Ok, FIRSTLY! I want to apologize for the previous chapter title. I did not learn until like a couple weeks ago that it was a drug reference. I chose the chapter title because it was a Horror Movie title that seemed bath time related and I thought it would go well with the shower scene in that chapter. I did not know it was literally a name for drugs. I am so sorry for my ignorance. I've since changed the title of the chapter to something more appropriate.
Yami helped Yugi back into his bedroom before the spirit vanished. One moment he was there, the next he was gone. It was as if the floor had simply swallowed the shadow.
At this point Yugi was so embarrassed it was a profound relief to be left alone.
Well... however alone, alone was. His eyes swept the room, before landing on his own shadow and scrutinizing it for any peculiarities. It was entirely possible Yami was still with him, and simply hiding.
The spirit had after all, materialized from Yugi's own shadow when he was in the bathroom.
He decided not to think too hard about it. The spirit was offering him the illusion of privacy and he would take it for now.
Yugi managed to get dressed without any assistance. A simple t-shirt, one that Jonouchi had given him as a gift once. He didn't think Jonouchi exactly understood what it said, but the blonde had recognized at least one of the English words and decided it was the perfect gift. The words "Hamburger Friend, I feel happiness when I eat a him" were printed on the front and accompanied by a picture of french fries. Yugi could read it, and decided it was funny enough that he loved it unironically. A pair of worn sweatpants finished off his casual outfit. Another day of staying in and not leaving his house, so he wasn't worried about people seeing his unkempt appearance.
Were it not for the his unusual cohabitant he would have gotten restless awhile ago. Fortunately getting to know Yami was a pleasant distraction from being crippled, and the ghost was a surprisingly engaging friend.
Hands braced on his dresser, when Yugi turned with the intention of collecting his crutches from the bathroom he found they were already leaning against his bedroom door frame. His heart skipped a strange beat at the sight.
He limped across the room, using anything within reach for balance and support. "Thank you."
The silent stillness that followed was expected but strangely disappointing now that he'd actually seen Yami.
Well, that won't be a problem for much longer, he thought while settling his weight on the crutches and hopping towards the living room. He stopped by the lamp on his way to the couch and clicked on the light, and out of habit his eyes sought out the white board, searching for the red ink that was evidence Yami had answered his questions in the night.
"You erased our questions to volunteer helping me shower?" The realization dawned on Yugi as he slowly sank down on the couch and placed his crutches aside. He'd been preparing to sink back into their usual routine, only to realize that the white board wasn't on the coffee table, and remembered that Yami had if fact used it to talk to him that morning.
There was no response or appearance from his shadow roommate. The easy conversation they'd fallen into over the past few days traded for this uncomfortable "silence."
He couldn't help but wonder if it was due to the awkward flailing he'd done in the shower. Was Yami weirded out now? Did he think he scared him? Or did he think Yugi was coming onto him? Yugi was too embarrassed to ask.
"Thanks for helping me," he said a little more subdued than intended. He reached out and picked up some marbles from a recently completed match of Sternhalma (Chinese Checkers*). "Did you want to play games again with me today?"
The lack of response hurt more than it should have. Yugi felt his chest tighten almost painfully.
This. He clenched the marbles in his fist and fought back the tears burning in the corners of his eyes. This is exactly what I was afraid of when asking someone to help me shower. Now everything is weird. I made it so weird and he doesn't like me anymore.
"It's alright if you aren't up for a game," he called out, trying to force patient understanding into his tone despite the way his throat constricted. He was stressing himself out over this. Overthinking things. He needed to calm down.
Yami might just be tired. Or overwhelmed. Maybe he got nervous and stressed out too. Maybe they both just needed time to decompress and calm down from the really awkward situation.
Yugi sucked in a shuddering breath and picked up his Nintendo Wii controller. He turned on the television, and started up a game of Fire Emblem. The strategy would help take his mind off things.
