Chapter 7
Yugi glanced at the overwhelming number of buttons on the elevator panel in front of him. Thankfully, he knew Kaiba's office was at the very top – of course it was. Where else would it be but where the CEO could lord over the landscape of Domino City.
No one had so much as glanced at him when he made his way through reception. Clearly Kaiba had informed the few employees who inhabited the ground floor of his arrival. And most likely told them to mind their own business.
Hitting the penthouse button, the doors closed in front of him. Yugi switched the bag in his hand to the other arm while he worked his scarf from around his neck. It was warm in the building and he was suddenly regretting the check scarf he had opted for. Glancing down at his attire, Yugi hoped the choice of a blue jumper – just visible beneath his coat- didn't look like he was trying too hard. He had simply pulled it over his grey shirt before leaving the shop, without really acknowledging that it was the known preferred colour of his dinner companion.
"I really need to stop overthinking everything," Yugi muttered. Speaking of overthinking, he also hoped the food he had brought was adequate. He had dropped into his favourite Korean restaurant after making the pre-order. The scent was mouth-watering, and everything was packed away in neat individual containers, complete with eating utensils and a bottle of non-alcoholic plum wine he had brought from home.
A ding signalled the elevators arrival and as Yugi stepped out he was met with Roland. Roland stopped and nodded to him.
Yugi greeted him with a smile, "Oh, hi. Is he- is Kaiba in his-"
Roland interrupted him in a calm manner. "Mr Kaiba has just finished up his last meeting. He is in his office."
He pointed to the double doors at the end of the corridor. Yugi nodded his thanks and stepped around the tall man, missing the curiosity on the other's face as he turned to watch him.
Knocking, Yugi heard a sharp order to enter from the other side of the doors. With a breath he pushed open the handle of the right-hand door and stepped inside.
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Kaiba was standing off to the side of his desk, several papers clutched in his hands, reading them with notable attention. He glanced up at the intruder, but whomever he had thought was standing there, it wasn't Yugi, for his frown immediately fell away into a neutral expression and he lowered the papers.
"Yugi, you're early."
"I hope that's ok? Roland said you were finished up, but I don't want to disturb you."
Kaiba shook his head and stepped behind his desk, popping the pages into a folder and stowing them in one of the drawers.
"No, it's fine. Come in."
As soon as Yugi shut the door, he grew a tad anxious. However, he busied himself dishing out the food he had brought. Silence reigned as Kaiba selected two glasses from the side table and filled them from the bottle handed him. Yugi could sense that Kaiba found it unusual to eat in his office and he worried over the suggestion of this venue. But here they were and he was going to make the best of it.
"The view is amazing, Kaiba," Yugi said, as he sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the CEO's desk, folding his scarf over the armrest and tilting his head toward the broad windows that showcased the very best of the city skyline. Kaiba glanced back before sitting down himself.
"I agree. Even Domino has its visual charms, particularly at night."
They each took a bite of their food and immediately Yugi was happy with his selection, as Kaiba's face turned to satisfaction.
"Is it ok?" he asked, just to be sure, putting his down for a moment to shrug out of his coat.
"It is," was the simple answer he got. That meant the other was enjoying it, but in Kaiba speak.
The taller man then looked over at him properly, for the first time truly noticing Yugi's attire. The King of Games didn't miss how Kaiba's eyes seemed to linger on the jumper before turning away.
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"That was enjoyable, Yugi."
The shorter duellist smiled and nodded, tidying away the now empty boxes back into the bag.
"Glad you liked it. The gang prefers Mongolian or Chinese on the rare occasion we order out, so it's nice to find someone who shares my tastes. What's your favourite food though?"
Kaiba blinked at being asked such a trivial question.
"I suppose it's Filet mignon."
Yugi laughed. Of course, only the very best. "And mine is a standard burger. Could we be more different?"
"I see why you and Mokuba get along so well. Although his love of hamburgers is only triumphed by his love of chocolate parfait. Honestly, he could devour ten plates of the stuff."
Yugi thought chocolate parfait sounded rather delicious. In fact, he should have brought dessert. He said as much to Kaiba.
"I'm not overly fond of sweet items myself. Don't worry about it."
Yugi looked aghast. "Not even chocolate?"
"In moderation. And at least 70% cocoa when possible."
Yugi wanted to smile at the serious tone Kaiba felt necessary for discussing chocolate, but he felt that might insult the man sitting opposite him.
