Seto is having dinner with an unexpected contractual partner...
Author's Note: Special thanks to Rarity13 for the comments and suggesting more Seto/Alister action.
This chapter is for you.

"Seto Kaiba... Sir?"

For now Seto Kaiba ignored the message transmitted via his in-house PCS. His eyes moving steadily he read the contract time and time again, checking phrases, spelling and searching for the minor mistakes every secretary made. Even the ones he employed, regardless of sex, age and physicality.
Oh, it had seemed such a glaring mistake, the increasing number of secretaries his company had offered a workplace.
And foolishly he had fallen for the tempting idea the head of personnel had suggested: deplete them. Just keep the best of the best.
Technology was the future, right?
And secretaries can be replaced. Most of their daily routine consists of paperwork a machine can handle in half their time. So why not switch to this new software and benefit from the artificial intelligence's advantages.

"Is the CEO not in...? May I speak to him please...?"

Still Seto Kaiba busied himself with finishing the last paragraphs and trying to drown out the annoying voice of one of his employees which droned in the earpiece resting neglected beside his laptop.
Finally he fell back into his chair, sighing with strained relief.
3 spelling mistakes and an incomplete sentence in four pages. Well that was far from being impressive. But at least it wasn't worse than his average secretary.

But it was weird, Seto had to agree. Not so long ago software had spellchecked his documents. Now he was proofreading a computer program's emission.
Either way he ended up with doing more paperwork than he was comfortable with.

Seto glared at his earpiece. Absentmindedly he had picked up a pen and was pushing it around on his desk, thereby adding a distorted edge to the incomprehensible babbling transmitted through it.

The in-house personal communication channels had been a necessity, as annoying as it may seem. If any of Seto's employees thought they couldn't be bothered to decide anything themselves they resolved to bothering him instead.
On the up side his employees were intimated by the idea of an unexpected private talk with their boss. Their workplace, their desk, the small couch which was threatening fire protection laws and yet no one had told their superior about it... nothing was a safe haven anymore.

By now most of the employees were nervous wrecks, after having their daydreams at the coffee machine interjected by their employer's voice, but they were hard working and determined.
And they were so anxious to make even the tiniest mistake they turned to their CEO for everything.
Seto treated the earpiece to a scrutinizing stare.
At least he didn't have to decide whether they had coffee or tea during their break...
Yet.

"Seto-sama."
Seto picked up his earpiece and adjusted it almost instantly. Only one of his subordinates tended to address him like this.
"I'm listening, Isono."

"Seto-sama, as much as I try not to incommode you with incongruous affairs," Isono replied honestly, "I'm afraid your presence is required at the main entrance."

Seto considered this.
"Any particular reason why my personal assistance is compulsory?" Seto asked while stowing away his laptop and adjusting his tie.

"It is," and there Isono seemed to hesitate which he had probably never done before, "It is a matter which should be treated with great delicacy. And I must admit that I'm sorry to pass this on to you but I'm convinced that it is what you would expect of me."

"I'll be there in a minute," Seto replied, already waiting in front of the elevator, "And please do remind me to suggest you for an in-company training course on 'How to break bad news to someone as lightly as possible'."

Being called to the main entrance, Seto reflected darkly, was one of the worst scenarios.
Only a person you didn't trust enough to be led into a conference room would be kept there to be on the safe side. Someone who was eager on drawing as much attention as possible to themselves if their wishes were not met.
Someone who couldn't be disposed of by a security guard because they were either too important or too ignorant to disappear with dignity.

As he strolled through the entrance hall, nodding at receptionist and passing staff members acknowledgingly, Isono was already heading towards him.
He looked nervous which was in Seto's experience a terrible sign. Whatever had shaken his most competent subordinate would probably knock him out cold.

"I beg your indulgence, Seto-sama. He wouldn't be fobbed off and insisted on a private conversation. I had hoped we could resolve this problem without calling too much attention to it but..."

"Thank you, Isono," Seto cut his assistant short icily, "I will resolve it myself."
A dash quieter he added, "But I'd appreciate it if you'd stand by close to call security if needed."

Smile, Seto admonished himself, they say it terrifies my opponents.

"Kaiba Seto."

Seto stopped. He knew that tone of voice. He knew it by heart and it sent shivers down his spine.
The cold blue eyes bore into the steel orbs challenging them.

"Alister..." Seto mouthed hoarsely.
He held his breath, bristling with anger and surprise.

Alister adjusted his tie before extending a hand to Seto.
"I apologize for all the inconveniences caused," Alister began while grabbing Seto's unresisting hand and shook it overenthusiastically.

Seto was close to losing it.
There stood the most fierce redhead he had had the misfortune to cross paths with. And yet having traded his biker outfit for a rather plain suit and an emerald tie he had lost some of his intimidating appearance.

