A/N, Warnings, etc: This story is probably OOC. But it's meant to be fun, so don't be too judgmental, k? And yes I know I should be working on the next chapter of Jupiter Rising but this idea just jumped up and bit me and I couldn't write anything else until I got it out. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Or the movie Laws of Attraction. I just watched it last night and decided I wanted to borrow the title.
It wasn't that Yami hated Anzu. She was a good friend of his, as a matter of fact, and a kind, decent person. But that didn't change the fact that his hands shook in anger and his eyes narrowed in spite of himself whenever she was around; in particular, whenever she was around Yugi. Because, if he were only willing to admit it to himself, the attention his aibou gave her, the soft, loving looks he shot in her direction whenever she wasn't looking were enough to make the ex-Pharaoh's blood boil.
In short, he was jealous. Horribly, madly jealous.
Why should Anzu be the one to draw adoring glances from those wide, violet eyes? Yugi was his aibou; his to protect; the better half of his soul. Yami should be the incredibly lucky person on the receiving end of that selfless affection, not some silly girl who would only take Yugi's precious feelings and stomp all over them.
That was probably what bothered Yami the most about the entire nauseating situation; that Anzu clearly either ignored his aibou's attention or simply didn't feel the same way. Either way, it was enough to break Yugi's heart and drive Yami insane with anger over the smaller boy's misery. Anzu, like countless other teenage girls, had a romantic fixation with powerful men; dreamed of a knight in shining armor coming to rescue her from the drudgery of her life and steal her heart in the process. After all, she'd pined after Yami for ages, until finally the crimson-eyed male had taken her aside and gently informed her that he preferred his own gender; and now, it seemed she continued to overlook her adoring friend and had transplanted her crush to someone else, someone strong and commanding, incredibly masculine and incredibly wealthy…
"Kaiba?" Yami screeched in disbelief. "She likes Kaiba?"
Yugi shrugged. "She says she wants to help him; that he loves his brother but she wants to see him open his heart to the rest of the world as well."
"That sounds like something Anzu would say," Yami muttered darkly.
"Anyway," the smaller teen sighed, "she knows that she and Kaiba have never really interacted much, and she asked me to help her convince him to… you know… date her."
Yami stared. "Yugi… Aibou… Why would you do that? You like her; how could you set her up with someone else?"
"Because when you really care about someone, all you want is for them to be happy," he replied, looking at the ground. "Even if it's not with you."
The taller male bit his lip, watching Yugi stare dejectedly at nothing, and made up his mind. He wanted Yugi to be happy; and even though it didn't seem like convincing Kaiba to return Anzu's affections was making his aibou particularly cheerful at the moment, Yami knew that it was what Yugi really wanted. Because Yugi cared about Anzu.
And Yami cared about Yugi.
So…
"Alright, I'll help you."
The violet-eyed teen whipped his head up in surprise. "I didn't even ask you yet! How did you know I wanted your help?"
He shrugged. "I assumed you were telling me about Kaiba and Anzu for a reason. Let me guess, you want me to talk to him, don't you?"
Yugi nodded petulantly. "Yeah. Sorry to drag you into this; I know you don't like Anzu much…"
"It's not that; I just—"
"…but you're the closest person to Kaiba, except Mokuba of course, and if anyone can convince him of something it's you."
"The closest person to Kaiba? I don't know about that," Yami muttered, flushing a bit for reasons he couldn't explain, "but I'll certainly try."
"Thanks Yami!" Yugi cheered, smiling brightly, and threw his arms around the taller male in gratitude.
Yami smiled in return, propping his chin atop the other's head as he wrapped his arms around Yugi's back and returned the embrace, happy for the chance to hold his aibou close.
"Hi Yami, come on in. I'll tell Mr. Kaiba you're at the gate." The guard at the front of the mansion's spacious grounds greeted Yami with a smile and waved him through, and the wild-haired ex-Pharaoh smiled distractedly in return, tugging at the typical thick collar buckled around his throat while the first of the evening security lights popped on as he trudged down the driveway.
