BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: next chapter will be out for Halloween (yes, you read right: It's going to be a Halloween Special)

Mokuba's fingers trembled. He pressed himself flat against the cold tilled wall of the restaurant's restroom. He held the phone nervously, retrieving it at irregular intervals while it was ringing to ascertain that he was calling the correct number.
He begged Rafael under his breath to pick up the call.

"Hello?"
Mokuba's heart leaped at the sound of Rafael's voice. He was almost too relieved to speak.
"Can we talk?" Mokuba asked quietly.
"Where are you?" Rafael asked. Mokuba could sense his desperation. "What the hell has happened? Why haven't you been answering my calls? I was worried sick."
"Rafael..." Mokuba began meekly but Rafael hadn't finished yet.
"You haven't gotten back to me in a whole week! I was so desperate I even ringed Kaiba Corporation, your company for fuck's sake, to make an appointment with you. Did you know what I was told?"

Mokuba sighed apologetically. He stared at the door.
Just please don't let them come looking for me. They can't catch me phoning someone in private...

"The secretary told me that you were unavailable for any meetings. For now. That she couldn't give me any specific date and that your whereabouts were unknown to her and that she'd get back to me whenever you'd resurface. Just what is going on?!"

"Rafael..." Mokuba whispered as quietly as possible. They couldn't hear him through the door, right?
"We need to talk."
"You're right about that," Rafael took a deep breath. "Where are you right now?"
"Please," Mokuba said, avoiding a direct answer, "I need you to pick me up. Right now wouldn't be too favourable," there he risked a glance at the door again, "About four o'clock. I'll be waiting for you outside the '' Hotel."

"I'll be there," Rafael reassured him. He still seemed frightened, Mokuba knew.
But he had to ask him for that as well.

"And I need money...10.000...cash..."

Rafael pulled up beside the tall figure watchfully guarding Mokuba, looking like a statue with sunglasses on.
He didn't move a muscle until Mokuba darted for the car, pulling Mokuba back on his shoulder and guiding his steps as civilized as possible towards the opening car door.

Rafael tried acting normal when he wanted to knock out Mokuba's beefy companion and escape with the boy in question. He eyed up the unequal couple alarmed, his fists clenching in anticipation.

"Get in," the musclehead helped Mokuba into the backseat before sitting down beside him and closing the door.
Via the rear window Rafael noticed the man nodding towards him.
"Turn right at the next traffic light, there's a car park behind the shopping centre," Rafael was instructed as he turned the keys.
"Mokuba-sama suggested it for the rochade due to the lack of high definition cameras there. It's almost impossible someone will notice it."

Rafael was still at a loss. He stopped the car as soon as he'd entered the car park.
"Will any of you please enlighten me what's going on?"
"You better pick a place to park," Mokuba said timidly, "It will take a while to explain."

"And I thought you had been kidnapped."
Rafael sighed though only partially with relieve. True, after hours he'd spent in a frenzy he finally knew Mokuba was safe. Still, he wasn't quite getting a grip on recent events.

"He's… my bodyguard. The only personal bodyguard I can trust," Mokuba pointed out while watching the monstrous and impassive figure standing beside him by the car out of the corner of his eyes.
"That is as long as I've got something more persuading than Seto Kaiba's trust offer."
"Which is money, I assume," Rafael pointed out.

The monumentous bodyguard didn't as much as twitch at the rather derogatory comment.
A professional indeed.

Mokuba shot Rafael a pleading look. "He'll tell Seto nothing as long as I pay him. Seto believes me to be safe with him and he makes sure my brother's believes won't be damaged."
Though the penetrating glare Rafael shot him caused Mokuba to add meekly, "but at a cost…"
"But it's not some kind of ransom?" Rafael felt compelled to ask while patting his chest pocket for his wallet.

"No, it's nothing like that," Mokuba insisted. He watched Rafael retrieving the money from his wallet.
"I'll pay you back as soon as possible, I promise," he said before emphasizing his bodyguard's loyalty to him and his trustworthiness.

"Is this all, Mokuba-sama?"
At a nod from Mokuba his bodyguard bowed, heading slowly to the exit.

