Disclaimer: Just own the words, not the folks.
.One Of Sixteen
.I can't help but stare at him.
Can't help but drink in the beauty of Atem in slumber. Lying on his back, toned chest exposed, a half smile to his soft lips, tri-colored hair splayed across the pillow...everything about him draws me further in.
So peacefully he sleeps in my bed, oblivious to the danger of being found here. I close my eyes and remember each touch and caress from earlier. Now that I know I love him and that he loves me, it's not just sex anymore. I wish he could stay here forever.
But that's not possible. My father would never allow it.
At the thought of him, I take another panicked look at my locked and barricaded bedroom door. I'd tried to go to sleep with Atem, but as soon as I started drifting off, a panic overtook me. I'll just stay up the night. It wouldn't be the first time. Besides, sitting here gives me time to try and figure out how I'm going to get Atem out of here in the morning.
And how I'm going to tell him he can't stay overnight anymore. He's been here the entire weekend and I've barely gotten a few hours of sleep. I'm too afraid. I can't stop thinking Gozaboro is right on the other side of that door waiting for us to emerge. I can handle anything he does to me, but I can't allow him to hurt Atem.
"Mmm, Seto," he mumbles sleepily, eyes fluttering open to see me leaning against the headboard. "Cold..." he murmurs reaching out to me.
"Shhh," I soothe, sliding back under the covers and wrapping him in my arms. I assume he wants to go back to sleep until he nips my neck and slides his thigh between my legs.
"I can't get enough of you, koi," he moans, biting harder into my neck. I open myself up to him, arching my neck and spreading my legs as I fumble blindly for the lubricant on the bed table.
Impatient with my results, he climbs over me and finds it himself.
Feeling his slick fingers inside me makes me forget all fears of being caught and of any punishments my father could bring, like always. When he makes love to me, my world compresses to the space we occupy on my bed and I never want to return to the reality of my life.
I am Gozaboro's clone. I create weapons of mass destruction and part of me enjoys that. I also wield the power to personally destroy people's lives and some part of me revels in that too.
But in his arms, I'm just Seto, just Atem's koi.
Feeling him fill me once again, I moan with desire. I love having him inside me. It's the best thing in the world to have him hitting that bundle of nerves and bringing me closer to the edge.
"Gods, Seto," he moans, his pace increasing as he shoulders my legs, driving deeper into me.
I let my head fall back, clutching at his arms and panting loudly as I feel my end coming near.
"Y-Yoshi," I gasp as one of his hands encircles my shaft and pulls. Once. Twice. And I come all over his hand. His head descends to bite my shoulder as he releases one of my legs and fills me with his seed.
It's a wonder we don't leave bruises from how tightly we always clutch each other after we make love.
"I love you, Yoshi," I whisper into sweat-dampened tresses before slipping into dreamland.
Harsh shoves accompanied by a loud banging wake me.
"Seto!" Atem whispers loudly. "Wake up! He's here! I've got to get out of your room. Seto!"
My eyes snap open and I look fearfully at my Yoshi. His eyes reflect my own panic though his scream defiance. 'Let him find us!' they yell to me.
I would, but I can't take the chance that he'll be hurt.
We scramble from my bed, stuffing the soiled sheets into my hamper and hiding Atem's things behind the thick drapes at my window. Atem's just hidden inside my ample closet and I've just thrown on a robe when the splintering door announces my father's arrival.
I can't imagine Atem's feelings as he listens to the brawl that ensues. Normally, I fight him just because I can. This time I'm fighting to keep my love a secret, though that fact doesn't help my cause much. It isn't long before I lose, falling to my knees and clutching my broken arm yet again. Using every once of willpower I posses I avoid looking toward my closet. Though now at my father's mercy, I fear more for Atem's safety than my own.
Surprisingly, the bastard doesn't press his advantage. Instead, he offers me a choice, of sorts, and a warning.
"You'd better not bring that filth back into this house, Seto," he commands, panting from his efforts to beat me. I don't have to hear the 'or else' to know it's there. "And I'd better not hear of you with him again!"
He storms out of my room and I stay where I am, clutching at my arm as my body goes into shock. I remember the feeling from the 'year of the rib'. I don't have much time before I pass out.
"Y-Yoshi," I whisper. He kneels in front of me, eyes wide with a mixture of rage and fear, tears glistening.
