The last couple of weeks have been interesting to say the least but pretty much balanced in terms of pros and cons. With Zel obliterated down to his every last cell, Yami's pretty much back to normal now. Everything at the shop finance-wise is back to normal, but he's made a few friends at Theo and the work has grown on him so he's stuck to the job. Not that I mind. He's sticking most of what he earns into an account for our future plan of getting our own place and ditch-I mean living independently of our sweet little other halves.
Oi. They've been a headache come to think of it. Those two have recently seemed to have gotten it into their little heads that double dates are 'fun'. I state with the utmost certainty that they are not.
We did it once, and once was enough for me. Yami wasn't too bothered but the Hikaris enjoyed it so now everyone's pestering me to let us all go out together again for ice cream or some shit. Certainly not the bar again. That was something of an amusing mistake. We went there first for our little 'double-date' and then onto Theo. We all had a fair bit to drink, but not a stupid amount although I can't speak for Yami. He seemed to be in rather a good mood that night, or unspeakably depressed. Either way, he drank an unhealthy amount of cider and I believe he should build a tolerance to alcohol so I let him carry on. Mistake one…
We spent the rest of the night hunting for Yami only to find him in the morning asleep next to the television at home, his jacket intact, his shirt missing and a nice new tattoo at the base of his spine. It hurt like a bitch for a few days so the last week has been spent slapping moisturiser onto it in an attempt to soothe it. Tat's over bone always hurt more, and this one covers several vertebrae.
He was more than a little pissed about the supposed 'desecration' of his body and swears that he has no memory of it, as well as swearing to never touch alcohol again for the rest of his immortal life. I just pointed out that it could have been a lot worse. He could have requested –which may have seemed a great idea in his bombed head at the time- to have 'Welcome Aboard' tattooed onto a vital part of his anatomy. 'Anzu for Queen' would have been pretty bad too come to think of it.
The one he's got isn't too bad though. Not quite what I'd have carved into my skin, but nice still. It's like a little fountain made up of black and purple colours, the purple fading to pink near the tips. It's sparse –decoration rather than a picture- so it doesn't look tacky. Bit feminine, but one of us should tip that way at some point for some sort of balance.
The Joey/Kaiba situation hasn't changed a great deal since I found out. The Brat is still referring to the Laxative using members of the canine family and the Laxative is still mooning pathetically over the Brat. How tiresome. It's all getting very annoying because the gang is trying to sort it all out spouting crap like 'they'd be wonderful together' and 'they're such a cute couple'. Makes me want to get creative with a nail gun and just do it for them so I can get some peace.
Moving onto other more successful couples: Yugi and Ryou are getting on like a squirrel sprayed with Lynx and set on fire. I did that the other day actually: Homemade Blowtorch. I should start a website. I could kick Blue Peter's arse any day with my ingenious and creative toys. That's another thing I've been doing recently; TV and lots of it.
Quite often now after a day of wreaking pain, havoc and torment throughout the city I'm not really in the mood to go out, so Yami buggers off to work and I channel-snorkel, or whatever phrase it is that Ryou uses. Quite recently I've started to get into 'Will and Grace'. It's a tad more intelligent than 'Friends', which has just gotten so messed up since I last saw it, and it's growing on me. I watch it mainly for Jack. Jack's great. Jack's one of those few wonderful people in this miserable world who I want to lock in a room with Malik for a few hours and watch what happens through a one-way window. Bart Simpson is another one of those people.
I'm also finding it interesting how people like myself are shown on television. No, I don't mean crazed psychopaths; although that's something I'll have a good pick at at some point. I mean gays. It's interesting. None of us are bloody like that! I for one do not act like both my wrists are broken, worship fashion and speak like I've been castrated. Oh, I've met a few like Jack in my time, memories that still make my skin crawl, but it's still only a handful. TV's messed up. I've got eternity by my reckoning, or something close to it, so I'll make a point to fix it at some point during my existence.
Right now though I'm helping Yami 'warm up' for work tonight. Not quite in the way I wanted to but he insisted so I'm playing along. At the moment I'm pushing down on his shoulders to get his chest as close to his crossed legs as he can manage, holding him there until he signals for me to let him go. We've been going through stretching exercises for about half an hour and neither of us have spoken to each other yet; we're both lost in our own thoughts, and I think Yami's feeling more than a little anxious.