He didn't want to be here. Sure, if he could manage to convince Kaiba to take Anzu off their hands it would leave Yugi free to give all his attention to Yami, where it belonged, but for some reason the idea of asking Kaiba this left a bad taste in his mouth, not to mention made him extremely nervous. Yami tugged at his collar once more as the door opened in front of him, revealing the tall, brown-haired CEO wearing his typical trenchcoat and his typical smirk.
"Yami. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
The crimson-eyed male grinned a bit at that and rolled his eyes. "Hello Kaiba. Are you going to let me in or not?"
Kaiba's smirk widened and he gestured inside, so Yami rolled his eyes again and stepped through the door, Kaiba's hand settling on the small of his back as the two headed into the foyer. They strode silently into the living room and settled on the couch together, Kaiba's hand sliding from the small of Yami's back to wrap around his shoulders as they sank companionably onto the soft cushions.
Yami sighed a bit. He loved being with Kaiba like this, so close, so friendly, like no one else ever got the chance to be, aside from the CEO's brother – and, if Yami's plans succeeded… Anzu.
Was it wrong of him to feel a little disappointed at that?
"So, really, what brings you here? It's been a long time since I've seen you," Kaiba prodded.
"It's been about a week, Kaiba," Yami corrected, laughing a little. "I dueled you last Monday."
Kaiba just shrugged and wrapped his arm a little tighter around Yami's shoulder, one long, slender finger gently tracing his upper arm, and Yami relaxed into the touch. Yugi had probably been right when he had said Yami was the closest person to Kaiba aside from his brother, though it embarrassed Yami a little to admit it. Over the past few months he had made friends with the stoic CEO, and whenever the two of them were alone together Kaiba would always find some reason to touch him, to stay as physically close to the smaller male as possible, the way they were now. Yami found it strange that the typically standoffish brunet would treat him that way, but he never mentioned it, since he didn't want to hurt Kaiba's feelings and he didn't think it was that important of an issue anyhow.
Plus he kind of liked it.
The brunet cleared his throat meaningfully and Yami realized he had yet to answer the other's original question. "I just came by because I wanted to talk to you."
Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong," Yami hastily reassured him. "I just wanted to… well… I wanted to ask you something. About… about you and… and relationships." The ex-Pharaoh reddened a bit. This was coming out so wrong; he sounded like a complete idiot…
The CEO's other eyebrow joined the first near his hairline and his lips curved the tiniest bit as he stared at the other's flushed face. "You did…?" Kaiba murmured softly, lifting his free hand to lightly touch Yami's cheek. The tiny hint of a smile on his face widened a bit more and Kaiba abruptly jumped to his feet. "Wait here," he ordered, gesturing for Yami to remain seated.
"But…"
"Wait!" Yami shrank back, startled, at the CEO's gruff command, but stayed where he was, fidgeting impatiently while Kaiba disappeared into the other room. Great. Who knew what Kaiba thought now? He was probably off to find Mokuba and drag him into the room so he wouldn't be left alone with an inarticulate ex-Pharaoh who started uncomfortable conversations.
Yami crossed his arms sulkily and stared at the coffee table. Kaiba was certainly taking a long time. Maybe he was never coming back. But then, why would he have told Yami to wait? He could have at least had the courtesy to send one of his servants to kick the Game King out of the house, instead of leaving him waiting forever in a deserted, eerily silent living room. Sighing, Yami climbed to his feet. He could just go now and attempt to talk to Kaiba again later.
But, as he reached the door he almost smacked right into Kaiba, who had finally returned, his arms loaded with candles, wine glasses, and an enormous bottle of wine. Yami blinked. "Kaiba? What are you doing?"
The brunet frowned. "I thought I told you to wait there." He brushed past the shorter male and set the glasses and the bottle of wine on the coffee table before strategically placing the bundle of white taper candles in various places around the room. Kaiba pulled out a lighter and began lighting the candles while Yami reluctantly settled back on the sofa, staring at the other in confusion.
"What are you doing?" he repeated.
"There are supposed to be candles," Kaiba replied cryptically, his back to Yami.
"What? Why?"
"There just are. Now be quiet!"
