Kaiba carefully checked his makeup in the car visor's mirror before snapping it back up and leaning back into his seat, sighing.
He had been extra careful with all the details in his outfit, knowing that Yami was going to be scrutinizing him.
Slowly climbing out of the car, he nudged the door shut.
Taking a deep breath and glancing down at his outfit, Kaiba thought he looked too dressed down.
It was fine. If he kept showing up with outfits that looked too polished, he knew Yami would start getting suspicious.
If he wanted to appear "normal", he needed to have a casual-outfit day.
He pressed the keys to his car and heard it lock with a loud blip, and he set off down the sidewalk, feeling oddly like himself, even though he was wearing a full face of makeup and hair extensions.
Yami was sitting on a bench in the park with his camera slung on his shoulder and phone in hand.
Nervous, he tapped his foot on the ground, feeling oddly pent up.
His mind was filled with thoughts of kissing her, but for some annoying reason, he couldn't shake the feeling of Kaiba's lips on his own, so Yami figured that all he had to do was kiss Kumi, and the feeling would go away soon.
He saw a tall figure walk through the park's main gates, and he leapt eagerly to his feet, waving at her.
She waved back shyly, and a calm wave of relief washed over him.
Good, she didn't look like she was still angry with him.
Yami stared at her approaching silhouette and realized she wasn't wearing her usual pressed, stylish clothes, but something casual today!
From what he could see, it was a pair of form-fitting athletic pants, and a matching jacket with a fluffy hood lined with down. Her coat was unzipped, and the front ends of it hung past her thighs, and Yami blinked rapidly, suddenly seeing an image of Seto Kaiba's silhouette of his flowing trench coat overlaid with her jacket.
He mentally slapped himself.
She was wearing a long jacket.
That didn't make her Seto Kaiba.
Yes, they were both tall…and…attractive, but Kumi was definitely prettier.
Yami blinked and waved again for lack of something to do, seeing her hurry towards him with long strides.
She wasn't wearing heels today either!
Kaiba felt very comfortable in his own skin. He finally reached the bench where Yami was, and he risked a smile, brushing a stray strand of hair out of his face.
Almost as if the wind was retaliating spitefully, the strand of hair was whipped back across his lips and it caught on his lipstick.
Cursing internally, Kaiba tucked it behind his ear and willed himself to keep it together. The one fucking annoying thing about this hair was that he found himself constantly eating it.
Yami noticed this and laughed heartily. "Have you ever considered a short hairstyle, Kumi-san? You have a good face for it!"
Kaiba narrowed his eyes at Yami and shook his head tightly.
Was this guy being fucking serious?
The shorter his hair, the more recognizable he would be!
Yami wasn't finished giving his opinion. "I think a bobbed style would look good on you. Or maybe even a pixie cut? You'd look like a cute tomboy."
Kaiba tucked his tongue in his cheek and smiled sweetly.
Yep. Totally.
A tomboy.
Or maybe, just, a boy.
The wind gave his hair another rough tussle, and Kaiba lost his patience.
He sat down on the bench and swept his hair forwards, wrestling it into a braid.
Goddamn this wind.
He had spent an hour straightening and fixing this hair when he should've braided it from the start.
Another lesson learned.
"Wait! Don't do it so quickly," Yami said excitedly, shrugging his camera off his shoulder and holding it tentatively up to his face. "May I?"
Kaiba paused for a moment before nodding stiffly, gently pulling the sections of hair slowly through his fingers while the shutter clicked softly in front of him.
Weird. This was too fucking weird.
He didn't feel as if he was sitting under a magnifying glass, but Yami had gone completely silent and was no longer talking, or even looking at him.
Instead, Yami would click the shutter, and then pull the camera away from his face to glance down at it before holding it up again.
After a few moments, Kaiba finished the braid and reached for an elastic tie in his purse, and Yami spoke up, "Do you have another hairstyle you like to wear? Maybe another braided style?"
Kaiba raised his head up to gaze witheringly up at Yami.
