Chapter 13

When the first rays of sunlight not blocked by partially-closed blinds fell directly on Yami's eyes and slowly nudged him awake, he became aware of three things at once, the first being that he felt uncomfortably sore from his waist to his thighs, the second that Atemu was sitting on his bed and staring at him, and the third that he really needed to pee. The third was by far the least important, though it bothered him more than the other two less common occurrences.

"Go away, Atemu, it's too early in the morning," he grumbled.

Atemu, however, merely continued to stare at him in a distracted sort of way, an indiscernible expression twisting his lips. "Yami, do you miss Costa Rica?"

"Huh?" Yami started to sit up at that, but fell back onto his back when sparks of pain shot from his backside. He quickly threw an arm over his eyes and yawned so that the other would think he was just tired and not ask embarrassing questions. "Um… yes, I miss it. It's home, you know? And Atlanta is beautiful but nothing compared to the places we used to live. But… If you're asking whether I miss our parents, then… not really. Atemu, you're my family. Pretty much my whole family. You know I love you, right?"

Atemu didn't answer for a moment, so Yami peeked out from under his arm to see his brother staring at his lap, a tiny smile stretching his lips. "Atemu?" he questioned.

The other blinked; then glanced in his direction once more. "Oh… Yes, I know that, Mocoso." He was still smiling.

Yami looked at his brother for a few seconds before understanding dawned and he grinned, sitting up on his elbows. "The date went well, didn't it?"

Atemu looked steadily away and mumbled, "Depends on what you mean by 'well.'"

Curiosity peaked, Yami sat up completely, sighing quietly in relief when he managed to do so with only slight discomfort. "You know… no fights, no awkward silences or anything like that. Did you get along?"

"I…" Atemu seemed to think it over. "I think we did. But… I may have ruined the mood or something… Yami, I told him about our parents."

"You did?" Yami's eyes widened. "But you never talk about them. You hate talking about our past, even with me."

"I know!" The older twin frowned and continued in a barely audible mutter, "I know. Something about that stupid Kaiba just makes me want to say stupid things."

Yami laughed and reached over to hug his brother, which seemed to startle Atemu though he quickly adjusted and responded with a weak smile and a pat on the arms wrapped around his shoulders. "I think he's good for you," Yami decided. "It's good that you can open up to him like that."

"He said something like that, too," Atemu mumbled; then, frowning a little, added, "I don't think he's attracted to me, though. Or – well, it seemed like he was, at first, but… not anymore…"

"Why would you think that?" Yami asked, raising an eyebrow. "He's constantly drooling over you – Seto told me that."

Atemu snorted at the mention of his brother's boyfriend. "I don't know; it was different before. Then we went out yesterday and… nothing. We just talked. Not even a goodbye kiss. I guess I could have kissed him but… I didn't want him to think I was… you know… a whore." He hung his head.

"Don't ever say that!" Yami snarled. "You're not that. You're not."

"Yami…"

"You're not, Atemu." He hugged his brother tighter. "I'm sure Seth likes you just fine. He probably wants to take things slow so you know he… I don't know… won't take advantage of you or anything."

"Yeah… Maybe." Atemu slid out of his brother's grasp and stood, stretching. "I'm hungry. Want to come to breakfast with me?"

"No thanks. Bring me something back?"

Atemu nodded and left, and Yami crawled out of bed and headed toward the bathroom to stretch until he could walk without limping.

Seth found himself up early as usual Sunday morning, once again sitting out on the balcony of his shared apartment, but this time he was thankfully alone. Seto for some strange reason was still asleep at 7:00am, but at the moment the older Kaiba wasn't going to complain. With nothing but a few lazy cars and birds, the morning – despite the chill – was perfect for thinking.

Closing his eyes, he leaned back in the chair and propped his sock-clad feet on the railing and smiled wistfully. Yesterday had been pleasant… a little shaky at first, but still pleasant. It hadn't been hard to pick up on the nervousness in Atemu's body or voice when he had first arrived. Now that he thought about it, he supposed Bakura had noticed as well and decided to help "break the ice," so to speak, with that little kiss. At least he hoped that was what it was. Bakura did have a peculiar soft look in his eyes when he noticed Atemu wringing his hands together like he didn't know what to do with himself.

Either way, it worked up until the Latino had his little 'explosion' at the festival. But Seth had let him say whatever it was he needed to say – or yell – since he had been curious about the other's life and could tell Atemu needed to vent even if just a little.