He opened his mouth to ask if the other enjoyed white chocolate, as he himself did, but as soon as he moved to speak Kaiba's phone rang. His personal phone.
Yugi wasn't insulted when Kaiba tilted the device toward him to read the caller identity. However, he was surprised when Kaiba's eyes widened slightly, before he hit a button to ignore it.
There was only a few seconds of silence before Yugi's phone rang from within his discarded jacket. Yugi froze and Kaiba's eyes widened further, immediately connecting the dots. Yugi's caller was clearly the brother he had just attempted to avoid.
Yugi was having similar thoughts, reflecting on the call from Mokuba the week before. The younger boy was finished his exams today. No doubt his curiosity about the prior events now had free reign in his head to push him into further investigation.
Yugi stood awkwardly, intending to retrieve it.
"Don't answer that."
Kaiba's words brooked no argument. That was definitely an order. Yugi looked at him with a question clear in his eyes.
"It's Mokuba, isn't it."
The elder Kaiba grit his teeth before nodding.
"He called last week," the shorter duellist admitted. "I'm not sure what it was about, but I'm guessing-"
Kaiba cursed under his breath.
Yugi's face softened into a small smile. "It seems he's as determined as you can be when he wants answers."
The CEO smiled slightly, before huffing out a breath. "Unfortunately, yes. I expect an interrogation any day."
"You can tell him, you know. If you like."
"Tell him what exactly?" Kaiba challenged, his tone even, ready to measure Yugi's answer.
However, the other duellist wasn't willing to have his feather's ruffled. Though his cheeks were a tad red, he shrugged casually. "Tell him whatever you're comfortable with."
Not one to shy away, Kaiba fixed him with a look. "So, I'm to tell him that I, Seto Kaiba, went on a date with you, Yugi Moto, last week. And today we not only met for lunch, but are currently having dinner, alone, in my office?"
Yugi shrugged. "Sounds about right."
Kaiba rolled his eyes at the other's attitude. "Of course you'd be the 'honesty is the best policy' type. Maybe I should have you talk to him."
That stopped Yugi short and he immediately held up his hands. "No way. He's your brother. Plus, he'll think I'm kidding. Coming from you it couldn't be anything less than the truth."
There was a slight pause as he mentally agreed with this fact. Not that he would actually expect Yugi to speak to his brother.
"Kaiba, you know I don't expect anything you don't want to give."
There was a beat of silence.
Kaiba froze, the words hitting him more profoundly than Yugi would ever realise.
"You do what feels right to you. No pressure. At all."
It suddenly struck Kaiba why he had allowed Yugi into his life in the first place. The other man was the exact opposite of himself. He was readily prepared for those around him to be just who they were, without expecting or demanding anything of them.
His thoughts came out in words carelessly chosen, demonstrating his curiosity almost too openly.
"Are you so unconcerned with your own happiness that you allow others to do whatever they wish?" He hadn't meant it to sound like an insult, but Yugi didn't shy from the harsh words.
"I want happiness for myself, yes. But I also want it for those around me. I suppose it's that simple really."
Kaiba almost wanted to rail against such a statement, but he found he couldn't. There was no deception behind what the other way saying, no subtext or hidden meaning. And despite such an attitude leaving a man open to weakness, Kaiba found that he didn't see the other as weak for it. Anyone who knew themselves so clearly and could define their person so clear cut and simply deserved respect. Very few people truly knew themselves. Kaiba understood himself, but he found that very few people around him were as self-aware. He realised that Yugi was just as sure in himself.
The phone had stopped ringing and Kaiba finally relaxed, mulling over his thoughts as Yugi watched him.
"I have a question," the blue-eyed man finally said. Yugi's eyebrows rose at the unexpected turn in conversation.
"Is that why you won in the duel against the Pharaoh? Skill and strategies notwithstanding, is that why you wanted to win? To ensure his happiness?"
Yugi suddenly sighed. Kaiba almost regretted his words.
"Ah, yes, that's exactly it. Honestly, I would have loved nothing more than for him to stay. With me. But do you know what would have happened if he lost?"
No, Kaiba didn't know.
"He would have been trapped in the puzzle for another few thousand years. As a disembodied spirit. I think I often forgot that he died so long ago, because he got to live with and through me."
Kaiba balked at the idea of being trapped anywhere, let alone for numerous millennia. Locked in the dark, having forgotten anything and everything about yourself. The idea made his skin crawl.
