Title: The Road Home

Author: Pysche

Rating: PG (for brief mentions of sex)

Pairing: Yugi/Mokuba, mentions of Seto/Yami

Status: 1/1 Complete

Summary: The gang is all grown up and pairing off – all except for Yugi, that is. But when our favorite little spiky-haired short guy is commissioned into picking up Mokuba from the airport on one of his visits home from college, he realizes the younger Kaiba is all grown up too. And just a little flirty.

A/N: Written for the different pairings challenge for the Kokoro no Yami group. (The challenge was to write a pairing you'd never done before.)

It would have been easy, in the long run, to marry Anzu. Easy and reassuringly normal for Yugi Mutou to fall in love with the pretty and caring girl-next-door who had been one of his best friends for over ten years. After all, what was more predictable than that? But at the age of twenty-five, Yugi had yet to find anything normal in his life and certainly nothing predictable – unless one counted the fact that his hair would stand up at least a third of his height, short of anything but super-gluing it to his head or shaving it off entirely.

After all, by the time Yugi was seventeen his best friend was a reincarnated Egyptian pharaoh who shared his body and had lost count of how many times he saved the world. That didn't exactly fit into the girl/boy next door storyline.

So really, it shouldn't have come as a surprise that now Anzu was engaged to their mutual friend Honda, and our hero had yet to even feel attraction to, much less fall in love with, a single person in his life. All the people who had been betting for the spiky-haired young man to marry his childhood friend – which, to be honest, were only Yugi's grandfather and some friend of his from college who had never even met Yugi – had to admit defeat. Yugi's life just wasn't that simple.

He had the sneaking suspicion that he was gay.

Not that he had been attracted to men – he hadn't been attracted to anyone, and any attempts at self-love had merely been for pleasure purposes and hadn't conjured any romantic images – but after his lack of reaction to Anzu, Yugi had to wonder. Surely if he'd liked girls, he would have at least thought of her that way at least once during his lifetime… but he hadn't. It was rather disappointing.

Plus, Yami was gay.

Yami, the reincarnated pharaoh, the other half of his soul – though thankfully not sharing a body with Yugi anymore – had been with his former rival Seto Kaiba for almost five years. Though Yugi was definitely not attracted to Kaiba, when the two of them started dating Yugi had to wonder. If Yami was the other half of his soul, and he preferred men, what did that mean about Yugi? Was Yugi's half straight or bent?

How much alike were they, in the end?

"Kame Game shop, Yugi speaking."

"Hello, Aibou. Can you spare a moment?"

Yugi glanced around the empty store, rolling his violet eyes. "It's ten o'clock on a Thursday morning, Yami. Not exactly peak hours for a game store. What's up?"

The former spirit chuckled. "I had hoped that was the case. Aibou, I need you to do a favor for me. Can you get away from the store for an hour or so?"

"Well…" Yugi hesitated. "Jii-chan hasn't felt up to running it by himself, lately; in fact, he's taking a nap right now. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to close, just for an hour."

"Would you?" Yami asked, sounding relieved. "I would never ask if it weren't important."

"Yeah, I can do that," Yugi replied, already flipping the sign on the door to the 'Closed' position. "What do you need me to do?"

"You know Seto and my anniversary party is tomorrow night, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, Mokuba is coming home from college for the weekend, and someone needs to pick him up at the airport, but Seto's working and he doesn't let me drive his cars anymore, since I wrecked that Ferrari…"

"Why don't you just send the driver after him?"

"The limo driver took the day off because of some family emergency, and I can't just send a security guard to pick up Mokuba. He'd feel like no one missed him if none of his friends met him at the airport, and then he wouldn't come home as much and Seto would be so upset…"

Yugi rolled his eyes. "Alright, you made your point. I'll go get him."

"Wonderful! Thank you, Aibou. His flight arrives in thirty minutes; you can just take him back here and drop him off."

"Okay. Bye Yami."

"Goodbye." The other hung up, but Yugi stood there thoughtfully a moment, tapping the phone antenna against his chin. He hadn't seen Mokuba in… well, months at least, probably closer to a year. Ever since the younger Kaiba had gone off to college in America two years before he had understandably dropped out of Yugi's circle of friends, spending his time with his brother on the few occasions he flew home to Domino. It was still hard for Yugi to believe that Mokuba was an adult now; he couldn't help thinking of the other as the enthusiastic little eleven-year-old who worshipped his big brother unconditionally.

Yugi chuckled. It would be good to see him again.

Yugi leaned back against the trunk of his car, adjusting his clothes impatiently as he waited for the KaibaCorp jet to pull in to the airport. He hadn't had time to change out of his work clothes, and still wore the black pants and white button-up shirt, complete with nametag, that was his typical uniform at the game shop. The spiky-haired man felt a little strange greeting Mokuba dressed like this, but he supposed it wouldn't matter, since he doubted the other would be dressed up anyway.

Yugi shifted awkwardly. But still… he wanted to make a good impression…

He unfastened the nametag and stuck it in his pocket.

