"Skating with Kaiba-kun?" Yuugi's confused voice sounded over Atem's cell phone.
He winced. "I know, I know it sounds ridiculous. I'm probably not even going-"
"No! I think it's great!" He sounded really happy. "I want you to skate. I want you to be happy. I think it's a good idea." Despite their rivalry and how much potential hate the two had between them, of course. Yuugi never saw Atem make that many friends, he never hung out with a lot of people. Kaiba and Atem might have gotten along well together, given the chance. He didn't feel it as being replaced; he knew Atem would never do that to him. So he tried to calm Atem's mind and make sure his oldest friend and partner knew he felt only the best about this.
Eventually Atem eased, Yuugi convincing him somewhat. At least about the fact that he wasn't angry or sad. No one could convince him this was a good idea. He didn't even know why he was doing it. Pride alone, perhaps. Kaiba had challenged him. How could he back down?
"Hurry up or be left behind." Kaiba called from the terminal gate.
Atem sighed. "I have to go. I'll call you when we touch down."
"Alright! I'll talk to you then! Love you!"
A small smile broke out on his lips. "Love you too, Yuugi."
His phone was placed back in his pocket, tickets flashed as he followed Kaiba through the gate and down the walkway. He'd had to get new tickets thanks to his staying behind to clear his head. But he would have had to anyway. Getting ones that matched Kaiba's flight was just strategic planning. They had to spend a lot of time together now. He'd just have to get used to it.
It was no surprise Kaiba flew first class only, though Atem could have sworn the brunet was grumbling something about wanting to fly on his own. Atem wasn't aware that Kaiba had a pilot's license, but maybe he'd misheard. His bag was already checked and he had no carry on, so once he got into the first class seating (where it seemed like only he and Kaiba were sitting) he took a seat by the window and sighed. His phone was checked one last time before he turned it off. Kaiba sat across from him, pulling his laptop open.
"They're going to tell you to turn that off." Atem warned.
"No they won't." Kaiba dismissed.
The usual talk about the plane and all its safety features went over pretty quickly, Atem zoning most of it out. He'd been on so many planes now that he could rehearse the speech to himself in his sleep. It was all boring to him now. And he had a lot more on his mind than what would happen if the plane went down. Maybe it would be a blessing in disguise. Then at least he wouldn't have to keep his word about skating with Kaiba.
"We're going to have a strict schedule." Kaiba spoke up again only five minutes after they were in the air. His typing had been zoned out too, but he'd been doing it since he'd sat down.
Atem looked over at him. "I know how it works. Don't talk to me like this is my first championship."
"You don't know how it works with me, and you will need to. We will need to work together."
Kaiba's remarks of the obvious were annoying. How much of this would he have to put up with? A year's worth apparently. Backing out looked like a sweeter option by the second. He grit his teeth, swallowing his anger for now. "So what's the schedule?"
"First we will need to find a song, then we will rough draft a routine. Then we will be on the ice every single day from sun-up to sun-down. There will be times allotted for breakfast, lunch, dinner and sleep. Nothing else is to disturb us."
"You can't just-"
"We do not work well together, yet. It will take us at least half the year to get used to each other. While the both of us are good at what we do, we might not be that way together. We need to work hard to make this go right." Kaiba finished, closing his laptop, staring at Atem calmly.
It was all business, it seemed. Ice skating was about heart and passion. But Kaiba had a point nonetheless. They disliked each other. And their dynamics couldn't be more different. It really would be a challenge to make it all flow seamlessly. But it was a challenge Atem suddenly found himself up to. If Kaiba could do it, so could he. So, giving him a serious look, he nodded. "Fine."
Now Kaiba smirked, just a little. "Good. You will call your friends once we land and let them know that for the next year, you are mine. They are not to bother you, come near you, or distract you in any way. You will stay with my brother and I at the mansion. Is that clear?"
"Listen, you can't just take my life and make it how you want it to be. I'm agreeing to work with you, but I'll do it on my own terms."
Seto's fingers knit together as he leaned a little. "What I am proposing will only make it easier for you. I have my own private rink. That is where we will be skating. It will take less effort for you to wake up and go into the back yard than for you to wake up an hour early and drive to the mansion. Don't argue with me about this."
"But my personal freedoms-"
"What do you want, Atem? To win the gold or to disappoint the friends you'll be leaving for the year?" What kind of game was Atem playing? Did he really not understand how serious this all was? It made Kaiba taste utter disgust in his mouth. How could he be so dense? "If they care enough, they'll understand." Kaiba never had to deal with petty nuisances like that and he was very glad for it. Mokuba was always at his side, but when he wasn't, his younger brother understood why that had to be.
He strayed, eyes looking out the window. Why did Kaiba have to be a jerk and right? It stung. How many more times was he going to have to swallow his pride in order to compete with it? "I'm not promising to give up everything to you." Atem said finally, looking back at Kaiba calmly. "But I am promising I will do my best and I will follow your silly schedule. Don't you worry about how I get it done, just that I will."
Kaiba rolled his eyes, looking away, but nodding anyway. "Accepted."
The rest of their flight was filled with amicable silence. Neither of them had anything to talk about, neither of them wanted to talk, and that was fine with the both of them. Atem stared out the window for the rest of the trip before resting lightly against it, eyes heavy. Finally he let them come to a close, dozing lightly. Kaiba only looked up once when he recognized Atem's breathing growing heavier, peering over the top of his computer. The sight of Atem sleeping didn't really do much for him. Though the slipping of the neck of his sweater, exposing those bruises along his neck did get Seto to smirk a little.
Other than that, he took Atem's sleeping as a good thing. It was less interruption the shorter could impose upon him as he worked. He had to make sure the company was doing well. After that was over he started refining the schedule he was setting out for the two of them. It was a few days less than a year towards the Olympics. Less time they had, but he would work Atem hard until they got something perfect. They would win the gold together and then next year be opponents again. Kaiba would beat him then.
But for now, this was the most important thing. He would not let this fail.