Kaiba looked at his phone and tapped his foot impatiently. He sighed and dialed Atem's number again, putting the phone to his ear, hoping for an answer.

Ringing.

Ringing..

Ringing…

"The number you are trying to reach, has a voicemail box that has not been set up yet. Goodbye."

Kaiba growled and pressed end. He pocketed his phone and walked out of his home office, arms crossed.

He sighed and walked down the hallway and continued down the grand staircase, stopping in front of the kitchen.

He watched in silence as Mokuba sauteed veggies and expertly handled different seasonings. He walked into the kitchen and cleared his throat to announce himself.

Mokuba turned and smiled at his brother,

"Oh, Seto! I didn't realize you were working from home today!" He said, taking a second plate out of the cabinet and placing it on the kitchen bar next to his.

"Good afternoon, Mokuba. What are you doing?" Kaiba asked, the smell of thyme and tarragon invading his nostrils.

Smells good.

Who knew the kid could cook?

Mokuba smiled again,

"I was starving after my lessons so I decided to make myself some dinner. I made a lot so, you should have some too!" He put on a pair of oven mitts and pulled back the oven door, taking out a sizzling whole roasted chicken.

Kaiba sat at the bar in complete shock.

"Who taught you this?" Kaiba asked as his brother put down a pot holder and placed the pan of veggies on the table.

Mokuba laughed,

"Seto, I've been watching you and Isono figure shit out my whole life. I can put a chicken in the oven and throw some broccoli in a pan. Besides, I was starving." He said, grabbing cutlery from a nearby drawer.

Mokuba handed Kaiba a fork and knife and took his seat. He confidently carved the chicken that he had set in the middle of the counter, and placed Kaiba's favorite sections on his brother's plate.

He then served himself and began eating in earnest, chomping on the vegetables and tearing at the chicken.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow and studied his brother carefully. He examined the raven hair, pulled back into a high bun.

Normal.

He had noticed as Mokuba had gotten older that the youth often pulled his hair back to be able to study properly.

Kaiba's eyes moved to Mokuba's eyes, which were fully fixed on his plate of food. His brother's eyes lost their round youthful appearance and had become more angled through the years.

He stared at Mokuba's pupils.

Dilated.

He scoffed and shook his head.

He knew about Mokuba's habits.

It was unfortunate, but Mokuba's anxiety got to an all time high two years ago. The pills had terrible side effects and Mokuba ran to Kaiba in tears begging for an alternative method.

Kaiba hated when Mokuba was violently high, and definitely hated that he ate all of the food in the house while he was 'medicated'.

"I'm glad you finished your lessons for the day, Mokuba but please do not use the oven when you're medicated." Kaiba said biting into a juicy piece of dark meat.

Mokuba sighed and continued chewing his food. He swallowed his bite and sipped his water.

"Sorry, Seto. It just makes me so hungry. And I don't like asking Isono for things after I've smoked-"

"You've started smoking it? I thought you were taking it in pill form?" Kaiba interrupted, trying to mask his disgust.

"The pills were gross and the edibles took too long to kick in. It's not like I'm rolling joints." Mokuba answered taking a pen out of his pocket and handing it to Kaiba.

Kaiba started at the electronic vaporizer in his hand. It was a skinny and sleek silver pen. The screw in cartridge full of some sort of oil.

He read the writing on the base,

WOLFenterprises

Next to the company name, there was a black lotus flower.

Wolf Enterprises…

Why did that sound familiar?

"Who did you go through to purchase this? Our provider doesn't sell vape pens. There's no where in Japan you could obtain this without being arrested-"

"Seto, chill. I have a medical marijuana card and I'm able to purchase my medicine from an American company. And, it's not like we have to go through security for our own jets, so I can put in an order and have it airmailed to Japan." Mokuba said taking the pen and wrapping his lips around the mouthpiece.

He took a long slow drag and blew the cloud in Kaiba's face.

Kaiba waved to the clear the cloud of smoke. He was pleasantly surprised the smoke didn't reek of THC. Rather, it smelled like blueberries.

Mokuba sighed and continued to eat,

"Your right though. I should plan my meals better. I'll make food and then medicate to be safe." He said, taking a large bite of veggies and chicken.

Kaiba sighed and put another piece of chicken in his mouth. He was shocked at the tenderness and full flavor.