The last time he was at Theo he ended up getting drugged and nearly carted off. Sensibly, he took the few days off performing that were offered to him, but he's still nervous. I don't blame him, but he hasn't got anything to fear from the morons who tried it on him. I made sure of that. Apparently this sort of thing happens to the dancers every now and then but it usually doesn't get very far, the bouncers nipping it in the bud pretty quickly. The guy who let Yami get carted out on account of him being 'anaemic' got a pretty heavy disciplinary and a grievous error like that shan't be happening again.
I had just been settling into a ludicrously gory film I'd found when our bond suddenly became very languid and very dull, a sensation that I only got when Yami had been 'sick'. I wouldn't have picked up on it had I not insisted over the past few weeks to keep the bond open at all times, something that Yami initially protested at first saying that it made it harder to concentrate.
I wore him down though and it's lucky for him that I did. There were no feelings of panic or alarm; it just went very dull and 'sleepy' very abruptly. So, feeling a very large degree of concern, I decided to check on him and so got down to Theo as fast as I could.
Just in time too as whoever had dumped who-knows-what into his drink had just been leaving with his pals. So, after beating the shit out of them and merrily erasing any happy childhood memories that they had ever possessed, I took Yami home. Well, mine and Ryou's rather than the Game Shop. I had severely doubted that Yugi and their Grandfather would have appreciated a heart attack right then.
It took me an hour to bring him out of the drug-induced daze, mostly through shouting and swearing at him down the bond, and then all I could do was leave the Puzzle to it. When he was completely out of it though, when he was utterly helpless… I haven't been that scared in a while.
So, tonight I'm taking precautions. I'm walking him to Theo, staying for his shift and then walking him home. I get a free night out and don't have to worry about him and he gets extra security. No worries.
"I think that'll be enough, thank you," Yami murmurs suddenly, breaking me out of my reverie. I release him with an unseen nod; cricking my neck as I stand and watching him rise to his feet. He smiles at me before reaching for his duffle bag and slinging it over his shoulder, making his way to the front door. I'm two steps behind him, checking for my keys and Ryou's wallet as I go out the door.
It's a good half-mile walk to Theo, a distance that is seemingly amplified when you're walking in boots with no socks at two in the morning carting your drugged up lover. But tonight it's a nice distance for a stroll. Dusk is just settling in and there's a good hour before the club opens, but Yami's got a tricky costume to get into apparently and would appreciate the extra time.
"So what exactly are you doing tonight?" I ask with mild curiosity. I've found that all the routines change quickly so that things don't get stale, and I'm pretty keen to know what Yami'll be up to this evening.
"Well, it's Moshpit Monday so you can expect a lot of sweat for a start. Ah, Tony wants all of us to be as useful as possible so he's trying to-"
"Hang on, who's Tony?"
"New management. Anyway, he's getting us all to try different things. Last week he was trying to get Stu to learn to fire breathe. Apparently that didn't go too well, so he's taming it down now. He wants us to try singing next," he trails off looking notably bitter. His hands tighten around the strap of his bag and I grin knowingly.
"Let me guess: you're the musical guinea pig for tonight?"
He tips his head to the side and gives me a slanted look. "However did you guess?"
I shrug. Yami singing should be good, particularly given the nature of Theo's clientele. Odds are it's going to be dark and dirty. Lovely. I've heard Yami sing a handful of times and I must admit he isn't too bad. He's got a deep and strong voice that could be well suited to a few things. He's not quite a pop act, but certainly a good singer.
"What're you singing then?"
"Ah, that I'm not going to say. You'll find out later." A sidelong smirk and we lapse back into silence. It stays that way for the rest of our little walk to Theo, going in around the back straight into the changing rooms where there is already a fair flock of young lads. Most of them are having a nip to drink, likely for nerves, and the rest are just talking and comparing costumes. A new set tonight then.
Yami tells me that he'll be back in a minute just as a cry of 'Kura!' reaches my ears. Turning on my heel, I see the bartender I first met when I found out Yami was working here sashaying towards me.
"Long time no see! Sorry to year about Eb', but we've got extra guys in tonight so no worries. Nice to see you in early, and you can bet I'll get you a good spot to see your boy. You're gonna be damn pleased, I tell ya. I've been watching him in rehearsals and I just know that Tony's gonna have him holding this stint for some time. Christ, who'd have thought he'd be the only one out of us lot who could actually hold a note?"
I actually have to hold up my hand to get him to shut up because he could happily go on like this forever. He does so instantly with a smile, not looking at all offended. He's used to this from me by now and he's well aware of what he's like. I don't mind him though. He's pretty tight with Yami and he's never given me a hard time, thus putting him in my good books.