Yami will come out again when he feels better, he told himself sternly. Just give him space. He's nervous, just like you.
0000
"What is wrong with you?" Yami paced the inside of his soul room, his bare feet slapping against the stone floors and echoing through his chamber down deep dark passageways obscured by thick viscous shadows. He continued to berate himself as he swept from one end to the other. "Coward!"
A wave of emotions washed over him. None of his own. They were all Yugi's. A suffocating mix of anxiety, embarrassment, worries, and other more nebulas feelings.
Had this been any other situation, Yami would have handled it with aplomb. He could face down the most fearsome and intimidating foes. A fight? A duel? Child's play. Life and death gamble? he could keep his cool. He had the confidence to handle such high stakes situations.
So where was all that confidence now, when he was faced with having a conversation with his host about weird confusing emotions?
Why do I feel so ashamed that Yugi is probably afraid of me?
"I'm cowering in the puzzle," he hissed. "And Yugi is out there worried that I'm upset with him." He stalked into the shadows and they recoiled away from him, crawling up the walls and chasing over the surfaces, to reveal a maze of corridors leading away from his main room. Yami started down them, hands jammed in his pockets, his outfit a mirror of Yugi's casual wear today.
With all the regality of a long lost King conflicting comically with the dejection of a sulking child, Yami marched into the maze of his soul room.
It was easier to distract himself with literal soul searching, than it was to talk to Yugi.
A sudden pounding began against the front door of the apartment, so harsh it made the hinges creak.
Yugi jerked to attention with a start, and reached for one of his crutches. It was still a little early for Ryuji to be stopping in, and he couldn't remember scheduling any company to visit.
"Yugi! Open up!" Seto's muffled voice hollered from out in the hall, and another pounding commenced. "Let me in!"
Yugi contemplated calling out in response, but doubted Seto would hear him over his own din. He opted instead to whip out his cell phone and tapped out a quick text.
{11:14am} To Blue-Eyes Task Master :
I'm crippled.
The cry of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon suddenly sounded from out in the hall. And all the pounding ceased. Yugi recognized it immediately as Seto's text alert tone.
A brief silence elapsed before Seto yelled, "Why do you think I'm here, Yugi? I'm not an idiot. Use the damn crutches, move your ass, and unlock this door."
Yugi tapped out a new text and sent it, opting not to encourage Seto by yelling back.
{11:16am} To Blue-Eyes Task Master :
k, but give me a min. And stop beating on the door you'll wake my neighbors.
He had a feeling his neighbors were already pretty upset about all the noise already.
"It's nearly noon. Screw your neighbors!"
With a little effort Yugi got up from the couch and used the crutches to hop to the front door. A click of the lock and he flinched, expecting Seto to throw open the door in his impatience. Expecting it to smash into him and knock him to the floor.
When none of that happened, Yugi hesitantly reached out and pulled open door, hopping backwards as he did so.
Seto stood calmly on the other side, a contradiction to all the noise and impatient banging he'd done moments before. Tall and imposing, he practically took up the entire entrance. His glare was icy and intense, staring down his nose while he waited for Yugi to step aside.
Yugi retreated from the entryway and into the living room, making space for Seto to enter.
"Don't you have a Duel Monsters Tournament today?"
Seto stepped inside the apartment and began unbuckling the belts on his boots, he slipped them off and dropped them both next to shoe shelf before stalking past Yugi and towards the coffee table.
"I bailed."
"You what? Why? Your company was hosting the tournament." It was the same tournament Yugi was supposed to participate in before he got hit by a car. He was rather disappointed that he had to drop out. But that didn't explain why Seto was here now. Yugi hopped to the back of the couch and watched as the CEO began carefully picking up his and Yami's games and setting them aside. "Please don't mess those up."
"I'm not," Seto snapped, shooting an exasperated look at his crippled expense manager. "I was here the last time they got messed up. You almost cried."
"I—I didn't!"
"Oh please," he snorted. "You acted like Bakura stomped all over your favorite teddy bear."