Oh fuck, was Yami expecting him to do other braided styles? Right, of course.
"A wholesome fashion, love, and hairstyle magazine" was what his secretary had said.
"…No?" Yami said, lowering his camera and sounding slightly disappointed. "You enjoy simple hairstyles?"
Somehow Yami doubted that, but he filed that preference away for later in case the editing team came nosing around him for information about Kumi.
Well give me a fucking second, Kaiba growled, slipping his phone out of his purse and quickly searching up images and techniques on how to differently braid hair.
Yami sat down beside her and watched her scroll through her phone silently, looking at images of hair.
Odd. Was she looking for inspiration?
"Can I help you with anything?" Yami asked nervously, his palms sweating on the grip of his camera, and he lowered his gaze.
Unable to help himself, he stared at her breasts.
They were small and perky.
Her shirt had a thin strip of mesh around the collar and he could see a black bra strap peeking tastefully out from underneath it.
Ah…damn, Yami thought darkly, turning his head away quickly, his cheeks reddening.
Kaiba noticed this and tapped away from the images of hair, hastily typing out a message for Yami to read.
"Close your mouth when you gape. Stare all you want, but touch with your eyes only (smile)"
Yami turned his head away quickly, blushing with embarrassment. "I didn't…I wasn't…." His voice trailed off uncharacteristically, and Kaiba bit back a laugh.
Kaiba kept the phone balanced on his lap while he followed a guide on how to plait a reverse fishtail braid, and felt Yami shift nervously beside him.
"Your nails are pretty today too," Yami commented, eying the neat black and white checkered pattern. He slowly raised his camera. "I'm going to photograph you doing your braid…okay?"
She ignored him, and Yami's anxiety rose.
"Kumi-san," Yami said quietly, his finger itching on the shutter button. "I need you to say 'yes'. I can't work with you if you don't want to have your picture taken."
Kaiba sniffed and rolled his eyes. This was just work to Yami. Being reminded of that was irritating, so he left the braid undone and snatched his phone up, quickly writing:
"where are my flowers?! I thought you promised me flowers and an apology?"
Yami blinked and began to sweat, slightly taken aback by her sudden forwardness.
"I'm sorry…" Yami said slowly, fixating his gaze on her phone case which was surprisingly plain today. "I'm planning on giving you flowers and an apology properly. Could you wait for me to gather my thoughts?"
No, Kaiba thought angrily, typing his answer out quickly.
"Are you kidding me? It's been a week! And you wonder why I don't wanna come out to meet you.
You promise, and then underdeliver. (anger emoji)
I changed my mind. I don't want you as a boyfriend anymore.
Put the camera away, I'm leaving."
"Boyfriend?!" Yami said incredulously, a little too loudly, and Kaiba winced, snatching his phone out of Yami's hands. "Kumi-san…you don't mean that, do you?"
I just fucking said it, didn't I? Kaiba growled to himself, grinding his teeth and letting his anger show on his face.
He tossed the messy half-done braid over his shoulder and pulled his purse onto his lap, showing Yami the two Duel Monster charms he had hung on the zipper pulls.
"Oh!" Yami exclaimed, gazing at the Kuriboh charm, feeling oddly touched. "You did that? Let me take a photo!" and the camera hid his face once more.
Annoyed, Kaiba jerked the purse out of Yami's view and crossed his legs tightly.
These meetings were getting…too serious. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it seemed that Yami's original interest in him was waning.
Now, it just felt like he was being treated like an interesting subject to photograph.
He wanted Yami to blush and act horny in front of him.
That was what made this fun. For some reason, Yami seemed more composed now, and was all business when a camera was in his hand.
"What's bothering you?" Yami asked curiously, watching her face darken suddenly and she turned away, shaking out her braid angrily. "No…no wait, don't do that! We weren't finished!"
Sighing, Yami leaned back against the bench, understanding that Kumi had a mind of her own and was going to be a difficult person to work with if her demands weren't met first.
Very similar to someone I know. Yami glowered, keeping his anger in check and carefully placing the cap on the camera lens.