"The CCTV is old and insufficient. I've planted a jammer in your car, which took out all the cameras around us as soon as we've entered this floor," Mokuba explained expertly with a hint of childish proudness.
"You may prevent crimes from being solved because you're afraid of your paranoid brother by coming up with the same mad ideas he probably has," Rafael retorted.
He tried to relax.
But it was rather difficult to relax when until two minutes ago he'd been convinced to play a major role in a ransom demand kidnapping.
And knowing that Mokuba had preferred leaving him under this impression to make sure he would make no mistakes… just so that he would not give his older brother a lead…

"Hug me," Mokuba whispered while flinging his arms around Rafael. Rafael stroked his hair as a gut reaction before embracing him tightly.
"Don't worry," Rafael whispered, trying to soothe both Mokuba and himself.
"I am worried," Mokuba snapped, lifting his head, "I don't know what to do… this has gone so terribly wrong and I don't know what to do."
"Everything is falling apart," he muttered gloomily while pressing his face against Rafael's chest, his tears staining his shirt, "Please, don't leave me."

Rafael sighed. For some reason he sounded less strained than before.
He took a deep breath.
One thing after another.
"Have we been to the small café on the second floor before?" Rafael asked, seeking refuge in distraction by changing the subject, "It's lovely. The best bakery in Domino City."
Rafael patted Mokuba's back tenderly while escorting him to the elevator.
"I'll buy you something hot and sweet. And then we can talk."

"Your brother thinks someone assaulted you," Rafael repeated thoughtfully. He placed his coffee mug carefully on the table while considering his next step.
"Those damn strangulation marks, why didn't I see them when I left the hotel?" Mokuba thought out loud while resting his head in his hands.
"The bruises take a while to emerge," Rafael explained, "anyway most people mistake them for love bites. Your brother must be an expert to tell the difference after a quick glance."
Judging by the distant and slightly irritated look Mokuba shot him Rafael knew that he'd touched a nerve.

"He's an expert in everything," Mokuba insisted, "They why doesn't matter. Seto knows that someone tried to choke me. And I don't know how to tell him that it was voluntarily."

The silence between them was sickening. The slightly touchy-feely music didn't help at all.

Why are we
Strangers when our love is strong?
Why carry on without me?

"Okay, cards on the table," Rafael broke the silence, extremely unsettled by the music, "What do you want?"

"You," Mokuba whispered one-track minded. God, he was close to burst into tears again.
"That's very flattering," Rafael said and meant it, "But I mean: What do you want to happen? If you could do what you wanted, anything you wanted, what you really felt like what would it be?"

Mokuba considered this for a moment.
He gulped.
"I'd tell Seto all about us, about how we met up and our feelings. And then I'd beg him not to kill either of us. And then I'd die of shame for hurting him and playing him and doing all this behind his back," Mokuba babbled, tears stinging his eyes.
Rafael cleared his throat.

Mokuba stared at the frantically colourful looking cupcake on the plate in front of him, darkly. He didn't want to eat anything. He didn't want to do anything except die and rot very fast.

"Christ, that music's driving me insane," Rafael cursed under his breath, "One more track like that and I'll throttle a waiter."
Mokuba said nothing.
"As far as it concerns Seto, it's all the same to me what you want to tell him, I'll always support your decision," Rafael said while grabbing Mokuba's hands and stroking them tenderly. Good, at least he was looking at him again.
"It's not as bad as it looks," Rafael went on, "We just need time to plan and talk it through."
He locked onto Mokuba's gaze, a smile popping to his lips.
"Okay?"

Mokuba nodded.
How could Rafael make him feel secure when he knew that he hadn't a clue what to do either?
Well, the most important thing was that he had restored his confidence.
Though Mokuba felt a fool letting himself get convinced this easily.
Stupid oxytocin, flooding his mind and clogging his brain.
A little smirk played around Mokuba's lips.
Rafael sure knew how to make him dependent on him…

"I… No, we need to tell him. As soon as possible."