Yugi opened his mouth to protest, but shut it again, biting his cheek instead. His fingers gripped the handles on his crutches until his knuckles ached. Seto really knew how to get under his skin sometimes. "Why are you here?"
Seto finished clearing off the coffee table and opted to kneel, sitting on his heels, on the side closest to the television and opposite of the couch. He pulled a deck of Duel Monsters cards from his pocket and placed them on the wooden surface before him.
"What does it look like? I'm here to duel, you dork."
Yugi almost broke into a laugh, and had to fight the smile twitching his lips. He failed, and a grin broke across his face. "You haven't called me that in forever."
"That's because I always see you at work. HR would have my hide if I called you names on the clock."
"Like that's ever stopped you from being a jerk before."
Seto gave him a withering look and cocked his head to the side before impatiently gesturing to the Duel Monsters cards on the table.
"Alright, alright, I'll get my deck." Yugi hopped off towards the bedroom, heading for the golden millennium reliquary he kept on his bedside table; it was the box that he kept his deck in.
Ten minutes later found him seated on the couch across from Seto, both of them cutting each other's deck before returning them. Ready to start their duel.
Yugi drew four cards, glanced over each of them and quickly decided upon a few plays depending on what Seto did. Then he peered over his cards and smiled while waiting for his opponent to make the opening play.
Seto's steel blue eyes flickered up to catch Yugi smiling at him. "What?"
"So… you bailed on the tournament to come play card games with me?"
Seto's eyes dropped back to his cards and he tilted his head down so his long bangs obscured more of his face. Yugi still caught the color bleeding across his cheeks though.
"Everyone competing this year is a loser," Seto explained. He laid a card face down in the spell and trap zone, then summoned a Vorse Raider in attack position. Since it was the first turn of the duel he couldn't attack; he ended his turn and waited for Yugi. "It would have been a waste of time. Let the bottom feeders fight amongst themselves."
"I'm flattered, Seto." Yugi drew, then placed two cards face down. One a monster, the other a trap. Then he ended his turn as well. "You sure you aren't doing this to make me feel better since I couldn't compete?"
Seto made a sharp noise, something akin to a scoff and a snort. "Maybe I just wanted to duel someone worth my time."
Yugi couldn't stop the shy smile that betrayed him, or the blossom of warmth that scorched his chest. "I like dueling you too."
Seto leveled him with a severe look that Yugi would have felt had it been a knife. "I attack your face-down monster with my Vorse Raider," he growled icily.
"It's a Mystical Elf, so you take one hundred points of damage." Yugi flipped over the card, so it was face up, but still in the defense position.
Seto wrinkled his nose, before realization flickered over his features. He cast about looking for something.
"It's a regular old school duel, so we have to keep our own scores," remarked Yugi. He too looked about. "We could use our cell phones."
A grunt was as much acknowledgement as he got, and Seto pulled the phone from his pocket. When he unlocked his phone there was a glimpse of the Kaiba brothers together, smiling and holding taiyaki, next to a street food vendor. But the background image quickly vanished as Seto pulled up his notepad app and tapped out his score.
Yugi followed suit and whipped out his own phone, bringing up the notepad app and tapping out his current Life Points. Both of them placed their phones on the table top.
"That reminds me," Seto said as he reached into a ridiculously large pocket sewn into the lining of his trench coat.
"That you can take off your jacket?" Yugi cut in, one side of his mouth quirking up playfully. It was as much a hint for Seto to relax and get comfy as it was a teasing jab.
"-that I brought the thing you asked for. That stupid Texas Instruments garbage." Seto pulled a package out and placed it on the coffee table. It was about the size of a players guide book for a video game. "I don't know why you wanted me to reprogram this vintage piece of trash. I could have made Text-to-Speech software that you could run on your phone. It would have been a million times better, and with superior voice recording and sound quality."
"But I wanted this specific machine for a reason."