Sighing to himself, Yugi shut his eyes for a moment and relaxed against the trunk of his car, letting the cool breeze brush across his face. It was nice to get away from work for awhile; it seemed like work was all he did, lately. There just… wasn't opportunity for much else, now that all his friends were paired off – Yami and Kaiba, Honda and Anzu; strangely, even Bakura and Malik were a couple… though a bizarre, psychotic one. And Yugi couldn't just tag along with them all the time, though none of them minded on the rare occasions the violet-eyed male would play third wheel. It was just too strange, too awkward and uncomfortable for Yugi, and he never had fun at all unless he could pry one of his friends away from their partner long enough to spend time with him alone.

It made Yugi realize just how much he was missing.

"Yugi? Hey! Oh my god, how are you!" The sudden high-pitched shout made Yugi's eyes snap open in surprise, just in time to see a tall, slender, raven haired young man run full-speed across the parking lot and suddenly envelop him in a bone-crushing bear hug. "I didn't know you'd be here! Wow, it's so good to see you!"

The man squeezed him tighter and Yugi could have sworn he heard something snap. Hopefully it wasn't a rib. "Mokuba?" he squeaked.

"Yugi!" the other repeated cheerfully, releasing him from his death grip and placing his hands on Yugi's shoulders, carefully scrutinizing the shorter male's face. "You look good," he finally said, in a decisive sort of way.

"Um… so do you, Mokuba," Yugi replied. His face felt hot all of a sudden. But it was the truth, Yugi thought to himself. The younger Kaiba had definitely grown up, a lot – he was at least six inches taller than Yugi now – and his wild, bushy hair was tamed, though still long, and gathered into a high ponytail, only a few wisps escaping to fall around his face. Mokuba, always far more casually dressed than his brother, wore broken-in jeans and a gray baseball-style shirt with navy blue sleeves and the logo for some American company, 'Old Navy,' printed across the chest.

"It's good to be home," Mokuba commented, grinning. "Are you the only one here? Where are Nii-sama and Yami?" As he spoke, the raven-haired male motioned for one of the attendants to bring his bags to Yugi's car.

"I'm sorry, Mokuba. Kaiba had to work and he won't let Yami drive anymore."

"Ooooh," the other replied, nodding in understanding. "Don't blame him. Oh well, no matter. Two's company, as they say." He winked broadly.

Yugi's face suddenly felt hot again. "Right. Well… ah… Come on, if you've got all your luggage I'll take you home."

Mokuba nodded and tossed his bags into the trunk, whistling amiably. A few minutes later the two of them were on the highway, sitting in – at least for Yugi – an awkward silence. The violet-eyed male snuck a glance at the other, noticing the bright grey eyes and pleasant smile lighting up Mokuba's features as he stared out the window at familiar landmarks. A few shimmering raven strands escaped from Mokuba's ponytail as he turned to look at Yugi.

Yugi snapped his head back toward the road.

"It's really great to be back in Domino. College is fine, but there's nothing like coming home… being with the people you love," Mokuba said quietly, and for some reason Yugi's heart beat a little faster at the words. "I'll be finished with college in a year, did you know that? I took some extra classes and went during the summer so I could finish quicker. Then I'm moving back home; I'll work for KaibaCorp and go to graduate school here."

"I'm sure your brother will be thrilled to have you back."

Mokuba laughed. "Nah, he'll be disappointed that he and Yami won't be able to screw all over the house anymore."

"That's more than I wanted to know, Mokuba," Yugi groaned, making a face. "I'd rather not think about Yami and Kaiba's sex life."

The younger male just laughed again and settled back in his seat, closing his eyes. "They've been together a long time though, haven't they? Five years… It's hard to believe, though I'm glad Seto found someone who'd put up with him. I don't see how Yami does it; I couldn't handle someone as stubborn as my brother, that's for sure. Like, with my last boyfriend—"

Yugi suddenly ran over the curb, the car behind him honking as he swerved back into the road. "You're gay?"

Mokuba just blinked at him for a moment before laughing. "Is it that big of a surprise, Yugi? Runs in the family, I suppose. Though I'm actually bi. But… well, I do prefer men, so I don't know. I don't like labels." He shrugged.

Yugi laughed, a little shakily. "Oh. I'm sorry, it just… took me by surprise, I guess."

"No problem," the other replied as a smirk crept over his cheeks. "So, what's your story, then? You and Anzu a couple?"

Yugi reddened, shaking his head. "No… She's engaged to Honda now, actually."

"Really? That's a surprise. You got a girlfriend then?"

"No…"

"Boyfriend?"

"No!"

"Okay, okay, take it easy!" Mokuba laughed, lifting his hands in apology. "Meant no offense, I was just curious. You're a cute little thing, after all." He winked and Yugi's entire neck turned bright pink.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he squeaked, in a tone much higher-pitched than he would ever have admitted to.

"It means what it means," the other replied, his grey eyes scanning Yugi's body before returning to his pink face. "You look good."

"Um… thanks?" Yugi chanced a quick look at Mokuba's grinning face before turning his attention firmly back to the road. Mokuba had said that before, just a few minutes ago, in fact; but now it felt different. The first time it had been normal, merely friends greeting each other after a long absence, but now…

Was Mokuba flirting with him?

