Another chapter for you, still plenty to go, so don't forget to follow the story to get updates. Let me know what you think so far. - BB

I don't own yugioh

There they stayed, the boy working on his project, and the father, avidly typing over the laptop. As 10 o'clock rolled around, I rubbed Gabe's back, smiling at his work. "Bed time buddy." He nodded tiredly. "Night Seto." "Night son." The answer was distracted, but caused a smile on the boy's lips. "Night mom." "Night sweetie." "You don't mind if I finish this, do you?" He asked, finger moving over the mouse pad. "No, stay as long as you need. I've got a few things to finish up before I head to bed."

By the time I finished a few of the waiting books, it was 1 AM, and I was just stepping out to check on the blue eyed man when I found him bent over his computer, sleeping soundly. I shook his shoulder gently, but he didn't stir. "Kaiba." I crouched and shook him firmly. He blinked slowly and looked at me sluggishly. "C'mon, you can stay here." I urged him up and led him back to my bedroom. "I should go." He mumbled tiredly. "You're okay, c'mon." I sat him down on the edge of the bed and tugged on his tie and pulled it off, working on his shirt. "What're you doin'?" He mumbled, hands moving to catch mine. "Just trying to save your shirt so you don't wake up a wrinkled mess." I said with a chuckle, tugging it off and hanging it and his tie from the bed post. He wore no shirt below, his body just as firm as I remembered, but what once had been almost scrawny muscle had turned lean, and thick. "Go on, lay back, I'll get your boots." "Charlie..." "It's okay." I encouraged, pulling off the expensive Italian leather shoes and setting them aside. He curled up in my large bed instantly, already back to sleep. Grabbing my pajamas on my way out, I changed and grabbed some extra blankets from the closet. Setting up a nest on the couch, I settled in. Fortunately, my stubbornness to get anything but a sectional would play in my favor, leaving me plenty of room to get cozy. Giving a deep sigh, I dozed off.

"Mom?" I sat up, dazed. Where was I? Gabe was looking at me amused from over the back of the couch, his father a short distance away, working on his tie with a smirk. "You snore like a bear." "What are you doing out here?" Asked Gabe with a grin. "I was dumb enough to let your father have the bed." I grunted as I stood, hair in all directions and my midriff exposed from where my tanktop had drifted. "You look well rested." I commented dryly at the man as I passed, going for the coffee pot and pleased to see it full. "And you look like you stuck a finger in a lightsocket." Said Kaiba with a smirk as he tightened his tie. "You hear this nonsense? I slept on the couch for this." I grunted, looking to my son. "Joke's on him, you look like this every morning." Said the boy, bringing a his bowl to the sink. I gave him a playful scowl, a hiss coming from my teeth. Taking a sip from my coffee cup I looked up at the clock. "Oh shit Gabe, we gotta go, I'll get my shoes." "I'll take him." Said Kaiba, grabbing his jacket off the hook and putting it on. "Yea, the last thing I want is you dropping me off without a bra again." Muttered Gabe as he packed his bag and zipped it. "Once! Okay? It happened Once. And nobody knew but you." He moved towards the door. "Wait." I grunted, reaching into the fridge and pulling out the bowl and handing it to the blue eyed man. "And Gabe your thing." I pointed to the table where the diorama sat still. "Right!" The boy darted back and grabbed it up, running out the open door. "Bye Mom!" I held my hands up in clear confusion. No hug? Nothing. "Bye Felicia." I grunted. Kaiba chuckled and pressed a light kiss to my cheek. "Thank you." "No, thank you. Now I can stay in my jams all day." He gave a small smile, and I felt my heart skip a beat. "Have a good day Charlie." "Thanks honey, you too."