"And what would that be?" Seto sounded impatient, but mildly curious. He pulled off his coat in the process, and tossed it into the vacant reclining chair. Even without the coat he looked a tad over-dressed in the black long sleeved turtle neck. Yugi couldn't understand how Seto could wear all those layers now that summer was in full swing. It was fortunate his apartment had air conditioning otherwise just having to look at Seto's stuffy attire would have given him heat stroke.
"It's a gift." Yugi explained. He picked up the package and ran his fingers over the edge. "For a special friend."
A rude snort escaped Seto's nose. "I'm sure they'll love it," he muttered sarcastically.
"Maybe," Yugi chirped. He set the package aside, next to him on the couch.
"It's your turn," Seto jerked his head at the cards, an attempt to draw attention back to their game.
"Right." Yugi drew a new card from his deck, and had to fight to keep a straight face. It was an Old Vindictive Magician. He had a hunch Seto was going to start bringing out the big guns in the next turn. So he placed it on the field, face down. Then ended his turn.
Just as Yugi suspected, after Seto drew he sacrificed his Vorse Raider to summon a Cyber-Tech Alligator, and declared an attack on the Mystical Elf, sending it to the graveyard.
There was a strange lack of posturing to this duel so far. Normally Seto was all quips and taunts, taking jabs at Yugi's "pathetic" cards and trying to goad him into risky plays with even riskier payoffs. But today he was strangely subdued. Almost like his thoughts were farther away, and his head wasn't completely in the game.
"Something on your mind?" Yugi asked, as he drew and placed a Gemini Elf face down. Kaiba made a conceited snort when Yugi placed yet another monster, clearly weaker than his alligator, on the table. "I also play Swords of Revealing light," he placed the magic card on the field, effectively halting Seto's assault for three turns, "to buy myself some time."
"You're playing so defensive today, Yugi." Seto remarked, beginning his turn by drawing his own card.
"A good offense starts with a great defense," Yugi quipped right back.
"That's not how that saying goes."
Something shifted in the corner of Yugi's vision and he glanced down at the package Seto had brought him. Strange black wisps were curled over the corners of it, tugging it towards the gap between the back of the couch and the seat cushions. A tiny gap that he'd often lost a gameboy to, and even his phone on occasion, then had to fish it out, or even collect from beneath the couch if it managed to wiggle too far in.
Yugi frowned and placed his hand on the package, sliding it back to its spot beside him.
The wispy tendrils of shadow immediately disappeared into the creases between the cushions. So quick that had Yugi blinked he would have missed it.
He turned back to the game and watched Seto play a Harpie's Feather Duster. Effectively destroying Yugi's swords, and getting rid of his trap card. It had been a Magic Cylinder. Crap. Not a significant loss, but it would have dealt a good blow to Kaiba if used in the right situation. On the upside, Seto wasted the only Harpie's Feather Duster he had just to banish a couple of Yugi's defenses. This meant one less precaution to worry about when he laid down more spell and traps in the future.
But that also meant he was vulnerable to attack this turn.
"I attack the monster you laid down this turn with my alligator."
That would be the elf. Yugi sent it to the graveyard. Seto also played a monster face down during his second main phase, then ended his turn.
Yugi drew, taking a moment to ponder over his cards and what plays he could make to come back in this situation. All hope was not lost. There were a few different options, and he still had his Vindictive Magician on the field for now. While looking over his cards he had to drag the package back to him again. This time it had almost disappeared between the cushions before he caught it.
"Stop that," he hissed under his breath. It irked him just the slightest that Yami had given him the silent treatment all morning after the shower adventure, only to reappear now just to play grabby hands.
From across the table Seto gave him a perplexed look.
"Talking to myself," Yugi quickly explained, ducking his face behind his cards to hide some of his embarrassment. "It's nothing."
"Hmm," the CEO looked unconvinced. "Is that what it is." He spoke the question more like a statement, his disbelief laced with an air of derision.