But… after that, everything was fine again. They didn't go back to the festival; instead, Seth took him on a small tour of the city, letting Atemu see sights he had only heard about from his classmates such as Georgia Dome, the botanical gardens, and so on.

Seth couldn't help but be intrigued by the innocent curiosity Atemu showed about everything… his constant questions and wide-eyed expressions upon seeing things that he himself had grown so accustomed to that he didn't even notice anymore.

It was adorable and Seth was just drawn deeper than he already was…

"Damn sun."

Seth rolled his eyes behind his lids. "Good morning to you too, little brother."

Seto chose to ignore the so-called greeting and pulled the other chair away from the small table and mimicked his twin's seating arrangement. "Out here basking in the afterglow of a good fuck?"

Seth snarled, his hand curling into a fist. But he wouldn't hit his brother just yet…

"What? Was that a no?" Seth could hear Seto's chair scraping against the concrete and he finally opened his eyes and turned his head, getting a good look at that god-awful smirk. "You mean you couldn't even get laid by the school slut?"

Seth was out of his chair in a flash, knocking it over with a clang, and had his hand curled around Seto's neck before the other knew it. "Do not," he growled as he squeezed his fingers just a little tighter, "ever speak of Atemu that way again, you hear me?" But Seto didn't reply, just smiled smugly despite the pressure he felt.

With a frustrated cry, Seth released his brother, looking him square in the eye. "Yami doesn't deserve you."

"Maybe," Seto replied as he got up from his chair and walked to the sliding glass door, "But I got what I deserved," he pulled it open and with one last smug look, he left Seth standing there as he went inside.

"Is there a reason why you're wearing all black?"

"We're sneaking around! What else was I supposed to wear? Bright neon pink?"

"Might as well," Bakura grumbled as they turned another corner and headed down the long hallway of their dorm. "I mean, first off, the lights are all on, making black noticeable. Second, most people wanting to sneak in around places don't wear shiny gold belly chains and hoodies with their stomachs showing. Third and most important there is no curfew here and it's swarming with students!"

Malik pouted as he fished another eight-by-ten photo out of his hand and handed it to Bakura. "What's wrong with looking good while on a mission?"

Rolling his eyes, Bakura took the photo and a tack from the little plastic container and stuck the picture to the wall beside the entrance to the staircase. "This isn't Ocean's Eleven or Mission Impossible or any other Hollywood production. This is simply us having some fun at the Kaibas' expense."

Stepping back, Bakura had to grin at the blown-up image of Seth clutching his balls after that nice innocent smack he received by Atemu's club. Personally, it was his favorite out of all the pictures Malik took that night.

"Wonder how their date went?"

"Who cares?"

"I do," Malik replied as they continued down the hall to the snack machine. Holding another image, this time one of when Bakura had thrown the ball at Seto, to the Plexiglas, he waited for the other to pull out some tape from his pocket. "They're my friends and Yami said Atemu was excited."

"Doesn't matter," Bakura mumbled as they left the machine and searched for another popular area to post the next picture. "They won't last long. Seth ain't Atemu's type and the only thing those Kaibas are good for is sex and money… and I still have my doubts on the first one."

"Well, Yami and Seto seem to be getting along fine." Malik handed the last picture to Bakura and stood back, watching the white-haired man post it on the doors to the main entrance. "So one of the Kaibas must be doing something right."

Snorting, Bakura stepped back, admiring his work and grinning smugly at the thoughts of everyone seeing these by the start of the school day. "Seth's a jerk, he can't do anything right."

There was a long pause that the sophomore didn't seem to notice before Malik spoke again. "I was talking about Seto, not Seth."

"Oh?" Turning around, he shrugged his shoulders. "Same difference." Pocketing the tape and tacks, Bakura walked over to Malik and threw his arm around the slightly smaller male's shoulders. "Let's go back to your place… it's cleaner than mine."

Lavender eyes looked over at him, his gaze unreadable. "Sure, I guess."

Bakura's arm slid down from its perch, his hand casually running down Malik's toned back till his fingers grasped a hold of the gold chain that was wrapped around his waist. With a smirk, Bakura leaned in and began placing kisses along Malik's tanned neck. "I think I might have a better use for this," he whispered, his heated breath sending cold chills down Malik's back, "than for decoration."

