Mumbleshipping (Seto x Otogi x Ryo)

(post-series)


One of the problems of being sort-of friends with Seto Kaiba was that the paparazzi could become extremely overwhelming. Of course, Yugi had it the worst, but after something had happened involving a giant dragon and something about cursed games, the media tended to avoid the Kame Game Shop like the plague.

Ryo wished he could find a similar solution, as now reporters and journalists were turning their eyes towards the other Battle City finalists.

"Ryo-kun. Hey. Your move."

Ryo blinked, looking away from the city streets through the great glass doors of Otogi's game shop.

"Right, sorry," he said, turning back to Otogi, who stood at the other side of the counter, leaning with his elbows against it.

A Dungeon Dice Monsters board lay out in between them. Ryo studied the board, not liking his position – his knight monster was caged in on that side, and it didn't look like he had any new combat dice. With a sigh, he reached to draw a new die and looked at his options again.

The chimes rang at the front of the store. Otogi glanced up with his usual "greeting-a-customer-smile," which always looked very strange to Ryo. It was so different from his normal smirk, which more often than not looked like he was flirting with someone – sometimes even Ryo, which sort of unnerved Ryo.

"Good morning, welcome to – oh, hey, Kaiba-san. What brings you here?"

Ryo turned around, looking over his shoulder. Seto Kaiba appeared to be doing the same, looking back towards the street.

"Let me guess," Ryo said. "The media's at it again."

"Because of the opening of Duel Academia, right?" Otogi said.

Seto practically growled under his breath.

"Yes, and yes," he said. "These damn journalists. I can't take a step without one of them trying to pull a quote out of me."

"Give 'em the slip?" Otogi asked, grinning. "Nice. You can hide out here, if you want."

"Not for long; they'll probably guess eventually," Ryo said.

Seto glowered at him.

"I figured that out already, thanks," he said. "They all think I'm still in my limo. Roland will tell me when they're moving again."

Otogi mock-frowned.

"Oh, so you mean I won't get a flock of journalists at my door?"

"I'm not giving you free media exposure," Seto said.

He stalked up to the counter, as though irritated about talking across a distance. He gave the Dungeon Dice Monsters board a passing glance.

"You're losing," he said to Ryo.

"I figured that out already, thanks," Ryo muttered under his breath, imitating Seto's irritable tone when he had used the sentence about two minutes ago.

Otogi sniggered. Seto glared at them.

"I don't speak 'mumble'," he said.

That just made Otogi snicker again. Ryo shook his head, smiling in spite of himself.

"Anything I can do to not lose?" he asked.

"No," Seto said.

"Aw, come on, self-proclaimed game master," Otogi said. "Show off your skills by winning with Ryo's crappy set up."

"Oh, thanks," Ryo said, rolling his eyes.

Seto ignored them.

Ryo made his next move, and Otogi started to look down at his options.

The doors chimed again. Otogi's head snapped up with that cheesy smile.

"Hello, welcome –"

Seto had practically vanished from them, like a ninja. Ryo was shocked to see that the young CEO was gone from his previous location – instead, he had ducked into an aisle, out of sight of the journalist that was strolling through the front doors.

"Good morning!" the young woman said. She was pretty, but artificially so, her long, highlighted blonde hair perfectly styled, her face sculpted with makeup, a bright, fake smile on her face. "I thought I just saw Seto Kaiba around; was I mistaken?"

Otogi was obviously trying really, really hard not to grin. It came out as a sort of smirking grimace that made Ryo wish he didn't know him.

"Seto Kaiba? Don't think so."

Ryo leaned forward over the DDM game, hoping his hair would shield him. But he should have known that it was his hair that was the dead giveaway.

"My goodness, you wouldn't happen to be Ryo Bakura, would you?"

Ryo smothered his groan. Then he looked up and gave the woman a tight smile.

"Yes, that would be me."

"Wonderful!" the woman said, clapping her hands. She whipped a notepad and pencil from her breast pocket, blue eyes gleaming. From this close up, Ryo thought her lips looked much too big. "I'm Rita Sukita from the Domino Post; I'm doing a piece on where the former Battle City stars are now. Would you have a few moments?"

"No," Ryo said.

"Oh, come now, you don't want to disappoint an adoring public, do you? People want to know what you're up to!"

"You can interview me," Otogi said, grinning.

