Disclaimer: Just own the words, not the folks.
'Tis the Season – Chapter 3 (of 7)Four and a half years ago
He and Yami talk until the wee hours, neither of them taking the stage that night. On the ride back to his place, Seto finds himself stealing glances at his leather-clad companion.
Though a little tired from lack of sleep, the next morning found Seto feeling the most energized he'd been in more than a month. Taking Yami's advice, he contacted his acupuncturist and both his martial arts sensei's to arrange for his return.
As he lay on the acupuncturist table that evening, prepared for an extensive session, he remembers the Game King's advice to him from the night before.
"Fuck 'em," Yami had shrugged casually.
"W-what," Seto had muttered.
The Game King had leveled him with those intense eyes.
"I said, 'Fuck 'em'. The reporters, the people who might recognize you, the publicity hounds…they mean nothing if you don't want them to. The only reason I haven't gone mad from all the attention, aside from really enjoying a lot of it, is that I don't take it seriously. Those people don't know me. They have no idea what my life is really like. They aren't friends or family or anyone important to me, so they have no meaning in my life. Don't let them have meaning in yours."
Seto took his advice to heart and vowed to go back to the things that worked for him and to hell with anything else.
As it turned out, he had to endure several weeks of reporters, record execs, fan girls, fan boys and publicity junkies hounding him once his identity was discovered. With the things that centered him back in his life, he was able to brush them off easily.
At work, his employees noticed the change in his demeanor almost immediately. Chalking his earlier behavior up to stress, they began working even harder for him since they now knew that even their stoic boss could lose it sometimes. The result of their dedication materialized as a promotion for Seto from Manager of the Marketing Department to the CEO's created position of Director of Development, which came with a seat on the company's board. Seto's reward to his employees for their support came in the form of enormous bonuses and higher paying positions in the newly created department.
Yami's advice had been priceless. And Seto struggled to figure out a way to repay him. He wasn't poor by any means, but he had nowhere near the money Yami commanded. It warmed Seto that Yami stayed fairly normal despite his wealth and fame, though he wondered if that normalcy was reserved only for him and Yami's other friends and family when he caught glimpses of his interviews and public appearances. Yami was one cocky, arrogant son-of-a-bitch when he wanted to be.
He and the duelist had become fairly good friends since their second karaoke-related encounter and many evenings and weekends found them meeting somewhere for dinner and conversation, a chess match, which Seto tended to win, or other random activities. Seto learned that Yami enjoyed rock-climbing, but usually settled for the climbing wall at a local climbers' hangout, he learned that Yami could whip his ass at Dance Dance Revolution anytime he chose, he learned that Yami's grandpa was the center of his universe, garnering many hours of his time, and he learned that Yami loved to cook one night when the game king dragged him back to his house after a rigorous tennis match at Seto's gym.
Yami learned about Seto's broad competitive streak and challenged him regularly to any kind of game he could find, losing to the taller man on a consistent basis, he learned that Seto loved to fly, having acquired his pilot's license at the age of 18, he learned that Seto loved to read, devouring up to ten books at a time per week, he learned that Seto was fluent in five other languages, English, French, Korean, German and Mandarin and was adding a sixth, Russian, and he learned that Seto's search for his brother was all-consuming one night when he received a call in the middle of dinner that the investigator may have found him and Seto flew his private plane to Korea within the hour to find out.
Seto's presence had so enriched Yami's life and he struggled with a way to repay him for the kindness.
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It was almost six months to the day since he and Yami had been hanging out that Seto figured out how to repay him for his advice and thank him for his friendship.
The two had become nearly inseparable over the last month and Seto found he wished there could be more than friendship between him and the crimson-eyed man, though he knew that would be impossible. Yami's engagement to his longtime girlfriend Anzu Mazaki dominated the news for two weeks when they announced it two months ago. Seto smiled happily for his best friend, all the while fighting down the jealousy, which threatened to overwhelm him. He'd avoided Yami for a few days to clear his head at that time.
Seto had met Anzu several times and she even hung out with them on occasion. He thought she was a nice girl, but that she really didn't understand Yami. He often wondered if Yami planned to marry the slim brunette merely to make his grandpa happy, as the old man absolutely adored her. Seto knew he should have brought these things up to his friend if he really cared, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. What if he was wrong? What if their friendship suffered because of it? He couldn't imagine not having Yami in his life anymore. So, he'd keep silent and let things go as they will. If Yami needed him in the future to deal with any fallout, he'd be there.