Rafael nodded quietly, absorbed in thought.
He knew it was tearing Mokuba apart, the madness of being lost between two worlds, the world of family, where you'd be safe and secure but in return always be just a small wheel to keep things running and aim at causing the least disturbance; and the world of personal relationship, the game of love, where the world revolved around you, where there was constant inconsistency, the potential of failure, of breakups, of feelings ranging from agony to bliss.
And Rafael knew that it was wrong to choose between them; you had to find a way to keep them in balance.
How?
Well, that was for the two of them yet to be discovered…

"Can't you talk to him?" Mokuba asked, tugging at Rafael's sleeve. Rafael's face radiated surprise at the proposal against all odds.
"No," Rafael replied automatically, "Why?"
"I can't talk to Seto about…" Mokuba was visibly struggling to find the right term, "well us. I don't even know what to say. I'll never find the right words."
"Just tell him how much you love me, then emphasize your brotherly love and undying loyalty to him and point out how undignified it would be for us two creatures who receive so generously much of your affection to fight over you," Rafael said while sipping his coffee.
"That's why I want you to explain it," Mokuba ignored Rafael's aforegoing remark, "You're so eloquent. You speak your mind."

"Thank you very much for the compliment but I never speak my mind," Rafael shook his head.
"Of course you do," Mokuba explained, "As soon as the bedroom's door is closed."
Rafael shifted a bit uneasy. "That's something different."
"Please, I can't talk with Seto," Mokuba's voice had almost dropped to a wail, "I just can't!"
"Neither can I," Rafael replied.
"You're older," Mokuba snapped.
"He's your brother," Rafael retorted.
"You're strong minded and very persuasive," Mokuba added, "While I'm just Seto's adolescent weak-minded little brother, he'll brainwash me in under a minute."
"I tried to suffocate you," Rafael pointed out, "He won't be pleased to hear that from me."
Mokuba gave this some thought.
"Then don't tell him about it," he ventured eventually.
"We grown-ups talk about everything openly," Rafael replied, chuckling at the annoyance springing up in Mokuba's face.
"Okay," Mokuba folded his arms in front of his chest, "Then we have to tell him that you paid me to plough my virgin asshole as well."
"There's a difference between being delicate and rubbing it in," Rafael replied while folding his arms in front of his chest likewise.
"Well you weren't delicate, you just rubbed it in," Mokuba snapped. Despite his effort he couldn't bite back a sneaky smile.

Rafael's gaze had drifted to a point a few inches behind Mokuba's head.
"Duck," he ordered while turning pale.
Mokuba flung himself to his side and into the soft cushion of the corner bench.
Rafael snuggled up to him.
"What's wrong? Who's there? God, don't tell me he's discovered my absence already?!" Mokuba whispered in a frenzy.
"No, it's just… it's Alister," Rafael explained.
Mokuba lifted his head slowly while peaking over the bench.
"So?" he asked irritated while slowly sitting up again.
"He's a friend," Rafael pointed out, still observing the familiar costumer of the café nervously, "And I don't want to be seen with you as long as you're officially isolated from the rest of the world."
Mokuba sighed, hiding his face in his hands.
"For fuck's sake, why does life has to be so goddamn complicated?"

Rafael slowly turned before ducking again.
"It gets worse…" he announced gravely.
Mokuba's eyes widened in horror as he caught a glimpse of Seto entering the café.
"Alright, we talk to him. The sooner the better," Rafael added. And sat up dumbfounded after Seto had passed them without taking any notice of his little brother with a prior rival.

They both watched Seto approaching Alister and sitting down opposite to him after a brief exchange of glances.
"At least we know now that he hadn't come for you," Rafael said, interrupting the awkward silence between them.
"We can't leave," Mokuba pointed out, nervously "From there Seto's got the door in plain view. We're trapped!"
But then suspicion seemed to stir inside Mokuba.

"What's he meeting Alister for?" Mokuba asked while taking a peak at them from behind the back of the bench.
Rafael shrugged.
"Seto looked concerned… but he didn't seem surprised to find him here. And he's far too familiar with him," Mokuba went on, trying to deduct the topic they were discussing from Seto Kaiba's posture and gestures.