Stu (he insists I call him 'muffin' but I've refused point blank. The only person I'd ever call 'muffin' would be Yami and he'd hit me for it) is kitted up in black trousers tonight, a silver gauze shirt hanging loosely off his chest which compliments the metallic makeup he's wearing. Oddly, it's quite hard to tell if he's going to perform or serve drinks tonight.
Stu seems to read my mind. "I'm on Eb's set tonight. It was one of his conditions for getting up there and opening his mouth at all. A new guy's tagging along as well, but he's a sweetie with a high arse so neither of us have any qualms. He can move well enough but we've got it easy compared to Eb in terms of costumes. I think Tony is actually trying to incite summut with the shit he's got him wearing. Oh, that's a thought. He's going to need a hand. You go find him and I'll see you in a few."
And then he's gone. He claps a hand to my cheek with a grin, winks and then twirls on one heel to stride off into the foray. Strange man. I'm getting used to him though so it only takes me a few blinks before I can move again.
Finding Yami isn't hard as everyone knows who I am now and just points me in the right direction. I find myself outside of the room where all the costumes are kept. I open the door and go inside without hesitating and begin sauntering between the racks of clothing to find my little performer.
He's obviously just found his outfit, running his hands along part of it still on the hanger amidst the other costumes. I stand a few feet away from him, shoving my hands into my pockets.
"I forgot it was this bad," he sighs, a quaint red hue spreading across his cheekbones. All right, I'm desperate to see what this is now, especially since it's something I'm going to have to 'help him into'. That equates in my mind as something I'm going to have to pour him into.
"Let's see it then."
He hands me the hanger and I take a moment to admire the craftsmanship. Wow. Black, thin leather trousers that have been divided into halves just so they can be put on, a barely noticeable silver zip connecting the legs and waist around, under and behind the crotch. Flared a little at the bottom, this is as tight as clothes can physically get. I hope Yami hasn't eaten today…
I mistook this silvery netting stuff for junk but it actually looks like a very flimsy top. Cobweb style, it looks like it'll just about cover his chest, leaving his midriff and arms bare. And they want him to *sing* in this? Ra, I'd pay just for him to stand still in this let alone perform. Tony really is trying to start a riot, and if one doesn't flare up, I'm going to feel very insulted on Yami's behalf.
/Um, Bakura? Are you okay? You're been staring at that a long time/
I nod weakly, running my fingers through the shimmering net material. I wonder if I can get this anywhere or if I'm just going to have to steal this exact costume…
/I know there's not a lot to it, but I haven't been able to get out of wearing it all week so they're not going to let me off the hook now. It could have been worse/
Hell, it couldn't have been better! Snapping my head back up, I meet his concerned expression with a broad grin. "Well love, I think we should get you into these trousers first, and I use the term loosely."
Yami rolls his eyes and snatches the costume back, staring at it with a pained look again before carrying it around to the back of the room. "I think we're going to need the oil."
Oh, this is going to be a very good night.
****
Stu told me to go up the first balcony for the show to get the best view and to avoid being trampled. Apparently the stage had been raised a few feet because of people trying to climb on it in the past and because the area around it was going to be a Moshpit, the first balcony was the only place to be. They'd even opened up the second bar on this level, which was very convenient for me.
Theo was now officially open. Music blared from the ludicrous amount of speakers around the ground floor and strobe lights flickered all over the place, videos playing on the big screen above the stage. There was already a healthy crowd but it would be another fifteen minutes before the actual performances started to give everyone time to warm up and, if they were queuing, get in.
I had Yami's Puzzle hidden under my shirt as well as the Ring, my partner telling me that there wouldn't be 'room' for it tonight. This in plain speak means that there's going to be some close-contact grinding involved and that even if he did hide the Puzzle it would still be noticeable. I don't mind though; just makes me feel more powerful. Power, sex, alcohol and more power, all in one evening. I could get drunk off the euphoria alone.
Making my way up the metal stairs leading to the balcony, I idly glance about myself and miss a step when my eyes lock on Kaiba. Kaiba! At *Theo*. The Pup does stand a chance in hell then. What interests me though, aside from the utterly miserable look on the Brat's face, is the large and almost empty bottle on the table in front of him. As I watch I see him down some more from his glass, topping it up needlessly again straight after.