"What made you want to make a whole chicken?" Kaiba asked, stabbing at a piece of broccoli.

Mokuba shrugged as he finished his plate and happily began piling on seconds.

"Atem didn't pick up did he?" Mokuba said drinking from his water glass.

"What? How did you-"

"Just a guess. I heard you leave him a voicemail last night and I'm guessing you just tried to call him." Mokuba explained, picking a drumstick and ripping the meat from the bone.

"I'm just trying to see if he's doing alright. Last night after Salem posted the video, he started acting strange…" Kaiba trailed off.

"Yeah I saw the video. Atem and Yugi are um...Are they aware that they look like-"

"Lovers?" Kaiba questioned.

Mokuba nodded slowly, immediately regretting bringing up Atem.

Kaiba breathed in through his nose and impaled more vegetables on his fork.

"It hardly matters. Yugi and Te'a are dating." Kaiba said staring at the pieces of carrot and broccoli on his fork.

Mokuba cleared his throat as he took out his phone and went to his social media. He passed his phone to his older brother and waited for his reaction.

Kaiba took the phone from Mokuba as he ate the veggies off of his fork. He nearly choked on his food when he saw a picture of Yugi and Atem from earlier this morning.

It was taken by Atem,the phone was held at a selfie angle. Their cheeks were pressed against one another and they were both shirtless.

"What the actual hell?"

Atem had his sunglasses on his head, tangled in his now maroon colored curls. His eyes were looking into the lense mischievously as Yugi had one eye closed due to being pressed against Atem's face, blushing madly.

In the background, Kaiba saw sailboats and the water.

He scrolled down and read the caption,

Much needed friend time in Enoshima!

The phone was shaking in Kaiba's hand as his jealousy became too much to handle. He slammed the phone down on the counter and walked briskly out of the kitchen.

"Hey! Careful!" Mokuba yelled checking his phone for cracks as Kaiba stomped up the stairs to his room.

Kaiba knew for a fact that Yugi hadn't broken things off with Te'a yet. He also knew that Atem couldn't afford a day trip to the beach last minute and neither could Yugi.

He went to his contacts and tapped on a recent number. He held the phone to his ear and sighed impatiently.

"What."

"Salem, you bitch." Kaiba spat through clenched teeth.

"Good afternoon to you too, jackass." She answered.

Kaiba could hear her smirking on the other line.

Fucking bitch.

"You took Atem and Yugi on a little day trip?" He said, taking his Gucci overnight bag from the back of his closet and absentmindedly packing swim shorts and linen button down shirts.

"Mmmhmm. It was just going to be Atem and I but Yugi needed some time away from the game shop. So we brought him along...I'm actually thinking we may stay the night-"

"Let me guess, they share a room and you get a separate one?" He seethed, using Salem's last check in on social media to find an address.

"I was going to get us a little beach rental. More privacy. More room. I'm sure you'll appreciate that considering I can literally hear you packing right now."

Kaiba scoffed and tucked stray hairs behind his ear.

"You should have picked somewhere further away. See you in two hours."

Kaiba ended the call and slung his bag over his shoulder. He marched out of his bedroom and down to the garage, ignoring Mokuba's prying question when he walked passed the kitchen.

He took a set of keys off the wall and pressed a button to unlock his black Rolls Royce. He climbed into the driver's seat and placed his bag in the back seat.

"Wait for me Atem. Don't do anything stupid." Kaiba thought to himself.

He pulled out of his garage and sped toward the island of Enoshima, hoping that nothing would happen between Atem and Yugi in the next two hours.

Atem sighed happily after taking a sip from his lychee cocktail. He gazed at Yugi's pale chest, feeling his cheeks grow hot.

They had a fun time at the beach together and were meeting with Salem for drinks and a late lunch.

He unashamedly watched Yugi put on his white t shirt and sip from his mojito.

Atem decided it best that he slip on his red short sleeved linen shirt. He left it open, however, when he noticed Yugi staring at his bare chest.

"That was fun, aibou. We should take trips like this every weekend." Atem said, his gaze heated as he stirred his drink with the straw.

He moved the straw up and down before moving the glass closer to his lips. He circled his tongue around the straw and then wrapped his full lips around the metal, relishing Yugi's beet red complexion.