Yami scowled but fell silent, continuing to watch Kaiba as the other finished lighting the candles and sank onto the couch beside him, reaching for the bottle of wine as he settled close enough to Yami for their thighs to touch. The brunet poured each of them a generous serving of alcohol and handed one of the glasses to Yami as he took a sip from his own. "Is there supposed to be wine, too?" Yami grumbled sarcastically, though he accepted the glass.
Kaiba shot him his trademark smirk. "Not necessarily. But it helps."
Not having a response to this, the crimson-eyed teen simply rolled his eyes. Kaiba had strange ideas sometimes.
"Now," the brunet said, setting down his glass on the coffee table, "Tell me what you came to ask me." That hint of a smile was back, and he reached toward Yami and gently brushed the thick blonde bangs from the other's face, tucking them behind his ear and continuing to trail his fingers through the spiky hair.
Yami sighed and looked away, taking another sip of wine before he answered. "Well… I'm not sure how to say this; but there's someone who likes you."
"Yes?" Kaiba prodded, scooting closer to Yami and wrapping his arm around the smaller male's shoulders.
Yami nodded and set his glass beside Kaiba's, avoiding the other's eyes. "Yes, there is… And I'm not sure how you feel about this person, so to be completely honest I'm rather nervous about having this conversation with you."
He sighed, but the brunet reached over and took his hand, twining their fingers together. "Don't be nervous. Go on."
"Alright… Well, Kaiba… Seto… this person really likes you, so I was wondering if you would consider… if you would consider a relationship."
A light chuckle startled the smaller male and, glancing up, he finally met Kaiba's eyes. By now the CEO's face was surprisingly close to his, even closer than the other generally sat with Yami, and the brunet's cerulean eyes were shining with something that Yami couldn't place. "I already have. I've been considering it for a long time," Kaiba murmured, and Yami saw that the hint of a smile playing about the other's lips had widened into a full-fledged grin, revealing perfect, even teeth.
"You… you have? Kaiba, are you sure you know what I'm talking about?"
"I believe I understood the point of the conversation, yes. And there's no need for you to keep speaking hypothetically, Yami; you know we can always be honest with each other. So, why don't you go ahead and admit who this 'person' who is interested in me really is. I doubt you'll be disappointed."
Kaiba was very close now; Yami could feel the other's breath ghosting across his cheek, and for some reason his eyes were drawn to Kaiba's lips. They were so full, slightly reddened from the wine he'd been drinking, and just so close…
But why was that important, anyway?
"You… you mean you like Anzu too?" Yami asked hesitantly.
"Of course I do, what did you think?" Kaiba replied, his smile growing dreamy as he moved still closer, those full lips a heartbeat away from Yami's own – and froze.
"ANZU! Yami, what the… You came here to talk to me about her? But what about… I thought that…" The CEO scrambled to his feet, dragging Yami – whose fingers were still entangled with his own – along with him. Kaiba groaned in frustration, raking the fingers of his free hand distractedly through his hair.
Yami frowned. "I guess that's a no, then."
The brunet let out a harsh bark of laughter, continuing to scratch his scalp and avoiding Yami's eyes. "That loud-mouthed girl who's obsessed with improving everyone? I barely even know her," he snorted.
The smaller male furrowed his brow thoughtfully. He had to be careful now; if he could phrase this exactly right, Anzu would be out of his hair and he would have Yugi's attention all to himself. He just had to convince Kaiba to give this a chance…
"Well," Yami began slowly, "if you don't know her how do you know you don't like her? Why not take the opportunity to get to know her? You don't even have to go on a date with her or anything like that. Let Yugi-tachi come to that KaibaCorp benefit this weekend; talk to her there."
Kaiba whirled, staring at Yami incredulously. "What! But we were supposed to go to that together! I invited you, not those idiots!"
Gently, Yami tugged on the hand that was still twined with the brunet's and wrapped his free hand around their joined fingers. "Please Seto? For me? Just give it a chance?"
The brunet stared silently at their hands for a long moment before he replied. "Why do you want this, Yami?" he asked tonelessly.
Almost guiltily, Yugi whispered, "Because Yugi does."
"Ah." A pause. "I see."
