Atem sighed happily as he filled out a check to Seto Kaiba for the full 1 million yen. He signed the bottom of the check and wrote "Now leave me alone" in the memo line.

He had taken a week to separate his new found wealth responsibly and was ecstatic about not having to work so many shifts at the spa from now on.

He gingerly slipped the check in an envelope and wrote "To: Asshole" on the front of it.

"Atem?" Yugi's voice called out from Atem's ensuite bathroom.

"Yes, Aibou?" Atem answered, putting the envelope on his side table and walking up to the bathroom door.

Yugi was dripping wet from his shower, only a towel around his waist. He set down his toothbrush and smiled brightly at the ex king,

"It's pretty late. Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Yugi asked leaning against the bathroom counter.

Atem chuckled and crossed his arms,

"It's not even 7pm, Aibou. I'll be fine. Plus, Salem spent the night at the Kaiba mansion last night so she'll be there when I arrive." He said, trying to ignore the bile rising in his throat at the thought of Kaiba and Salem in bed together ran through his mind.

Yugi rolled his eyes and sighed,

"Right. Because she's such a big help now. They've gotten too close Atem. It's like they're actual friends." He hung up his towel and walked passed Atem. As he began to get dressed, he heard Atem texting.

"You shouldn't let them know that you're coming." Yugi said, buttoning his dress shirt.

Atem put his hand on his hip,

"Aibou, I'm just telling Salem I'm on my way. Her and I may go to drinks after to discuss the palette." He said pocketing his phone and grabbing the envelope off of the side table.

He secured the envelope in his maroon designer tote and gazed at his boyfriend,

"Do you mind feeding Dutchess on your way out?" Atem asked, adjusting his black and gold paisley blazer.

Yugi raised an eyebrow,

"Um, Dutchess?"

"Salem's cat. I need to head out now." Atem said walking toward the bedroom door.

Yugi groaned,

"That cat hates me...But I'll feed her for you…" Catching Atem before he left and pecking him on the cheek.

Atem chuckled and kissed Yugi's forehead,

"I'll meet you at the game shop when I'm done." He walked out of the room and ran down the stairs, exciting the apartment in a rush.

Yugi sighed and walked down the stairs to the kitchen, stopping when the fluffy white cat appeared on top of the kitchen island.

"Oh, um, nice kitty." Yugi cooed, reaching his hand out so the growling feline could sniff him.

The cat swatted at the small man's wrist and hissed loudly.

"Ow! Shit! Ah, God, you little twat!" Yugi yelled, causing the cat to jump off of the counter and hid underneath the couch.

Yugi hurried into the kitchen and held his wrist under the running water of the faucet. He turned off the water and padded his arm dry with a paper towel.

He looked around the kitchen, feeling his frustration rise when he realized that Atem didn't tell him where the cat's bowl or food was located.

"Great."

Kaiba yawned as he walked into his large kitchen, seeing Salem editing on her laptop and enjoying a cup of coffee. He joined the curly haired beauty guru at the kitchen bar and cleared his throat,

"Thank you for spending time with me last night. It's been a while since I've slept that well." He said setting his tablet on the counter.

Salem shrugged and kept her eyes on her screen,

"Platonic cuddles to get to sleep isn't something I wouldn't have thought the cold and stern Seto Kaiba would need." She said playfully.

Kaiba chuckled,

"You aren't so bad and-"

"And I look like enough like Atem in the dark?" She interrupted, finally looking up at Kaiba.

Kaiba averted his gaze from Salem's face and started scrolling in earnest on his tablet, ignoring her question.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Salem took out her phone and replied to a message.

"Atem is coming over to give you a check." She said, putting her phone in the pocket of her robe.

Kaiba froze.

No.

Already?

"Oh? For what?" He asked, feigning confusion.

Salem rolled her eyes and put her hand on Kaiba's arm,

"There's something going on and I need you to tell me the truth. What's the deal with the money? You don't need it and Atem would never "steal" from you. Come on, Seto, you can tell me." She said, trying to get the blue eyed CEO to look at her.

Kaiba looked into Salem's honey eyes deeply.

Maybe.

Maybe she could help him.

"Okay. I'll tell you. Atem earned that money. He doesn't know that he was paid for the time he covered from my Chief of Security. I opened a bank account in his name and deposited his money and then some. I wanted to make sure he'd be okay if something happened. And you know the rest. He left me, found the card in his wallet and used his rightly earned money to start a new life for himself.." He explained, running his fingers through his hair.

He waited patiently for Salem to process the new information. He furrowed his brow when the hand on his arm pinched him,

"Ow, what the fuck!" He yelled.

"Are you serious, you asshole? You had Atem convince he stole and stalked him over it! You need to come clean when he gets here." She said, punching him in the thigh.