Yugi gulped and willed his erection to go away. He realized that he hadn't had time to speak to Te'a before Salem took their phones.

Apparently, it was to ensure "maximum relaxation".

He tried to slow his heartbeat but failed when Atem reached out to put his hand on top of his.

"What do you think?" He heard Atem purr.

Yugi cleared his throat,

"What?"

"About going on a short trip every weekend. It could do wonders for your stress." Atem said with a light chuckle.

Yugi sighed and pulled his hand away from Atem's, placing both of his hands in his lap.

"I still need to talk to Te'a. This is really nice and everything feels so right with you, but I need to respect what little of a relationship I still have with her. If our situations were switched, she'd do the same for me." Yugi said, staring blankly at the floating pieces of mint and blueberry in his drink.

Atem scoffed and shook his head. He couldn't believe the double standard in their relationship.

"Actually, Aibou I've been meaning to talk to you about that...Te'a told me to stay away from you.." Atem said, regretting his words immediately.

This was not the time or place.

Yugi looked at Atem in disbelief,

"What?! When? She would never-"

"There you two are!" Salem yelled from afar.

Yugi groaned internally. How was it that this woman had the worst and best timing?

She was wearing a white two piece thong bikini and a blush pink longline kimono. Her cat eye sunglasses framed her face beautifully and her curly hair was tamed under a large wicker sun hat.

She pranced over to Yugi and Atem's table, her heeled wedges clicking against the pavement.

She joined them at the table and smiled.

"This feels like a funeral. Did you two order food already?" She asked taking off her hat and shaking out her wild curls.

Atem stayed silent, keeping his eyes glued to Yugi.

"She texted me last night demanding that I stay away from you, Aibou."

Yugi shook his head, trying to fight the tears that were welling up in the corners of his eyes. He knew Te'a would never do such a thing.

"No. I don't believe you." Yugi said shakily.

Salem pursed her lips. She took two phones out of her basket purse and handed them to their respective owners.

Atem quickly powered his on and went to his messages, shoving the screen in Yugi's face to show him the exact text.

Yugi took the phone from Atem and examined it closer.

There it was, plain as day.

He slid Atem's phone back and turned on his own device. It began chiming immediately.

Missed calls, voicemails, and text messages. All from Te'a.

"I'm sorry, Atem." Yugi said, unable to look at either of the sun kissed beauties before him.

"It's alright, Aibou."

Atem took another sip of his drink and looked at Salem. Who was tapping her finger impatiently.

"I'll grab lunch at our villa. You two obviously have some things to work out. I just wanted to return your property." She said standing up and moodily walking out of the outdoor dining area.

"Villa?" Yugi asked, he thought they were leaving that evening.

Atem shrugged his shoulders.

"She's probably exhausted and wants to stay the night. She did organize all of this." He said leaning back on the wicker chair.

Yugi's heart jumped at the thought of spending an evening with Atem. He didn't know how much longer he could pretend not to notice Atem's sexual behavior.

Salem sighed as she parked her car in front of the private beach villa. She froze as she got out of the car, seeing an expensive black car in the second guest parking space.

She growled as she shut the door to her car and stormed inside of the house, running full force into Kaiba's chest as she entered the kitchen.

Kaiba caught Salem by her upper arms, her kimono falling off of her shoulders and wrapping around Kaiba's fingers.

She yelped in surprise and tried to step back, her heel catching on the hem of her kimono. She fell backward taking Kaiba with her.

They both fell to the ground with a hard oof! Kaiba's larger form laying on top of Salem's smaller one.

He propped himself up on his elbows and blinked several times to get his bearings. His breath caught in his throat when he caught a whiff of her scent.

Roses.

Normally he hated floral scents but the rose mixed with Salem's natural musk was...pleasant.

His eyes trailed to her collarbones, looking oh so tempting.

"Get off me, yah hamar." She spat, trying to sit up.

Kaiba pushed her back down and pinned her wrists above her head, giving him a perfect view of her toned stomach. He held her wrists with one hand and used the other to trail his fingers across the soft supple skin.

His eyes widened as she shivered and shook at his touch.

"Atem used to react like this…"

"What are you doing?! Get off me!" She yelled, trying to kick upward.

Kaiba looked into her eyes,

"I never noticed it before but you and Atem could be twins…" He said dreamily, swirling his fingers around her belly button.