"Fine, we'll do what you want first," Yami said encouragingly, and Kaiba felt his eyelid twitch.
The thing he wanted to do first was kiss, so he reached out to cup Yami's face in his hands, and he dipped forward quickly to press his lips tightly against Yami's slightly parted ones, and felt Yami stiffen and gasp.
Yami blinked rapidly, his stomach swooping with a mixture of happiness and confusion. Oh, she wanted to kiss? Well, it was good thing he had learned a new trick last week…but her tongue was pressing tightly against the front of his teeth and it was causing him to panic.
Kaiba felt Yami jerk back violently and press the back of his hand to his mouth, his angular violet eyes wide with shock.
"I-I don't want to mess up your makeup," Yami said in a rush, and he saw her expression darken.
Kaiba ground his teeth, his lips burning at the sudden loss of contact, and he felt himself grow aroused. Yami was always so damn feisty, it gave him the impression that he'd be fun to push down….
"How about this…" Yami set his camera down in his lap and reached for her hands, taking them in his and giving them a warm squeeze, feeling his heart ache strangely. "Let's work together. We can go on a proper date after I take your photos for this week."
Kaiba yanked his hands out of Yami's grasp and swung his purse over his shoulder, intent on leaving. Never fucking mind. This wasn't fun anymore.
"Or…how about we go on a date first," Yami said desperately, his eyes following her slender legs as she rose to her feet and gave him a defiant look over her shoulder.
"I'll take you on a nice date today, and in return, you let me photograph you," Yami rushed after her and spoke with confidence. "This way we can get to know each other better."
Kaiba narrowed his eyes at Yami, wondering if this was worth staying for.
"Look, I already tried asking you out many times before," Yami said cleverly, his tongue twisting with a lie. "This is the place where we first met! This place is significant to me, which is why I want to take photos of you here."
Would it work?
Kaiba tensed and realized he was being played, but he complied begrudgingly and sat back down on the bench.
Yami sighed with relief and eased himself down beside her, watching her place her phone in her lap and sweep her hair to the front again to resume braiding it.
Kaiba mindlessly followed the hair chart's instructions, his blood boiling.
He hadn't planned for the situation to pan out this way. It was turning out to be a two-way street instead of the usual one-way street he was accustomed to.
He wanted Yami to act like a fool on a date, but Yami wanted photos of his hands, and so it had become bargaining dates, for photos.
What have I become? Kaiba thought mirthlessly to himself, hearing Yami ask him to slow down again, but he ignored him.
The faster he finished this shit, the faster he could embarrass Yami, and then use the information to embarrass him further when they met again when he was dressed as himself.
Yami lowered the camera and watched in awe as she followed the hair tutorial quickly and with accuracy. Was this a style she did often? It was a pretty braid….
Kaiba held the tip of his hair down and gave Yami an appraising look. Done. Photograph this now.
As if reading his mind, Yami raised the camera and clicked the shutter several times before lowering it with an admiring smile.
"Wow, Kumi-san, you're really well-versed in complicated braids," Yami commented, and Kaiba rolled his eyes. It was just following pictures on how to section hair, and then how to weave it all together.
Was this supposed to be hard?
"Put your purse on your lap," Yami said gently, raising his camera again. "Then lean down over it and let your hair fall beside it. Don't worry, I won't get your face."
Kaiba bit back a sigh and complied, leaning forward over his purse and turning his head to the side, feeling the braid coming undone the more he moved, but Yami didn't seem to mind.
"I'm sorry to ask you this but…" Yami's voice trailed off as he glanced down at his camera and went silent.
What?! What?! Just fucking say it! Kaiba thought angrily, hating how soft-spoken Yami became when he was embarrassed. He was more accustomed to the shouty, angry Yami on the dueling arena.
"Do you have another purse that isn't this…expensive?" Yami asked, realizing he didn't have a good way of saying it. "I know you like your high-end brands, but we need to appear relatable."
When the fuck have I ever been a relatable person?! Kaiba raged privately, and he shook his head tightly, watching Yami gaze longingly into his face before looking away quickly.