"S-Seto…"
"C-call an ambulance, Yoshi. N-now," I manage.
I can feel the blackness creeping around the edges of my vision as he runs to the phone on my dresser. The floor rushes to meet me a few moments later.
I awaken to a bright white light reflecting off of a white ceiling and a tube in my throat. Lifting my healthy arm to shield my eyes, I'm startled by a voice beside me.
"Back to the land of the living, huh?"
Valon. After graduation, he'd gone back to Singapore. Atem must have called him. I try to sit up so I can scan the room for my koi. Bad idea. Pain shoots through my torso. Leaving me twitching and gasping, or attempting to gasp around the tube.
"Easy, Seto!" Valon admonishes. "Just stay still. I'll get the doctor."
He moves out of my field of vision as I try to ride out the waves of pain. I close my eyes and when I open them, a doctor is standing over me, a worried looking Valon at his side.
"Good, you're awake!" the doctor chirps as though all is right with the world and I'm not laying here half dead in a hospital because my father found out about my boyfriend.
He proceeds to tell me about things being 'touch and go' for a few days because my three broken ribs had punctured a lung and lacerated my liver and that I'd have to have my ribs bound for a few weeks. No strenuous activity. No lifting. No stretching. Then he tells me about my being unconscious for the better part of a week and that he's given me something for my pain.
"Now that you're up, I'll remove the breathing tube," he begins. I will hurt your throat a bit, but it will be for the best."
Once the tube is out, painful process that it was, and I've drank some water to soothe my scratched throat, I ask Valon the question that's been haunting me.
"Atem?" I rasp.
Valon pauses before answering.
"I don't know, Seto. I haven't seen him since I got here. He called me from your cell to let me know what happened and what hospital the ambulance was taking you to, but that's it."
"Where...?"
"Where are you?"
I nod.
"Domino Memorial. The Kaiba wing."
"My father...?"
"I don't know about him either. I've been your only visitor as far as I can tell." A Pause. "He really did a number on you this time, Seto. What happened?"
"Atem."
"He found out about Atem? How?"
"My fault..."
The doctor must have given me a sedative with the medication, because I can feel myself slipping away.
"Your fault? Why would you say that! You know your dad's a psycho!"
I shake my head to disagree that my father's psychosis wasn't the driving factor in this beating, it was my own selfishness and stupidity.
"Sleepy..." I mumble.
"You probably need more rest. I'll see what I can find out about Atem."
I nod to him and close my eyes.
Four days later, I go home, Valon at my heels, Atem no where in sight. He hasn't answered his cell phone and his family is covering for him. No one can be 'busy' all the times Valon and I have called. He's scared. And I don't blame him for that. I just needed him near me in some form. Just to hear his voice...
"Seto," Valon calls, interrupting my musing, "we're here."
The new limo driver opens the door and Valon helps me out. As I gingerly make my way in the front door, I find that my driver isn't the only thing Gozaboro has replaced.
The new house staff stands lined up for inspecting in the front hall. All of those I knew from childhood who may have actually cared some about me and me about them have been replaced by these cheerless zombies. I bypass them all and head to my room, Valon supporting me all the way.
In my room I find even more changes.
"What the fuck...?" Valon expounds eloquently.
My heavy, blue drapes are gone, replaced by fluffy cream monstrosities that match the cream, gold and maroon comforter and pillow covers on my bed. At my feet is a new, maroon carpet. My walls are adorned with maroon accented by a cream border and gold trim.
All colors I despise, as my father well knows. I guess this is his way of reminding me whose house this really is, just in case I got too used to living here on my own.
Slowly heading into my closet, I see evidence that all of my things have been gone through, shoe boxes opened, pants pockets pulled out, trench coats hung haphazardly… I don't bother to look for the box in which I kept all of my memories of Atem and I together, knowing it's long gone by now.
I sigh to myself sadly as I lean against the closet's doorframe.
I should have known this would happen. When have I ever been happy for long?
"Seto..." I look up at Valon, and nearly break down. He has been the only positive constant in my life other than my mom. What will I do once he's gone as well?
"I-I'm tired, Valon," I lie, forcing down tears of loss. He fixes up my bed for me and helps me into it. Closing my eyes, I force myself to ignore the pain in my ribs and heart and go to sleep.