She shook again and gasped as Kaiba pinched at the thong and snapped it against her skin.

She glared at him, "What are you getting at?"

"No...she could never replace him...Definitely not with that monstrosity between her legs. I'll just mess with her a little more."

Kaiba chuckled evilly and leaned in close so that their noses were touching.

"Stop getting in my way…" he whispered roughly, placing his nose behind her ear lobe to enjoy the scent once more.

"The only person in your way is you. Your desperation is pathetic...What are you even doing here? What's your endgame?"

Kaiba immediately let go of her wrists and got off of her. He realized that she was right.

He looked desperate and controlling.

Salem sat up but stayed on the ground, waiting for a snarky response from Kaiba.

Kaiba sat back on his heels and ran his fingers through his hair. He didn't want this.

Since the beginning he's been the one doing the chasing.

He's spent years chasing Atem as a rival, and he's spent even longer chasing Atem as a love interest.

For the first time in a long time, he was tired of being the initiator. He stood up and sighed.

He looked down at Salem who was still sitting on the floor.

"Get up. You're right and I'm...sorry I guess." He said, trying to sound as genuine as possible and crossing his arms.

"I would love to stand up but you definitely landed on my ankle and it's incredibly painful." She said lifting her left leg, the outside of her ankle already beginning to swell.

Shit.

He scooped her up and sat her on one of the dining chairs. He grabbed her hat from off the floor and placed it on the kitchen counter.

He went into her bag, looking for anything that might help. At that moment he come across a vape pen that looked identical to Mokuba's.

WOLFenterprises

Kaiba connected two and two and remembered Salem had her more...niche businesses under her alias and her legit businesses under her birth name.

He snapped out of his thoughts and brought the pen to Salem, placing it in her left hand.

She stared blankly at the pen and then at Kaiba.

"I need ice, but thanks, the THC will help with the pain." She said with a laugh.

Kaiba groaned and went into the freezer. Luckily, there were ice packs in the door so he didn't have to gather loose ice in a bag. He took the kitchen towel from the oven handle and wrapped it around the pack.

Salem gladly took the pack and inhaled a long drag from her vape before blowing it up in the air. She placed the ice on her ankle and winced in pain.

"Thanks…" She said flatly.

Kaiba nodded curtly and sat across from her at the kitchen table. He examined her carefully, wondering what his next steps would be. He drove his car all the way here, and it would be hell getting back to the mainland. He already had to take his car on the boat just so he wouldn't have to rent a car when he arrived.

Why did he go through so much trouble to be here?

He watched carefully as she adjusted her kimono and rubbed at the crook of her neck.

"You seemed stressed." Was all he could think of to say.

Salem scoffed and chuckled,

"Yeah. I need to elevate my ankle. You're welcome to stay-"

"Where are Atem and Yugi?" Kaiba asked, suddenly realizing their absence.

Salem rolled her eyes,

"They're having lunch and talking about their drama. I wanted to eat with them but things got a little heavy…" she trailed off, slipping off her wedges and standing on her functioning leg.

Kaiba's mouth dropped.

Drama?

So much drama that it made Salem want to leave?

He needed to know more.

"Here." He said standing up and wrapping an arm around her waist.

"You really don't have to-"

"It's fine. Where's you room?" Kaiba demanded more than asked.

Salem pointed toward the back of the house and yelped as Kaiba picked her up.

"I'm know I'm small but if you pick me up one more goddamn time I'll shave your head in your sleep." Salem whispered in Kaiba's ear.

Kaiba scoffed and shook his head,

"You're a terrifying little woman. But not so scary when you're being carried bridal style to your bedroom." He said pushing the door open with his shoulder.

He laid her down on the bed and crossed his arms, hearing his stomach growl loudly.

Salem chuckled as she placed several pillows underneath her left ankle,

"Yeah, me too." She said, laying back against the headboard.

Kaiba's face grew hot.

How embarrassing.

In his haste to get to the island, he didn't finish his meal with Mokuba and didn't purchase any food on the way.

"I was planning on cooking but…" She gestured to her ankle and then shrugged. She took a drag from her vape pen and exhaled, smiling lightly.

"How is any part of that enjoyable?" He asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Salem blinked at him and held out the pen,

"Try it and you'll find out."