"Let's get you a purse that suits your style, but doesn't have a brand logo on it," Yami said decidedly, rising to his feet and offering her his hand. "You can hate it if you want. I'll buy it for you."
Why? Kaiba thought wildly, and he shook his head stubbornly. Fuck no.
"I'm…taking you on a shopping date," Yami said carefully, understanding that he had to be sly and clever with his words to get her to cooperate. "And if I can speak bluntly, Kumi-san, we can't feature any big-name brands in our magazine without their consent."
Oh, Kaiba thought darkly, standing slowly and turning away from Yami to walk down the park path without him.
He was beginning to understand now.
Since it was a wholesome magazine for young girls, everything in it needed to be tasteful and affordable, easy to replicate, but at first glance would look nice.
"Wait…wait up!" Yami panted, half-jogging to keep up with her impossibly long strides, and his heart sank when she continued to ignore him.
Like my secretary's shoes, Kaiba mused, recalling how he had felt when he saw the price tag of the shoes compared to when he had seen them on her feet.
He needed to find accessories that gave off that type of effect.
Back to the shopping center…again, Kaiba growled to himself, feeling Yami stick closely at his side after having caught up, his cheeks tinted a wonderful pink.
"Kumi-san…" Yami said, gazing adoringly up at her, and Kaiba felt his stomach turn. "I like that you're not wearing heels today. May I ask how tall you are without them?"
Kaiba paused in his step and gave Yami a meaningful look before slipping his phone out and typing out his answer.
Yami accepted the phone from her with both hands and stared at the number on the screen.
186 cm.
That was…impossibly tall! Actually, wasn't that about Kaiba's height?
"A-Amazing," Yami said, and his voice shook. Her phone case had also changed from the flashy crystals, to a thin, utilitarian silver border with a steel metal backing.
"This is a nice case too," Yami commented, intent on conveying to her that he appreciated this case a lot more than the glittery one. "Where did you get it?"
Kaiba froze, reaching to grab it from Yami's hand, but was too late.
Yami flipped the phone over in his hand and stared blankly at the tiny pattern of KC logos engraved along the back.
Oh.
A Kaiba Corporation phone case?
He had thought it was another high-end brand given the pattern, but at closer look, it had been tastefully done!
…Kaiba made phone cases?!
Kaiba snatched his phone back and eyed Yami cautiously, noting that his eyes were wide with shock. Ah, shit.
"I didn't know Kaiba made phone cases!" Yami said nervously, his hands heating up strangely. "That's a really pretty one. Where did you get it?"
Myself, Kaiba thought arrogantly, knowing that many companies had tried to use his logo to sell phone cases, but he had successfully sent them cease and desist letters and was now working on his own design.
He continued walking, and Yami circled around him breathlessly, walking backwards in front of him, looking excited.
"No, really, I want one," Yami insisted, almost running into a passerby walking the other way. "Did you get it online? Is it sturdy? Can we take a photo of it? A sponsorship with Kaiba Corporation would do us good! I'm sure if I asked, he would agree."
So if it's not using me for photos, it's using me for promotional gain, Kaiba thought mildly, feeling slightly flattered.
It was a nice reminder that Yami was really nothing without him.
They approached a busy crossing and Kaiba felt a warm hand on his arm. It took all of his effort not to react and to keep ignoring Yami.
"I'm not close friends with Kaiba," Yami mused aloud, and Kaiba tensed upon hearing this. "Sometimes we're not even on speaking terms."
Right. They weren't close friends. In fact, they weren't anything….
The crossing light turned green and Kaiba let Yami lead him across the street by the hand. His heart fluttered every time Yami's fingers gave his hand a warm squeeze.
This was …nice?
Feeling conflicted, Kaiba slowed his pace and glanced down at their hands, his stomach churning with emotion, wondering if he would feel differently about this if he was dressed as himself.
But he was already dressed down in the most comfortable outfit yet, and he felt very much like himself today.
