Fate: Bwaa. Here it be. I love this story.
Disclaimer: Much though Fate desires to own the characters, she never will. Now read. READ!
::chapter six::
"So you've moved in, have you."
"You say that as though we had a choice in the matter," Ryou said from his position of lying upside down on the bed. His hair was pooled on the floor as he stared somewhat blearily at Mokuba. "'Moved in' is a relative term, too. Your brother won't let us out to get our stuff. Yami's sulking."
"That's what I'm here to talk to you about," Mokuba informed him, leaning on the doorframe. "Niisama told me to treat you like we would any guests in your situation. You're supposed to be choosing to stay with us in order to prevent...living difficulties."
"So your brother's going to try and analyze us, eh?" Ryou asked, ignoring the previous topic. "And how's he going to do that?"
"You ask as though I knew what was going on," Mokuba retorted. "He kidnapped you, blackmailed you into staying, and is now using you for scientific experiments. I don't know what the hell is going on here."
Ryou examined his nails. "Not having my stuff isn't much of a loss. We sold most of it when we moved here, and since Father's been away so much I haven't bought much more. That, and I spent most of my money on things like Duel Monsters," he added with an upside-down grin. "Besides...with a yami, material things are...well, they aren't so useful. Or needed."
"Where is your yami?" Mokuba asked, stepping inside and closing the door after him. "Oh, and here," he added, holding out a credit card. "Spend whatever you like. Niisama's counting this a business expense. You can have whatever you want. You just can't leave." Mokuba shook his head. "This is really ridiculous. We should just pay you to show up a couple times a week or so."
"Your brother's wanted to get a hold of one of us for a while now, hasn't he. Someone who isn't afraid to hurt or kill. Someone who wouldn't be missed." Ryou began tapping his fingers together under his chin idly. "I can vaguely see what he was getting at. But why keep me?"
"Maybe he just wants to," Mokuba said softly.
"Maybe," Ryou agreed, flipping right side up and sliding to the floor. "Come here," he said, beckoning the dark-haired boy closer. "I want to talk to you without you staring at me like that."
Mokuba hesitantly crossed the room and sat next to Ryou. "Yeah?"
Ryou suddenly grabbed the younger boy's chin and stared into his eyes. A dark smile spread across his face as his eyes flashed red. "You'll do," he purred. "You'll do nicely."
Mokuba jerked back out of the paler boy's hold. "Are you...are you still Ryou?"
Ryou grinned. "He's in here," he said, tapping his temple with one forefinger. "You didn't know? I said he was off sulking."
Mokuba blinked. "That's...very strange."
Ryou just looked angelic. "You get used to it."
"I suppose I'll have to, if you're going to be living here," Mokuba muttered.
"Mmm," Ryou said. "Hey, this credit card is practically unlimited?"
"Yes," Mokuba said warily, handing it over.
"Oooh. I get new clothes!" Ryou said. His eyes went unfocused for a bit, then he grinned. "Yami has some very naughty suggestions."
Mokuba blinked. "Ah."
"Sorry," Ryou said. "You probably didn't want to know that."
"I don't mind. At least I didn't walk in on you foffing," Mokuba said. "I've seen my brother in disturbing enough positions that I think I'm immune for life."
Ryou's eyes squicked into funny shapes. "I...see."
Mokuba smiled. "Now we're even."
"So we are," Ryou acquiesced. "And for the record, I didn't want to know that."
"So what you do want is naughty clothing sites?" Mokuba asked, getting up and crossing to the computer.
"I don't know any," Ryou said, although it sounded more like he was talking to someone else.
"I do," Mokuba replied.
"Eh?" Ryou blinked. "That's...uh...what do you...I don't want you to answer that."
"Niisama," Mokuba said simply. "Oh, and I'm figuring that the more you scare him, the faster he'll let you go."
"So I should walk around wearing only a fishnet shirt and assless leather chaps?" Ryou inquired.
"That might not have the desired effect," Mokuba said carefully. "But it'll definitely get you laid."
"Damn straight it will," someone else said. Mokuba turned and looked at Bakura, who was now holding Ryou from behind with his chin resting on Ryou's hair. "Are there any websites for that? We're stealing from them. Or buying. Whatever."
"Aren't we supposed to be fighting?" Ryou inquired.
"Fuck that," Bakura replied.
"If you're going to snog, be reasonably quiet for a bit?" Mokuba pleaded. He attributed the twisty feelings in his stomach to dread at being enclosed in a room with a pair of necrophiliac narcissists. Horny ones at that.
"Mmmph? Oh. Sorry," Ryou said. "Yami. Off."
"Why?"
"So we can buy clothes," Ryou said patiently. "You know. The stuff we wear on a day-to-day basis? If we're going to have to stay here, I vote we make the most of an unlimited credit card."
"I'm better than any unlimited credit card," Bakura sulked.
"Yes, but you don't screw up anyone's credit ratings in the process," Ryou retorted. "That's the really fun bit."
"Here you are," Mokuba announced, swinging back from the desk. "Knock yourself out."
"Nah, you help," Ryou said, grabbing his arm. "You'll know what will unduly turn your brother on. We want to avoid that."
"What about me?" Bakura murmured.
"Everything turns you on."
"Shut up, bastard."
Mokuba watched this back-and-forth banter with no small amount of fascination. "Right. What do you want my help with?"
"Oh, I don't know," Ryou said, turning to look at the computer screen. "Holy mother of Ra!" he squeaked when he finally saw the title page. "I was kidding when I mentioned the assless chaps!"
"Apparently these people aren't," Mokuba deadpanned.