Kaiba let go of his hand and Yami stepped back shakily, rubbing suddenly sweaty hands on his pants legs and staring at the carpet. "I… I guess I should go now… Goodbye, Seto," Yami mumbled, rushing toward the door. "Let me know what you decide."
"Wait! Yami, wait," Kaiba called, stopping Yami at the threshold. When the wild-haired teen turned to face him, the CEO stalked across the room and stopped directly in front of the other, his cobalt eyes sweeping across Yami's face as Kaiba hesitated a moment before gruffly muttering, "Tell them they can come. But they better not embarrass me."
Then, before Yami could thank him, before the realization that he'd gotten what he wanted could settle in his mind; before the ex-Pharaoh could even tell what was happening, Kaiba swooped in and cupped the other's face in his hands as he deposited a swift kiss directly on Yami's lips.
"I'll pick you up on Friday at seven," he told the dazed teen in his arms. "Don't make me wait." The brunet gently tucked Yami's bangs behind his ear once more, smiling a bit, and dropped one more quick kiss on Yami's lips before he brushed past the smaller male and disappeared into the hallway.
"Yami? What happened? Did it go well? Why are you smiling like that?" Yugi pounced on Yami as soon as the crimson-eyed teen wandered through the doorway to the Game Shop.
"Am I smiling?" Yami asked, rather dizzily, lifting a hand to touch his lips. "Huh. I guess I am." He breezed past the smaller teen and wandered toward the stairs, the wide, goofy grin still hopelessly stuck on his face. "Goodnight Aibou; I'm going to bed."
"But it's barely eight!"
"Hmm. I guess it is. Alright, then." Yami turned around and plopped on the couch instead, leaning back against the cushions and closing his eyes.
Yugi blinked. "What happened over there?" He rushed across the room and settled onto the sofa beside Yami, who turned his head slightly and cracked one eye open, scrutinizing the shorter teen.
"Kaiba said you all could come to the benefit this weekend," the ex-Pharaoh responded shortly, closing his eyes once more. He was still grinning.
"He did?" Yugi asked, violet eyes widening in surprise. "But I thought that was just supposed to be for the two of you; Mokuba's not even coming. You've been going on about it for weeks!"
"Mokuba's not coming because he'll be gone on a trip with some friends this weekend. And it would hardly have been just the two of us; it's an enormous charity benefit for Seto's company. There'll be hundreds of people there."
"Still… it just seemed like…" Yugi mumbled thoughtfully, but shrugged. "Oh well. It sounds like fun, anyway. But did you ask him about Anzu?"
Yami's grin faltered. "I did. That's why you're all going; he's going to use the opportunity to get to know her a little better. If they hit it off then… well, then they hit it off."
Yugi threw his arms around the other, beaming. "Oh Yami, thank you so much! Anzu will be so happy! I can't wait to see the look on her face!"
Yami returned the hug, propping his chin atop Yugi's head. "Anything for you, Aibou," he murmured. The two spiky-haired teens remained in that position for a long moment before Yugi pulled away, giving the taller teen a friendly kiss on the cheek.
"It's not too late; I think I'll go over to Anzu's now and tell her she has a chance." He grabbed his keys and raced out the door.
Yami's smile vanished.
Yami paced frantically in front of the mirror, expertly dodging the various piles of clothes strewn over the floor. What did one wear to a charity benefit? He'd thought he knew, had an outfit picked out since the week before, but when he'd put it on tonight it just seemed… wrong. He wanted to look nice, perfect, impressive – though who exactly he was impressing was still a mystery. Yugi only had eyes for Anzu, and as for Kaiba…
Well, Kaiba's eyes would be on Anzu as well, soon enough. So it didn't really matter.
With that – rather bleak – acknowledgement, the crimson-eyed teen sighed and picked up his original outfit from the bed where he had tossed it half an hour ago. At least it wasn't crumpled on the floor along with the rest of the contents of his closet. The ex-Pharaoh tugged on his pants, black as usual, though not leather and certainly not as tight as he usually wore them. It was a charity event, after all. He didn't want to cause any controversy by coming in with a pair of skin-tight black leather pants. Shaking his head at the thought, Yami slid the shirt over his head, smiling a bit at the feel of smooth silk against his skin. He'd chosen a deep blue garment for the occasion, incidentally the same color as Kaiba's eyes.