"I'm terribly sorry for my arrival at such short notice," Alister explained. He lowered the briefcase he'd been clutching to his chest onto the receptionists' counter to extend a hand towards Seto again.
Seto almost jumped.

Too many terrible memories were boiling up inside his mind. Reluctantly he reached for Alister's hand as part of his Pavlovian conditioning.
The handshake passed and Seto found himself once again standing opposite his former archenemy who thrust a portfolio into his unresisting hands.

"Your secretary was rather hush-hush considering your availability. Therefore I took matters into my own hand and thought I'd pop by and perhaps you'd...well, you could squeeze me in around lunchtime?"

Seto listened to Alister's voice as though it was coming from a distant point. It was bizarre, dreamlike and most of all it wasn't real. Of course it wasn't real, Alister's voice sounded wrong, he sounded like any clerk he'd employ. And he acted far too civilised and businessman-like.
All of a sudden Isono was standing right next to him, leafing through his schedule for today because apparently he had just ordered him to. The moments passed in the blink of an eye; Isono was now in possession of Alister's briefcase and his portfolio as Seto heard himself instructing him to organise for them to meet up in private.

Strangely enough Alister was beaming at him.
"I take it you are free to be having lunch with me?"

And now they were already sitting in his car with his chauffeur driving away far too fast for this moment to be true. But the car, their superficial chatter and everything was running so smoothly. There would come the moment where his subconsciousness would notice that, too, and would wake him from his soft slumber.

He was leading the way to the restaurant's table, the table, it appeared, he was usually dining at.

Seto strutted forwards with a strange light-headedness. It felt as though he was floating steadily with his feet not once touching the ground before he had arrived at the table and arranged for Alister to be seated opposite to him so they could face each other during their... what was supposed to happen again?

Seto shuddered inwardly, a slight twitching of his lower lip indicating the rebellion raging inside of him.
Yes, a presentation. Alister was working for this... company and he supposedly was an IT... well, whatever he was he was supposed to introduce Seto Kaiba, as the chairman of the Kaiba corporation, to the newest...bookkeeping...software... held during an informal lunch.

This was insane.
Of course it was insane! This wasn't... real?
The icy wave of realization hit Kaiba as it dawned on him that he had just invited a former enemy to be dining with him.
With horrified eyes Seto stared at Alister, as though he had seen him for the first time since he had left him in his helicopter. He opened his mouth. And shut it again.

"Kaiba?"

Seto disliked the sound of his own name, he hated Alister for daring to address him like this, spitting the name of his predecessor like he always did.

"Is something wrong?"

Another wave hit him. Distress. Fear and panic. Rage and bloodlust.
His mind was overflowing with the emotions he was supposed to have passed through during the past half hour. And now they were building up strength, condensing their terrible peril in his brain to form one word, one word to express it all.

"You?!"

Alister blinked at Seto. Nervously he looked around the restaurant, feeling the other guests' stares in his neck.

"Yes... sir," Amelda replied, fumbling nervously with his glasses, "But you appear to have lost me there..."
"Where?" Seto asked, judging by his tone of voice, unnecessarily harshly and loudly.

Alister treated him to a long and lost stare.
"I beg your pardon?"

Seto took a deep breath, steepling his fingers on the dining table in front of him. His common sense returned and appeared to calm him down. The emotions were drained from his mind to give room to the cold calculations and facts.

Alister was back. Surely to have his revenge, his true revenge this time. He had failed so miserably he had been bound to return. Obviously. He should have expected it, really.
It was a new trick, a new trap, it had to be! What was his plan? What was this company he was talking about, a new set-up to gain his attention, without doubt. And this presentation...

"Are you feeling unwell?" Alister asked while treating him to a scrutinizing stare. If he was trying to hide his uneasiness he was failing miserably.

'No, should I?' was the first reply which sprang to Seto's mind as his gaze fell down and onto the plate of assorted molluscs. But he bridled his tongue just in time and settled for: "Do not let me detain you. As you were explaining," there he paused and let the past twenty minutes rattle through his mind, "the benefits of storing the wage accounting in a cloud..."

At least Seto's mind was no longer clouded. He had managed to slip the small speaker of his phone into his ear and was dialling Isono's number on his wristwatch, unbeknownst to Alister.
Yes, the crystal clearness of his mind buzzing with ideas was really lifting him up. It felt real and he felt alive and right now that was all that mattered.

The laptop, which Seto had left in its sheath for too long, was now resting in his lap, as usual, while he sent message after message to Isono concerning the background checks he was supposed to run on Alister, while he was nodding absent-mindedly to the aforementioned man's presentation.

"The 'Calculate Control tool' of SubMasS specializes in..." Alister said while pushing a pile of papers towards Seto. Seto rustled through them indifferently.