I stalk over to him with narrowed eyes, reaching over his shoulder from behind him and snatching the bottle up before his dulled reflexes can stop me. Bourbon? How fucking stupid is he? I thought Kaiba was a genius, and here he is drinking something that's 80 Proof out of a tall glass like it's soda! He's got to have a death wish. I take another look at the contents. Nearly two thirds gone. Yup, he has a death wish all right. Damnit, I did not want to sort out anything like this tonight.
I keep a glare trained on Kaiba as he takes back the bottle from me with one of his own, tracking me around the table as I move to sit down in front of him. I turn the metal chair around so that I'm sat on it backwards, making a clear and symbolic barrier between us. I want it known that I do not care about him and that I don't really give a shit about whatever's caused this. I just don't want him throwing up on me or wrecking this night for Yami.
"What is your fucking problem?" I demand, folding my arms on the back of the chair and intensifying my glare. It turns incredulous when he takes another sip from his glass. I'm tempted to knock it out of his hands or just take it away from him but I decide against it. For now at least.
"You don't care," he spits back at me with a curled lip before he looks off to the side and back down at the stage, the glare slipping away. Another sip of bourbon.
"You're right. I don't care. I just want to know if you're up here screwing over your liver and wiping out brain cells over some stupid merger, or if you do indeed have a legit reason for excessively drinking bourbon. I mean *bourbon*. That's low, even for me."
It's true. Bourbon is both disgusting and strong, but it's very effective at getting you utterly hammered in a short space of time and it's relatively cheap. Actually it's very similar to that bottle of vodka I got imported from a very obscure country that I can't pronounce. It was the scum of the earth but I don't remember anything else from that night other than the taste. Just what I wanted at the time.
He sneers at me. I can feel my tether shorten dramatically. "It's nothing to do with my company."
Right then. That means that it's something to do with Duel Monsters, Mokuba or an actual feeling. And I've listed that in order of likelihood. None of these reasons actually interest me aside from the last and it'll be a snowy day in Hades before Kaiba's drinking over an infatuation.
A gong is struck below me, the resounding sound cutting through the music and the noise of the crowd, quieting everything down in anticipation. There's a rush for the stage, and by rush I mean that everyone squeezes forward a few inches because that's all the room there is to move. That's my cue to leave. Yami's up first and I'm not going to miss this over *Kaiba*.
Standing, I reach forward and grab the bottle off the table and the nearly empty glass out of Kaiba's hand and take them with me to the edge of the balcony. Putting both on the floor between my boots, I lean onto the railing between a scattering of men. Kaiba wouldn't dare try to take them back, and even if he did he'd fail. The barman won't serve him now and he wasn't slurring *too* heavily so I'm not going to worry about him too much.
Finally the lights go down, the only illumination being a faint and smoky white light emanating from the edges of the stage itself. The intro starts up and I recognise it within seconds. I've got to hand it to them; damn good choice of music. There's a gentle, excited chatter among the crowd as Alice Cooper's 'Poison' bounces up a few notches on the speakers.
Three figures stalk out onto the stage, silhouetted and with a rehearsed cockiness in their step. I can pick Yami out easily and in this light, he almost looks naked. That is save for the heavy boots he's wearing. All he needs now is a whip and he'd be the stereotypical Dominatrix.
"Your cruel device,
Your blood like ice,
One look could kill,
My pain, your thrill."
Never before have I appreciated how effective one voice in darkness is, and
Yami's deep voice is both arousing and commanding and it thrums through the
air. He hasn't bothered trying to put
the original slur on the lyrics and it sounds all the better for it.
I left when Yami had finished putting his costume on so I haven't seen his makeup yet and I find myself gaping when the lights finally explode into light. Everyone is blinded for a few seconds, and then it's all good.
"I want to love you, but I'd
better not touch,
I want to hold you but my senses tell me to stop,
I want to kiss you but I want it too much,
I want to taste you but your lips are venomous poison."
Yami's eyes, a rich crimson that's practically sparkling with all the flashing lights, are lined with black and streaks of red and silver. The colours lick up almost to his brows and across his temples to his hairline. Black lipstick makes him appear even more gothic than usual, but my biggest surprise is how much his hair is changed. The majority is tied back into a leather strap at the base of his skull, which I always figured would make him look feminine. But with the amount of gel and spray on his fringe he looks anything but. I quite like this new look.
"You're poison running through my veins,
You're poison, I don't want to break these chains."
The two backing dancers, Stu and the new guy with the 'high arse' aren't done up quite so dramatically, but they still look damn effective. All three of them look like they're doused in oil; something that I've noted is something of a theme at Theo. My gaze returns to Yami though, his sinuous movements unobstructed as the microphone is wireless and discretely clipped over his ear. As I stare I see his eyes click onto me unblinkingly, his head bowing which makes his gaze that much darker and alluring.