Kaiba shoved the pen back at her,

"Absolutely not. If I wanted to kill myself slowly-"

"You'd drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes. No one has ever died from weed, ever. That's a fact. Alcohol is scientifically proven to be bad for you and thousands and people die from alcohol poisoning every year." Salem explained, placing the pen next to Kaiba.

He stared at the pen and thought for a moment.

Of course no one has died from marijuana, but it still doesn't make it safe…

"If you really believe that why would you let your brother partake in such a heinous drug?"

Kaiba sighed and picked up the pen. He wondered if worrying about the side effects mattered.

He knew Atem wanted Yugi and that was painful enough.

Would this dull the pain?

Maybe relaxing and bonding with Salem wouldn't be such a bad thing.

It definitely wouldn't kill him to take the stick out of his ass.

He hestitantly held the mouthpiece to his lips and wrapped his mouth around it. He took a small breath at first and blew a small cloud of smoke into the air.

It tasted like...Strawberries.

It wasn't an unpleasant sensation.

He took a longer drag, this time feeling the heat burn his throat slightly as he blew the smoke in Salem's face. He coughed loudly and his throat burned delightfully.

She laughed,

"Ah, revenge. I see." She rested her hands on her stomach as it alerted the room of its need for sustenance with a low rumble.

Kaiba smirked at her and took out his phone, searching for any restaurants that will deliver.

"Do you have a preference?" He asked, slipping off his shoes and laying next to her, his head feeling wonderfully light and bubbly.

He felt so carefree.

She shook her head from side to side slowly,

"I'll eat whatever."

"Alright then." Kaiba said with a chuckle. He didn't know what was funny but he was feeling too good to care.

Atem and Yugi walked in silence.

Yugi couldn't believe that Te'a told Atem to stay away. He guessed that she felt the same way he did when he confessed to being unfaithful...but, his situation made sense.

He'd always had feelings for Atem and that didn't change when Atem moved out of the game shop.

He wanted to wait to tell Atem about his true feelings until after he spoke with Te'a in person.

Atem led them to the villa using his phone's GPS. He hated that they had barely spoken during their lunch but what more was there to say?

Yugi has no intention of talking to Atem about their future and Atem has every intention to keep Yugi in his life.

Denying them of their bond is cruel, and Atem felt betrayed that Te'a didn't know better and that Yugi was so loyal to her.

Even after Atem showed the proof.

Atem couldn't think of a time where he had to negotiate this much. Not even Kaiba would prove to be this difficult.

He stopped in his tracks when he remembered the sensual afternoon Kaiba spent in his bedroom.

"Kaiba…"

Was Atem just as bad?

"Are you alright?" Yugi asked, stopping just behind the pharaoh to give him space.

Atem nodded slowly and kept walking. He looked out toward the horizon, the sunset causing the blue sky to turn into shades of dark orange and red.

A sunset that he couldn't enjoy.

Yugi sighed and crossed his arms, rubbing at his shoulders. He despised that he couldn't show Atem how he felt just yet.

Yes, Te'a disrespected their bond but Yugi owes her his loyalty until they are no longer together.

Atem slowed as they approached the villa, seeing a familiar black car parked next to Salem's Tesla. He groaned and stomped ahead of Yugi and into the house, fully expecting to see Kaiba and Salem at each other's throats.

He was sick of their bickering.

Yugi tried to keep up with the ex pharaoh, giving up when they reached the living room. He sat down on the couch as Atem looked for Salem and Kaiba. He noticed two dirty wine glasses on the coffee table next to an empty bottle of rose' wine.

He narrowed his eyes and stood up, walking into the kitchen.

Two dirty plates in the sink as well as several empty to go boxes. His curiosity got the better of him as he looked in the trash can, seeing discarded oyster and clam shells.

Yugi's confusion rose as he walked out of the kitchen and to the back of the house, seeing Atem standing outside of Salem's doorway with his arms crossed. He went to stand next to Atem and became lightheaded at the sight in Salem's bed.

There they were, Salem and Kaiba nestled together like kittens. Salem was settled against Kaiba's chest, her head resting under his chin.

Kaiba's arms were wrapped around Salem's waist protectively. Their hips were so close together, Atem was positive his friend had betrayed him.

