Title: The Halloween Tree
Author: Dragonwrangler
Summary: Atemu is introducing Seto to the idea of holiday cheer in a big way while planning a little surprise for the unsuspecting CEO. (Complete)
Rating: T
Warning: M/M pairing (Seto/Atemu), Yaoi, language, slightly OOC (love does that to a person)
Comment: This story was written for the Kokoro no Yami Halloween challenge. It is a follow-up story to "A Question of Memory" though you don't need to read that one to understand this story. All you might need to know is that Seto was the one who gave Atemu his name and memories back after the Millennium Rod awakened his own memories of the past. For this story, Atemu has gained a body of his own and his link with Yugi still exists. (And Atemu's still corrupting Yugi's "innocent little mind"!)
Disclaimer: Yugioh is owned by Kazuki Takahashi. I do not make any money from these stories and only write them for my own entertainment and the entertainment of anyone who wishes to read them.
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The Halloween Tree
"What the hell is that?"
Seto stared in complete astonishment at the scene spread out before him smack in the middle of what used to be his pristine living room. Bags from various stores were spilling their contents across the floor, miniature buildings nestled in their Styrofoam containers sat on top of the coffee table, a sign painted in black and orange with a silhouette of a cat arching it's back over the words- 'No costume, no treat'- leaned against the couch, and sitting in the middle of the front window…
"Why the hell is there a Christmas tree sitting in the window?"
"It's a Halloween tree." Atemu answered calmly as he pulled orange tree lights out of the white plastic holder they were attached to.
"It's a fucking Christmas tree." Seto stated as he dropped his briefcase in a clear spot on the couch and stopped to look around the room. He found Mokuba frozen beside the couch, a strip plug in his hand while Yugi, hand stuck in one of the bags with a pile of gaudy looking Halloween ornaments next to him, stared at Seto with a wide panicked look on his face.
"It's a Halloween tree, Seto." Atemu repeated patiently without looking up.
"I don't even put up a tree at Christmas, why the hell would I have one for Halloween!" Seto almost shouted.
"And where the hell did you find a Christmas tree at this time of the year?"
Still not looking up, Atemu answered, "You just have to know where to look."
Seto glared down at Atemu a few moments before he realized his lover was shaking with suppressed mirth.
"And who the hell is paying for this?" Since it obviously had no effect on Atemu, Seto turned his glare on Yugi as he added, "Because I know you can't afford all this." Yugi cringed and tried to hide behind the bag his hand was still stuck in.
"You are, Seto." Atemu answered as Mokuba sank down behind the arm of the couch.
"Why?"
Finally looking up, a smirk firmly in place, his crimson eyes sparkling with humor, Atemu said, "Because you told me to make myself at home."
Staring at Atemu, Seto growled, "This isn't what I meant, Atemu."
Looping the now freed lights around his neck; Atemu stood and pulled Seto's face down for a swift kiss. Annoyed that the kiss was all Atemu needed to do to cool his annoyance, Seto tried desperately to keep his scowl firmly in place as Atemu pulled back to say, "Well, if that's not what you meant, love, then I didn't mean what I said I'd do to you when we get away tomorrow."
Sudden disappointment and guilt flooded through Seto as he sighed and sat carefully among the boxes on the coffee table. Atemu watched him in surprise before kneeling down between his legs.
"Love? What's wrong?" Atemu asked quietly.
"We're not going tomorrow. I can't get away, I'm sorry."
Atemu smiled gently as he touched Seto's cheek with a warm hand. "That's not a problem. We can stay home and have fun here." Seto closed his eyes as Atemu began to stroke his cheek.
"I can stay over at someone else's house so you guys don't have to worry about me hearing you again." Mokuba offered without showing his face.
Seto peeked at Atemu who grinned and said, "I told you we should have shut the door."
Seto could just hear Mokuba mutter, "Need to do more than shut the door." in an amused tone of voice.