Yami enjoyed the way Kumi was obediently following him without jerking her hand away. He felt light as a feather, almost as if he was walking on air.
They entered the shopping complex at the ground floor and Kaiba did his best to keep the distaste from showing on his face when they passed by store after store displaying mannequins wearing pink pastel clothes.
To his relief, Yami seemed to be ignoring those stores. What's more, he seemed to be moving about the complex with ease, almost as if he had been here…many times before, probably with other girls.
Kaiba grit his teeth and felt an alien surge of rage bubble low in his chest. He swallowed it forcefully, aiming to keep his expression pleasant when he caught several admiring looks from other women walking by.
A woman on the arm of her boyfriend stared straight at him for a full second before looking away, her ears red.
Mildly pleased with the attention, Kaiba made sure to keep up with Yami's steady pace, and before long, he found himself standing in front of a store with sleek, sophisticated handbags in the windows.
So he does have taste, Kaiba thought, satisfied.
Yami pulled him into the store and they were bowed in by the sales lady, whose cheeks reddened noticeably after they brushed past her.
Yami let go of Kumi's hand and circled the main display, eyeing the delicate potted plants arranged artistically beside a white leather handbag with a red strap.
This struck him as a bag Kumi would carry…what did she think?
Kaiba wasn't paying attention to where Yami had went. He had fixated on the sister bag–black leather with a red strap, and he felt the saleswoman approach him from behind, giggling softly.
"You have nice taste…" she said blithely before whispering, "…for a man."
Kaiba shoved his hand into his pocket and curled it into a fist, his blood running cold while his heart raced painfully in his chest.
He turned around slowly, willing his face to remain impassive, expecting to see the saleswoman, but instead, it was a very beautiful girl with light brown hair, and large almond eyes.
She was nose-to-nose with him in terms of height, and Kaiba bit the tip of his tongue lightly, wondering why the cold pit of dread kept getting heavier and heavier in his stomach.
She looked very familiar.
Why did she look familiar?
She raised her eyebrows at him and tilted her head to the side, waving a hand across her nose as if something reeked beneath them. "Don't worry, I'm only—oh, Atem!"
Her expression changed instantly, and she darted forward to grab Yami's hands in both of hers, and Kaiba stared at the tips of her pink nails with sinking horror and realization…that this was one of Yami's ex-models.
"Oh," she said, straightening up taller and glancing quickly between the Yami and the man dressed as a woman behind her. "…Atem…is this your newest venture?"
"Miyo-chan!" Yami blinked, very taken aback by her sudden friendliness, and his ears burned strangely at the way she had addressed Kumi…as his "newest venture".
Kaiba's panic rose quickly when he realized she could say anything, and it would give him away instantly.
"How are you doing these days? Are they treating you well?" Yami asked anxiously, acutely aware of Kumi's rage. He could practically feel the hatred emanating from her.
"Yes!" She cried happily, giving her hair a playful twirl, throwing Kaiba glance behind her shoulder before she turned back to answer Yami. "I'm working hard, and it's all thanks to you! Are you watching all my commercials?!"
Commercials? Kaiba reeled privately, wondering if he could slowly back out of the store and make a run for it.
Which would be more humiliating: disappearing before this woman exposed him, or standing there while she openly told Yami about it?
"I've seen them on TV so often, I can recite it by heart," Yami replied earnestly, and Kaiba felt his stomach curl at the way she covered her mouth to laugh demurely.
He watched her press a hand to her face and smile brightly, causing his stomach to churn even more when he recognized this pose.
"Drink, Happy Limon!" she exclaimed in English with robotic precision, and Kaiba felt his intestines curl even more violently when he saw Yami beaming proudly at this performance.
She was 'the sparkling water girl'.
The fucking sparkling water girl; darling of the media.
Of course, that was why she looked familiar.
Her face was on a large billboard a few blocks away from his skyscraper, blocking his fucking view of the sunset every day.
This woman was vile.
Lost in his own thoughts, Kaiba missed what she had said to Yami.
