I have to say this story's grown on me, but then again they all do a little bit, don't they? ;) Please let me know what you think, or if you see any formatting or grammatical errors. Thanks! BB
I don't own yugioh or DW
It would be a month. A month of questioning myself, and uncertainty if I'd made the right choice. I took my defense classes, and after some encouraging from my teacher, I went to a group meeting that would follow. It was only because of my group that I didn't go running back to the man and begging for an answer. I was right to ask that question, and they were very adamant that there was nothing wrong with being alone a while either. I missed him though. The taste of his lips, the short, but happy span we'd spent pressed together that morning, but it wasn't my decision. Mokuba had came by a few times, complaining that Seto had brushed him off, and had buried himself in the new console. To take his mind off his absent sibling, I'd asked him to help me in the shop every week, tutoring me in the native tongue and helping me keep up on my trucks and cleaning. As much as I was healing, there was one thing I had yet to give up. His jacket had long lost his scent, but the warmth it gave me at night still gave me a sense of comfort. I missed him. The strength he radiated. I sighed into the book before me on the counter. Suddenly, the door flew open and in came Mokuba, a wide grin on his face. "Happy Birthday James!" He exclaimed, a balloon in one hand and a box tucked under his arm. I couldn't help but smile. "Well thanks kid. Here I was trying to fly under the radar." "Nope!" He stepped over and put the box over my book and tied the balloon to the register. "What's this?" I pulled on the ribbon and opened the box to show a beautiful cake, decorated with an open book with my name written in icing. "I had the cook make it special for you! It's carrot cake, so Apollo can have some too!" I had to laugh, looking down at the hound by my side. "Look at that! Here, have a taste." I dipped my finger in and offered it to the pooch, getting a happy wag of his tail in return. "I wasn't sure what to get you for a present, so I asked a few girls in my class what might be a good idea. So close up shop, we're going out." My brows lifted. "You're getting a spa day. My treat." He gave another wide grin. "What- Mokuba..." "I won't take no for an answer! The car will be here in ten minutes. I'll go tell the customers." Without another word he moved up to talk to the group huddled around the table upstairs. I looked down to Apollo with a smirk. "Well, looks like Momma's gettin' her hair did." He gave a yap of approval, his tail wagging once more.
Hair, nails, and a pedicure to be precise. The stylist fell in love with my curly locks the moment she laid eyes on it, and had done wonders cleaning up the dead ends, and had even thrown in some highlights. The acrylic nails felt odd at first, but as I used them, I grew used to the feeling. My feet had been massaged, scraped of any dead skin, and the nails painted. We were just wrapping up when Mokuba's phone rang. "Moshi- moshi?" There was a moment of silence as he listened. "Yea, she's with me..." He looked over and I gave a look of question. "O-Okay, we're on our way..." He hung up and I saw a look of confusion color his features. "That was Seto... he said we need to get back to the shop right away." "Why?" He shrugged, but looked to his phone. "I wonder what he wants... Let's go." The trip was only about twenty minutes, but the whole ride I found myself uncertain. What did he want? If it was a response to my question, why did he call Mokuba? I would be spurred out of my thoughts when we turned the corner and saw flashing lights outside of my shop, my heart skipping a beat as we pulled up to see the place surrounded by police. I was tugging on the door and trying to get out before the car had even stopped.