"An informal job interview perhaps?" Rafael suggested.
Mokuba shook his head. "He hasn't even got his suit case with him. And he's wearing plain clothes. And he's far too relaxed."
Rafael treated Mokuba's brother to a long stare.

"He still looks very reserved and indifferent," he pointed out eventually.
"For him that is relaxed and sociable," Mokuba explained.

Mokuba and Rafael watched the strange couple in silence. Their eyes widened as Alister reached across the table for Seto's hand; and they almost gasped in shock as Alister's fingers entwined with Seto's, their hands nestling against one another in sweetest harmony.
Though their meeting was brief what remained was a feeling of intimacy between them.
And a feeling of shock crept upon the astounded onlookers.

"That didn't just happen... you didn't see that too, did you?" Mokuba's voice dropped almost to a whisper as he dropped behind the back of the bench again, "That's...no, Seto can't..."

Rafael leaned back and tried to relax.
"I never would have guessed Alister would pick him. Even after all those years...that they can be lovers..." he mumbled thoughtfully.

"Did you two stay in touch?" Mokuba asked Rafael.
Rafael shrugged. "More or less. We've met a couple of times in the past years. I helped him find a job; He's started working for our company a couple of months ago."
"In what position, exactly?" Mokuba inquired.
"Professional Sex Toy Tester," Rafael replied while taking a sip of his coffee, "you know, testing their durability, intensity and skin friendliness..."
Mokuba's eyes almost fell out of their sockets.

"I think he's in chartered accountancy or something like that," Rafael corrected his prior remark.
Out of the corner of his eyes he watched Mokuba's eyes and, in it, the light of excitement slowly dimming.
A cheeky smile played across Rafael's lips. "You'd love to do that, don't you? Let's see. As soon as this is over I'll file a suggestion for a new kind of job advertisement."
"You don't need a formal advertisement, you've got connections," Mokuba pointed out. His face lit up and Rafael's heart almost skipped a beat, finally seeing Mokuba smile again.
"Either way you could try out your newest inventions on me before they're approved for mass production," Mokuba added with a chuckle.

He snuggled up closer to Rafael. His warmth gave him strength, feeling him near him... he knew he was safe, he knew that everything would turn out alright. He just knew it.

At last the music had changed and so had his mood.

...At school they taught me how to be
So pure in thought and word and deed
They didn't quite succeed…

Well, Mokuba thought, here he was, hiding behind a comfortable bench with Rafael, watching his brother discussing God knew what with... well, the man he loved.
Apparently.
Or just the man he shagged.
Or the man he got shagged by.

"I wonder who's top and who's bottom?" Mokuba babbled, unintentionally speaking his thoughts.
He cursed himself instantly before glancing at Rafael, whose lips formed a smug smile.
"I know," he stated levelly while sipping his coffee.

"Really?" Mokuba asked, before adding disbelievingly, "Of course you do."
"Believe me, I know. I've seen the likes of them before. And I've had a good teacher," Rafael explained before pausing his speech. He eyed up Mokuba critically.
"Would you mind if your brother was the bottom-part?" Rafael asked.

Mokuba considered this quickly.
"No," he stated and meant it.
"Either way, he's top," Rafael replied.
"I knew it!" Mokuba almost jumped to his feet, his chest swelling with childish pride, "But how come you know?"

"It's in their gait. They way they walk. You recognize those typical signs if you're used to observing them," Rafael tried to explain, "It's something you'll learn over the time."
"It certainly eased matters for you when you wanted to lay a pipe," Mokuba added.
"I can show you how to pick up the important signs," Rafael promised, "when you're older..."
Mokuba nudged Rafael's side before resting his head against his chest.
Rafael stroked Mokuba's hair while they both slumped in the corner bench, they're eyes affixed at a distant point, somewhere, far away in a cosier universe.

But their attention was instantly drawn to the red-haired figure looming over them as it cleared its throat.
"Seto may not have noticed you two lovebirds...yet. But if I were you I wouldn't take any risks." Alister cleared his throat again while pushing the thick strands of hair out of his face.
"He's gone to the rest room to... calm down a bit. And when he's back we need to have a talk. The sooner this whole charade is over the better," here Alister paused before trying to sound less strained than before and held out his hand to Mokuba, "Haven't seen you in years. Nice to meet you again under more favourable circumstances."