"Your mouth, so hot,
Your web, I'm caught,
Your skin, so wet,
Black lace on sweat."
He'd better not have any more to do this evening, the next hour in particular.
He looks away and turns his attention back to the crowd who seem to love it. Stalking with a confidence only a ruler could posses to the edge of the stage, he gets down on one knee as if enticing them towards him. It would work too if not for sheer volume and the height of the stage. I feel the Puzzle warm briefly against my chest before going cold again, and I can tell he's just made his eyes glow for a brief second. Cheeky sod.
"I hear you calling and it's needles and pins,
I want to hurt you just to hear you screaming my name.
Don't want to touch you but you're under my skin,
I want to kiss you but your lips are venomous poison."
Oh, even the lyrics are sending delightful shivers through me. I'm starting to think that Yami chose this song himself. If not, I'm going to find whoever did pick it for him and shake their hand. I clench and relax my hands about the rail once, glancing about for a quick route down for once the song is over. My eyes have just returned to the stage to watch Yami continue to rile up the crowd when both Items suddenly seem to catch fire against my chest.
I shield Yami from his own Item and clamp down on the bond instantly, biting my lower lip hard to keep from crying out, but I see him miss a step before he recovered. He glances up at me still singing looking concerned. I force a reassuring smile and he nods a little, getting straight back into it and facing the crowd again.
"You're poison running through
my veins,
You're poison, I don't want to break these chains."
The Items no longer burn but they're taking a while to 'cool', even if they
never heated up in the first place.
They both detected something powerful and went absolutely berserk
because of it. Looking around I can't
see anything that would have caused it, nor can I really fathom what I would
look for that could. Closing my eyes
for a second and reaching out my senses doesn't accomplish anything. Yami's still singing and I can't see
anything that would suggest that he can sense that something's wrong…
Oh, I see. Damn, Zel did a lot more damage than I thought. I'm going to bet that that was a magical tremor, an aftershock of the huge amount of power that went back and forth and generally exploded when I destroyed him. I used the Ring and we were connected to the Puzzle at the time. Not to mention the fact that both Items are pretty much hanging over the scar he gave me… Yami must have picked up on it through the bond, hence him not actually experiencing any pain. This had better be the only one. If Yami found out what it is… I couldn't tell him. I've sworn never to.
Rubbing beneath the invisible Items to work out the stinging sensation left on my skin, I glance back at the table where I left Kaiba. Unsurprisingly, he's still sat there. Surprisingly, Joey's joined him. They're both drinking some clear liquid out of half pint glasses, and for Kaiba's sake I hope it's water.
I dimly hear Yami's voice stopping and the crowd making a racket through my headache. He's making his way out to the back of the stage with Stu and the other guy. He'll have a better chance of getting through to Kaiba than I. Gritting my teeth and mentally bracing myself, I gradually open the bond a little more.
/Love, I need you to come up to the second floor. Kaiba's hammered and I don't think Joey's presence is going to be helping the situation/ Ow, damnit! Stupid bond… My skull feels like it's been cleaved open.
Fortunately, the reply isn't going to hurt as much. /Can you give me a minute to change, or is it serious?/
/Serious. Just get up here/
/Okay, I'll come up the back way. And I want to know what that was a minute ago. It came from you./
I clench my eyes as well as my jaw shut now, turning on the spot so that I'm facing the table when I open them again. /Just trying to sort out a physical problem your number raised. It didn't work too good/
A mental laugh. I hate lying to him so damn much. /Okay, just as long as nothing's wrong. I'll be there in two minutes/
The side of my mouth pulls in a grimace as I walk back to the table, but I compose myself before I reach it, standing over Joey with my arms crossed and raising a brow. "That had better be water, Wheeler," I growl out, glancing at Kaiba who looks *quite* inebriated.
The Pup opens his mouth and blinks in confusion, seemingly not realising what I'm getting at. Fine, we're all consenting adults and over the legal age for alcohol, so I'm not ragging him about that, nor would I bother. It doesn't seem to have gotten through his thick skull just how hammered Kaiba is though.
Another song starts up behind me, 'Addicted to Love' I think. I don't bother looking at the stage, my gaze fixed solely on Wheeler. He glances at Kaiba and it seems to click in his fluffy little head. The idiot's probably been so happy to share the same table with the object of his lusting affections that he hasn't actually noticed that Kaiba's completely gone. You'd have thought that he'd put two and two together and figured that *that* was the reason he was even able to share a table with Kaiba.