He and Seto would look good together; embarrassingly enough Yami had bought the shirt purposely to match the CEO's eyes – so that the pair of them would match, for the event. Only now that wouldn't matter, since the rest of Yugi-tachi would be there as well, and Kaiba's attention would be on Anzu, not him.
But that was a good thing. Because then Yugi would be all his. And that was what he wanted.
Wasn't it?
"Yami! Kaiba's limo just pulled up! Come on, everyone else is already here!" Yugi called from the bottom of the stairs.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Yami replied crossly, inspecting his outfit one last time before heading downstairs to meet the others.
When he saw Yugi-tachi Yami hesitated, wondering if he was a little underdressed. Yugi, Jou and Honda all wore suits and ties – though Jou's was a polka-dot bowtie and Honda's was undeniably a clip-on – and Anzu looked resplendent in a strapless peach ball gown that trailed the floor and showed off a little of her cleavage.
But then Kaiba knocked on the door and Yami forgot about his clothes.
"That's Kaiba! Go answer it, Anzu," Yugi hissed, nudging her toward the door.
Anzu nodded and, with a bright smile, opened the door to greet the CEO. "Hello, Seto. How are you? Thank you for inviting us to the benefit."
He nodded curtly, giving her a brief glance and a "Good evening" before immediately crossing to where Yami stood on the other side of the room. "Good evening, Yami. You look wonderful," Kaiba murmured, eyeing the smaller teen with his usual smirk.
"Thanks, Seto, you look nice too," Yami replied, smiling happily as the brunet settled his hand at the small of Yami's back and led him out to the limo. Kaiba, much to Yami's relief, had dressed similarly to the ex-Pharaoh, foregoing his trenchcoat for once in favor of a dark green button-up shirt made of some silky material and a pair of black pants that were just snug enough to flatter his muscular legs.
The CEO took Yami's hand to help him into the limo, though when Seto had settled on the seat beside Yami he didn't let go, instead situating their joined fingers in the sparse space on the seat between them, where their interlaced fingers wouldn't be obvious. The wild-haired teen felt his face heat and that silly grin spread across his cheeks for the second time that week. He leaned slightly against the brunet.
But no… this wasn't right. Kaiba shouldn't be making him react this way; Yami liked Yugi. Yugi was his aibou, the one he'd sworn to love and protect, not some arrogant CEO who had the affection of every female in the city anyway, as well as a good number of the males if he chose to pursue them.
No, Kaiba wasn't like Yugi at all. He didn't need Yami, and he certainly wasn't bound to him the way the ex-Pharaoh and Yugi shared a bond. Kaiba could have anyone he wanted, as the beautiful girl in a low-cut dress seated on the CEO's other side clearly evidenced. He'd probably never known the way it felt to long for someone only to be rejected, the way Yami and Yugi and even Anzu had.
The crimson-eyed teen let out a soft sigh and gripped Seto's hand a little tighter.
"Yami, are you okay?" At Yugi's soft question Yami lifted his head and gazed into the concerned violet eyes in the seat across from him. The diminutive teen gazed at him worriedly, though every so often his eyes slid over to where Anzu had engaged the brunet beside her in conversation – well, more like she was talking and Kaiba was nodding his head at every pause. The crimson-eyed male eyed his smaller counterpart thoughtfully. Yugi was definitely a part of Yami's soul; the better part. He was so selfless, willing to give up the girl he obviously loved because on a whim she had decided to pursue the most powerful CEO in the city, just because he thought it would make her happy.
"I'm fine, Aibou," Yami replied, giving the other a reassuring smile.
No, Seto wasn't like Yugi at all. And maybe that was a good thing.
When they reached their destination Kaiba let the others pile out of the limousine ahead of him, waiting until they had walked out of earshot before turning back to Yami, who was still squeezed between the brunet and the wall of the car. "I 'got to know her' all throughout the car ride. Can I stop now?" he asked, in complete seriousness.
"Seto Kaiba, that ride was barely fifteen minutes long. Give her a chance," Yami replied sternly, though he smiled.