It left Yugi with a chill down his spine.
"We aren't playing with any holograms," he pointed out, teasing in an effort to change the subject. "Just a regular old duel. That's really roughing it for you. Are you sure you haven't come down with something?" Yugi played a Change of Heart magic card on Seto's Alligator, taking control of the monster before promptly sacrificing it to summon a Summoned Skull to the field. When he declared the attack, Seto activated a trap card, Negate Attack, and ended the assault. "Should I be worried? Maybe call Mokuba?" Yugi ended his turn smiling cheekily at his opponent.
Seto didn't answer him, he looked pissed off actually, and instead replied with a cryptic, "I know we don't need my technology to make this interesting."
"Are you implying we place wagers on the duel?" Yugi asked with oblivious naivety. Seto's intensity and unexplained irritation was starting to make him uncomfortable.
"I mean that you are coddling me, Yugi," Seto said as he drew a card. His cold eyes swept over his hand, considering plays.
"How so?" Yugi couldn't help but feel perplexed at the insinuation. "I'm not going easy on you Seto, I'm using my tournament deck and playing my best."
And that was it. Seto seemed to lose his cool at this. That icy exterior fracturing to reveal a manic fire burning deep in his eyes that Yugi had not seen in a long long time. "We both know you can make this game very real," he rumbled, and there was menace lacing that tone. "You can make these monsters bite."
"That's not…I'm no-" Yugi stumbled over his words, becoming increasingly distressed. The puzzle at his neck suddenly pulsed with a golden light and his eyes rolled back in his head. He seemed to almost fall backwards into the couch, and Seto made to reach out for him, but Yugi righted himself before his back hit the cushions.
It was like the brief action had sent his already messy and unkempt hair into a wilder frenzy, and when Yugi lifted his eyes to locked stares with Seto his irises glowed with a burning ruby hue.
"So…. Kaiba," Yugi began in a low and slow timbre that seemed to ghost off his lips. The puzzle at his neck pulsed again as his small hands swept over the field. The room fell into darkness at the action, an unnatural black and red miasma pouring into the corners of the room and obscuring the light. Upon withdrawing his hands he asked, "you want this to bite?"
On the emphasis of the word "bite" the Summoned Skull pulled itself out of the trading card and snapped a mouthful of skeletal teeth at Seto. It screeched, an unnatural bone-chilling demonic sound, rising from a geyser of mist as large chiropteran wings unfolded from its back.
Seto settled back on his heels again, his steel-blue eyes appraising the demon hovering above the playing field. Then his gaze shifted to meet Yugi's again, and other man was grinning maniacally at him, a promise of threat curling the edges of his sneer.
"Your other face," Seto greeted with cold amusement.
Yugi's grin pulled wider, showing off more teeth.
"This is as impressive as I remember. And the realism certainly shames my holograms, I haven't quite managed to capture the same weight and tangibility, and my holograms don't react to the natural lighting the ways these do." The CEO reached a long fingered hand out towards the towering summoned skull, "I can touch it, right?"
Yugi blinked those ethereal blood colored eyes at him, "by all means, Kaiba. If it takes your finger in the process I'll simply delight in your screams." He said the last part with a lazy grin, his elbow propped against the arm of the couch and resting his chin upon his palm.
Seto hesitated for only a moment, before steeling his nerves and brushing his fingers down along the Summoned Skull's rib cage. His eyes appeared to light up at the physical contact, appreciating and admiring the texture of bone and skinned flesh, the way the creature's chest expanded and contracted with each breath.
The demon opened its jaws and screeched menacingly at the man pawing at it, its hot rancid breath disturbing Seto's mathematically precise bangs.
"Marvelous," the CEO purred.