[What is SubMasS?] Seto typed into his messenger window while browsing in a confidential file Isono had managed to obtain as a first result, alongside a curriculum vitae Alister had filed as a job application to aforementioned company.
According to a portfolio he was employed as chartered accountant. But judging by the presentation Seto was treated to his instincts didn't deceive him when they told him that Alister was and will always be a hacking maniac.
And the product he described was far too advanced to originate from some small firm he hadn't heard of. No, this was definitely Alister's doing. Probably a new spying software.

"SubMasS is... it is a small, traditionalistic company which has recently brought forth its first subsidiary company in Domino City," Isono rasped through the speaker, "Very promising company, stock market wise. Rapidly growing but... it seems the owner likes to play it save. Their secludedness and reluctance is also mirrored in the company's motto 'Fun without risk'."

[IT company?]

"Well, sir," Isono replied almost instantly, "you could say that certain products in their catalogue require a lot of technological know-how and input."

Seto growled quietly while tapping the side of his laptop. He caught a glimpse of Alister smiling nervously at him before continuing his tiring speech of compressed files and supervising systems.

[What exactly is SubMasS? Should I have heard of them?]

"I believe, sir," Isono gulped, fighting for words, "You couldn't have come in contact with them. Judging by my personal work experience I wouldn't expect you to know anything about them..."

Seto gave this some thought. Isono appeared rather reluctant to let him in on the little secret.
But he had grown tired of being kept in the dark.

[I'm dead serious. What kind of company is Alister working for?]

Seto listened. And gaped at Alister.

He didn't let the recently gained information sink in but blurted out:

"You're working for a sex toy factory?!"

Alister held his breath, his eyes swivelling sideways to check whether the guests surrounding them had heard anything.
Yes they had. Oh boy, they were looking at him and he could feel his cheeks reddening...

"I'm... I'm terribly sorry," Seto mumbled and to his own surprise he meant it. This had definitely come as a shock. Seto had been genuinely astonished because... well, it didn't seem like anything Alister would do. At all. Alister was proud, set to have his revenge... wasn't he?

Again Seto coughed as he noticed Alister was still shrinking in his chair.
"Please, do go on... I'm really sorry," Seto tried to appease him while refilling his own glass.

"How did he take the news of your knowledge, sir?" Isono's voice came back over the speaker.

[Like a very, very embarrassed man. Please keep looking into the matter Isono. I need more background information. Something's wrong about this.]

"Certainly, sir," Isono replied obediently before his voice faded as he was disconnecting.

Seto instructed Alister to continue and looked at some more graphs and statistics. Funny really, he caught himself wondering, he never listened to anything I said. And now he's obeying my every word. He's not in control, he hasn't even got control over his own words as he's slurring through his little speech. He seems... incomplete.
Of course, Seto reminded himself, Alister must have broken with rage and hatred. But sadly he has failed to fill the hole in his heart with something else.
He's not even half of himself anymore.
Poor thing.
Seto frowned.
Where ever that came from.

"I would like to continue our little talk somewhere else," Seto explained after Alister had brought his presentation to a quick end.
"I do appreciate your offer," Alister replied while clearing his throat nervously, "But I'm afraid my presentation has already taken up too much of your precious time. And apart from that I..."

"You wouldn't like to accompany me longer than necessary," Seto finished his sentence and read in Alister's face that he had touched a nerve.
"I'd lie if I said 'Yes'," Alister replied.
"And you'd lie if you said 'No'," Seto added, "Either way you'd end up lying. So I suggest you follow my instructions and I'll escort you to a place where we can talk in private."

He barely put up a fight, Seto thought while he shoved Alister back into his car. He is a different man. Estranged.
And he's not as skirmish. Just... reluctant.
How in the world did I recognize him? Even now I struggle to see the maniac I knew...

It was a Gentlemen's club. Not the kind of Gentlemen's club which are shooting out of the ground like mushrooms on a wet plain in the red light district because some people think it sounds better than knocking shop.
No. Of course Seto was a well-paying costumer in the city's most exquisite Gentlemen's club.
And here he would discuss takeovers, negotiate contracts or give a toast to the signing of an agreement, enhanced by champagne, naturally.

Seto was greeted by one of the butlers with British reticence and as a gut reaction he grabbed Alister's wrist to drag him along behind him in case he would stop dead, shaken to the core by all the lavishness surrounding him.
Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed Alister taking in all the little details, the golden stucco work or the abundant and glittering chandeliers. But he did it with his mouth open.

After Seto had arranged for them to talk in private in one of the most exquisite rooms, and had ordered three bottles of champagne as a precaution, he collapsed into one of the heavily upholstered chairs.