"I knew she had to have been lying about her feelings." He thought, fuming.

Their legs were in a tangled mess and Kaiba's hair was beautifully tousled. His linen shirt had been opened and Salem's kimono was tossed to the ground, leaving her in her revealing swimwear.

Atem noticed her laptop was sitting on the bench at the end of the bed. It was open and the screen showed a video being compressed into a smaller file size. He went over to the bench and kneeled in front of it, clicking on the thumbnail.

The title read,

Seafood Mukbang!- Seto Kaiba

Atem glared at Salem's sleeping figure and crawled onto the bed.

"What are you doing!" Yugi whispered, shuffling into the bedroom.

"She said we're business partners, yet Kaiba is here during our vacation and they filmed a video together. They probably did even more than that." Atem whispered through clenched teeth.

Yugi raised an eyebrow,

"But, I'm here during your vacation. Salem had to spend all day by herself today. I can't speak to why Kaiba's here, maybe to see you, but it's not really fair for you to be mad." He said, sitting on the bench.

Atem scoffed,

"I'm entitled to my feelings, Aibou. Just like you're entitled to stay in your awful relationship…"

Shit.

He didn't mean that…

Yugi sighed and looked toward the sleeping figures on the bed.

"I know you're upset, pharaoh...But I made Te'a a promise that I'd respect the integrity of our relationship. I have to end things properly before even thinking about being with someone else-"

Atem stood quickly, feeling all of his sadness and guilt hit him at once.

"I'm not someone else, aibou! I'm me! I used to mean something to you!" He yelled, momentarily forgetting where he was.

His eyes were burning as hot tears rolled down his cheeks. He was breathing heavily, his heart pounding loudly in his ears.

Yugi stood his ground. He had feelings for the pharaoh but he couldn't give in to his weakness again. Not if he wanted something resembling a friendship with Te'a after all of this.

The bed rustled as Salem stretched her legs and cracked her toes, sighing happily. Her eyes fluttered open and she slowly sat up, not minding Kaiba's arms still wrapped securely around her waist.

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and gazed tiredly at Atem and Yugi. She gave them a weak smile.

"You guys made it back, good. I was wondering when you two would get in." She said stretching her arms upward before letting them fall into her lap.

Atem glared at Salem and stomped out of the room in a huff.

Yugi flinched when he heard a door slam, shaking the decorations on the walls of Salem room.

He sighed and rubbed nervously at his shoulder.

"Salem, I hate to pry, but if I'm going to go talk to Atem, I need to know why you thought it was a good idea to sleep with Kaiba." Yugi said, gazing at the floor.

Salem's eyes widened as she realized how her and Kaiba looked.

"No, no! Oh God, no. Nothing happened...we just, bonded is all." She said, slowly untangling herself from Kaiba's grip.

Yugi raised an eyebrow,

"Bonded? I may look inexperienced, Salem but I know what oysters are for-"

"For eating, Yugi. I didn't get to have lunch with you and Atem remember? I came to the villa and-"

"Right and where does Kaiba fit into all of this? Why is he here? It's obvious to me that you hate the guy so why is he in bed with you? There are enough shell carcasses to feed two people, so he must have been her before you ordered lunch, right?" Yugi questioned, he could only think that maybe Kaiba followed Atem to the island.

Not surprising but still overkill on Kaiba's part.

Salem sighed and looked at Kaiba, who was still sleeping peacefully by her side.

"I think it's best if everyone gets some rest and we start fresh in the morning. There's another room you can stay in, and I'll let Mr. Kaiba stay in my room." She said crawling out of the bed and walking to her dresser.

Yugi watched as she pulled out a set of pajamas and clean underwear from a drawer.

"I don't think it's appropriate for you and Kaiba to share a bed." He said. He wasn't leaving until he knew Kaiba was sleeping elsewhere.

"I'll sleep in the living room." She said, passing Yugi and going into the en suite bathroom.

Yugi rolled his eyes and left, wandering through the villa until he found the spare bedroom. He sat on the plush bed and sighed.

"What a disaster…"

Atem was in his bedroom staring at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. At all. He looked at the time on his phone and sighed.

1am.

He leapt out if bed and walked into the living room, confused upon seeing Salem curled up on the couch.

"Kaiba should be the one on the couch…" he thought, walking passed her quietly and down the hall to a closed door.