Seto was standing at the doorway, talking with a few of the officers. "What happened?" My stomach dropped as I saw the doorway behind them. It had been completely shattered, the door itself only barely hanging on. "Oh my god..." There was glass everywhere. "Ma'am is this your shop?" I looked at the officer wide eyed. "Yes..." "Someone broke in, we'll need you to go through and-" "Where's Apollo?" I looked passed him to the dark shop. "Where's Apollo? Where's my dog?" I shoved passed the officer and ripped off the hand he had around my wrist. "Apollo!" Glass crunched under my boots as I went inside. The register had been thrown off the counter, it's drawer pulled apart and empty. The cake Mokuba had gotten me strewn all over the floor, trampled and destroyed. Books covered the floor, but I didn't care about that now. "Apollo!" I went for the stairs and bypassed the destroyed kitchenette to go for the upper level. My room had been ransacked, the bed knocked askew and my shelves emptied for anything of value, but no dog. I heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs and looked back to see the CEO, a rare glimpse of concern on his face. "He's not here..." "We'll find him James." I felt my lip tremble as I looked back to the wrecked room. "He could be anywhere... if he chased them down, he could be hurt, all that glass downstairs-" "Shh..." Hushed the man, putting his arm around my shoulder and urging us to sit on the crooked bed. "Take a deep breath." I swallowed thickly but did as he asked. "I've got the officer's doing a sweep of the area... If he's there, they'll find them. I promise." "I should help." "You need to take this in James. You're not dealing." He replied firmly. I looked around and felt violated, all over again. Someone had rooted through my things and taken what few items I could actually call mine. A hiccup escaped my throat and I felt the tears start to build. It wasn't fair. "How am I supposed to feel safe here?" I whispered, eyes moving to the floor. "It's one step forward and two back... I don't know what to do..." I murmured, spotting a familiar brown lump crammed under the bed we sat on. Bending down, I picked it up and brought it to my lap, bringing my knees up so I could press my forehead to it. A large, soothing hand ran up and down my back. "This is a really shitty birthday." I muttered. "I will admit this... wouldn't be on my top ten list that's for sure..." He replied. I turned my head to look at him, but he looked away, almost pointedly avoiding eye contact. "James... when I got that call, the first thing on my mind was you and when you didn't pick up I was-" He stopped himself and I saw something stirring in that normally icy stare. "Were you scared?" "I was... worried... for you." He said, after a moment of thought. "I'll admit I would check the cameras sometimes... just to be sure you were okay... That's so wrong but..." He winced and ran a hand through his normally pristine hair. "I missed you too." I said quietly. Those bright eyes turned to me and I leaned up and showed the bundle in my lap, a watery laugh leaving my lips as I unfolded it. "This is your coat." A low chuckle left him and I felt him pull on my form, bringing me in for a sweet embrace.
The police would find Apollo a few blocks away, a trip to the vet would reveal broken ribs and a few chipped teeth from where he'd bitten the attackers. He would have to stay for a while to ensure he was on the right path for healing, but I felt much better by the time the night was over. A police guard would be stationed until the the door could be fixed, and in the meantime the Kaiba brothers had offered me a room at the Estate. I packed a bag with what I could find in the mess, mentally taking notes of anything I couldn't find. My laptop was missing, along with my phone dock and speaker, along with a few other gadgets but anything of value like my Passport and US documentation was kept a few blocks away in a bank safety deposit box, my profits were dropped off every other day into an account, so overall the thieves didn't get away with much. "What a mess." I grunted, shoving a demolished book with my boot. "At least you have your door back." Commented the CEO dryly. Plywood had been put over the broken windows and the damaged door had been righted back on it's hinges. "I guess... I'll see if theft was covered in the insurance. I'm sure it is... I'm still gonna have to reorganize everything. Again." "What if I had a solution for you?" My brows lifted as I looked over to the blue eyed man. He had his hands in the pockets of a long white coat, his legs wrapped in skin tight pants that left little to the imagination. When he'd came down for breakfast this morning, I almost sprayed my pancakes with coffee. "What were you thinking?" I asked, curious. "This place has become somewhat successful, what would you say to a partnership?" My brow rose. "We could use the building next door, expand the space, and you could carry the newest and best Kaiba Corp has to offer." "What like Barnes and Nobel?" He smirked. "Barnes and Nobel doesn't have a contract with us." My brow lifted. "So, what? You're just going to loan me thousands of dollars to expand my shop." "Well I do owe you a birthday present" I snorted, bending to grab one of many upside down books. "That's a bit generous for my blood." "It's a good thing I'm not asking. Construction starts tomorrow." I looked back and gave him a dirty look, only to receive a smug one in return. "Come on..." He stepped over, draping his long arm over my shoulder. "Think about it. Game shop on one side, book store on the other, keep the cafe. You'll have aeolist's swarming here in droves." He stepped away and gave a critical eye to the shop, his confidence only growing.
"This is fun, why haven't I done this sooner?" He commented, drawing an eye roll from me. "How am I supposed to run all this by myself, smart guy?" He turned back towards me. "I was going to have Mokuba help you. He needs the experience, and you'll need the help." I crossed my arms, giving the man a firm look. "You're brother has more important things to do." "Like what? He'll be graduating by the time the shop is ready, College won't start for a few months, which gives you plenty of time to hire part time help." His brow rose and that smirk returned once more. "What? You don't want to do business with me?" "It's like a lion asking a house cat to share his steak." He chuckled, lips curling in a genuine smile as he approached, his hands leaving his pockets to tug on my belt loops. "But I am sharing." I had to laugh. "Come on, let me do this for you." He urged, tone gentle as he closed the gap between us. I sighed, and looked up, meeting those bright eyes. "Alright." My lips were taken quickly, filling me with surprise. Pulling back just as suddenly, he flinched and pressed his forehead to mine affectionately. "Sorry." "It's alright." I was surprised by how honest my answer was. It really was. If anything I was happy to see him so excited. "How about we try again?" Sweet lips would meet with mine once more, and this time, I was ready.