Bakura leaned over him. "I want that, and that, and that," he said, pointing things out rapidly. "Oooh, and that one's shiny."
"Isn't it?" Ryou and Mokuba agreed in unison. Mokuba did some fast selection of the aforementioned clothes, then hit 'next'.
"So your brother wants to use me?" Bakura wondered. He flopped onto the office chair next to Mokuba and dragged Ryou onto his lap. "That's kind of...special. You know, I think I recognize that from the time I was tossed into the pharaoh's torture chamber," he added, poking at a very spiky-looking...er...object on the screen. "Apparently he had a side to him that I didn't know about."
"Moving on," Mokuba said hastily. "Do you need anything else?"
Ryou and Bakura stared at each other. "Clothes we have. Sort of. Room and board seem to be taken care of, as well as money. And Internet access. Uni's out for the summer. I have my deck in my soul room. Considering that freedom is right out, I can't think of anything," Ryou said thoughtfully.
"Weapons?" Bakura asked plaintively.
"What about that fucking arsenal you keep up there?" Ryou asked, kissing Bakura on the forehead.
"I meant aside from that."
"No," Ryou said sternly. "I said it was an arsenal, and I meant it. If we're talking about the arsenal of a medium-large, heavily armed country."
"So?"
Mokuba rolled his eyes. "If you're desperate, look around. Knock out a security guard or two. Steal stuff. Isn't that what you're good at?"
"He's got a point, you know," Bakura said thoughtfully.
Mokuba eased out of the chair, trying not to knock the others to the ground. "I'm going to go talk to niisama now," he announced.
"So, uh, when do we get these clothes?" Bakura asked.
"Later today or tomorrow sometime," Mokuba replied. "Those people are local and we can pay a lot for private messenger."
"You actually call those clothes?"
"Okay, okay, when do we get the fuck-suits? Happy now?"
"YAMI!"
"Is that a yes?"
Mokuba decided that this was an opportune moment to slip out the door.
"Well?"
Mokuba jumped about a foot. "Niisama!" he blurted, falling back against the door he'd just closed. "Where'd you come from?"
"I wanted to see where you'd put them," Seto said calmly. "A good idea, yours. Give them a wing to themselves so they can have time to calm down and feel like they're welcome here."
"You realize they're both regarding this as some kind of joke, right?" Mokuba asked. "What is going on here?"
Seto pressed a hand to his mouth briefly, then sighed. "What, should I throw them into the labs for a while?"
"They'll just go and have lots of wild crazy sex," Mokuba pointed out.
"True," Seto said.
They both paused for a moment to behold the visual. Mokuba blushed, whereas Seto simply rolled his eyes. "Lovely. I'm going to go down to the labs anyway. They need some cleaning, I'll bet."
"He knows how you look at him," Mokuba called after him. "The dark one. He knows what you're thinking. Chasing the light like a moth..."
"I'm not a fool," Seto said softly, stopping.
"I don't want you to get hurt," Mokuba told him quietly. "Be careful. Loving Doctor Jekyll means you're going to have to deal with Mr. Hyde, whether you like it or not."
"Wh-what?!" Seto spluttered. "I...I do not...I am not...there's no...it's obvious that they...I...you...gah!" he finally said expressively.
Mokuba raised an eyebrow at this rare outburst. "If you were as bad as covering your ass with anyone else, you'd be an awful businessman."
Seto tried to glower at him, failed resoundingly, and settled for stalking magnificently away.
Mokuba burst into muffled laughter and turned back along the hallways, heading for his own quarters.
So that's it, he thought triumphantly. He started off the great rescuer, and wound up falling in love – well, okay, more like lust – with the victim-who-wasn't. And now he wants to seduce him, come hell or high water. God, Seto's so stupid sometimes...but this is a brilliant plan in some respects. I mean, Ryou won't look on him as a merciful rescuer, because this is no longer a rescue. And the whole lab rat thing? Decidedly kinky. It might actually have made them go for it. I really don't know how this will work out. One thing I do know, though. Nothing will split those two up. They're bonded for eternity and beyond.
Of course, a treacherous voice in his mind insisted on pointing out one other fact. There is, of course, the fact that if they are going to be bonded for eternity, they might want a change of pace at some point or another...
No.
Absolutely not.
Mokuba shook his head violently, then walked through the sliding doors into his main room. He stared at himself in the mirror, then crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue at his disheveled reflection. "Bleh," he announced. "I'm going to sleep. Yes. Sleep."
He brushed a hand over his eyes and wandered away from the mirror, pacing into his bedroom and slamming the door. "Dammit!" he finally burst out, leaning on the door and sliding down to land on the ground. "Dammit," he repeated hopelessly. "Niisama's not the only one who's lusting for the impossible," he groaned. "But you can't love Mr. Hyde," he whispered. "Because he doesn't belong to anyone but Jekyll, and nothing will keep the two apart." He rolled over and stared at the ceiling. "DAMMIT!"
That would be the cue for his daily trip to the shooting range.
Fluffy: Hee. The plot coagulates.
yukoma – Well, now you can do NaNoWriMo next year!
Liviana – Everyone ignores Mokuba. It makes me sad.
DreamingChild – Your HOWMANYTH review?! OO
SweetMisery – I attribute it to the promise of Ryou in slutty outfits if they stay.
ElleFaTe2x1 – Sankyuu! Sorry this took so long to update.
IcePuppet – Hee hee hee.
Psychopathic Sixth Grader – Sorry for the late update! ;;
RunningInCircles – Sankyuu muchly!
Duel: Hear me, Zion! ! Yeah. Um. Screw the premise, REVIEW! And BURN! Wahahahahahaaaaaa!