Yami and Stu appear from out of the stairwell and come to the table. Joey eyes them both, particularly Yami, and if this wasn't such a bad time I'd have to laugh at his expression as he regarded the Game King. They both take one look at Kaiba and the three of us share a silent exchange. Yami comes around to Kaiba's other side and Stu claps a hand on his shoulder.
"Alright mate? We're just gonna take you round back for a bit, okay? Get some coffee in ya and a bit of water. Your friend can come too, no worries. Come on now."
That's strange. I've never had anyone say something like that to me. If I've had too much like this I tend to just get left alone or dumped outside in a taxi. I look to Yami with my question as Joey helps Stu get Kaiba to his feet and lead him back into the stairwell.
/I asked him to if it was as bad as you said as we were coming up. Kaiba's got a reputation to maintain and he's not a frequent drinker. He could do some serious damage to himself/
Something flares in my chest and this time it isn't connected to the Items. /You're fussing over *his* reputation after *that*/ Where in the Hell did that come from? Stupid mouth. I dimly realise that I pointed down to the stage as I 'spoke' as well, just to add insult to injury.
Yami eyes harden and with all that makeup around that doesn't look good. Outright scary actually.
/I am not a slut, so don't you dare consider me one. Given the fact that I don't legally *exist*, this is the best I can do for money. I've got friends here and I'm good at it, but it goes no further than that. And even if it did I wouldn't give a damn about what you thought I was doing to my 'reputation'/
The mental words are clipped and practically spat at me set on fire. I take them in, knowing I deserved that. He turns away from me to follow the others into the stairwell then, and I wisely let him put some space between us before following myself.
My mouth has a strange relationship with my emotions. If I feel joy (yes, it does happen), I am usually completely incapable of saying it. If I feel pissed off like I did just then, with or without reason, my mouth just seems to blurt the first things that'll hurt regardless of what the words actually are. What I just said then was uncalled for, and I'm ready to admit that.
/Yami, I'm sorry. I don't think any less of you for what you do here. More highly actually. Hell, my only income is Ryou. It's just… Why are you protecting him?/
We're both in the stairwell now, following Stu along the corridor to the left around the wall to the back of the bar on this level. He's obviously taking Kaiba to a storage room to put him back together into something coherent. Yami pauses at my words, glancing over his barely-clad shoulder at me.
/Because Joey cares about him, and that means more to me then whatever you or I feel towards Kaiba/
I nod, my gaze dropping to the space of floor between my shoes. Metal-tipped boots step into that space moments later and I look up. Yami's eyes don't hold that steely edge now and he raises a hand to my face, cupping my cheek before running his fingers down my throat, arm and finally taking my hand. I put some force into my grip on his hand for a second, my lips forming something between a smirk and an actual smile. And then Yami carries on walking again, tugging me alone behind him.
I don't know what happened there; who apologised to whom and for what at the very end, but I know that it's buried now. Clean slate. As Stu would say, 'no worries'.
At a glance, I see that Stu isn't in this decidedly small room but I can hear him through the wall serving at the bar. I can't see anyone else either actually from the doorway. I look down. Oh, there they are.
Yami practically bolts away from me, dropping to his knees behind Kaiba's head beside Joey and running his hands over the pallid brunette's face and neck. I can feel a lot of concern leaking back from the bond from him right now.
"What happened?" I demand, making sure to keep a good few feet back from Yami to let him do whatever he can whilst I interrogate Joey. The blond looks utterly terrified, and I can't say I blame him. Moneybags isn't looking too hot right now and Yami looks worried. Joey's crowding them both though, so I reach out and grab his collar, yanking him next to me and putting a hand on his arm to keep him there. He's in enough shock to not put up a fight.
"I don't know. He was fine when the other guy left and then he-Christ, I didn't know he'd had so much," he mutters in a scared, confused voice, his sentences coming out broken.
/It's alcohol poisoning/ Yami bites out mentally, his face the picture of concentration as his hands dance about Kaiba's throat. He looks up at the door behind me, shouting for Stu to get back in here. To be honest I don't think we're going to fit too many more people in this little room.
Stu steps inside a few seconds later, takes one look at Kaiba, swears violently and disappears again. He comes back with a small black bag that he throws to Yami. "I'll call an ambulance. You gonna be okay with him?"