"I should just tell him it's the thought that counts-"

"Seto. I'm going to be extremely honest with you. If it wasn't for the impending threat to get you your money, Atem would have never learned the value of working a dead end job. Yes, I helped him along the way but you need to come clean. He'll respect you more for it than if you were to lie to him." She said, standing up and crossing her arms.

Kaiba pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed,

"Do you really believe that? After how much I've screwed things up between him and I, do you really think he'll forgive me just because I was honest? I thought you knew him better than that."

"Seto. If you want to repair the damage you've caused, you need to come clean. Only then can you actually start to rebuild your relationship. Think about it, Seto. You're Seto Fucking Kaiba but even you can't build a house on top of a cracked foundation and expect it to hold." Salem said, taking off her robe, revealing a skin tight white tube dress.

Kaiba looked Salem up and down, amazed.

How.

How could this woman who dresses like a Kardashian have so much wisdom and knowledge.

He watched as she closed her laptop and sat down on the stool, flipping her long curly hair over her shoulder. He put his hand on her thigh to get her attention,

"You're right. When he arrives, would you mind giving us some privacy?" Kaiba's voice was calm.

He knew Atem may hate him after his confession, but at least everything would be out on the table.

"He's here. I'll wait outside. See you tomorrow." Salem said, taking her laptop and phone off of the counter.

Kaiba's stomach dropped as he heard Atem and Salem chatting in the foyer. He tried to look as casual as possible as he heard the front doors close and footsteps approach the kitchen.

Atem inhaled deeply as he walked into Kaiba's kitchen, gazing at the beautiful brunette sitting at the counter.

"Why is Salem waiting outside?" Atem asked, all business as he stood across from Kaiba at the kitchen island.

Kaiba ran his fingers through his hair and smirked handsomely at the young ex pharaoh,

"She wanted to give us privacy."

Atem scoffed,

"It's hardly needed." He said setting his designer bag on the counter and taking out the envelope, loudly slamming it on the counter,

"Here's your money. Don't talk to me ever again unless it's business related." He spat.

Kaiba slid the envelope toward Atem,

"Keep your money."

Atem felt his blood boil as he stared at the envelope on the counter,

"Excuse me?" He growled.

Kaiba sighed and looked at Atem seriously,

"That money is yours. It always has been…"

Atem laughed and shook his head,

"Um no. You said I used money that didn't belong to me. You drove me out of my own apartment, Kaiba-"

"I know and-"

"You assaulted me. Granted it wasn't very hard, but you choked me hard enough to leave a bruise!" Atem's eyes were becoming hot. He willed himself not to cry.

"Atem, I'm sorry for all of that. I don't expect you to forgive me but I want to make things right and-"

"What do you mean it's always been my money? Tell me, Kaiba. And the truth this time." Atem growled, crossing his arms.

Kaiba exhaled and explained the situation. Atem's expression changed from angry to furious,

"I was so upset that you had left me, Atem. All I've ever wanted was for you to be with me, Atem. I just thought that if you thought you owed me, you'd come back and we could talk about us-"

"Us? Kaiba there is no us anymore! You've lied to me, used me and Salem, and I'm pretty sure you threatened Yugi when he came to see you at your office." Atem said, taking the envelope off of the counter and ripping it up.

Kaiba shook his head,

"Anything I said is because he threatened to tell you about the money before I could." He retorted, regretting his words as soon as he had said them.

Atem glared at Kaiba as hard as he could,

"What?"

Kaiba sighed and rubbed at his eyes,

"Yugi knew...About all of this."

Atem felt his throat tighten up and his heart fall into his stomach,

"Aibou wouldn't… He would have told me…."

"Atem, please. I wanted to come clean to you. Him telling you wouldn't have given me a chance to do that-"

"So wait. That's what you two talked about when he was at your office? You didn't put your hands on him did you?" Atem seethed, walking around the kitchen island and up to Kaiba.

Kaiba avoided Atem's eyes and cleared his throat,

"What makes you think that?" He said innocently.

"Aibou had a bruise on his neck that evening. I convinced myself that I had been too rough with him but, ugh, Kaiba, I just, I can't deal with you or Aibou right now. I'm leaving. Do NOT try to contact me." Atem spat, turning on his heel and running out of the kitchen as fast as he could.

"Atem, wait!" Kaiba ran after the ex pharaoh, stopping at the front door when he saw Atem yelling at Salem for them to leave.

Kaiba stomped his foot and groaned as Salem's car peeled out of the Kaiba mansion's long driveway.

Well, at least Kaiba wasn't the only one in trouble.

We're getting close to the end of this story ya'll and DAMN! Your support has been amazing!

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