Ramses Kaiba did not like parties. They were loud, chaotic, and set off his anxiety. He liked small gatherings of just three or four people, especially ones that involved games or watching movies. And especially ones where a certain colorful haired family friend was attending...

Today was Ramses' 18th birthday, and also exactly one year since he came out as transgender. He had gotten his name legally changed only last month, and Seto wanted to use this as an excuse to promote the hover board Kaiba Corp had just invented, which he was going to pass off as a birthday present.

Ishizu placed her hands on her son's shoulder, petting his head affectionately. "Habibi, you look so much like your father when he was your age." She said, lifting his chin up so he could see himself better in the mirror. Ramses was a handsome young man, with his mother's copper skin and black hair, full, pouty lips, and his father's steely blue eyes. He also, less fortunately, inherited Seto's resting bitch face. Ramses had the same stone cold stare as his default expression, which his friends had jokingly nicknamed "The Kaiba Look".

"Why can't I have the party I asked for? Just me and my friends, no press, no Kaiba Corp." The half-Egyptian boy asked, adjusting the Eye of Horus necklace his mother had given him years ago. It was Ramses' good luck charm and prized possession, and he played with it when he got nervous. Like right now. "We can do a publicity stunt for the company another day. It's not like they're going to forget about us, Father is one of the richest men in Japan."

"Business is important, Ramses." Ishizu said, brushing her son's hair out of his eyes. "You'll still get the party you want, your father and I wouldn't deny you that, you just have to smile for a few pictures first." Ishizu understood how difficult balancing family obligations with one's personal life could be, probably better than anyone. She had grown up in an underground cult in Egypt, guarding the Millennium Items (which didn't work out well, but that wasn't exactly her fault).

Ramses sighed and buttoned up his suit, a white one with a black undershirt. "I understand, Mother." She left the room so he could finish up, and he quickly opened up his dresser drawer and pulled out a photograph. It was from Ramses' 17th birthday, and one of the few pictures anyone had of him smiling. He was wearing much more casual clothes, as he had thrown away the dress the staff picked out for him and picked his own outfit, and sitting down for a slice of cake.

This picture was a reminder to Ramses of his independence, something that soothed his anxiety and helped him not to forget that he had control over his life. It was also important for another reason... He was sitting next to a boy. A tall, attractive boy with blonde, black and violet hair, who had his hand on Ramses' thigh. Just thinking about Yuji Muto made Ramses blush.

0-0-0

Ramses slumped up against the wall and sighed, sitting down and trying not to be noticed. He got his picture taken by at least five different newspapers (and two blogs), gave interviews to all of them, answering pretty much the same questions over and over again, and did his best to pretend the hover board was a good present. He was exhausted emotionally and mentally.

Pulling out his phone, the young Kaiba opened up tumblr and began scrolling through his gardening blog. Ramses loved flowers and plants, basically everything nature related, and enjoyed the anonymity of the internet. He his own garden in Neo Domino, and another at his family's summer home, and had even convinced Seto to put a flower garden in Kaiba Land (he convinced him it would make a good dueling field).

Right when Ramses was starting to relax, someone brought him back to reality. "Hey Ramsey, mind if I join you?" The half-Egyptian boy shot to his feet, suppressing a scream, and looked at his visitor. It was Yuji, smiling as always. He wasn't what most people would find attractive, he was chubby and had a noticeable tummy that filled out his shirts, but to Ramses he was the most handsome man in the world.

"S-sure, you can sit with me." Ramses' face turned red, and he had to lower his eyes. He didn't want to stare, so he kept looking at his phone, stealing the occasional glances. The two boys had known each other their entire lives, and that's pretty much how long Ramses had been in love with Yuji.

"Nice party you've got here." Yuji sat next to Ramses, thankfully not close enough to hear the rapid beating of his heart. "I've never really liked big parties. All I need to have fun is a few friends and a good movie. And I don't think you like them much either." The blonde reached out and put a hand on Ramses' shoulder, rubbing it gently, but only for a moment.

Ramses relaxed a little, the tension in his shoulders easing. "N-no, I don't... I just wanted to invite Jessie, Cleo, and you." He leaned back, wishing Yuji would just wrap his arms around him and hold him tight, letting out a sigh. "Father... Dad wanted to show off his new hover board. He said I could throw the party I actually wanted tomorrow, so it's not all bad."

"But you still have to suffer through this one." Yuji nodded, handing Ramses a plate with a slice of birthday cake on it. It was red velvet with cream cheese frosting, Ramses' favorite. The brunet took a bite and closed his eyes, focusing on enjoying the cake and pushing out his anxiety. "Hey, I finally got you to smile! That's a personal achievement, heh." Yuji laughed.

Damn it, he's too cute! Ramses thought, his smile widening. Somehow, Yuji was the only one who could break through his icy exterior. There was something about his warm smile, genuinely sweet personality, and stupid laugh that just made him relaxing to be around. And, to Ramsey, it made him irresistible.

"You're such a doofus." Ramses teased, playfully shoving Yuji. "Why do you care so much about making me smile? You and Jessie were the ones who got #TheKaibaLook trending three years ago. You thought it was the funniest thing ever." He still remembered that meme. At the time, he hated it, but over the years he started to accept that it was kind of funny. Just last year, Mokuba had taken a new picture of Ramses so people could have an updated version.

"Because I like you." Yuji said, as if it were no big deal. "I've been wanting to tell you this since I came to this party... Ramses, I think you're really cute and I was wondering... Do you want to be my boyfriend?" He scooted closer, his hand ghosting over the other boy's.

The word "boyfriend" made Ramses' mind go blank. He suddenly felt like his binder was on too tight. "I thought you liked girls... You and Jessie were dating a while ago." Ramses trusted Yuji, he had come out to him before anyone else, but he was still nervous. He had never been with anyone before, the closest he ever got was a kiss on the cheek from the son of one of Seto's business partners, years ago.

"I'm bisexual, I like boys and girls." Yuji said, holding Ramses' hand. "And I like you more than anyone, Ramsey. You act all cold and broody, but deep down you're sweet and smart and competitive as hell, which I love! And I would love for you to be my first real boyfriend."

Face completely red, Ramses decided to answer with his actions instead of his words. He threw his arms over the blonde's shoulders and pressed their lips together, kissing him passionately. Yuji kissed back, using his strong arms to pull Ramses into a bear hug. It felt weird, kissing while sitting on the floor, and Ramses' lips tasted like cake, but it was a good kind of weird. That kind of awkward goodness that could only come from your first kiss.

"Do you want to go somewhere private, babe? Spend some one on one time with your new boyfriend~?" Yuji teased, playing with Ramses' hair. The brunet let out an excited squeak at being called a pet name for the first time. "Holy shit that was cute! Do it again!"

"Nooo!" Ramses tried to escape his boyfriend's grasp, as Yuji kept kissing him and calling him "babe", trying to get another squeak out of the Kaiba. "Maybe. But not here. And only if you keep calling me that." He stood up and brushed the crumbs off his suit, offering Yuji his hand. Quickly scanning the crowd, it was clear that no one noticed the birthday boy was missing.

"It's a deal." Yuji pulled himself up and wrapped an arm around Ramses' waist. "So, what cute thing are you gonna call me? Because I have a few ideas~" He kissed his boyfriend on the neck, nuzzling him playfully. Ramses blushed again, leading Yuji out of the ballroom.

"How about... habibi?" He replied, kissing Yuji on the lips. He held his boyfriend's hand, guiding him to the nearest guest room.

"It's perfect, just like you~"