"I've got it," Yami assures with a nod, not looking up from the bag he is now rooting through. Finally producing a small bottle, he looks to me anxiously. "Pass me the bowl in the corner behind you, love."
I do as I'm told, having a feeling of where this is going. Joey is still swimming in panic and hasn't got a clue. "What're you doin' to him Yami? What's that?"
"Syrup of esapect. I'm going to try and get as much as I can out of him with it. Stand back," he replies distractedly, pouring some of the liquid down Kaiba's throat before turning him swiftly onto his side into the recovery position and lifting his head a little.
I've heard of this stuff before. Messy but effective. With the sort of people this place gets I'm not surprised they have a stash of it. It won't get rid of the problem entirely because a lot of this shit is already going to be in his bloodstream, so that ambulance had better hurry up. Better not tell Joey that. It'll definitely help though, and hopefully stop him from going into a coma.
Despite being completely out of it, Kaiba can still retch up a storm. It takes a few minutes, but eventually we're all pretty sure that his stomach's empty. He didn't look very happy with the situation, curled up as the stuff worked on his system and groaning right before he emptied it. Afterwards he just drifted straight off again, his colouring no better off than before.
And it looks set to get worse. Damn. Apparently I caught the warning twitch in Kaiba's hands before Yami did because he's not moving, merely holding Kaiba and waiting for the paramedics to arrive.
/He's in shock. He's gonna go/ I warn, not knowing what else to do. I don't think there's anything I can do. Yami's told me stories over the last few months so I know he's got some knowledge and experience with this sort of thing, and he should be able to handle this alright, but I'm feeling pretty useless right now. So's Joey by the looks of it. For now I'll help by keeping Joey out of the way and letting Yami handle this.
/Keep back. Don't touch him/ Yami snaps, his eyes widening as he glances up and down the lank form once more.
The seizure starts seconds after Kaiba's hands start to go, and it isn't pretty. His head snaps back first, his back arching and his entire body going rigid. Yami instantly throws his weight onto him to stop him hurting himself and I occupy myself with keeping the unrequited lover away. I really think that we should be helping Yami hold Kaiba down but he said not to touch him so I'll do as I'm told.
I grab Joey immediately and have to resist the urge to punch him back as he tries to escape. Sending my fist into his gut to wind him when he really starts getting hysterical knocks him back to reality and he stays by my side then.
Yami looks terrified and I can feel that he has absolutely no idea of what to do now. He's never seen it get this serious before. Shit. Where the hell is that ambulance? He's starting to panic now and that's not going to help anybody. He's the only one here who has had any experience with this, and if he loses his head now Kaiba's screwed.
/Calm down, love. Think. You can't panic/ I instruct in an unbelievably calm voice, not quite knowing how I got that tone myself. I see him compose himself within a second and he take a few deep breaths, holding Kaiba's head still as his body jerks violently against him. That's right, think about it. Puzzle it out. I'm not helping you, no matter how much I want to.
Yami shakes his head with a pained grimace as the seizure continues with no sign of letting up, looking up to me as he speaks to me privately, urgently. /You don't understand Bakura! They never last this long! And the longer it lasts, the less chance there is of him waking up at all…/
He pauses and blinks suddenly, looking down at the larger body in his arms. Apparently making some sort of decision, he releases Kaiba's jaw and puts one hand on the nape of his neck and closes his eyes. Why… No. No, he wouldn't dare.
I obviously growl out his name without realizing because Joey gives me a strange look. I couldn't care less about his clarity of the situation; Yami's just gone and handed me something *else* to worry about. This is not turning out be a good day.
Releasing Joey and darting around so that I'm knelt behind Yami, I check through our bond to see if I can still stop him. I'm too late; he's already started. It's something that he's never personally tried before, but he knows how to do it from me and I'm making a mental note now to kick myself when this is over for teaching it him.
Whilst Yami was recovering from the Zel, incident, his lungs kept going into spasm every couple of hours. It was just the side-effect induced by me tearing another essence out of him; it messed up his head a little and caused his mind to send his body somewhat wacky signals. I couldn't let him cough because that would have just resulted in him bleeding internally again, so after trying a few things I finally managed to intercept the signals from his mind and take them on myself. Ergo, they never reached his lungs and he didn't cough.
I'm still not sure how I did it, but it was hard and I had to have close contact to a bunch of nerves to 'plug in'. Once the signal was redirected however, it had an impact on me. And that's what worries me now. Me coughing for a few minutes is quite different from a seizure, and Yami's gone straight for the central nervous system to get these signals so I'm pretty sure he's going to succeed in taking this on.
