Disclaimer: Just own the words, not the folks. And no, I don't own eBay either. Darn it!

A Number of Things

After dinner, Mokuba insists we watch a 'Three Stooges' movie with him. Actually he tricks us into it. He said we were going to see some new anime he'd found that he thought we'd really like. Instead, what we get is very stupid, but extremely funny slapstick comedy. Mokuba had purchased something called "The Three Stooges: Platinum Collection" from eBay and wanted to share a few of the movies with us, but he knew we'd never watch something called 'We Want Our Mummy' intentionally.

Seto leaves after about 30 minutes in, mumbling something about 'the stupidity burning his brain', but Mokuba and I watch the whole film. I can barely breathe by the time it's over.

My aib-Yugi, would love this movie. Maybe if I ever go back to speaking to him I'll suggest it. Or maybe I'll just send it to Jii-chan while he's there.

Oh crap! Mokuba's putting in another one! It's the flip side of the DVD and it's called 'Matri-Phony'.

"What are you trying to do, Mokuba? Kill me?" I rasp.

He laughs and hits 'play'.

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I watch him and Mokuba laughing and enjoying that brain rot and smile to myself. It's great to have Yami back. It's great to have Yami. I close my eyes and force myself to remember the truth about us:

Friends. That's all. Nothing more.

I say it to myself all the time, but I don't mean it. It's not what I want.

I want to smell that vanilla up close again, not faintly from across the room.

I want my arm around him for reasons other than helping me walk straight.

I want to feel his smooth abs for reasons other than tickling him.

I want to pick him up and carry him to my room, not to dump his head in a vat of soup.

I want him beneath me like when we were in my kitchen.

I want to hold him like I did on my bedroom floor.

I want…

I want…

I sigh to myself, resigned to the role I must play.

Friends. That's all. Nothing more.

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The next morning, when I come downstairs to find Mokuba making pancakes, I have to accept that the meal from the night before wasn't a dream.

Which is too bad really, because if that part wasn't a dream, then what happened later that night wasn't a dream either. I wanted it to be because then I could have just dismissed it and not had to think about it anymore.

I glance over to Seto sitting at the head of the table, lost in thought. I'm sure I know about what.

"Good morning, Yami," Mokuba smiles. Seto's head jerks up. I act like I didn't see it.

"Morning Mokuba. Seto," I nod to him, sliding into my spot from last night.

"Something wrong, Yami?" Mokuba frowns, perceptive individual that he is.

"Just tired," I yawn.

"I'm sure," he replies turning back to the stove. "You and Nii-sama were up pretty late last night. Who finally won that game anyway?"

"I did," Seto pipes up, obvious irritation in his voice. I hope Mokuba attributes it to lack of sleep and doesn't ask more about his brother's mood.

Breakfast is a very quiet affair, concluding with Seto sweeping out of the house when he's done and me escaping back to my room, hoping that Mokuba won't come to ask what's wrong.

His light knock about an hour later kills that fantasy.

"Okay, what happened?" he sighs, crossing his arms at me after I invite him in.

"It's no big deal, Mokuba," I reply, looking away.

"Right. That's why Nii-sama has disappeared and won't even answer his cell."

"You know how your brother gets when he's mad."

"I do, and this isn't it. What happened?"

"Just a stupid argument, Mokuba. It'll blow over."

"The last stupid argument you two had took five years to blow over! Now, what the hell happened?"

"Language, Mokuba," I reply before I think.

"Damn it, Yami! I'm not 12 anymore! Stop treating me like 'Seto Kaiba's cute little brother' and remember that Nii-sama isn't your only friend!"

"I can't tell you," I whisper after several minutes of silence.

"Why not?"

"It's…private, Mokuba. Something your brother and I need to work out for ourselves."

He's quiet for a moment.

"Fine. But if he's not home for dinner, you and I are going out to look for him. Okay?"

"Okay."

He sweeps out of my room in much the same manner that Seto swept from the house earlier. Within the hour, Seto has returned and is stepping into my room.

"We need to talk," he states evenly.

"Yes, I guess we do."

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I didn't plan to leave the house, but I just couldn't get my head on straight with Yami sitting right there in front of me. He didn't seem angry, but he obviously wasn't happy either.

I thought he wanted to do what we did last night. Not that we did much, but then he got all weird about it, harping on 'ruining our friendship for a few moments of pleasure'.

A few moments, I want more than 'a few moments'.

After watching Yami and Mokuba enjoying that movie for a few minutes more, I went into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. After I drank a cup, I took two in for Yami and Mokuba who were in the middle of their second round of brain rot.