"Fine," Seto muttered sulkily. "I can't pay attention to her the entire evening, though; there are other people I need to socialize with tonight. Important people." Yami nodded in acceptance, but apparently Kaiba didn't think he had made his argument, since he leaned in and sealed his point with a firm kiss to Yami's half-open mouth.
It only lasted a few seconds, but by the time the brunet pulled away Yami was already panting, staring up at the other with a glazed look in his scarlet eyes. "Why… Why do you keep doing that lately?" Yami panted.
The CEO shrugged, shooting the other a mischievous smirk. "I decided I liked it." He lowered his mouth toward the other's once again and Yami let his eyelids flutter shut, waiting for the delicious pressure of lips against his own, but it never came. Instead his aibou's voice, calling "Yami! What's taking so long?" floated through the air and Kaiba pulled away, tugging the smaller male out the door by their still-joined hands.
As soon as they had reached the others Seto released Yami's hand, though his arm immediately crept around the smaller teen to settle at the base of Yami's spine. "I apologize. I had a little last-minute business to take care of," Seto informed them smoothly, that incorrigible smirk creeping back to his lips as he glanced down at Yami. "Well, shall we?" The brunet nodded toward the entrance and the group followed him as he strode into the building, his hand never leaving the small of Yami's back.
"You and Kaiba are closer than I thought," Yugi commented idly, taking another sip of pineapple-flavored punch and grimacing at the aftertaste.
"How do you mean?"
"Well, just the way he's always touching you and everything, and how he really cares about your opinion…"
Yami snorted. "Kaiba's opinion is the only one that matters to him."
"Yami, he asked you five times if you liked the centerpieces he designed for the tables!"
"Ah. Maybe he just wanted some ego-boosting," the taller of the look-alikes answered thoughtfully, eyeing the tasteful flower arrangement on the table in front of him, held up by a crystal vase with an intricately carved 'KC' logo imbedded into the glass. "Though I'm not sure why Seto had anything to do with the flower arrangements. Leave it to him to worry about every little detail."
Yugi laughed and the two fell into a thoughtful silence, their respective gazes turning back to the two people they had thought about the most that evening. The CEO was busily discussing something with another faceless middle-aged man in an expensive tailored suit while Anzu trailed him, feigning an interest in the business discussions and attempting to draw Seto into a conversation of her own whenever he would move away from whatever associate he happened to be dealing with at the time.
Yami grinned, rather spitefully. The evening didn't seem to be going well for Anzu, after all.
The brunet glanced in Yami's direction, their eyes meeting, and Kaiba excused himself from the man and headed back to Yami's table, Anzu following inevitably after. "Hey. How are you doing?" he asked softly, leaning over the back of Yami's chair. "Are you having fun?"
"The punch is awful, but otherwise yes," the crimson-eyed teen replied, smiling up at Seto.
"Ah, punch. Good, I'm thirsty." He reached over and grabbed Yami's cup, taking an enormous gulp and grimacing immediately afterward. "Good God, you weren't kidding. Why isn't there any alcohol at this thing?"
"It's for charity, Kaiba. It'd hardly make a good impression if the teenage CEO who organized it spent the night passed out drunk in a corner."
"I'd never pass out in a corner. I'd find a much more respectable place than that, thank you," the brunet replied loftily, though the corners of his mouth turned up in what to him amounted to a playful grin. "Well, off to make more small talk with the people who actually paid money to come to this. I'll be back soon… unless you want to come with me?" He added the last part hopefully, stretching closer over the back of the other's chair until their faces were mere inches apart and Yami almost thought the CEO was going to kiss him again.
"No… I'd better not," the ex-Pharaoh replied, glancing over to where Anzu stood behind Kaiba, her frustration clearly showing on her face. "I'll just stay here and talk to Yugi; I'd just get in the way of your work."
"You would never," Seto denied vehemently. "I wouldn't have asked if I thought you would be in the way."
Yami smiled but gestured for the brunet to go on. "Thanks, Seto, but I think I'd rather stay here and spend some time with Yugi. Plus someone's got to keep an eye out for Jou and Honda; make sure they don't cause trouble if they ever leave the buffet table."