"I forced myself to focus on the game," Yugi continued, looking up. "To win for him so he could be happy. It was only when I had already won that I fully realised what that meant. But I don't regret it."
Kaiba sat forward, his face a picture of seriousness, leaning his hands on the desk. "I see."
They were both quiet, lost to their thoughts. But Yugi suddenly lit up, catching the other's attention.
"Do you know what one of my favourite memories from Battle City is?"
Kaiba's right eyebrow rose in question, reeling from the turnaround.
"When you and the Pharaoh duelled Lumis and Umbra. It was amazing seeing you two work as a team – well, when you finally did decide to work as a team. And I wasn't there to witness it, but I imagine you were both equally impressive when duelling Dartz."
Kaiba's mind drifted back to the rare moments they had paired up and he agreed that they had made an impressive team. Of course they had.
"What made you think of that?" he asked.
"I'm not sure. It just popped into my head. Though, Battle City seems like a lifetime ago now, doesn't it?"
Kaiba agreed. He glanced over his shoulder at the city below, remembering how it had been filled with duels, his holographic monsters taking over the very streets that were now laden with cars and traffic.
"Things seemed to remain the same for so long," Yugi said softly. "Until they didn't. And now they're even more removed than before."
There was no intended suggestion behind the words, but even Kaiba was surprised by how they sounded to his ears and Yugi – judging by his awkward smile – was thinking along similar lines.
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A silence followed, where they both sat in their seats and stared at one another. Finally, Yugi stood. Kaiba sat up straight at the sudden movement.
"Please don't kill me for doing this, but here goes…"
Kaiba watched Yugi step around the desk but continued to say nothing. Yugi's boots carried him to the right-hand armrest of the CEO's rather intimidating chair and he put his hand out, turning the chair toward him slightly, before leaning over and placing a firm kiss on the other's lips.
He didn't have to wait long for a reaction.
He felt Kaiba's hand move up to his arm and then around his waist, pulling him in closer, causing him to lose balance and be pushed completely into the other.
Kaiba's other hand came up and slid into his hair, gripping the strands there with unquestionable strength.
After a minute, Yugi pulled back slightly for a breath, but Kaiba's arms remained in place.
"This is kind of strange isn't it?"
Kaiba nodded slightly, his expression betraying nothing, but it wasn't stern or unhappy. "Yes, this is one thing I never expected from you. Or me, for that matter."
"But, it's all right? With you?"
"Do you honestly believe I would entertain it if it wasn't very much all right?"
Those words were all Yugi needed.
Instead of moving back to kiss him, he reached for the man's blue tie, loosening the knot and opening the first two buttons of the collar beneath. Kaiba froze as soon as he touched the buttons but seemed to relax when Yugi didn't continue down. Instead, the shorter duellist leaned in and pressed his lips to the exposed neck there, working up to the underside of Kaiba's jaw - though careful not to leave any marks.
Kaiba was floored by how good it felt and he unconsciously tilted his head back slightly. Yugi continued around to the other side, before making his way back up to meet his lips, kissing with real fervour now – a pace that Kaiba met with equal intention and energy.
His hands roamed down Yugi's back, the pressure of his touch leaving tingles in their wake. Yugi gasped into the other's mouth when his hands reached his lower back. Kaiba must have decided he liked the sound, for he reached lower and Yugi kissed harder, actually daring to nibble the other's lower lip. Kaiba drew back instantly, looking at Yugi with clear curiosity.
"I see now," Kaiba said, smirk forming.
"See what?" Yugi asked, confusion clouding his face.
"The biting, the collar… it all makes sense."
Yugi gaped.
"How does that make sense? You're clutching at straws, Kaiba. Maybe- maybe you're the one reflecting that onto me? Did you ever think of that?"
Kaiba looked affronted for a moment.
"Oh, really?"
He immediately leaned in and brought his teeth down on Yugi's neck, not really biting, but very much making it look and feel as if that was his exact intention.
Yugi made a noise of panic, but upon realising that the teeth weren't closing in and around him any more than in threat, he calmed. Who knew Kaiba could be fun at a time like this?
"Am I expected to beg for mercy now, is that it?" Yugi asked.
"If you like," was Kaiba's sly answer when he pulled back. "Although, it's not like I could do much damage with that ever-present collar in the way, is it?"
Yugi raised an eyebrow and lifted his hands to the buckle at the front, undoing it and pulling it away from his neck.
"Better?"
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