling social, ah?"

Seto blinked. "Uhm... who are you?"

The girl smiled, resting her elbows on the table and resting her chest on it. "My name? I don't talk about stuff like that at work. But you, mister, you can call me Kinky Kitty Kat."

Seto blinked again. Oh, great, he thought. I've gotten some goddamn stripper's attention.

The girl twirled a strand of dark brown hair with red streaks in it, her skin the color of mahogany, and her clothes – or lack thereof – were promiscuous at best. Her top was a strip of purple fur that just barely covered her abundant chest, and her shorts were purple jeans with a tail sticking out, and Seto wouldn't even begin to consider them "shorts." Shorts were much longer than that. The different shades of lavender in her tail were repeated in two little cat ears poking out the crown of her head.

Her smile widened as he examined her. "Like what you see, baby?" she purred.

Seto scowled. "Not particularly."

That determined smile melted into a playful pout that Seto didn't like the looks of at all. "Aw, I'm sure you don't mean that. Everyone likes what they see. Maybe you just need to get a better view..."

Before Seto could realize what was happening, the stripper had made her way around the table and was perching herself on Seto's lap. She looped her arms around the back of his neck and cocked her head to the side, causing the bell on the collar around her neck to ring slightly. "What about now?"

With a sigh, Seto tried pushing her off. When that didn't work, he tried a more direct approach. "Look, I know this is your job and all, but I'm really not interested, so if you could just—"

His words were cut off by laughter. "Oh, honey, this ain't my job. It's my career. Now that you know something about me... why don't you share something about yourself? Like, why you're dressed nicely in a little grunge place like this..."

Seto was starting to get annoyed. This girl was obviously not going to leave on her own, and being semi-polite wasn't working. He would have to try a more direct approach.

Abruptly, Seto stood from his seat. She obviously did not see that coming, and fell to the floor. She landed hard, but looked none the worse for wear. When she stood, Seto grabbed her wrist and glared harshly into her wide, brown eyes.

"What part of 'I'm not interested' is so hard for you to understand? When I say I'm not interested, then I'm not interested."

She stared at him, making no move to leave. More than frustrated, Seto let go of her arm and growled. That surprised them both.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" he said, his voice becoming louder and louder as he became more irritated. "Fine, I guess I do. I. Am. Gay."

Her eyes widened at that. Her hands hung at her side limply, and she looked at him.

"Oh! Uh, sorry to interrupt here..."

Seto's head snapped to the side to see Lia standing there, hunched and avoiding eye contact. "I'm not interrupting, am I?"

Seto resisted the urge to hug her out of sheer gratitude. "No, you came at the perfect time."

Lia smiled, looking over at the girl. "Kat, you do know Seto's gay, right?"

The girl, Kat, sniffed indignantly. "Well, I do now!" she replied. Her eyes drifted back over to Seto, and her face reddened and faced the floor. "Yeah, uhm—"

Seto waved away any apology she had ready for him. She nodded, and turned to walk away. As an afterthought, she looked back over her shoulder and blew a kiss toward Lia with a wink before sashaying out of sight.

When Seto looked back, he saw a heat rising in Lia's face. "What was that about?" he asked, knowing it wasn't his business but nosy regardless.

Lia just shook her head. "She's a stripper" was all the reply she offered. "C'mon, El's calmed down and wants to see you."

She turned on her heels and headed toward the back again without giving Seto a chance to reply. She seemed flustered, but Seto just shrugged it off. If she didn't want to talk about it, then that was her deal. For now, he had business with El. He followed after the small brunette, his mind finally returning back to why he was here in the first place.

Me: Okay, I'm sorry that there wasn't any Prideshipping in this chapter. Don't hate me! I promise that, if you're patient, I'll make sure to throw in a bit extra for you next time... ;D

Yami: Patience is a virtue you must learn to cherish.

Me: Hey, don't going stealing my friends' sayings!

Yami: :D

Me: Hehe, can't stay mad at Uke Yami. XD

Seto: You know the drill people; review.

Me: AND ALSO. You guys should check out my other fanfic, Love is our Resistance. I promise it's really good! It's not nearly as popular as this one is, which makes me sad... I know it takes place in the Witch & Wizard world, but don't let that scare you off! Pwease go check it out! *puppy dog face*

Yami: *puppy dog face*

Seto: ... *no puppy dog face* Just go read it already.

Me: PWEEEASEY? :333333333 If you do, I'll write another fanfiction! Maybe Puzzleshipping... what do you guys think? Open to suggestions! I'll be more likely to take suggestions if my other fic becomes more popular. That sound fair?

Yami: Yes!

Seto: I guess so.

Me: IT IS DECIDED. When my other fic starts to pick up, I'll start taking suggestions! So, what are you waiting for?! Review here, then go check it out. I COMMAND YOU. (please? XDD)