"How about a game of 'Go' after this?" I'd suggested to Yami.

"Sure," he'd piped up and then turned back to the rot. I left him and Mokuba there and went back into the kitchen, finding an earlier abandoned novel to occupy my time until Yami came and got me. He explained that Mokuba had decided to head to bed and 'leave us competitive idiots to our own devices'. I laughed and we started the game.

We were standing in the middle of the floor arguing about the legality of my latest move in the third of a best-of-three game. It was almost three o'clock in the morning. Yami tried to walk away and I grabbed his wrist. He turned to me, crimson blazing, and I couldn't take it anymore. His eyes widened in surprise as I stepped into his personal space and then leaned in to him so I could smell the vanilla in his hair.

After burying my face in his hair for a few moments, I pressed him against my bedroom wall and began nuzzling into his neck, inhaling more of that intoxicating scent.

Then I kissed him, lightly at first. After a few more kisses, I bit his bottom lip and he opened up to my tongue. He'd begun to respond and then pushed me away, spouting something about 'taking advantage of our friendship'. We argued. He stormed out.

I look up from the view of my feet hitting the pavement to find that I've walked quite a way from the vacation house. I guess I should get back before Mokuba becomes apoplectic.

After greeting Mokuba in the kitchen as he pulls out leftovers for lunch, I head up to Yami's room.

"We need to talk."

"Yes, I guess we do, " he replies soberly.

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Whatever's going on is bigger than Yami let on. After Seto came back to the house, he went up to Yami's room. I could hear them arguing for a little over an hour. I heard Nii-sama's door slam and then nothing. Neither of them came down for dinner.

They spent the rest of the week a lot more formal with each other and trying to placate me with an endless supply of 'Nothing's wrong' every time I tried to get to the bottom of their suddenly standoffish behavior.

If nothing is wrong, then why did Nii-sama have a limo bring Yami back home while we rode our bikes? And why don't they hang out together anymore? Was it too much for Yami to spend the holidays with us? I hope it didn't upset Yami because we decided not to exchange gifts this year.

Last night I saw him boxing up his things to move into the apartment and he didn't look very happy. I knew he'd planned to move as soon as his job at the museum started, but that had been pushed back until February, so why was he packing now? Of course, all I got to my inquiry about it was the now overused 'Nothing's wrong'.

Yoshi called Nii-sama two weeks ago about coming back to the restaurant, but when Saturday rolled around, we didn't go.

And Nii-sama is over-working himself. He's gone by the time I get up at 6 am and doesn't get back until sometime after 9 pm. It's almost like it was before he and Yami became friends again.

I won't let them break apart. Whatever I have to do, I'll fix this.

"Mr. Kaiba!" Mr. Yakamura yells. Shit! Why do I always do my heavy thinking in his class? Maybe it's because he's so boring.

"Yes sir, I know. A week of detention," I mumble, not looking up from my desk.

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He'll be moving into his apartment next week. I told him before Christmas that I'd help. Now, I'm wondering if I should just send Mokuba.

Friends. That's all. Nothing more.

I can't do it. But I have to if I don't want to lose him again.

Shit!

Someone clears their throat, interrupting my thoughts.

I look up at my board of idiots, knowing that they've asked me something or told me something important and that I've completely missed it, judging by the expectant looks on their faces. These meetings are a waste. When's the last time I actually heard anything these fools had to say?

"What?" I growl.

"Um…Mr. Kaiba," Kiriko Satoshi sputters. I swear she's related to that ditz at Yoshi's.

Shit! He called two weeks ago and I forgot to go back! This crap with Yami is really messing up my schedule. Hn. A schedule I didn't even have until he came back into my life.

I narrow my eyes at Satoshi as she hasn't said another word.

"What?" I growl louder.

"We just needed to know if you were pleased with the number for this quarter, sir," she mumbles.

I look up at the chart projected on the screen. Hmm. Seems like we did rather well.

"They're fine," I snap, deciding between each word that I'm tired of being here. I stand and they follow suit.

"We're done until next Monday at 10 am," I grouse, turning to go back to my office.

"But sir," Satoshi interjects, "We have a lot more items on the agenda to cover."

I stop in my tracks. Are all my board members so dumb as to question my final decisions? Who's next? Ryo Hana? Saito Tanaka? Do I need to get rid of them all and just start over?

"Ms. Satoshi," I begin coolly, not turning around, "Would you like to assist Mr. Takahashi in Accounting?"

"N-No, sir," she stutters.

"Good. This meeting is over. I'll see you all next Monday."

I head back to my office to bury myself in something and try to rid my thoughts of Yami.