The gift he'd decided to repay Yami with was finished. He'd present it to him at his birthday party next month.
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Seto didn't know how it happened. One minute, they were playing Go, Yami winning for once, the next they were groping and kissing on Seto's living room carpet. He remembered looking up into intense crimson, meaning to tease his friend for taking so long to make a move and then his desire overwhelmed him. He pulled Yami to him, one hand on his chin and his arm wrapping around his back and kissed the wide-eyed duelist soundly. A moment later, Seto pulled away in shock, quickly releasing his hold and meaning to apologize profusely, when Yami grinned like a fiend and tackled him.
They'd begun to frantically remove their clothing between hot, wet kisses when a knock on Seto's door brought them up short. Anzu. She was meeting them here before they all went to dinner with her parents, her maid of honor and Yami's Grandpa. Scrambling up from the floor and hastily rearranging their clothing, Seto fled to his bedroom to calm down as Yami went to open the door.
He hears Yami's explanation for his flushed face and rumpled clothes and hair and praises him silently. 'Wrestling' indeed. Anzu scolds him lightly for messing up his outfit for the dinner and he apologizes, promising to borrow something of Seto's. Seto flees to the bathroom when he hears Yami heading toward him. He wasn't sure he'd be able to control himself, even with Anzu there, if Yami started taking off his clothes.
"Koshi," Yami whispers loudly upon entering the bedroom. Yami had given him the odd nickname a few weeks ago, based on his last name, but only used it occasionally.
"I'm in here," Seto replies shakily from the bathroom.
"Are you alright?"
"No."
There is a short pause before Yami continues with, "Koshi, it's alright. We-we both got a little carried away. It's not like I don't find you attractive as well. We'll get though this. In the meantime, I need to steal some of your clothes. I'll borrow that brown suit you hate because the pants are just a little too short. I hope I won't be swimming in it."
Seto turns the shower on cold and gets in.
Dinner is a strain, but Seto gets through it. Afterward, Yami's limo drops him off at home. Sleep is long in coming that night as his mind constantly replays the moments on his living room floor. Eventually, he has to relieve himself before finally dropping off around 3:30 in the morning.
Thoroughly embarrassed by his behavior and the erotic thoughts about Yami that he can't keep out of his head, he finds numerous excuses to stay away from his friend for most of the week and a half until Yami's birthday party.
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He'd opened Seto's gift last, not really on purpose, but it just happened that way. Seto noted the look of confusion and the wrinkled brow on his friend's face as he looked at the unmarked CD and smiled to himself; Yami would never guess what he'd gotten him.
"Seto? What…?" he inquires, looking to his best friend for an answer.
"Play it," Seto replies with a wry smile.
Still confused, Yami opens the round plastic case, retrieving his prize and placing it carefully into one of the slots of his five-disk player, turning the volume up high enough for everyone to hear.
"Yami," Seto's clear baritone flows from the speakers, "this is in appreciation for your friendship and support in my life and as a reminder of our first meeting."
Yami's head whips toward his friend after a short pause leads to the opening notes of the song that had him in tears.
Seto's satisfied smile confirms his suspicion.
As good as Seto sounded at the bar that night, this professional recording of his friend's voice makes that pale in comparison.
The depth of feeling and power in Seto's voice stuns all. Yami's grandfather turns to Seto and nods slowly, understanding and appreciation in his tear-filled eyes. Others in the room acquainted with or close friends with Yugi huddle together for support.
Seto eyes Yami warily as his unrequited love slowly approaches him. He's never seen that look in Yami's eyes before and he's not sure what it means.
A collective gasp echoes through the room as Yami throws his arms around Seto's neck and kisses him, thrusting his tongue inside his friend's mouth when he opens it in alarm. Not possessing much in the way of self-control where Yami is concerned anyway, Seto wraps his arms around Yami's back and takes over the kiss.
Quickly coming to his senses in the ensuing silence, Seto breaks the kiss, thrusting Yami away from him. He looks up to a room full of stunned faces and flees the house.