"Why, take a seat," Seto said while tapping the empty chair beside him invitingly, "Make yourself at home."
Alister flinched. Seto wouldn't have expected anything else from him. In a way he was glad it had provoked a reaction, with Alister probably remembering his home as a pile of rubble with various parts of deceased people sticking out at each angle.
The last time he had seen Alister he had been a hot head, driven by rage, grief and choleric bursts of intuition. And perhaps a little bit of madness.
Okay, the very last time he had seen him he was lying still with almost no pulse and people were trying to convince him that he had just lost his soul which is impossible and an extremely gullible thing to believe... and it definitely hadn't caused innumerable nightmares...
Seto shuddered at the mere recollection and felt inclined to open the first bottle of champagne.

He cast a glance at Alister who was still standing in the doorway, mesmerized.

"You're not joining me?" Seto asked while he helped himself to a glass.
Alister approached him and sat down as cautiously as he could, not willing to sink into the chair.
He's uncomfortable, Seto thought and gave a little chuckle.
Good.
Maybe now he'd finally begin telling the truth...

Seto was plying Alister with champagne while he made sure to dispose of his glass' contents by pouring them into the plant beside him. Since it hadn't wilted, and Seto had had to rely on this procedure several times in the past, he was convinced it had a drinking problem.
But glass after glass would help Alister to relax and unclench his tongue. There had to be something behind this. His sudden arrival, his intrusive openness and the act of a man of business...

"You never told me your last name," Seto remarked after a quick glance at the tag on Alister's jacket, "Alister D. Ikeda."

Alister cleared his throat. "That's not my real name."

Seto nodded. "I could have guessed. A Japanese name doesn't become you."

Alister brought himself to a sly smile.
He's not as tense anymore, Seto thought. But it seems he has also lost his confidence.
"Although I must say I appreciate the idea behind it. The 'D' in your fake identity is bound to stand for Daisaku. Daisaku Ikeda. Fighter for peace. Lost his older brother in a war, too , if I'm not mistaken..."

"Let's not talk about this," Alister mumbled, visibly unnerved by the last remark. He shifted in his chair.
"So," he brought himself to picking up the conversation again, looking expectantly at Seto.

Seto retorted a questioning glare.

"What do you think of 'Calculate Control'?" Alister asked while sipping some more champagne.

"An accounting tool," Seto tapped the arm of his chair, "Judging by the charts you showed me earlier and your little demonstration I'm tempted to believe that it is something my company would need. Yet..."
Here Seto took a deep breath while monitoring Alister's face.
He's nervous. And he already looks as though he has lost all hope.
Why does he give in already?
Where is his fighting spirit?

"Yet I believe I could employ people to build this kind of software exclusively and customised for my company."

"While I don't doubt your personal programming skills and your capability of getting what you want the way you want it," Alister said and glared at Seto who bit back a chuckle, "I'm convinced there is no product apart from SubMasS' Calculate Control that is safe enough to entrust your confidential data, such as your investments, your expenditures or your sponsoring, to. Calculate Control offers the best encryption possible, an extremely short data transmission time while it is low in the utilization of computing resources. You'll no longer need a bookkeeping department."

Seto gave this some thought.
"I've heard this before about my secretaries," he replied grimly, "And yet the only difference is that the software doesn't demand more toilet breaks because it has fallen pregnant."

Alister blinked at him, perplexed.
Seto cursed himself for speaking his mind and blamed it on the one glass champagne he had accidently downed.

"Anyway, how do I know that I won't find someone else who can produce a software such as Calculate Control?"

A bit of child-like pride resonated in his voice but Alister tried to play it down as best as he could:
"Because I programmed it myself."

"So your hacking skills finally paid off," Seto remarked.

Alister shrugged. "I thought they paid off for Dartz' purpose pretty well, too. I cost you your American affiliated company."
"Which is another reason why I wouldn't buy any tool off you," Seto pointed out.

"And I couldn't blame you for your decision," Alister replied. But it wasn't in a sassy way in a game of wits. It was an honest reply.
Why was he being honest?

"Tell me, Alister," Seto observed the ascending bubbles in his glass closely, "How come an excellent software engineer like you is working in the accountant's department...?"

"Because they pay me," Alister interrupted boldly.
"...where he gets less paid than most of my secretaries?" Seto finished wonderingly.
Alister shrugged.

"As you can imagine I don't have many degrees," Alister retorted and, finally, the little flame in his eyes was set ablaze, "I mean thanks to your adoptive father most of my documents are ashes anyway, and I certainly won't get a reference from my former employer because he is not just dead but turned out to be a snake-like entity as well."

Alister popped another bottle and helped himself to some more champagne, which visibly helped him cool down.
"Also I don't think I'm cut out to work for big companies."