With that he played a Premature Burial magic card, sacrificing 800 life points to bring his Cyber-Tech Alligator back from the graveyard. Ghostly hands reached into the floor and pulled the bones and metal scrap of a reptilian corpse from the carpet and began reassembling the creature on the tabletop. Piece by piece it came together with long strips of flesh forming between the pieces and stitching the creature back together. First the sinew and connective tissue, then the muscle and veins, until finally skin crawled over the monster. In minutes a very real Cyber-Tech Alligator stood opposite of the snarling demon and loosed a ragged wheeze as it took its first breath.
Kaiba looked absolutely elated by the scene, unable to hide the childish wonder and awe.
But a quick glance at Yugi's amused smile had him schooling his expression again, he placed a monster face down, then placed a face down card in the spell and trap zone. He waved his hand in a gesture to end his turn.
"Who is playing defensively now, Kaiba?" Yugi jeered, leaning forward and drawing a card from the top of his deck.
"Don't be too eager for a beating, Yugi. It's still coming." He gestured to the cards on his field, "this is called playing strategically."
"That will be a first for you."
The Yugi before him was very different from the one he'd been playing against only minutes prior. While the original Yugi was bubbly and sincere, this one was sinister and manic. This Yugi held secrets and promises of suffering in his smiles, something Kaiba had once delighted in facing years ago, but now it only made him feel… off.
Yugi played a field spell card called, Yami. It enhanced the foreboding miasma in the room, and made the pulsing red and black shadows crawl further from the corners. Yugi also summoned a Celtic Guardian to the field, and upon placing the card on the table a muscled elven warrior stepped out of the image, growing in size until it was at least two feet tall and brandishing a sword almost the length of its body.
"The "Yami" spell card gives my fiend and spellcaster monsters a power boost." Yugi explained in a low hypnotic lilt. "Say goodbye to your newly resurrected alligator, Kaiba. I'll be burying its corpse again." He declared an attack. At his command the Summoned Skull's claws surged with electricity, and the demon ripped Seto's Alligator monster limb from limb, dropping the severed pieces over the playing field. A severed arm came dangerously close to dropping in Seto's lap, and he watched as the claws still twitched as if making a grab for him. Yugi instructed the Celtic guardian to attack the face down monster, which turned out to be a Magician of Faith. The Guardian swung its sword, cleaving the Magician in half, and both sections of her body joined the pieces of already disintegrating alligator.
The carnage, albeit gruesome, didn't remain for long, each piece dissolved into a thick smoke before dissipating into the air. Eventually the field was clean once more.
"An unfortunate but acceptable loss," Seto stated. He took damage from that assault, and calculated it into his score on his cell phone. He also searched his graveyard for a spell card and returned the Harpies Feather Duster to his hand. It was the extra effect from the recently destroyed Magician of Faith.
All the while Yami grinned at him like a fiend. "I end my turn."
Upon drawing a new card, a spark of premature triumph ignited in Seto's chest, but he made certain to keep his expression blank.
"This face," he began, gesturing to his unnerving opponent with a nod, "this is not the face that argues with me at work."
"No," Yugi mouthed, while he slowly shook his head from side to side.
"And it's not the face that threw a stapler at me," Seto said as he summoned a Cyber-Stein onto the field.
Yugi's eyes flickered down to the card before fixing back on the CEO. Once more he shook his head, but his manic grinned never faded. "I should have thrown something far more pointed, and aimed for your eyes."
A nod. Seto set his jaw and his throat felt tight when he swallowed. "I use Cyber-Stein's effect, and sacrifice 5000 of my life points to special summon the Blue Eyes Ultimate dragon from my extra deck," he continued coolly, and though he wanted to smile, he couldn't quite bring himself to. Something wasn't right.
It should have elated him to watch his favorite beast pour out of the extra deck in a howling gale of wind and light before coalescing into a magnificent three headed dragon. He should have delighted in the way it towered over their playing field, massive tail coiling around him while three powerful jaws snapped viscously at his opponent.
"I equip it with a Megamorph to double its attack power, and then attack your Summoned Skull." The equip card Megamorph doubled the dragon's already massive attack of 4500 to a whopping 9000. The already impressive dragon grew even larger, spilling off the table, until it made the wood groan and its wings scraped over the walls.