I'm right. It only takes seconds and then I see his shoulders turn stiff, his spine twisting uncomfortably as his abdominal and back muscles clench at the same time. I wrap an arm around his waist and pull him back against me. Dragging him back a few inches away from Kaiba, I put hand on his forehead so that his skull is clasped to my chest as his eyes are forced to roll back. The skin that he's against begins to burn, and I distractedly realise that he's right on the scar Zel gave me.
Kaiba's completely still now and Yami's taking the brunt of it. It won't kill him; additional factors that Kaiba had would be necessary to accomplish that feat. But it's still not nice. I can sense a lot of fear and 'what the hell did I do that for?' down the bond along with confusion and 'static', and I do my best to sooth him whilst holding him as steady as I can.
Joey's now kneeling on the floor with Kaiba's upper body in his arms, staring at Yami looking very worried and utterly dumbfounded. Yeah, I didn't think he'd do that either, especially for Kaiba. Okay, he might have died if he hadn't, but this is a fairly high price.
The seizure seems to take an eternity to taper off and finally stop, when it's actually closer to a minute. Yami sags against me with a sigh, closing his eyes now that he can and taking a few moments to recover from that.
/You've got to stop doing this to me. You okay?/
/Fine, but I don't plan on doing that again any time soon. Kaiba?/ he asks blearily, finally opening his eyes and slowly sitting up. He cricks his neck and clenches his hands a few times as he looks down at Kaiba and I can feel him willing his body to go back to feeling normal.
Kaiba's breathing has evened out and he doesn't look like death warmed up anymore, so it's just a case of keeping him lying down and drinking plenty now.
"I think that did it. As long as he doesn't go back into shock and we get plenty of water down his neck, he should be fine. You aren't doing that again though, got it?" I state firmly, prodding Yami in the chest with a finger with the utmost seriousness. He smiles back at me indulgingly but nods so I don't need to say anything else.
I turn to see Joey watching us both with wide eyes, his hands still on Kaiba. He's obviously feeling very confused as well as moronic right now. Actually, I'm going to gamble that he has absolutely no clue of what just happened.
Ah yes. He doesn't know about half the stuff we can do since the bond evolved. It hasn't just connected us; it's made us more aware of our capabilities, as well as our limits I hasten to add. The day we tried to make fire is one I will never forget or attempt to repeat.
Aside from Ryou and Yugi, no one really knows about the bond either. I can't even fathom the excuses they must have come up for one of us suddenly blurting something that makes no sense but the other understands perfectly in context. Oh well. I live to torment, and confusion is another -more subtle- form of torment.
"I took the impact that going into shock was having on his body into mine. He should be alright now." Joey's eyes just get rounder. "It's not something I want to try again, but we're both fine now. It worked." Still nothing.
"What the Hell are you staring at, Mongrel?" I shout finally, pretty pissed off with the fact that Yami just worked some pretty tough magic and he hasn't even gotten a word let alone a 'thanks' out of Joey. The blond's just staring back at my lover. Oh fine, if he's so interesting I guess I'll have to look to.
Oh shite.
Half covered by black-smeared eyelids, Yami's eyes are now glowing a very disturbing green colour. It's a colour I've only seen in one person before. It turns my blood cold and I do the first thing that comes into my mind in response. I clip Yami around the back of the head.
The green light blinks out like I've hit a switch and Yami's head snaps to the side to glare at me, a hand going to his head in irritation and surprise. His eyes are blood red. "What was that for?"
I open my mouth soundlessly just as the door opens and a pair of paramedics squeeze inside, forcefully ushering us out into the stairwell before the heft Kaiba onto the stretcher. Joey stays right by his side, following him out and back down the stairs again a few moments later. Yami's still waiting for an answer from me.
I knew this day would come. I hoped it wouldn't, damnit I hoped, but I can't get out of it now. I don't know what's going on, I can only guess, and if I'm going to remove Zel once and for all I'm going to need Yami's cooperation, and so he's going to need to know.
Taking a steadying breath, I put a hand to his face and I see his alarm at the feelings radiating down through the bond from me. I watch him search me for an answer and it's obvious that the one I give him does not satisfy him.
"We need to talk. Get your stuff. We're going home."
*****
Yes, a bit of a 'dun-dun DUN' ending there, and believe me I didn't intend for it to work out like that! Really! Next chapter up when I know exactly what I'm going to put in it, but for now be nice and leave a review to tell me what you thought. Thanks!