Yami was talking animatedly, his cheeks flushed with excitement, "…she's shy, and refuses to sign with me. Maybe you can convince her? She reminds me a lot of you!"
Kaiba was unable to move, rooted to the spot with horror as he watched her throw her head back and let out an incredulous laugh, looking deeply offended.
"Oh, Atem, I don't know about our similarities, but I think I might be able to help you out somehow. After all, you've been nothing but a huge help to me…"
Two-faced, money-hungry, blood-sucking… Kaiba turned the corners of his mouth upwards into a smile while he rained insults at her in his mind.
"Would you, please? That would make things so much easier for me," Yami said, looking deeply relieved, and Kaiba tensed, wondering what was happening.
"You're already welcome, Atem," she said warmly, and she turned around to face Kumi, smiling sweetly at him with venom in her eyes as she slinked her arm through his elbow. "Come with me…Kumi-san."
Gladly, Kaiba seethed, letting her steer him out of the store and towards the escalators.
Her grip on his arm was vice-like as they traveled down the escalators with the crowd, and it was causing his arm to grow numb.
Kaiba felt her lean in close by his ear, whispering, "We'll step outside…of the building. Don't fight me, or I'll scream."
Kaiba tucked his tongue between his teeth and bit down lightly in attempt to keep himself from cursing at her.
They walked to the front doors casually, side-by-side, her hip occasionally bumping into his, and Kaiba felt his cheeks burn with fury and humiliation.
"This way…" she sang lightly, pushing the door open for them and leading them down the street.
It was getting dark, and the cool night air stung Kaiba's cheeks terribly with every step they took farther away from the glittering shopping complex.
The crossed one more city block before her demeanor changed completely, and she pulled him aside into a tiny restaurant alley.
The clamor and noise from the kitchen echoed harshly in the tiny space around them.
"Here is fine," she said coldly, releasing his arm and folding her arms across her chest, giving him a full appraising look from head to toe, her almond eyes narrowed into threatening slits.
"What are you doing?" she asked, tapping her foot impatiently. "Well? I don't have all day. I'm standing in a garbage-filled street, doing Atem a favor. Speak."
Kaiba clenched his teeth tightly and willed himself to remain silent. If there was one thing he had left, it wasn't his dignity…it was his identity as Seto Kaiba, and speaking would instantly give him away.
"Right. Don't speak then," she said poisonously, smiling thinly and flashing her impossibly white teeth at him. "I know your trick. You didn't even bother to conceal yourself here," she pointed at her own, slender neck with a manicured finger and Kaiba felt his stomach drop violently to his feet.
"Do everyone a favor, and stop wasting his time," she said, her eyes darting up and down his face, picking his appearance apart piece by piece. "Look at you, you still look like a man underneath all that makeup."
Very close to snapping, Kaiba let his gaze wander to the left, fixating on the empty street beside them, and he heard her hiss at him, sounding very hostile.
"Hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you," she said coldly. "Do you think this is funny? Or a game? Or are you trying to prove something to yourself? Either way…"
She took a threatening step closer towards him, "…if I see your face on any magazine, I won't hesitate to let everyone know…that you are a man."
Don't fucking care, Kaiba thought furiously, and he gave her a contemptuous look.
"No? Don't care?" she said, reading his expression accurately.
There was a long pause before her face darkened even further. "I see. You're doing this for your own ego, because you take great pleasure in fooling Atem. That's why you don't want to sign with him."
Shit, she figured me out, Kaiba thought dryly, wondering if it would be considered harassment if he gave her a rough shove so he could escape this conversation.
"If you won't tell him, I will." She said loftily, throwing her hair over her shoulder and giving him a hateful glare. "Atem works hard. The least you could do is tell him the truth."
No. Kaiba raged, holding up his hand and giving her a solid middle finger.
She ignored him, pressing on relentlessly, "Were you born a man? Are those real?"
Kaiba blinked and realized she was talking about his breasts. Well no, of course not.
"You're going to tell him the second we get back," she insisted, and Kaiba saw her tense angrily. "Honestly, are you mute, or are you refusing to talk?"