The towering Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon spewed three beams of blinding white plasma, completely disintegrating Yugi's Summoned Skull, and dealing 6300 points of residual damage to his Life Points. The effects of the attack were devastating, more real than his holograms could ever be, managing to singe bits of Yugi's hair and clothing.
This huge blow, and expertly handled turn around in their duel should have thrilled Seto. It should have filled him with self satisfied superiority to absolutely crush his rival like this. And the way the grin slipped from Yugi's face should have felt so so good. Yet…he despised the lack of satisfaction he was getting from this duel.
Yugi brought his arms down from shielding his face; he was snarling at him, looking mildly frustrated.
Seto hated that he only felt dejected. Where was the thrill? Instead a feeling of concern and guilt churned sickeningly in his stomach.
"Surely you're the face that's played me in all our Duel Monsters tournaments?"
"Not for several years," Yugi said quietly.
Seto frowned and ended his turn.
But when Yugi reached to draw a new card, Seto Kaiba raised his hand to stop him. "Bring him back."
"What?"
"The normal face. Bring it back. I want to fight that Yugi."
"To bring back the other me, you must forfeit all of this," Yugi gestured at the monsters standing over their playing field, but especially to the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon coiled around Kaiba like a pet. "Everything will go back to normal. Back to a regular mundane card game."
Hard eyes assessed the game, took one last long look at the gorgeous white dragon, then fixed on Yugi once more meeting his eyes. "Fine," Seto growled out between clenched teeth. "Just do it."
For the first time all the manic light seemed to drain out of Yugi's face. He wasn't grinning, he wasn't snarling. There were no crazed promises of pain lacing his features and glinting in his eyes. Instead his posture sank, and his mouth pulled into a resigned frown.
Carefully, Yugi placed his cards face down on the table, then closed both hands over the millennium puzzle hanging off his neck. His eyes closed and he whispered something wordless to the pyramid in his grasp. With a blinding pulse of golden light, all the shadows were pulled from the room. The monsters, the miasma, everything, sucked into the eye of the puzzle and winking out of existence.
When the light finally dimmed and Seto could see clearly again, Yugi was blinking dazedly at him from across the table. His unkempt hair was messy, but not quite the frenzied mess it had been moments ago, and when they locked eyes it was shining violet that met Seto's, and not the burning blood red.
Seto's mouth cracked the barest hint of a smile. "It's your turn, Yugi."
The confused expense manager blinked a few more times, and absentmindedly picked up his hand from the coffee table. His eyes scanned the playing field and practically bugged out of his skull in the process.
"N-no fair! When did you get an Ultimate Dragon on the field?"
"While you were slacking off, dweeb!" Seto fired right back. And already he was starting to feel better. The wrongness from before seemed to have vanished along with the shadows, the monsters, and Yugi's other face. "Now play the damn game so I can pound you."
Yugi fumbled all the cards in his hand, and they scattered all over the floor. He bent to pick them all up, but not before Seto caught the furious blush that spread across his cheeks and stained the tops of his ears.
"Oh my god, not like that!" the CEO fumed.
"I didn't say anything!"
"I can see you thinking it!"
"Y-you can not! I was thinking about different stuff!"
"Thinking about 'different stuff' my ass," Seto growled, and even his cheeks were starting to tinge with color.
"Stop saying these things!" Yugi whined, picking up the last card and clutching them to his chest.
"Stop making everything I say so weird then!"
Absolutely mortified now, Yugi slapped the top of his deck three times trying to draw a single card, then practically threw it onto the playing field. "I play Graceful Charity." He drew three more cards, kept one and discarded the other two. Then shakily smashed another card onto the field. "Dark Hole. No more monsters for either of us."
"Fan-fucking-tastic." Both men heaved a sigh and swept the field clean of monsters and equip cards, depositing them into their respective graveyards.