He assumed Yugi had taken this room and knocked on the door softly.

There was rustling coming from inside before the door open to reveal a messy haired Yugi.

"Atem…" He said, shyly adjusting his sleep shirt.

"Aibou, may I come in?" Atem asked shifting his weight for one foot to the other.

Yugi sighed and opened the door wider, allowing Atem to step into the bedroom, before shutting the door.

Yugi carefully sat on the bed next to Atem. Suddenly very nervous.

Oh no.

Yugi breathed deeply, feeling himself grow hard from Atem's unique musk. He rubbed his knees together, praying Atem wouldn't notice the bulge in his pajama bottoms in the dark.

Atem kept his eyes on the floor, trying to make sense of his thoughts.

"I want to apologize for my behavior today…" he started carefully.

He turned his gaze toward Yugi's mature face and opened his mouth to speak.

No words.

He tried again.

Nothing.

Atem cleared his throat and continued,

"I just-I care very much for you, Aibou and you deserve better-"

Yugi interrupted Atem with a sarcastic scoff,

"Do I, though? I cheated on my girlfriend, Atem. And it's not just any girl, it's Te'a. I've had the biggest crush on her since we were kids! And then I go and ruin things by-"

"By sleeping with me." Atem cut in.

"Yeah…" Yugi said trailing off. He sighed put his face in his hands.

How did everything get so messed up?

"I'm not just any person either, Aibou." Atem said softly. He crossed his arms and brought his eyes to the carpet.

Yugi breathed out slowly and ran his hands down his face, exhausted.

"I know, Atem. I care for you too but-"

"But what? Our bond is stronger than anything in the world…" Atem turned toward Yugi and took the smaller male's hands in his.

"Yugi, we belong together…" Atem voice was soft and gentle, different from his usual low and robust timbre.

Yugi's eyes filled with tears as Atem brushed his lips against Yugi's cheek. His lip trembled as he wrapped his arms around Atem's neck, letting the ex pharaoh's unique scent wash over him.

"I need time...after I end things...I want to do it right, pharaoh." Yugi whispered shakily.

Atem buried his face in the crook of Yugi's neck and nodded slowly.

Fine.

"Aibou?"

"Yes, Atem?"

"May I stay in here tonight? I don't want to be alone and I need you right now."

Yugi pulled out of the hug and nodded,

"Just to sleep."

"Of course." Atem said, innocently laying next to Yugi as he lifted up the blankets.

Yugi stared at the ceiling as he laid on his back. He wished today had turned out better. He wanted to do the work with Atem to set boundaries but it was difficult.

If only they had more time.

"Hey, Atem."

"Yes, Yugi?"

Yugi turned onto his side to look Atem in his crimson eyes,

"Let's try again tomorrow. I want to clear my head before I speak with Te'a. You're my friend and I really need you to be my friend right now. Just my friend."

Atem nodded slowly processing Yugi's words.

It wasn't a no.

But, it wasn't the answer Atem wanted.

Just Friends.

But, if being there for Yugi meant getting to spend an extra day on the island, he would do it.

More time alone.

"Won't Joey have trouble at the game shop by himself?" Atem asked, knowing the blonde would do anything for their small tri colored haired friend.

Yugi shrugged,

"He knows what I'm going through and I'm paying him for his time. I'll send him a text in the morning to let him know we're staying another day. I just hope Salem is on board."

Atem felt bile gather in his throat at the memory of Kaiba and Salem in bed together.

"She definitely owes it to both of us to let us stay an extra day. I'll try and talk to her in the morning. If I can even look at her." He said, huffing as he turned over angrily.

Yugi thought it best not to mention what Salem had told him. It would just make Atem more upset that Kaiba was able to bond with his best friend.

Atem was still seething when he felt Yugi scoot closer to his body.

He breathed in and out deeply to calm himself down.

"Goodnight, Aibou."

Yugi smiled into his pillow,

"Goodnight, Atem."

I'm so sorry that took SO long. Please forgive any errors! And THANK YOU FOR READING, REVIEWING, AND LEAVING KUDOS!

A little announcement:

I'm moving into a new building in five days and I am so stressed!

Because of this, I've decided not to update L'Appel Du Vide this saturday, but instead update the next chapter of Highlight of My Life.