Sliding his phone slowly out of his purse, Kaiba typed out a message for her to read and held it out for her to see.
"I am quite proud of the man I am underneath. Fuck off. You don't understand my business with ATEM."
"How disgusting," she said plainly, taking a step back and raking her gaze up and down his body once more. "So you're doing this because it's a fetish, not because you want to be a woman."
Wrong, Kaiba replied savagely in his head, and he began writing another message, but his phone was snatched out of his hands and thrown down on the ground, and he heard it hit the cement with a sickening crack.
"Men like you…disgust me," she hissed, deliberately stepping on his phone further, almost feeling it slip beneath her heel. "Get lost."
Kaiba bit the inside of his lip and finally snapped. He lunged forward to give her a shove, but her hands came for his hair and tugged painfully while she jeered, "Oh my god, you're really going to fight me right now! This is hilarious!"
His eyes watering, Kaiba forced himself to freeze, realizing if she yanked any harder, she would take a chunk of his real hair with the extensions attached. A bald spot at the back of his head would be hard to explain.
"Oh…pathetic…" she cooed, her hand tightening even further.
Kaiba brought his hands up to dig his nails into the backs of her hand. He could practically hear his hair ripping out slowly by the roots while she taunted him. "Speak, you ugly bitch!"
Kaiba bit the inside of his cheek, determined not to speak. Her knee came for his groin and knocked the wind out of him, sending a violent jolt of pain up and down his legs and stomach, causing his vision to turn green.
Gasping for breath, his knees weakened instantly when she gave him a vicious shove against the wall, finally letting go of his hair and stepping back swiftly out of his reach.
"You'll always be a man underneath," she said nastily, walking out of the alleyway quickly, her voice fading. "Don't come near Atem again. He'll no longer be interested once he finds out."
The sound of her heels against the cement faded, and Kaiba slid lower against the wall, his groin still throbbing, his eyes burning with a terrible pressure as he stared intently at his silver phone lying face down on the ground before him.
He had never been so humiliated before in his life.
Publicly losing to Yami repeatedly was nothing compared to how he felt right now.
Was she insulting him because he was a man, or was she offended because he still looked like a man underneath all the makeup?
Shoving the thought out of his mind, Kaiba composed himself slowly, deciding to feel confused later, and letting a more familiar emotion, anger, help him to his feet.
"Oh, a girl…." A man's voice sounding surprised echoed down the alleyway, and Kaiba tensed.
He staggered against the wall, his legs still weak, and he cursed internally.
"Hey…are you okay?" the man called, sounding a bit far away, and Kaiba took slow, even breaths, willing himself to keep it together.
Another leery old man.
Fuck off. Fuck. Off.
Why was the world working against him today?
Maybe it was just one of those days, and he briefly wondered what he looked like to this man.
Probably a huge mess…with disheveled hair, crumpled clothing, purse on the ground with its contents spilling out, and his phone, face down in a shallow puddle of filth.
"Uh…um…Miss?"
Kaiba heard the man stammer nervously and there was another shout echoing through the alleyway, this time coming from the noisy kitchen that had had its door opened.
"Kojima senpaiiiii! We need more spicy miso paste!"
"Shut up!" the man called back, sounding agitated. "I'm smoking! Get it yourself!"
The pain finally faded to a dull ache, and Kaiba bent down carefully to pick up his phone with two fingers and letting the water drip off of the edges,. He gingerly turned it over in his hands, seeing a spiderweb cracks forming at the bottom left corner.
The screen was flickering pitifully from it rough impact with the ground and Kaiba cursed her in his mind again.
The door swung shut with a sharp click, and the roaring noise echoing from the kitchen was immediately silenced.
Kaiba kept his eyes on the ground, hearing soft footsteps approaching him, and a black dishtowel appeared in his vision.
"H-Here," the man said awkwardly, shaking visibly as he held the towel in his outstretched hand. "For your phone."
A kind stranger?