Malik didn't respond as they rounded the last corner and he quickly fished his keys from his black pants. When he pushed open the door Bakura slid around him, tugging teasingly on his belly-chain and planting another wet kiss on the underside of Malik's jaw before he let go and plopped onto the blond's futon, his arms resting along the back and his legs sprawled open onto the floor. "Got anything to drink? I'm parched."

Malik frowned a little but shut the door behind him and moved to the mini-fridge on top of his dresser. "All I have is caffeine-free Diet Dr. Pepper," he said, checking the contents.

"Yuck. Alright then, give it here."

Malik handed him the drink and sat down beside him, staring straight ahead and fiddling with his belly-chain, seemingly lost in thought. Bakura watched him out of the corner of his eye until that got boring and he elbowed the other in the side. "Ow! What was that for?" Malik whined.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

"Nothing." He was silent for a moment. Then, "Kura, is Atemu better looking than me?"

The sophomore rolled his eyes. "Bubbles, you rock my world."

"Oh, ok." Malik looked a little happier – but then he frowned. "Hey wait! You didn't answer my question!"

Bakura sighed and set his half-empty can of soda on the floor beside him before closing the distance between him and Malik and dragging the blond into his arms, depositing small kisses along the underside of the other's jaw in just the place he knew would make him shiver before he finally answered. "Malik, you are the most gorgeous, sexy being on the planet. If anyone was ever hotter than you it would defy the laws of nature and the universe would implode, or something horrible like that."

"Well you don't have to be sarcastic," Malik sulked – but tilted his head so Bakura would have better access to his throat.

"What? I was one hundred percent serious!" Bakura's hands found the hemline of Malik's shirt and tugged upward, until the fabric caught and bunched under the other's armpits.

"Uh huh." Malik raised his arms and let Bakura take off his shirt, though he whimpered and tangled his fingers in the other's long white hair when Bakura started chewing on his chest. "Ow! That kinda hurts…"

"Nah, it's fun." Bakura jerked at the belly-chain again and pulled Malik closer for better access to his chest.

"Maybe from that end," Malik returned, but he couldn't help chuckling, and the fingers that gripped Bakura's hair loosened to trail through the long strands. "Bakura?"

"Mmm."

"How many dates have we been on?"

"Dunno, Bubbles… One?" He swirled his tongue around the other's nipple, making Malik hiss.

"Could this count? As a date, I mean."

"Sure, baby." Bakura sat up enough to catch the other's lips in a drawn-out kiss that left them both panting; then, at a motion from Malik, sat back against the futon and let the blond crawl in his lap. Malik straddled him and kissed him once more before leaning back, his hands on Bakura's shoulders, and meeting the other's – slightly glazed over – eyes.

"What about the day you came over, before we went to Six Flags? Could that count? And the time we followed the twins on their double date… you kissed me then…"

"Uh… Sure, Bubbles. Why does it matter?"

"So, technically, this could be our fourth date? That's what you're saying then?"

"Um…" Bakura blinked in confusion at the determined expression in Malik's eyes, but shrugged and decided to go with it. "…Yes?"

"Good. Then I wouldn't be a total slut or moving too fast if I wanted to… do a little more, then?" As he spoke, Malik's fingers deftly undid Bakura's belt and the button of his jeans. "Would I?" he pressed, sliding down the zipper.

"Oh, hell yes!" Bakura moaned, dropping his head back and closing his eyes, only for them to snap open when Malik's hand stilled and he realized his mistake. "No! I mean no! Of course not! This is the absolute most perfect time, not too fast, not at all!"

"Good." Malik leaned forward and kissed Bakura a third time as his fingers dipped inside the other's pants and found what they were looking for. "I know this matters to you, Bakura," Malik breathed. "And," his fingers gave a particularly sharp twist and Bakura gasped, clutching at the blond's shoulders, "I want you to be happy with me."

"Malik! Aah!" The other's hand continued to move, while at the same time Malik kissed and sucked at Bakura's throat in a teasingly similar manner to what Bakura had done to him a few moments before, until after an embarrassingly short amount of time he came all over Malik's hand and his stupid black pants and belly chain.

"Ugh." Malik made a face and wiped the rest of the mess on his pants, but then shot Bakura a saucy grin. "Good?"

"Yeah."

"Happy?"

Bakura smiled. "Of course."

Dragon: Now, while I love all the praise I've been getting for this story… please do not forget that I am not the only one writing this. Pysche is my co-writer and we share this story fifty-fifty so make sure you send her some well-deserved praise too!