Seto nodded, both irritated and relieved by Alister's outburst. Alister was speaking his mind now. Definitely. Maybe even a bit too much for Seto's taste since he couldn't help feeling sorry for him.

"Although I'm probably going to regret it," Seto sighed as he reached for the now open bottle himself, "I'm going to ask you nonetheless: What does 'SubMasS' stand for?"

"Submission en mass," Alister replied honestly, "You know in the meaning of representing customers buying dutifully the products of the company. Funnily enough it's also about the BDSM merchandise they are selling as well, with the sadism/masochism aspects and the submission..."

"I think I get the picture," Seto cut him short before clearing his throat. No wonder Isono wouldn't expect him to know anything about that.
"At least the owner possessed a spark of decency as they chose not to go with the name S/M Ltd," Seto added before he could have stopped himself.

"The name was already taken," Alister replied, adding a bit sheepish, "So I've heard."

Seto buried his face in his free hand before taking another sip of champagne. He loosened the tie around his neck and dared to unbutton his sports jacket. God, he hated alcohol. It made you dizzy, it made articulation and holding on to a thought almost impossible and worst of all it ensnared you to losing control.
Either way, Seto figured that Alister must have had more of the previous bottle and was fortifying himself with the recently opened one. Not too recently, Seto added on second thought, because it was already half empty.

"Still," Seto tried to change the subject, "I'm still not convinced to invest in your bookkeeping tool."

Alister nodded wearily.
"I never thought this was a good idea," Alister sighed while placing his glass on the small table in front of him, "I knew I shouldn't have come back to the KaibaCorporation. I mean, I didn't even want to go there in the first place. If it weren't for the head of my department I wouldn't even be sitting here with you..."

Seto nodded indifferently. Oh dear, what had he done? He had set a stage for the self-pitying monologue of a drunken and resigned man.
And Alister was already close to crying.

"They were so impressed by my work and thought they could sell the tool I had programmed for the company to other companies as well. And stupid as I was I must have mentioned that I knew you personally... well, I had left out the part where I had tried to kill you and your little brother..."
Alister tried to smile away the tears but couldn't help it. He broke down.

"I'm so sorry for everything. I didn't know what I was doing. I was so wrong about so much in my life. I can never forgive myself for the pain and destruction I have caused. I never wanted... oh God, I'm so sorry..."

Seto reached for the bottle and, no longer bothering to refill his glass, took a swig out of it.
"Don't mention it," he said, trying not to look at the sad heap that was Alister, "We all have our regrets."
Like I regret plying you with alcohol, Seto thought grimly.

Alister took his time before his sobbing subsided and he would adopt an almost civilised sitting posture again. As Seto refused to share the bottle of champagne with him he popped a new one.

"I think you've had enough," Seto remarked while glaring at Alister.

"I've had worse," Alister replied and made sure to keep his bottle out of Seto's reach, "You're not a drinking man yourself."

"Neither are you," Seto retorted. Again he failed at snatching the bottle from Alister's grip.

"That's what you assume," Alister snapped, "You can't know it. You don't know anything about me."

"I can tell that you're not used to drinking large amounts of alcohol by the way you're acting after less than two bottles of champagne," Seto replied, "And believe me, I know more about your life than I am comfortable with."

"Like what?" Alister asked.

"Like your shoe size, what brand of underwear you are wearing and that you've had a colonoscopy one week ago and everything looks fine."

Alister stared at Seto. Seto looked at him matter-of-factly.
Simultaneously they raised their bottles to their lips.

"How..." Alister began after a while but was cut off by Seto:
"Background information. I've done some research. Don't ask."

Alister complied and drowned his thoughts in champagne.

"Also, it's not the amount of alcohol that matters,"
Alister spoke again after a while. He treated the bottle in his hand to a scrutinizing glare.

"Champagne gets me faster because it's sparkling," Alister explained.
Seto looked back and forth between the bottle in his hands and his conversation partner.
"It's a carbonated drink is what I'm saying," Alister sighed. He slumped in his chair.

"Don't tell me it's not affecting you," Alister went on.

Seto shrugged. He had almost swallowed enough of his pride to admit to a former rival that he was slightly intoxicated.

"Looks expensive," Alister remarked after another long stare he shot his bottle.

"It is," Seto replied almost instantly, "But you're worth it."
He had said it before he could have stopped himself.
Alister stared at him. Then he started giggling.

"I'm not sleeping with you after one bottle of champagne," Alister explained, chuckling heartily.

"Alright, it has already been three of them anyway," Seto pointed out.