The younger male stretched, lifting his arms behind his head and letting one settle on the headrest behind Yugi. "So, Yugi, tell me about yourself. What's new with you these days? Obviously it's not your hairstyle." He tugged lightly on one of Yugi's dark spikes.

"Uh…"

"What's wrong? You seem a little tense." The hand drifted to the nape of Yugi's neck and began massaging. The shorter male stiffened under his fingers and Mokuba squeezed his neck lightly. "Hey, come on. Relax."

"C-could you not do that while I'm driving?" Yugi squeaked. Mokuba merely laughed and shifted his arm back to prop on the seat behind Yugi's head. For some unknown reason Yugi imagined he could still feel its warmth on the back of his neck.

They rode in silence for a while, Mokuba humming under his breath while Yugi's back muscles grew tighter and tighter in his effort not to move a single muscle from his position behind the wheel, not to care about the arm stretched lazily out behind him, and most of all not look at the raven-haired, good-looking, gay man sitting beside him. If he just didn't look, then maybe he wouldn't be tempted to…

Tempted to what? Flirt with Mokuba? Hug him? Kiss him? Ravish him and then move to Hawaii where they could spend their lives as a happily married homosexual couple?

Yugi sighed. This was ridiculous; Mokuba was his childhood friend, there was no reason to feel so uncomfortable around him. The other probably wasn't really flirting, anyway. They should be able to carry on a normal conversation, at least…

"I've been working at the game shop most days," Yugi ventured quietly. "Jii-chan's getting older, and he'll probably retire soon. I guess I'll take over when he does."

Mokuba nodded thoughtfully – as Yugi observed from the corner of his eye. "Keeping up with the family business. It's what most of us tend to do, in the end."

"Yeah… if you have a family business, that is," Yugi replied, laughing a little.

Mokuba joined him, but added, quickly sobering, "Don't let that responsibility limit you, though; I'm sure your grandfather would rather lose the shop – or sell it to someone – than have you be unhappy."

Yugi hesitated, biting his lip. "I… Yes, I know. But I've thought about it, and I really love the shop. It's where I grew up. Plus I love games, and it's so rewarding to see children come in for the first time and see their expressions…" He smiled. "Yeah. I'm happy there." They pulled into Kaiba's driveway and Yugi slowed to a stop, putting the car in park and turning to look at his friend.

"That's good to hear," Mokuba murmured, his arm sliding from the headrest to drape around the other's shoulders. "I want you to be happy, Yugi."

A hot, bubbly feeling rose from the pit of Yugi's stomach and spread its joint-numbing warmth throughout his entire body, concentrated in the points where Mokuba's casual arm wrapped around his shoulders. The violet-eyed male had the vague feeling that this was bad, but he ignored it and simply smiled wider.

"Thank you. I—" Yugi started to reply, but broke off at the intensely focused look in the other's eyes. "Mokuba?" he questioned.

"I want you to be happy," the other repeated, his storm-grey eyes continuing to scan Yugi's face.

"I… I want you to be happy too, Mokuba," Yugi responded confusedly. What was this? Was this some strange, awkward kind of flirting? Or maybe a really bad pickup line. Or, perhaps… a really good pickup line? It wasn't the typical 'you're so sexy you must be a horny angel sent to give me a good time' type of drivel that men spouted in order to seduce women – or other men, as the case may be. Mokuba was telling Yugi he cared about him. And Mokuba was a friend… so if Yugi was going to be attracted to someone, why shouldn't it be someone like him?

The dark eyes stopped searching and blinked slowly, a half-smile creeping onto Mokuba's face as he removed his arm from Yugi's shoulders. "Thanks. That means a lot to me," he said softly. "Well, thanks for the ride home." He unbuckled his seatbelt and moved to open the door but Yugi grabbed his arm.

"Wait! Mokuba, wait… I, uh… Um, that is…"

The other raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Yes?"

"Er… Umm…" Yugi mumbled stupidly. He wasn't sure what he was doing, or even what he wanted from Mokuba; all he knew was that he didn't want the other to leave yet, didn't want to end this fragile whatever-it-was that had been building between the two of them. But unfortunately, the spiky-haired male had nothing to say to keep Mokuba in the car.

He sighed. "Never mind."

The look of amusement grew on Mokuba's face, and he shot the other a saucy grin. "What?"

"No, really, it's nothing." Yugi reddened and turned away, gripping the steering wheel once more. "Well, I guess I should get back to work, I'll—"

"Yugi."

Mokuba cut him off and the violet-eyed teen turned his head curiously – only to be surprised by a pair of lips meeting his in a soft, quick brush, almost too slight a movement to even be considered a kiss.

But it was still enough to leave Yugi gaping after him in shock as Mokuba grinned at him and said, "You're coming to my brother's anniversary party tomorrow, right? I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then…" Yugi just stared, so Mokuba laughed and climbed out of the car, calling to one of the attendants at the gate to retrieve his luggage. The raven-haired boy paused at the door to the house, looking back over his shoulder at Yugi. He waved slightly and, numbly, Yugi lifted a hand in return, feeling a smile creep onto his face.

"See you tomorrow," he whispered.