"Hey." I looked up to see the brunet in the doorway to the office. "Where's the kid?" "The kid is upstairs sulking." I said, looking him over. It was getting warmer, and as if to compensate his colors had lightened. Today he was in a light blue button down, but the sleeves had been rolled up to his elbows, and it didn't look quite long enough to be tucked in to... "Holy damn are you wearing jeans?" Very nice jeans, probably some top shelf designer given their deep blue color with acid finish. "Is my outfit the new priority?" "It does if you have an ass in it. Congratulations! You look hot." He gave me an irritated eye roll and I chuckled as I pulled my glasses off, my smile melting a bit as I leaned back. "He didn't make the lacrosse team like he wanted." "That is unfortunate." He said genuinely, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame. "Mhmm. I've tried to cheer him up, and tell him he can just try again next year, but he's stuck on it being a failure." I clicked my tongue against my teeth and pointed with the frames of my glasses. "This one's all you baby." "What?" "This is a shitty life lesson and it needs to come from you." I said firmly, looking back to my computer and putting my glasses back in place. "What would I know about it." "I seem to recall someone blowing up an island because they didn't like the fact they lost their own tournament." I gave him a long stare over my glasses until he looked away and looked down. "I rebuilt it..." "Either way. There you go big guy." He looked uncertain and I sighed. "Look, it's not hard. Tell him it gets better and failure makes you a better person... Of course that's what I said, but maybe coming from you it'll actually stick." He sighed. "Alright." "Great. Get him out of the house. He's been in his room for days." I said dismissively.

"You're moping." Commented the tall brunet as they sat at the park across from his condo, watching the many people moving around on the beautiful day. "I am not." "You are." Kaiba crossed his long legs and looked to the boy. Gabe reminded him of Mokuba in a lot of ways, but of himself in many more. "It's not a failure Gabriel." "I didn't make the team, what else would you call that?" "Not your thing." That had the boy looking up curious, but with a hint of irritation. "You can't be good at everything, how else are you supposed to find out what you're good at if you don't try out a few things first?" For once the opinionated child didn't seem to have an answer. "You can always try again next year, until then try out for some after school clubs. I was always good at chess. I could teach you." "I know how to play." "But do you know how to win?" The sire gave a confident smirk to his son, and was pleased to see it returned.

"I have a question. Two comments and an observation." Announced the boy one night over dinner. I raised a brow lazily. "Fire away my darling child." "Are you and Dad a thing?" That had started a few weeks ago. I found it endearing, and had heard him say it to the CEO without batting an eye, and so it seemed the relationship between the two was going well. "Okay, so what's the comments?" "No, you have to answer." "You didn't say that." I said with a smirk. The boy snorted. "Well that throws it all off." I chuckled and stood to take my plate to the kitchen. "No, honey, we're friends." "But I've seen him kiss you." I felt my heart stop at the thought of the boy seeing the CEO and I getting a bit more the friendly during my 'mommy night' a while back. "Like on the cheek an' stuff, isn't that what that is?" Oh that. I fought the urge to grab my chest. "He's just being sweet." "But you used to do that with Ray." "I know but..." I struggled to find the words. "It's leftover." "Leftover?" "Kaiba and I used to really like each other. I mean we made you." "So it's leftover from then?" "Yea..." I swallowed thickly. "What's your comments." "I think you're lying and I think you still like him." This kid. I looked over and he smirked. Fuck that little smirk. And fuck the father it came from for that matter. "And the observation?" "You both look at each other when the other one's not looking." I scrubbed too hard on a plate and it slipped out of my soapy hands and into the sink. "Alright. Listen." I looked at the boy sternly. "Whether Kaiba and I... have a thing for one another isn't important." "Why?" "Because you are. Gabe. The whole reason he moved here was to know you. To actually be a father to you." "And he is." "And I want him to continue to be." He met my serious stare. "If he and I manage to get together and fuck it up, that could mean issues with his Relationship with you." "So... it's my fault." "No! No, don't think that." I dried my hands on my jeans and moved to the table to sit next to him. "We both want what's best for you. And right now we're not sure if that is what's right." "I think you're full of shit." He smirked. Again with that smirk. "I think you're both using me as an excuse. Which is flattering. I am pretty awesome, but I'm not stop your life awesome." He stood and I noticed that he had defined a bit more over the past few months. He was losing the baby fat around his chin and neck, and I think he even grew a few inches. He would be 11 soon. Fuck, where had the time gone?