They both started laughing uncontrollably.
Alister slammed his hand down on Seto's thigh before collapsing into Seto's arms.
Seto felt that he was blushing as the slap had caused his blood to rush down towards his crotch. He struggled to grab Alister by his shoulders and tried shoving him aside, fearing the red head might notice his stiffy.
Alister, on the other hand, enjoyed Seto's disinclination and wrapped his arms around his shoulders before slipping into his lap.
The increasing pressure upon his swelling member elicited a strained hiss from Seto's thin lips. He felt the thin fabric of his underwear stretching around his pulsing organ and tried shifting his weight on his chair which only resulted in Alister slipping closer towards him, thereby pressing down on his tense sensitive spots even further.

Seto panted, fighting against his tipsy arousal and Alister's sudden intrusiveness. Feeling cornered, and his trousers as if they would rip any minute, he saw no other way but to alleviate the pressure by unbuttoning his trousers and slipping one hand into them to make room for his manhood manually.
He gasped in shock as he felt another hand joining the shrinking space between his trousers and his underwear.

Seto looked at Alister who held his eyes closed while feeling him up.
One hand pushed his hair out of his face as the other one busied itself with stroking Seto's firm manhood affectionately. Alister let out a deep sigh. His cheeks flushed.

Seto was too amazed by the touch of Alister's hand, too consumed by his unexpected affections to push him aside; yet he was too shocked to demand more of him, too. So he could do nothing but wait until the pain in his rioting privates became unbearable and, occasionally, clear his throat in case it tipped Alister off to pick up the pace.

Seto had grabbed Alister by the shoulders again, but not, as the latter had expected, as an admonition; Seto was visibly having a rough time remaining in an upright position without shaking and twitching uncontrollably. He used Alister to support himself against the devouring sensations of his arousal. God, he wanted him so badly...!

Alister kissed his way across Seto's neck as he was kneeling atop him, his fingers tantalizing the twitching flesh they held firmly in their grip.

Their hands entwining Seto forced his mouth onto Alister's while toppling forward. The crash of overthrown furniture and the clatter of sterling cutlery echoed through the corridor. It left Seto with ringing ears and a mild concussion as a result of his blustering behaviour as he was now lying on the floor, spread-eagled, staring at the bottom side of a tilted chair and feeling slightly nauseas.

He had tried to force himself onto Alister, thereby levering aforementioned red head out of his lap right before he had lost his balance, thus resulting in him reducing the distance towards the ground drastically. But somehow Alister had managed to escape from under him, thereby designating Seto to hit his own head on the floor as they had tumbled down.

And while Seto was still busy catching up with recent events Alister had rolled him onto his stomach so Seto could get a closer look at the fascinatingly patterned carpet while he disposed of their trousers. Seto looked back over his shoulder and caught a quick glimpse of Alister. Beads of sweat were glistening on his forehead as the red head rubbed his firmly swollen cock over Seto's soft arse. Seto struggled beneath Alister, escaping his grip whenever his member dared to press against his clenched rear entrance.
Feeling the intrusive flesh blazing a trail between his butt cheeks Seto's hand lashed out, grabbed Alister's delicate organ and gave it a firm squeeze.

Alister retorted a stifled yelp before lunging at Seto and wrestling him onto his side. The two bodies yearning for pleasure and burning with their own lust fought for dominance.
The heat of Alister's skin was exciting and Seto enforced his grip on Alister as he had finally managed to position the, more or less fractious, body between his thighs.
Alister snarled and tried to shake off Seto but he felt his own cock harden at the sensation of Seto's erect manhood brushing over his backside.
His hands grabbing the sides of Alister's hips Seto thrust forward, his groin grinding against the soft buttocks beneath him. He dared to gasp, dared to breathe out and grunt as the urge to conquer and impale the twitching flesh underneath gained ascendancy.
Seto's first attempts were ungainly and not promising at all. Already he was too horny to get a proper grip on Alister's arse, squeezed and stretched his buttocks inexpertly as he unsuccessfully tried to press forward and bury his cock inside the soft moistness.

Alister flinched and groaned, displeasure dominating his voice. He barely protested as Seto felt him up but became more and more riled up at Seto's fruitless attempts to give him dry anal.
Despite the oppressing situation Alister concentrated and took a deep breath. Shoving the tipsy body atop him off posed less a problem than expected but before Seto could have complained Alister had already wrapped his soft lips around Seto's length.
Soon Seto's fingers entwined with Alister's hair as he ran his hands over the beloved head which allowed him such unearthly pleasures.
Wordlessly Alister spat on Seto's manhood, spreading his saliva from tip to shaft and kissing it in between. He worked Seto's by now slick cock coolly, gazing up into his icy blue eyes before rolling onto his back, spreading his legs and guiding Seto's hips towards his own.