Sukita didn't even glance at him. Otogi shrugged apologetically at Ryo, as though to say 'I tried.' But while she didn't quite look at Otogi, Seto must have made a move, or some kind noise, because her eyes flickered towards him, and did a double take. Then her eyes lit up with almost a predatory gleam, and she practically fell on him like a hungry wolf.

"My goodness, Mr. Kaiba, I didn't see you there! I was thinking my eyes had deceived me, catching a glimpse of you in here."

Seto looked like he was deeply considering throwing a package of Monster World pieces at her, if Ryo was interpreting his sidelong glance towards the shelf correctly.

"How fortunate to have stumbled across you!"

"How unfortunate," Seto muttered under his breath.

Otogi hid his grin with his hand.

"I was just talking to Mr. Bakura over here about Battle City," Sukita said. "But I feel like you'll have a better story for me. What do you have to say about the opening of Duel Academia? Why did you decide to work with Industrial Illusions on this ground-breaking project in the dueling world?"

Seto edged backward slightly. Sukita seemed to be edging forward, coming, in Ryo's opinion, much closer than was socially acceptable. He was starting to feel a bit uneasy – a shared glanced with Otogi revealed that the young game shop owner was also starting to dislike the journalist's presence. His brow was furrowed deeply over his deep emerald eyes.

"I don't have anything to say," Seto said, very clearly. "Anything important was spoken at the first press meeting when the project was announced. Anything else noteworthy will be stated officially by Kaiba Corporation at a later date."

"Can't you give us just one, tiny tidbit? Something to tide the mobs over, so to speak."

Yes, she was definitely getting too close to Seto. And her free hand appeared to be wandering a little too low...

Otogi moved first, but Ryo was right behind him. Otogi practically slammed his hand onto the shelf in front of Sukita's face.

"Excuse me," he said, his long hair draping between his cold eyes. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Sukita blinked.

"I'm sorry?"

Seto muttered something at Otogi, but Otogi appeared to ignore him.

"You are disturbing customers. Please leave."

Now the journalist's eyes narrowed.

"I am doing no such –"

But the Ryo was standing next to her. And he thought he had finally figured out a Yugi-worthy plan to scare the paparazzi off for good. Sukita made the mistake at looking right at Ryo's eyes. Ryo was quite surprised how easily he dropped his voice an octave, edged it with steel and poison, adding a darkness to his aura that would have rivaled the other one.

"He said to leave," he said. "I think you should listen."

Sukita could not have fled fast enough. As the chime of the door faded away, Ryo stepped back. And found the other two boys staring at him.

"What?" he said.

"Bakura," Otogi said, awed. "You sounded evil. Or possessed, or something. That was – wicked awesome."

Ryo shrugged.

"The other me could always imitate me," he said. "I figured I could learn to imitate him...now that he's gone."

He looked at Seto, planning to ask if the CEO was okay, but Seto's glare stopped him from speaking.

"I didn't ask for your help," Seto said.

"I can't have people sexually harassing people in my store," Otogi said, raising an eyebrow. "And you, for some reason, didn't seem like you were going to be the one to tell her off."

Seto's muscles tightened, he seemed like he was about to speak, and then he shook his head and glared at the ceiling.

"It's almost like you were scared of her," Otogi said, grinning.

A pause.

"Shit, I was kidding," Otogi said, noticing Seto's face. "You were scared of her?"

"Dammit, she's been stalking me for the past month, and it hasn't been for her damn newspaper," Seto said. "Just – dammit."

He muttered something that neither of the other boys could hear. Then with a shake of his head, he stormed towards the doors.

"Looks like he can speak 'mumble'," Ryo said, watching the CEO disappear into the darkening streets of Domino.


SETO KAIBA INVOLVED IN SECRET GAY LOVE TRIANGLE?

Ryo's cereal dropped out of his mouth. He stared at the small article in the newspaper for another moment. For a second, he wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry, or go and hide under a bed for the rest of his life.

In the end, he just starting laughing.


A/N: If you can tell me where Rita Sukita's name was derived from, you get all of the win (hint: it's based off of another extremely "buggy" fictional journalist.) Anyway, I think the reason that Seto was unnerved by her was because she was extremely sexually forward, and I have this headcanon that Seto is actually afraid of things like sex because he was sexually abused by Gozaburo. Yeah, kinda dark, sorry. :( Next is Muddleshipping (Honda x Seto x Otogi x Ryo x Shizuka). That's a lot of people. O.o