Seto scowled. "That stupid mutt. I don't know how you ever talked me into letting him come…" He touched Yami's cheek gently with the back of his hand before walking away, still grumbling under his breath about Jounouchi.
Yami watched him go, one hand lifting involuntarily to prod the spot on his cheek Seto had touched, which seemed to be burning for no apparent reason. He poked it, but it still tingled, so the spiky-haired teen gave up and turned back to his disgusting punch, swirling the last dregs of the thick liquid in the bottom of the cup.
"You're doing it again."
"What? Doing what?" Yami asked, startled out of his thoughts.
"Smiling like that."
"So? I'm having a good time, why shouldn't I smile?"
"No… it's a different smile; it means something. But it's okay; I think I understand now."
"Understand what? Yugi, what in the world are you talking about?" Yami demanded, his brows furrowing as he looked into knowing violet eyes. "You're not making sense."
"You like him, don't you? Kaiba, I mean. And he likes you too; it all makes sense now. The way you were grinning the other day, the way he's always touching you, how the two of you go around like a married couple, bickering and buying clothes to match each other…"
"We do NOT go around like a married couple!" Yami cried, but fell silent, flushing, when Yugi pointedly turned his gaze to Yami's Kaiba-blue shirt.
"But what I don't understand is," Yugi continued, taking another sip of the punch and making a face, "if the two of you are a couple, why did you make Kaiba spend the evening with Anzu? He obviously doesn't like her and would much rather be spending tonight with you. Besides, what could it possibly accomplish? Are you trying to get Kaiba to dump you for Anzu?"
"Are you trying to get Anzu to dump you for Kaiba?" Yami snapped, and the smaller teen recoiled.
"It… it's not the same; Anzu and I were never a couple, and I really want her to be happy…" Yugi mumbled, turning his gaze to the tabletop.
Waves of guilt rushed over Yami and he reached for the other's hand, stroking it gently. "I'm sorry; I'm sorry Aibou, I didn't mean that. But you know, Seto and I were never a couple, either. I don't like… He doesn't like…"
Yami paused. He couldn't say it. He couldn't deny that he and Seto had feelings for each other – if for no other reason than by now it was painfully obvious that they did. But he was still confused… What about his love for Yugi? Did that just disappear? Did he love them both at once?
"You know," the ex-Pharaoh began slowly, "I thought I was in love with you."
"What?" Yugi's head whipped up and his wide, violet eyes fastened on the other's face once more. "You were in love with me?"
Yami shook his head. "No… You know I don't think I was. I definitely loved you – still do, of course – but things weren't quite… the same. I wanted your attention, wanted your affection, and above all wanted to take care of you and keep you safe; but there wasn't that feeling that's there when… you know…"
The smaller teen nodded, a wistful grin creeping over his features. "Yeah, I know. That jittery feeling in your chest whenever they're nearby, or the way your stomach flips when you think about them…"
"The way you turn to mush whenever you kiss…" Yami added dreamily, and Yugi shot him a look.
"You and Kaiba have kissed?"
Yami waved him off. "That's not important."
The shorter teen raised an eyebrow, but let it pass. "Well, not as important as what we do now. We've been idiots, do you realize that? I've been trying to set Anzu up with another guy instead of confessing how I feel and actually taking a shot at a relationship with her; letting myself be stuck in the 'friend' role for the rest of my miserable life. And you… well you're making poor Kaiba miserable while the two of you could be screwing each other senseless if you'd just admit you wanted it. Though it seems like he's gotten pretty far already… Hmm; I wonder if he'd give me tips?"
"YUGI!" Yami cried in shock, but when the other burst out laughing he realized that the shorter male had merely been teasing him.
"Sorry Yami, I couldn't resist," he chuckled, wiping his eyes. "Okay… Well, what do you say we drag those two apart and tell them how we feel?"
Yami's eyes widened. "Aibou, what's come over you? Aren't you nervous?"
"Terrified," the violet-eyed teen replied, the last vestiges of a smile slipping from his face. "But don't you think we should get it over with? Before…"
The two turned toward Seto and Anzu – and gaped in shock. "Before that?" Yami muttered, his crimson gaze falling immediately back to the tabletop in despair. They had waited too long; had pushed too hard for the two brunets to be together, and apparently it had worked. Seto and Anzu had been standing companionably close, the girl's hand on Seto's arm, both of them laughing heartily and seemingly perfectly happy together.