Mokuba forced himself to a smile as the shock of having been discovered slowly melted away.
"The pleasure is all mine," Mokuba replied, shaking Alister's hand.
Alister took a step back while eying up Mokuba thoughtfully, "You really have grown. Surely you're taking after your big brother." A bit embarrassed he added: "The last time we met I only heard your voice... and you just saw the wardrobe I was hiding in."

Before Mokuba could have thought of a reply Alister was gone.
Rafael stroked Mokuba's back tenderly.
"Did you notice something?" Rafael asked after a while before placing a soft kiss on Mokuba's cheek.
"He actually seems...nice," Mokuba replied, "And he calls Seto by his first name which had been until now my prerogative."
"Anything else?" Rafael asked.
"No," Mokuba admitted, adding wonderingly, "What is it you've spotted?"
"He's just followed your brother to the restroom in order to help him...calm down," Rafael replied.

They both sat in silence, evading each other's gaze.
"You don't think they're...?" Mokuba asked doubtfully.
"We could follow their lead for further inspection," Rafael suggested.
Mokuba toyed with the idea before, finally, shaking his head.
"I'm sure they're not doing anything indecent," Mokuba stated, "And if they are I don't want to know about it."

To Mokuba's shame it took Seto exactly twelve and a half minutes to return to his seat after Alister had gone which served, in Rafael's opinion not only as proof of his theory but also proofed that Kaiba managed to last a lot longer than Mokuba.
Alister emerged only moments later. Mokuba felt the blush rising as Rafael pointed out how fuzzy Alister's hair looked now and how he watched his steps and walked with an air of relaxation with just a hint of pain.
A definite sign, he emphasized, of precedent anal intercourse.

As Alister passed the two of them he patted Mokuba amicably on the shoulder.
And Mokuba knew what to do.

He got up, accompanied by Rafael and took the seat opposite to Seto where Alister had been sitting. Rafael and Alister sat down facing each other, each of them placing a hand on their partner's thigh unintentionally simultaneously.

Seto's eyes swivelled back and forth between Mokuba and Rafael before he chose Mokuba as his first target.
"I believe you owe me an explanation," Seto stated in a low voice before taking a quick glance at his wrist watch, "I'll have a meeting in about half an hour and I hope that by this time our little... shall we say 'discussion' is adjourned."

He dropped the businessman-like voice before treating Mokuba to a long stare.
"How about '5 Questions'?" Seto suggested after what felt like infinity filled with painful silence to Mokuba, "You know, Mokuba, a simple and easy game. Each of us is allowed one question per round and the opposite is admonished to answer correctly and truthfully. Thereby we'll spare us and our..." there he cast another glance at Rafael, "company the fatigue of emotional outbursts and insensitive babbling."

Mokuba nodded, nervously.
Rafael squeezed his thigh with cramped fingers.

"And though it's different from our games of chess, where it has become custom for you to make the initial moves, I hope you don't mind if I'll go first," Seto added before leaning forward, his fingers orderly steepled.

"Why aren't you accompanied by your bodyguard?" Seto had a shot at the first question.
Strike.
For a moment Mokuba was caught off balance and his mind was freezing at the feeling of being found out. But instead of freaking out he took a side glance at Rafael and felt the reassurance flooding back into his body.
"I asked him to give us the free space we needed," Mokuba replied calmly and without even the slightest hint of a tremor in his voice. Yes, he felt confident again. So he went on further: "'Us' being Rafael and me."

Was that enough? Had Seto gotten the message?

Mokuba dared to take a deep breath. He felt he still needed to add something.
"We needed to talk. In private."
He watched those icy-blue eyes staring right into the core of his soul.
Yes, had probably been enough.
Seto must have gotten the message. And if he hadn't then he still had Alister to explain it to him later on...

"Okay, my turn now," Mokuba announced after clearing his throat.
Mokuba locked gazes with Seto.
He's challenging me, Mokuba thought. I know that he's challenging me. He's just waiting for me to ask him an intimate question.