Glancing out of the corner of his eyes, Seto could see Yugi turning redder and redder as he slowly buried his face into the shopping bag. Looking back at Atemu, Seto could see his eyes were slightly unfocused and snapped, "Atemu, Yugi doesn't need a picture!"
"No, I don't!" Yugi practically shouted.
Atemu snickered as his eyes cleared and Yugi sighed in relief. Pushing the bag away, Yugi stood and said, while directing a good-humored scowl at Atemu, "Mokuba can stay over at my house, grandpa won't mind. Come on, Mokuba, let's get you packed while I call home."
Seto closed his eyes again and let his body relax under Atemu's touch as Yugi and Mokuba made their escape.
"Why is this bothering you so much?" Atemu asked as he stood up and began working on the tight muscles in Seto's shoulders. "You know I'm happy just to be with you, I don't need to get away."
A sigh slipped out of Seto. "I don't know. I suppose it's because I finally have a reason to come home at night and now I never seem able to get away from the office."
"Well, if you were a little less anal regarding work you could." Atemu said in amusement.
Seto glared at him as a smile began to tug the corners of his lips. "You're lucky I am anal."
"Yes I am." Atemu answered before adding, "I am sorry about all the Halloween stuff, I should have asked first. I'll clean this up and take it back tomorrow."
"No, that's all right. I could probably use a little holiday chaos in my life." Seto reached out and idly fingered the string of lights around Atemu's neck.
"Should I plug you in and watch you light up when they leave?" Seto said, giving in to the smile.
Atemu own smile turned wicked as his eyes unfocused again. Seto heard an annoyed "ATEMU!" shout from Yugi as Atemu said, "Sure, they'll be gone in a minute."
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In the predawn light Seto carefully slipped out from under Atemu's arm and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his face. He suddenly stopped rubbing his face and peered through his fingers when he realized something was out of place.
It took his sleep-fogged mind a moment to recognize what was wrong and when it did it had no idea what to do with the information.
Dropping his hands into his lap, Seto stared at the Blue- Eyed White Dragon sculpture that had taken up residence on the corner of his dresser. A present from Atemu to celebrate their first month together after Atemu gained his own body; the Blue- Eyes now sported a mask, a black cloak, and little pieces of red paper in the shape of tiny drops of blood that dripped down from the corner of the dragon's mouth.
He knew that was not how it looked last night when they finally made it up to the bedroom to continue their night of passionate sex.
He had been distracted but not that distracted.
Turning in place Seto looked down at Atemu's sleeping form.
I created a monster when I gave you back your name, didn't I.
Shaking his head, Seto rose up to get ready for work and wondered what other nightmares he was going to find when he got home tonight.
And Halloween was a week away.
Shit.
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"So how did it go with Seto this morning?" Yugi asked as he carefully arranged another piece into the Halloween village across the fireplace mantle. "And please, no pictures."
"Well, since he didn't wake me when he found out what I did to the Blue- Eyes sculpture, I'd say he's feeling a little better." Atemu answered with a smile as he finished plugging in the lights on the tree.
"What you did to the sculpture?" Mokuba asked when he saw Yugi suddenly grin. "Oh, this I gotta see."
As Mokuba left to check out the dragon, Yugi stepped down to pull another building out of its packing material, "How are the costumes coming?" he asked, brushing away some stray Styrofoam.
Atemu shrugged a little nervously. "They look great but I'm not sure it's as good an idea as I thought."
Yugi smiled reassuringly. "Atemu, he'll love it, don't worry."
"I hope so." Atemu answered, sitting on the couch to loop hangers onto some of the tree ornaments before hanging them on the edge of the table.
Yugi gave him a curious look. "Why aren't you putting them on the tree?"
Atemu grinned and said, "That's going to be Seto's job tonight." just as Mokuba's laughter and "Oh, my god!" comment echoed down the stairs.
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Seto walked cautiously into his own house, afraid of what he would find or have to do this time.
So far he had trimmed the tree, strung several miles (in his opinion) of lights across the bushes at the front of the house, helped Mokuba get a costume for some party he had been invited to, and had stuffed an old pair of jeans and shirt with straw to make a pumpkin headed scarecrow for the front porch.
