Chapter 5

Seto glared hard at the bed, mentally counting down the seconds till it would hit midnight. Sitting down in a chair several feet away from the sleeping child, he felt his muscles tense as the countdown continued. For a week now he has been avoiding Yami, barely staying around when Atemu was out and carefully avoided anything that might set the child off.

To date, the internet, all forms of character foods, magazines, and anything else that could cause some embarrassing moments for him - since Atemu still had no idea what he was doing - had been either thrown out, burned or locked up. Needless to say, the house was pretty empty by now.

Never before had Seto felt so confused, embarrassed, or even guilty this much. In his quest to avoid both Yami and Atemu, he had hired a nanny to stay with the child while he pretty much camped out at Kaiba Corp. just to insure that he wouldn't be caught in similar situations as he had been a week ago. And the few times he did come home well after midnight, he would find Yami standing inside the child's bedroom door, looking at him with an unreadable expression, only to close it once he caught sight of Seto walking down the hallway.

So not only was he feeling guilty over neglecting Atemu but also it seemed he was feeling the same way over Yami and that was what confused him. Why the hell was he caring what the older one thought or felt?

Sighing, Seto placed his elbows on his knees and rested his chin in the palms of his hands. Maybe he should just take the kid back to orphanage and let someone else deal with this. It would be so much easier if he didn't have to put up with the small version and the sexier one at night. But….. He looked over to Atemu, who was lying on his side, Crackers wrapped securely and lovingly in his arms, he didn't think he had the heart to do that. Even if this wasn't really a child he still couldn't be that cruel.

Could he?

"Finally stopped avoiding us huh?"

Blinking, Seto sat up and looked into the narrowed eyes of Yami, who was lying on his side, head propped up by his hand. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the change that had taken place. Casually, he let his eyes roam over the now adult body, thankful that he had one of Seto's old t-shirts on and that the rest of him was covered up by sheets.

"I came to tell you that I have decided to help you look for a way to break this curse."

This time it was Yami's turn to blink, dumbfounded at the other. "You want to help me? Why?"

Seto shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the fact that he was about to admit he was feeling guilty over something. "Because, I realize that I have been avoiding you both and in doing that I think I've hurt you. So this will be my way of making it up to you."

"Don't make it up to me. Make it up to Atemu."

Seto furrowed his eyebrows. "But you two are the same."

"Yes, but he thinks like a child and right now he's thinking you don't want him anymore. You made a promise to him when you brought him here and now his mind is filled with self-doubt that once again he's messed things up."

This was one of the few times that Seto had ever felt shame before. How could he have hurt a child? Didn't he always do everything in his power to keep Mokuba happy? So what makes this any different? Yami was right - Atemu was a child, who even despite his intelligence, was still had the heart and emotions of a five year old.

He looked straight into impassive crimson eyes. "How do I make it up to him?"

Yami smiled and Seto found himself captivated by it. "Spend time with him, fire that damn nanny. Do you know how annoying it is to have your cheeks pinched every five minutes? Take him to the park; buy him a pet to keep him occupied when you can't be around him. But most important, apologize to him."

"Are you sure that will work?"

With another smile, Yami sat up, sheets pooling at his waist as he held out one hand towards Seto and patted the space beside him on the bed with the other. Taking the golden hand into his own, Seto paused for a moment to notice the soft warmth before he stood up only to sit back down on the bed beside the other.

"It will work. Trust me, he only wants someone to love him for who he is, even if he does have my unusual quirks."

"Alright," Seto closed his eyes for a second, quickly formulating a plan for Atemu's forgiveness before he opened them up to look back at Yami who was sitting there patiently, waiting for him to figure out his mind.

"What about you?"

Yami looked genuinely startled by his question. "What do you mean 'what about me'?"

"Exactly what I said, what do I have to do to earn your forgiveness?"

A deep, baritone chuckle filled the silent room. "Kiss me?"

Eyes wide, Seto leaned back some, away from the other. "Excuse me?"

"You asked for a way to gain my forgiveness and I gave you one. Kiss me."

"A kiss?" he asked again, perplexed that something like that had been requested. "Why? You could have anything you wanted and yet all you ask for is….that?"

"I don't want anything else."

Seto was shocked by the truthfulness in those exotic, alluring eyes. He hadn't though much about kissing Yami even if he did admit that he was gorgeous. Ok, so maybe it wouldn't be that bad to give him a peck on the lips…and it was the cheaper way out.

Nodding his head, Yami gave him a small smile and raised himself up on his knees to make up for the difference in their heights. Seto tried not to be disappointed when he noticed that the sheets slid away only to reveal a pair of intact red shorts.

Realizing he was going to have to make the first move, Seto twisted at his waist, and without a second thought, pressed their lips together, intent on making it as short and painless as possible.

Too bad Yami had other intentions.

Small, golden hands wound their way to the back of his neck and into his hair, curling it into his fingers and holding him firmly in place. Shock and something akin to excitement coursed through him as Yami's teeth gently nipped at his bottom lip, granting him the wanted when Seto's mouth seemed to have a will of its own.

The feeling of being dominated snapped Seto back to reality and with a growl, he forced Yami back onto the bed, lips never breaking contact as he covered the smaller body with his own.