Alister on the other hand was trying to evade Mokuba's inquisitive gaze as he clasped his eyes on him.
So that's what he wants me to ask...

"How did you two meet up?" Mokuba asked, nodding towards Alister in the least offending way possible to rule out any misunderstandings.
"It's a long story," Kaiba replied after giving the question some consideration.
"That's not fair," Mokuba snapped, "I thought we'd established that all questions are to be truthfully and correctly answered."
"It is true; it is a long and complicated story" Kaiba insisted, "And as I said earlier I try to make this as short as possible."
Mokuba harrumphed. One hand sliding beneath the table his fingers entwined with Rafael as he dragged his friend's hand upwards where it wouldn't be shielded from Seto's view.

"Are you doing this to provoke a reaction?" Kaiba asked.
"No," Mokuba replied instantly, a devious glint in his eyes, "But thanks for the suggestion."
"Since when have you two been this close?" Seto inquired further as he leaned forward a bit.
Mokuba remained in his current position, not giving an inch. "Long story," he retorted with a smug smile.
To his surprise he found Seto smiling in return.

"Oh, and you broke the rules by asking two questions consecutively which means I win," Mokuba went on.
He treated his older brother to a broad grin. Something in Seto's face seemed to melt away.
He didn't look as strained as before. Had Mokuba proved that he was worthy before his brother's eyes?
True, beating Seto in a game always felt like a major triumph to Mokuba.
Even if it was at something you could hardly call a game.

What followed was silence between the two brothers as they eyed up each other carefully.
But it wasn't the cold silence of suspicion or indifference. They were carefully calculating and reinterpreting their views on one another, weighing their options of daring to ask another question, considering their next steps, their opponent's next step and what they could do to prevent them from succeeding.
They knew that their counterpart was, in a way, their worst nightmare, knowing their strengths and weaknesses better than they knew themselves.

And yet this mind game, yes you could only call it a game for some sort, was extremely important for the two of them.
Mokuba felt stronger and more confident than before; and he knew that the sooner Seto felt his urge to grow up and become independent of him, the sooner he realized that his little brother didn't need protection anymore because he could look after himself and make his own decisions, the better it would be for both Mokuba's self-esteem and relationships.
Whether he'd keep Rafael as his fuck-buddy and spend the rest of his life with him or ditch him next month wasn't important.
What mattered was that Seto respected his choices.

Eventually the two brothers found themselves smiling at one another the respectful smile of equal opponents.

"One last question," Kaiba declared after the tension between them had subsided.

Mokuba looked at his big brother expectantly.
"Are you safe?" Kaiba asked, his piercing eyes forcing their way into Mokuba's soul.

Mokuba didn't have to give this some consideration.
He knew the answer by heart.

"Yes," was all Mokuba replied.
And Seto nodded gratefully before shaking Rafael's hand and excusing himself for having to leave this early before leaving the money at the table and dragging Alister after him.

Mokuba relaxed in his seat while cuddling up to Rafael.

Of course Mokuba had known what Seto had wanted to know.
He'd wanted to make sure that Mokuba loved Rafael; that he'd chosen him and trusted him down to the core; that Rafael belonged to him and wanted to ascertain whether Mokuba was sure of that fact.
But Mokuba was sure.
He'd never been so sure of anything in his life ever before. Well, at least it felt that way.

But he'd chosen Rafael.
And he knew that with his strong guardian protecting him he'd always be safe.

Author's Note:

Okay. A big thank you to all the readers who left reviews or kudos or just stood by and waited for this story to be concluded.
That's right, the main story ends here. Sorry about that. I just thought it best if it would end this way.
But: There are going to be at least 2 Bonus Chapters. They're set after the main story but are not in chronological order (not necessarily).
And who knows? If the inspiration is still flowing and I get a few nice comments *wink wink* there are probably going to be even more chapters following.

Considering the musical references:
In the last chapter Rafael was listening to 'Too much and too lovely' by Alyse Black
In this chapter the first one was 'Every time' by Britney Spears (I really should stop listening to that kind of pop music myself...) and 'It's a sin' by Pet Shop Boys.

All in all, thanks again for reading.