It was the worst thing Yami had ever seen.
"Excuse me, Aibou; I think I need some fresh air," Yami mumbled and scrambled to his feet, nearly tipping over his chair in his rush to get away. He hurried through the room, somehow dodging the chattering masses of people without once lifting his gaze from the floor, and didn't stop until he had gone out the front entrance and walked a good half a block away from the party.
Yami took a deep, shuddering breath. Oh, why had this happened? Did people always push away their chance to be with the one person they truly cared about, or was it just him? Was he the only clueless fool? Even Yugi had a better reason for pushing his love away than Yami did; his aibou was being selfless and noble.
Yami was being an idiot.
How long had he been taking Seto for granted? How long had the soft touches, the gentle glances been there? How long had they meant something more? But, really, perhaps it was best not to think about such things. He had tried to put Anzu and Kaiba together, and now they were together; Yami had gotten what he deserved and Seto was someone else's now.
Was it too late to hope for another kiss?
The crimson-eyed teen shook his head, wrapping his arms firmly across his chest and squeezing his eyes shut. No; he shouldn't think about that. There wouldn't be any more kisses, any more touches, not if Seto was with Anzu. What man's girlfriend would approve of him going around kissing another guy? It was over. That's all there was to it. Seto would never kiss him again; he would never hear the brunet's voice calling…
"Yami? Are you alright? Why did you run out like that?"
The wild-haired teen lifted his head and turned at the sound, staring in wonder. He had to be imagining things… surely Seto hadn't really left the party… left Anzu… to come and check on him. That wasn't really the handsome brunet approaching him. It couldn't be.
"Yami? What's wrong? Are you sick?" Seto stopped directly in front of the crimson-eyed male, leaning forward to brush the thick bangs from the other's face. "It was that punch, wasn't it? I knew something was strange about it."
The brunet cupped his cheek and Yami leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. "No, I'm fine, Seto. I just needed some fresh air."
"Are you sure? You rushed out of there so suddenly…"
"I'm fine, really." Yami opened his eyes, examining the other's worried gaze, and a tiny bit of hope wiggled its way into his heart. "Why aren't you in there with Anzu?" he questioned softly.
Seto made a face. "You're not still on me about that! I think I've done more than enough already; besides, it wouldn't matter anyway. She had finally gotten mildly interesting by the time you ran out – she has some really embarrassing stories about the mutt, you know – but then Yugi came over and tapped her on the shoulder, and started kissing her right in the middle of the floor. Gave the investors quite the show."
Yami gaped. "Yugi… kissed her? And she kissed back?"
"Well, she didn't slap him at any rate."
The spiky-haired teen shook his head, grinning in disbelief, and Seto slid his palm from Yami's cheek to his hand, twining their fingers together once again. "Are you sure you're alright? Ready to go back in?"
Yami hesitated; then shook his head. "Not yet. There's one more thing I have to do first." Standing on his tiptoes, the smaller male leaned forward and rested a palm on Seto's shoulder for support before pressing his lips lightly against Seto's.
He could feel the brunet stiffen and he started to pull away, but Seto's arms locked around him and held him firmly in place as the CEO took over the kiss, pressing back against Yami's lips almost fiercely enough to hurt. Yami felt Seto's tongue sweep across his bottom lip and he opened his mouth willingly, sighing in bliss at the new sensation of an open-mouthed kiss with Seto.
They kept it up a few moments, the smaller teen's tongue playfully fighting for dominance with Seto's until Yami began to feel rather dizzy and broke away, panting. The brunet let out a tiny whimper at the loss of contact and Yami smiled, granting him another little peck on the lips. "That was amazing," Yami whispered, and kissed the other softly one more time.
"Why do you keep doing that?" Seto murmured teasingly, mimicking the other's earlier question. Yami grinned.
"I decided I liked it." With that he wrapped his arms a little tighter around the brunet's neck and leaned forward, plunging the pair into another deep, heated kiss, the party inside long forgotten.