He had either woken up or come home to pictures that now had masks on the figures within, strange glass specimen jars with labels and God knew what inside, spiders hanging down from gauzy webs and a hall in an unused part of the house that no longer had any lights in it and was slowly being converted by Atemu, Yugi and Mokuba into a hell house.
At least he only had to live through one more day of this madness.
God knows what Atemu is going to put me through at Christmas.
Damn thing was he found himself enjoying every minute of it. He had even started to unwind in the living room with the regular lights off and the Halloween lights on.
For some reason he found those orange lights on the tree very soothing.
Stepping into the living room Seto called, "Atemu? Mokuba?"
"In the kitchen."
Wandering over to the kitchen Seto found Atemu spreading out newspapers across the center island as Mokuba flipped through what appeared to be a thin book of graphics. A portable DVD player was currently running some old black and white B movie on the counter by the microwave.
"Do I even want to know what's going on tonight?"
Atemu bent down, brought a medium sized pumpkin up, and set it on the table. He then took a step back and stood with his open hands at arms length- as if presenting a prize on a game show- while Mokuba grinned at the two of them.
"Say hello to your pumpkin."
Of course.
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Glaring at the screen in the vain hope it would magically do what he wanted it to do; it took Seto a few minutes to notice Atemu had stepped into his office.
"What are you doing here?" Seto asked in surprise when he realized this was the first time Atemu had stopped by to visit him at work since moving in.
Settling on the edge of the desk, Atemu said, in a terrible accent while dramatically throwing his arm across his face, "I've come to drink your blood!"
Seto rolled his eyes and laughed as he settled back in his chair. "I can't believe you just did that."
"Neither can I. Pretty bad wasn't it." Atemu leaned on the arm he had braced on the table and said in a more serious tone, "Actually, I've come to drag you home."
Glancing at the clock, Seto shook his head. "I can't. I have to get through this report before I can leave."
Looking back, he was surprised by the look of intense disappointment and frustration in Atemu eyes. "Why not? It's your company, take advantage of being boss tonight."
"Atemu, this needs to be done."
"Seto, its Halloween."
"I'll be home before it's over."
"Seto…"
Catching Atemu's nervous shift, Seto's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he asked, "What did you do?"
Sighing, Atemu said, "We're having a costume party at the house tonight."
"We're what?" Seto answered, astonished.
"It's just a few friends. Look, I try not to ask a lot from you, I know how much this company means to you but, Seto; I really need you there tonight."
Seto looked at Atemu a few moments, taking in the slightly slumped shoulders and uncertain expression, before glancing at the screen of his laptop. Atemu was right; he had never asked for anything that might interfere with the running of the company and had been more than patient with the long hours and missed getaways over the few months since he had gained a real body.
This was technically their first real holiday together in this lifetime.
But a costume party?
Seto sighed as he made his decision. Shutting down and closing the laptop, Seto stood and grabbed his jacket. "You better make this worth my time, Atemu."
Atemu smiled in relief and caught Seto as he came around the desk.
"I'll do anything you ask once the party is over, love." A mischievous look crossed his face as he added, "As long as you don't kill anyone tonight." as he pulled Seto down for a kiss.
Straightening, Seto asked the all-important question, "Do I want to know what you're going to make me wear?"
Atemu just smirked as he dragged Seto out of the office.
"You'll see."
Oh, God.
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"Tell me again why the hell I'm doing this?" Seto asked between kisses as they stumbled into the house through the back entrance. The party had already started but, after a quick check with Yugi, Atemu knew everyone was having a good time without them. Yugi had actually sounded surprised Atemu had managed to drag Seto home this early. Atemu didn't bother mentioning they had actually gotten home twenty minutes ago and fooled around in the car after parking it in the garage.
It was not as if anyone expected them to arrive before dinner.
"Because you made the mistake of saying yes when I asked you to be my lover three thousand years ago. You've got no one to blame but yourself for this." Atemu gasped as he pulled away and shoved Seto toward the stairs.