"And I-I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior and place a spell counter on it, per its effect. With Yami still in effect, whenever that happened," Yugi mumbled that part under his breath, "that lets me attack you directly for 2100 life points-"
"Oh go to hell, Yugi!" Seto threw his hand across the table.
"You're in a strangely good mood even though you lost," Yugi tilted his head trying to catch a glimpse of Seto from the other side of the coffee table.
His boss was currently laying on the floor with his arms folded behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. Usually he would be spitting obscenities and throwing his arms around, or telling Yugi how ridiculous the duel was and that he demanded a rematch. But today Seto seemed content to just lay there on the carpet and stare at the ceiling.
"The grammar on your shirt is wrong."
Yugi jerked his head down seeing the familiar stylized image of french fries paired with silly English text, and was reminded of the shirt he'd pulled on that morning. He hadn't been expecting company except for Ryuji, so he hadn't given the shirt a second thought until now.
"Yeah, Jonouchi-kun bought this shirt for me as a present," he explained, and even though he was embarrassed by his state of dress he couldn't help but smile fondly at the memory of the gift. "His English isn't so good. I don't think he really understood what it said."
Seto made a rude snort. "Figures. Of course that dumbass would give you something so stupid."
"It's not stupid," Yugi countered, "it's funny. And I like his gifts."
"Of course you would. You're giving someone a Speak & Spell. Your taste in gifts are equally tacky."
Reminded of the package, Yugi glanced to the side and placed a hand on it to make certain it hadn't gone anywhere. Apparently Yami had given up trying to filch it. He saw Seto pull out a phone and start texting someone, the light illuminating his sharp angular features and his thumbs striking the screen with sharp tapping noises.
"Is that work?"
"No," The CEO snipped. "I'm texting Mokuba for a ride home."
Yugi cocked his head to the side and his bangs tickled his cheek. "Didn't you drive here yourself?"
"I drove here in your car. Dropped it off in the parking lot." There was a jangle and one of Seto's large hands appeared over the edge of the coffee table, dropping a familiar set of keys on top of it.
"You picked up my car from the the shop? It's all fixed?" Excited hands grabbed for the keys, picking them up and thumbing through them happily. All the keys were there, including his beat up and scratched car key, but then his fingers brushed over a weird key that hadn't been on the key-ring before. He ran his thumb curiously over the smooth black plastic around the base of it.
"Good as new," Seto answered tonelessly. He sat up suddenly and picked himself off the floor, his hands brushing invisible dust from his tailored pant legs. "Don't worry about the cost, Mokuba and I took care of it."
Tears were already forming in the corners of Yugi's eyes when he stammered out a heartfelt "Thank you." He wasn't exactly certain how much damage had been inflicted on the car, but because it was a cheap city car the thing tended to crunch like a bag of chips. Honestly he'd expected to get a bill from the towing company and the repair shop any day. This was a huge relief.
"Whatever. Just shut up and get better so you can return to work." Seto turned away from him and yanked his trench coat off the recliner. The forcefulness of the action caused the old recliner to creak and rock back and forth, but suddenly a slew of coins, candy and wrappers, dice, business cards, an MP3 player, a book, wireless earbuds, and a pair of sunglasses spilled onto the floor in the process. "Who the fuck dug all the shit out of my pockets!?"
*Chinese Checkers: is neither a game of checkers, nor did it originate from China. It's a German game in origin played with marbles on a divoted wooden board.
I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I fucking HATE writing card duels. And I kept getting stuck, and suffering from writer's block. And things just weren't coming out the way I wanted them to. I finally just cut the chapter short because it got too long, and you'll get the rest of the chapter soon.
It'll be lots of cute Puzzlebonding, Yugi giving Yami his present. And Yami Bakura finally coming out to play again.
Please please please leave a comment about your thoughts and feels about this chapter. It was a such a bitch to write, and your feedback would validate all my efforts. Thanks.