Seto toppled forward, struggling to keep his balance before gripping Alister's thighs and forcing them further apart. Alister lifted his pelvis and lunged at Seto as soon as he had forced his entrance. Nails digging into skin until they drew blood they both sank heavily into each other's embrace as Seto felt the pressure of his loins becoming unbearably.
Had Seto been familiar with the phrase 'to smash someone's back out' for having sex he only probably would have wondered about its origins anyway.
Well, right now, with his repressed libido screaming for more inside his head, he probably could have hazarded a guess.

Seto was instantly hooked on the feeling, the feeling of Alister stretching around him, the moist hotness and the increasing pressure upon his erect manhood. He thrust forward, empty-headed and ablaze with lust, and deepened his intrusion inch by inch.
Alister's steely eyes bore into him as he heaved and groaned at every push. Finally they draw nearer as he sat up, their lips entwining in a ruthless and sopping struggle.
Every thrust shook Alister to the core, the soft and fair skin vibrated to the beat of Seto's pulse as he was ploughing him ruthlessly.

Red, the colour of temptation, was blurring his vision. The precious gem inside his arms, the beautiful ruby. Alister's dark red hair epitomized lust, self-indulgent lust and desire.
His long and soft hair. The mild odour of his alabaster skin.
Passionate ruby.

Seto was too fast and too inexperienced and already too far to try and hide any of it.
He couldn't last any longer and he knew it, and for fuck's sake it felt too goddamn good not to give in to it.
Seto coughed hastily before breaking into moans while treating Alister to the last intense thrusts his hurting hips could manage. He barely felt anything apart from the rapidly spreading satisfaction throbbing through his veins.
Alister's hands lost their grip on Seto's neck as KaibaCorporation's CEO sat up, trying to disengage his sweaty body from the hot limbs underneath him as tactfully as possible.
Their eyes met and they locked gazes, involuntarily, as though they could only exist in the other's reflection.

Alister reached for his still erect member and started pleasing himself manually and, to Seto's irritation, almost soundlessly.
But the world around him was still spinning, the warmth and contentment still pounding in his head, and so Seto's lips were drawn to Alister's chest as he kissed and nuzzled his way up and down the prickling skin.

Seto felt the drops of Alister's load as they blazed a trail down his own sweat-covered body and searched Alister's gaze. Right now he needed no answer, no excuse or reply but the content smile on Alister's lips. He dared to steal another kiss from them.

Unnecessary amounts of coughs broke the awkward silence that dominated the room while the two of them got dressed, not hastily, but as civilized as possible.
Their eyes affixed to the heavily carpeted floor they readjusted their ties and buttoned their shirts, not even once bringing up the courage to search the other's gaze.
One might not be pleased with what one might find.

Alister searched the untidy room for his portfolio as Seto took to the knocked over furniture.

"You're not thinking about leaving, are you?"

Seto was surprised by his own openness; he had spoken before he could have given it a second thought.
Alister turned to face him but evaded his gaze and preferred to fumble around with his tie.

"I thought...I... I really think I should be..."

Seto's eyes rested upon Alister's tie writhing beneath his tender fingers. Then he looked down to his portfolio.

"Fine," he announced while pulling up a chair and retrieving a pen from the recesses of his breast pocket, "Where do I sign?"

Finally Alister dared to look him in the eye. He was slightly stunned by Seto's cold and earnest stare.

Seto wrestled the portfolio from Alister's barely resisting hands and leafed through it. Eventually he found what he'd been searching for.

"I'm willing to accept your terms and conditions as long as you agree that Calculate Control may only be used in closed session meetings on the provided hardware. You'll also agree that this signing of the contract is to be kept a secret from the press."

Alister stared at Seto with a blank expression on his face.
Seto urged him to sit down as he signed a contract amidst making further annotations.
He held out his pen to Alister who stared at it as if he'd never seen the likes of it before.

"Sign it."
Alister followed Seto's request wordlessly. He stared at the contract he was handed once again.

Seto leaned back in his chair.
"I'm very pleased with the outcome of our little meeting."

Alister treated him to a long stare.
This was either a set phrase or Seto wasn't beating around the bush.

"Are you?" Seto pressed on.
Alister's eyes bore into the icy orbs shining deep inside his skull. He felt himself nodding under Seto's adamant glare. His persuasiveness was probably one of his worst traits.

Having located a still half-full bottle of champagne beside an escritoire Alister retrieved it from its hiding place and took a swig without giving it too much thought.

They sat and stared at the walls they were facing in total silence.

Alister's mind stumbled across an inconvenient aspect concerning their prior liaison.

"You didn't use protection."

Alister's words hung in the air. They weren't an accusation, just stating the obvious.
Seto was at a loss and found himself unable to reply.

After clearing his throat for the third time he began with: "I can assure you that no harm will come to you. In fact I'm sure, no, I know that..."

"I know," Alister assured him but added a dash quieter, "I think I know. The rumours concerning your sex life are... a little one sided."