"Now get your ass moving, Priest."
"Oh great, you're going to do the Pharaoh bit tonight? Fine, two can play at that game." Seto groused good-naturedly as he marched up the stairs.
Atemu chewed on his bottom lip a moment before following up to get dressed in the spare room.
That's what I'm hoping for, love.
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Seto peered cautiously into the bedroom and spotted the costume on the bed. He stood a moment in shock before slowly stepping into the room.
Sitting under the Millennium Rod Seto could see the golden ankh symbol that was set in the center of blue robes just like the ones he wore when he was High Priest of Wedju three thousand years ago. Setting the Rod aside, Seto picked up the robe and glanced at the rest of the costume before looking back at the robe.
Wonder filled him. It was exactly as he remembered.
It then occurred to him what Atemu would be wearing.
Seto began to grin, excitement flashing through him, as he stripped off his clothes to put the costume on.
This better be a short party or there's going to be one hell of a floorshow tonight no one's going to forget.
Swiftly donning the costume, Seto grabbed the Rod and quickly walked over to the spare bedroom.
"Need some help?" he asked when he reached the closed door.
"No, just give us a minute!" Yugi answered before saying, "What did you do, have this made out of real gold? It weighs a ton!"
Seto smiled and leaned against the wall as he listened to Atemu's familiar chuckle. He had a good idea what it was Yugi was complaining about, having had to remove said item many times in the ancient past.
Admitting to himself that he felt more than a little nervous, which was odd considering he knew exactly what Atemu would be dressed in, Seto grinned and wondered if this was how a man felt as he waited for his bride to walk down the aisle.
The excitement and anticipation building up inside Seto made him feel like uncharacteristically shouting out with joy and getting sick at the same time.
The sound of the door opening snapped Seto away from the wall. Yugi- dressed as the Black Magician- slipped out, closing the door behind him. Yugi paused a moment in surprise as he looked Seto over.
"He's all ready but could you wait till I get to the bottom of the stairs before you go in? I'd rather not hear this." Yugi asked as he passed Seto. "I'm going to hear enough as it is.", he added in a low amused voice.
Not sparing Yugi another glance, Seto answered with a growl, "Then I suggest you run, Yugi."
Seto barely heard Yugi's "Right" as he took off for the stairs. Reaching out, Seto rested his hand on the knob, took a deep breath to calm down, realized it was going to take a hell of a lot more than a deep breath to calm him down right now, and threw the door open.
Seto almost fell to his knees at the sight of his Pharaoh standing before him.
As he stood in the doorway and drank in the view of his memories made flesh once again, Atemu asked cautiously, a slight smile on his face, "I take it you like the costume?"
Not bothering to say a word, Seto closed the space between them and wrapped his free arm around Atemu, easily remembering how to shift his hips to move the Millennium Puzzle out of the way. He pressed himself against Atemu, holding him as if he would never let go, reveling in remembered sensations- the warmth of his lover soaking through the fabric of his robes, the cool touch of metal against the back of his hand where it had slipped under the golden beaded collar, the shift of muscles under the smooth skin- before changing his position to capture Atemu's lips in a passionate kiss.
Atemu grabbed Seto's head and returned every ounce of Seto's passion.
As Seto pulled back to get some air before he passed out, he glared at Atemu and managed to pant, "You're going to make me go downstairs now, aren't you."
Smirking, Atemu answered, "Yes, and if I have to I can make it an order, Priest." Seto growled his annoyance as he rested his forehead against the top of Atemu's head. Atemu chuckled as he added, "Have you forgotten how much that robe hides, Seth?"
Seto felt an evil grin slip over his face as he muttered, "Yes, and if memory serves me, my Pharaoh, what you are wearing right now isn't going to hide a thing."
"That may be but I'm Pharaoh, everyone should be bowing to my manhood anyway."
Seto eventually had to drop to the bed- Atemu still wrapped in his arms- when his sudden burst of laughter caused his abdominal muscles to cramp.