Kaiba grit his teeth and considered standing up quickly to punch the man in the face, but he saw the dishtowel tremble under his nose again, so he decided against it.
He tossed his broken phone onto the towel's surface and let the man wipe it clean for him, keeping a respectable distance away before handing it back to him.
Kaiba noticed the man had an oil-stained sleeve.
This guy was another filthy creep.
"Need to use our phone?" the man asked kindly, handing the phone back, and Kaiba slowly straightened up to his full height, pleased to see that he was indeed taller than this man.
The man gasped and took two frantic steps back, his mouth opening and closing like a drowning fish. He was wearing a chef's uniform and a face mask hung off of one ear.
Kaiba gave him a cold look, taking in his messy black hair tied back into a ponytail hidden underneath a hairnet and his slightly muscular build.
Kaiba bent down to pick up his purse, and heard the man speak up quietly again. "Um…let me treat you to a hot meal. C-Care to come in? You can use our phone."
Luring me in with free food, Kaiba thought icily, but his stomach grumbled in response. He shook his head and turned his gaze towards the mouth of the alleyway, hearing the man take a visible step back behind him.
"Please let me help," he said kindly, his voice shaking. "W-Were you just assaulted? I heard…something out here, so I…decided to check."
I was assaulted by a woman, Kaiba thought viciously to himself, slowly lifting his purse up to his shoulder and taking a shaky step forward. He was not going to accept pity or charity from this stranger.
"Well…I…should I call the police?" he asked nervously, seeing her walking away slowly, clearly unsteady on her feet. "I'm going to report it anonymously…Miss? If it happens often, it's not something you should accept without a fight! What was his name? What did he look like?"
Right now, he looks and sounds like you! Kaiba growled, feeling lightheaded as he reached the end of the alleyway, glancing up and down the dark, deserted street.
"Let me…walk you to a brighter area," the man said, sounding desperate now. "We're near a lot of businesses. A lot of men get off work right about now…in groups…and it's dark."
Kaiba felt his eyelid twitch at this statement.
What was he suggesting?
That there was a possibility of being assaulted by a group of men?
Did he look vulnerable as a woman or something?
While wearing athletic pants, not the usual skirt and heels?
Why did all these men repeatedly approach him offering to help?
Did he somehow look…more assault-able when he was dressed like this?
Guess I wouldn't know, considering how I was just assaulted by a woman…for being a man, Kaiba thought bitterly. And in that moment, he decided to accept the man's help…because it was getting dark now, and the streetlamps were sparse along this road.
"Miss?" the man asked quietly, still a few feet behind him, and Kaiba turned to face him in the semi-darkness, nodding stiffly.
"Oh…good," the man said, sounding relieved, and Kaiba watched the man bang on the kitchen door behind him, giving it a rough kick. "Oi! Kouhai, open the door! I locked myself out again!"
There was a loud clatter on the other side before the door swung open and the man caught it. He reached forward to grab his junior by the collar, leaning in to whisper fervently, "There was a woman in our alley who was just assaulted. Clear the restaurant."
Kaiba heard this and frowned, wondering if that was really necessary.
"Wh-What?! We're in the middle of a dinner rush!" his junior gasped, and he strained for a peek behind the door, but was pushed back into the kitchen by his superior who glared at him.
"Shut up and do it!"
"O-Okay…" the junior squeaked, and Kaiba heard footsteps fade into the kitchen.
The chef beckoned for him to follow, leaving the door propped open for him, and he disappeared inside.
Kaiba stared at the open door in the middle of the empty alleyway. His stomach curled with hunger and goosebumps rising along his skin.
Was this a good idea? Or….
Kaiba turned his gaze towards the empty, dark street.
Or was heading out that way a good idea?
His feet took him towards the open door that was emanating a warm, enticing glow, and the delicious scent of miso broth filled his lungs.
Author's note:
Yami is probably wondering where tf kumi is
Miyo is a conniving bich, very insecure
Poor kaiba, regretting his excursions as kumi
edited by setokaibaes. Thank you!
hugs,
Ugli