Finally, they broke part, sapphire eyes sliding open – although he wasn't sure exactly when they had closed – to find Yami laying underneath him, perfectly still, eyes still closed with the a thoughtful look on his face.

What the hell could he be thinking about at a time like this?

"Yami?"

Crimson eyes slowly slid open as he tilted his head to the side. The fingers that were once in the back of his hair were now gently brushing chestnut locks out of Seto's eyes. "I can't figure it out."

"Figure what out?"

"What you taste like."

Seto quirked an eyebrow. He knew he was a good kisser, he had been told that countless times, but was he so good that he made Yami lose his mind? Well, he was amazing…… "Care to explain that?"

"Well, this past week I've been reading a lot. Nothing much to do around here when your 'father' is purposely ignoring you." Well the guilt was back. "Anyways, all of the books I read seemed to think that when you kissed someone that you could taste them. According to the authors, you should taste like spice, or a desert's breeze, or like strawberries."

"So what do I taste like?" He couldn't help but wonder. If he tasted something like chocolate or fine wine then that would explain one of the reasons why he had always been labeled a good kisser….

"You taste like….well spit."

Seto stared at him incredulously for all of thirty seconds before the corners of his mouth started to twitch until it broke into a grin followed by laughter as Seto buried his face in Yami's neck. "You need help," he mumbled against the soft, golden flesh.

"Probably, but what I need most is for you to stay with me tonight."

"What about Atemu?"

He heard Yami sigh as he shifted a little, trying to get more comfortable with his weight on top of him. "He'll only think his father decided to get his head out of his ass and see him."

Nodding his head, Seto pried himself off of Yami, got off the bed and stripped down to pants before crawling back in next to the other male, who immediately snuggled up against him, and drifted off to sleep.

Bright, white harsh light pulled Seto out of his surprisingly pleasant dreams. It had been long time he had slept so soundly, and judging for the brightness of the sun, he had slept later than he usually did. But yet there was something not quite right….the bed seemed too soft, the covers almost too small, and the angle of the window all wrong.

Blinking back several wonderful hours of sleep, Seto gazed around in a hazy daze only to land on the face of his son staring back at him with a mix of anger and confusion. Atemu was sitting beside him, Indian style, with Crackers seated firmly in his lap.

"What time is it?" Seto asked as he too sat up and scooted back towards the headboard so he could lean on it.

"Oh, so the great CEO speaks to me now?" Atemu sneered, doing a wonderful impression of the CEO himself. "What made you change your mind? Afraid Child Services will come and arrest you for neglecting me? Don't worry, I'm not a tattle tale."

Well, there was that guilt thing again, he thought as Atemu swung his legs around and jumped off the bed, heading towards the door with Crackers still in his hands.

"Atemu, wait."

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba?" Atemu did stop but didn't look over his shoulder as he had spoken, causing Seto to flinch.

"I'm sorry…for avoiding you." Little shoulders tensed up causing his back to straighten. "I didn't mean to make you upset, it wasn't my intentions….all I wanted was some space to clear my mind and think about a few things."

"You regret getting me?" the child's voice was nothing more than a whisper but the words were loud and clear. Shaking his head, even though his son couldn't see it, Seto got off the bed and walked over to Atemu, and kneeled down in front of him. Taking Atemu's chin gently in his fingers, Seto forced their gazes to meet.

"No," he said with as much conviction in his voice as he could muster without sounding harsh. "My only regret is the way I acted last week towards you."

Round crimson eyes studied him intently while tiny fingers stroked the orange stuffed animal in his hands. Seto could still see the lingering doubt within Atemu and decided to go with another one of Yami's plans.

"Tell you what, how about I fire that nanny and hire a part time younger sitter to save your cheeks and to watch over you the few days you can't go to KC with me. And why don't I buy you a pet of your choice to help keep you company when I can't be around?"

"So, you're going to keep me even though I messed things up?"

Seto gave Atemu a grim smile, "You didn't mess up. I did. It seems to be a bad habit of mine when it comes to people's feelings. And yes, you are going to stay right here with me." At least till the curse has been reversed, he thought to himself.

"Yes, you are dipwad, a stubborn ass old fart of a dipwad."

Seto narrowed his eyes but couldn't hold back the smile that formed as Atemu's infamous smirk graced his chubby face. "And you're a midget."

"At least that only reflects on my height and not my brain like my insults do yours."

With an amused snort, Seto stared at Atemu, both of them smiling outright now when suddenly the small child flung himself into Seto's arms, squishing Crackers between their bodies. Seto sighed; glad everything had worked out this morning as well as last night if that kiss was any indication on how well things were turning out.

Still, he was slightly confused by all of this for he knew deep down - really deep down - that he was falling for them. Atemu's sweet innocence and wit, Yami's looks and insightfulness….what would they be like when they were whole again. Would the 'child' completely disappear or would they meld together in an interesting combination?

Only time would tell he guessed.

"So….you said something about a pet?"

Pulling back and dropping his arms to his side, Seto looked at Atemu with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, I believe something was mentioned about that."

"Can I have a donkey then and name it Seto?"

Sapphire eyes narrowed, "Reason being?"

"Cause it's an ass and you're an ass?"

Seto growled low in his throat as he lunged for the giggling child, getting a squeal of delight out of Atemu when he was ungracefully tackled to the floor and tickled to death.