Staring at Atemu's grinning and disheveled face, the golden crown now askew on Atemu's head from hitting the bed, Seto found himself gently playing with one of the dangling golden ankh ear clips Atemu was wearing. An old habit had always amused Atemu in the past.
"Having fun, love?"
"Of course, my Pharaoh." Seto answered softly. He played with the ankh a moment longer before standing up, pulling Atemu up with him.
Taking a deep breath, and finding it sufficient for the moment to calm him after the fit of laughter, Seto asked, "And how long are you going to make me suffer?"
"Only through dinner. After that everyone is leaving to go party hopping and grandpa agreed to watch over Mokuba again."
"And why do we even need to make an appearance?"
Atemu gave Seto a self-satisfied smirk.
"Because I wanted all my friends to see you dressed like that just once, my Priest, before I ripped that robe off your body."
"What, now I'm your personal love slave to parade before the common folk?" Seto managed to say as he started laughing again.
"Damn right you are." Atemu answered as he began dragging Seto down to the party.
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Seto sat in front of the Halloween tree, staring at the softly glowing orange lights. He could hear Atemu saying a few words to Yugi before he left, though they were too far away for him to hear anything more than a murmur.
Seto had managed to get through dinner without fighting with any of Yugi's friends, though it had been difficult to keep his mouth shut when he saw the mutt's costume. Atemu had threatened him with shadow magic to keep silent on the way down the stairs and Seto only gave in to sarcastic laughter when he saw the barbarian costume- similar to the one the mutt wore in the virtual world- that Mai apparently forced him to wear.
Seto realized- from the looks Mai kept throwing the mutt- that he had not been the only one set up by a lover. Seto found Mai's "get them young while they're still trainable" explanation utterly perfect and vowed to throw the line at the mutt himself as soon as he got the chance.
Sensing Atemu move into the room he patted the floor in front of him as he continued looking at the tree.
"I take it we've now moved to the "I'll do anything you ask" part of the evening?"
Seto chuckled as he shook his head. "No, not yet. I just wanted to spend some time in here with you before this all has to come down."
"Christmas is coming." Atemu pointed out as he sat down.
Rolling his eyes, Seto wrapped his arms around Atemu as he settled back against Seto's chest. "Sorry, but for some reason I don't equate Christmas with hot passionate sex."
"Is that a challenge I hear? Me help you equate Christmas with hot passionate sex?" Atemu asked with a warm chuckle.
"Oh, please no. Give me some time to recover from this first." Settling his back against the edge of the coffee table, Seto finally asked the question that had been bugging him ever since he had first seen it.
"Why a Christmas tree?"
"It's a Halloween tree, Seto."
"It's a fucking Christmas tree."
"No," Atemu answered as he turned around in Seto's arms, a smirk filling his face as he gave Seto a challenging look, "it's a Halloween tree, Seto."
Seto glared in amusement at Atemu as he answered, "O.K., now we start the "I'll do anything you ask" part of the evening."
"Repeat after me- it's a fucking Christmas tree, Seto."
Seto could tell Atemu was having trouble keeping a straight face as he said, "Are you sure you don't equate Christmas with hot passionate sex, Seto?"
Catching Atemu's face, Seto growled, "Honestly, with you around, I equate every day with hot passionate sex."
And, as he smothered Atemu's laughter with his lips, Seto went on to prove exactly how deep his passion was under the lights of the Christmas tree.
O.K., fine, the fucking Halloween tree.
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Additional Comments: The description of the living room at the start of the story is what my living room looks like when I unpack the "Halloween closet". The rest of it I haven't done yet- with the exception of the village on the fireplace mantle. That has now grown to the point that it now has a subdivision on the built-in next to the fireplace. And yes, I have an artificial tree in my front window that stays up year round (it's too much of a pain to pack it up and drag the thing downstairs every January!). Believe me, there are more than enough novelty lights and knickknacks out there for just about every holiday, even St. Patrick's Day!