Seto shrugged and crossed his legs. Eventually he gave a half-hearted nod.

"Either way I could have guessed that you were a virgin," Alister added, his tongue loosened up by the champagne once more, "You tried to fuck me with no lube." He gave a little self-satisfied chuckle.

"You were already dripping wet; I figured your disproportionately lubricating anal cavity would suffice," Seto replied levelly.
Alister locked onto his gaze. He had to hand it to him; Seto was a sly devil. He would have expected him to blush, to laugh disparagingly or even deny everything. But a salty reply...

"But it wasn't your first time," Seto added. He motioned him to pass him the champagne.

"No," Alister replied earnestly. After giving it some thought he went on: "So?"

Seto shrugged again.

"Either way I think you did rather well," he explained while taking a swig himself.

Again the silence was tightening its grip around them.

Alister was the first to break. He rose to his feet.

"Please," Seto spoke hastily as his calmness was melting away, "stay."
Alister remained upright.
He folded his arms in front of his chest.

"I don't want you to go," Seto went on, "I never had to question if I wanted you to stay. But now I know that I don't want it to end like this."

Alister brought himself to a gentle smile.
"A hurried night. A frantic tumble and a shy goodbye. Creeping home before it gets too light..."

Seto rolled his eyes.
"I want you to stay," he emphasized his words by getting up and reaching for Alister's hands,
"Stay."
Seto patted his fingers, contrary to the behaviour usually displayed, truly heartfelt and warmly.

Alister was close to succumbing to his charms. But something inside of him stirred, revolting against the romance worming its way into his subconsciousness.
"How long?" he asked and felt himself blushing at the dim-witted remark.

"Forever," Seto blurted out, "I'll sign your contract. You can work for my company and stay by my side forever. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, you're too good to miss. I need you. I want you to be with me. Forever."

Stunned by his amorous outburst Alister stared at Seto and frowned. But the untroubled facial expression vanished.
"I couldn't work for the KaibaCorporation, Kaiba Seto," Alister retorted, hate vibrating in each of the despised syllables.
"Seto is enough," Seto assured him as he pulled Alister nearer, "I wouldn't want you to call me by that name. Call me anything you like. But don't call me 'Kaiba'."

"Either way I can't work for you," Alister replied, giving the newly accepted name a try, "Seto."
"It must be extremely complicated for you," Seto agreed while wrapping his arms around Alister and pulling him closer towards his chest, "And agonizing too, after all that has happened. But it's just another job. An employment not too different from your last one with the prospect of a pay rise..."

"And the prospect of staring at the ceiling in the CEO's private rooms," Alister added. He tried to sound dismissively but couldn't bite back a hearty chuckle.

"Think about it this way," Seto went on, "You would be in charge of the KaibaCorporation. You could control it. You could make sure that nothing as excruciating as my stepfather's atrocities will ever happen again under the name of 'Kaiba'."

Alister smiled, loosing himself in Seto's eyes.
"But you're in charge of the company," Alister replied eventually, "And if it weren't you it would be your brother."
Seto shook his head.
"Mokuba isn't cut out for this kind of life, I'm afraid," he replied half to himself. But he wrapped his arms tighter around Alister's chest, smiling, "You will be in charge. I promise."

"You'll hand the company over to me?" Alister asked teasingly, "That's very tempting."

"I'll marry you," Seto stated matter-of-factly. Alister looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at Seto.

"I can pay you any surgeon you need to have your incongruous parts down there adjusted. They can present you with the most beautiful designer vagina you could have ever dreamed of, believe me, I've looked into it. A pleasurable sensation down there while having sex and a normal libido guaranteed."

The prospects of Seto's detailed and calculated future came as a shock to Alister.
He stared at him with a mixture of horror and disbelieve.

"Of course," Seto agreed, "We don't have to rush. For now I'm happy to have you by my side."

"Why would you want me to become a woman?" Alister asked, still extremely irritated.
"Because I love you," Seto replied and meant it, "And because I want you to stay by my side forever. I want you to be my wife, hell, I want you to be anything you need to be so you can by mine. I want to share with you everything that is mine. I want to make up for all the injustice you've received and the losses you've suffered. I truly want you to be mine. Just mine. I'll be good for you, I promise."

Alister took a deep breath.
He was no longer able to keep track of the recent events or of the twists and turns his feelings had taken.

"So..." Alister asked while finally breaking free from Seto's almost crushing embrace, "What happens now?"

Seto considered this for a moment. He shoved his feelings into a large drawer inside his mind and hoped they would stay put for now.
"How about dinner tomorrow night?" he suggested after leafing through his schedule mentally.

Alister sighed, completely at a loss.

"How about a coffee now?" Seto added, before kissing Alister's neck,

"My precious ruby."