Chapter Eight:
Yugi glanced up as Seto leaned over him and put a bottle of expensive champagne on the table in front of him. It was fairly late, almost seven-thirty, but Yugi hadn't gotten home from orientation at the community college until seven. He'd signed up and paid to take some elective classes for fun almost two months ago and had almost forgotten about it in the face of what had happened until a voicemail on his phone had reminded him. So, Yugi was just finishing a dinner alone in the dining room, just about done when Seto had walked into the room and set the bottle down beside his plate. As he looked up, Seto pressed a kiss to his forehead.
"Oh, Seto, hi! I'm sorry, if I'd known you'd be home-"
"Don't worry about it," Seto said. His eyes swept the small collection of plates in front of Yugi and he smiled. "You're eating better."
Yugi nodded. In the last few days, he hadn't felt any nausea at all. As Anna had predicted, at just over fourteen weeks, he was getting past the morning sickness.
Yugi indicated the bottle of champagne as he set his chopsticks down on his plate. "What's that for?"
Seto took his hand and pulled him up out of his chair. "For us. Come on, come with me."
Seto picked up the bottle with his other hand, pulling a bemused Yugi out of the dining room and toward the stairs. Up in the bedroom, the air was fragrant with the scent of hot fudge. On the table beside the bed was a small covered plate, a bucket of ice, and a pair of champagne glasses. There were candles on the headboard, on the nightstand, and on the dresser, already lit. As Yugi blinked in surprise, Seto turned off the lights, leaving the room flickering with firelight.
"Seto, what-"
Seto offered no explanation, just reaching out and wrapping his arm around Yugi's waist, pulling him up against him and bending his head to kiss him. Yugi melted into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Seto's neck and returning the kiss. He parted his lips and Seto darted his tongue into his mouth, making him moan.
The kiss went on for a while, but when Seto finally drew back, it seemed all too soon. As Seto straightened up and Yugi settled back onto his heels, he looked up at him with a smile. Seto smiled back a little and released him, walking over to the bedside table and setting the champagne bottle down. He took ice from the bucket put a few cubes into each of the glasses, then poured in champagne before digging the bottle into the rest of the ice.
Yugi walked over, taking the proffered glass Seto held out to him. He studied the golden, bubbling liquid for a long moment. He knew he shouldn't drink while he was pregnant, though he had heard a little was ok. And did it really matter?
Yugi grinned as Seto lightly clinked his own filled glass against his and they both took a sip. Yugi sat down on the edge of the bed and Seto sat down next to him, setting his glass down and picking up the small covered plate from which was emanating the delicious smell of hot fudge. Sure enough, when Seto lifted the lid, on the plate was a small chocolate volcano cake, still warm. He picked up the small cake fork on the plate and cut off a corner of the cake, then held it out to Yugi. Surprised, Yugi opened his mouth and let him feed it to him. The cake was ridiculously rich and utterly delicious. Yugi swallowed and licked his lips.
"That's great."
Seto smirked and took another piece of the cake for himself, then set the fork on the plate and picked up his glass for another sip of champagne. Yugi grinned and took the fork and cut off another piece of the cake, popping it into his mouth. Seto set his glass and the plate on the side table and turned back to Yugi, wrapping his arms around his waist and bending his head to start kissing his neck. Yugi gasped, letting the fork drop to the floor and spilling his champagne a little, which neither of them paid attention to. Seto raised his head and claimed Yugi's mouth in a deep, thorough kiss. Yugi wound his arms around Seto's neck and kissed him back, managing to keep the champagne glass more or less straight even though they were tilting backward slowly, unhurriedly, Seto's hands tugging Yugi's shirt out of his pants. The feel of his warm hands on his skin made Yugi shiver and remove his arms from Seto's neck, laying back and managing to keep the champagne glass upright. Seto took it away and set it on the side table before coming back to lay over Yugi and take his mouth in another kiss.
Slowly Yugi's shirt came off and he trembled at the feeling of Seto's lips wandering along his bare chest. He reached down, stroking his fingers through Seto's hair as he brushed his nipples with feather soft kisses. Seto's hands encountered his pants and he sat up to work the fastenings loose and slide them off, leaving his boxers on. Yugi pushed up onto his hands and kissed him as he turned back to him. Seto cupped his cheek and kissed him back, his other hand dropping to Yugi's thigh and sliding slowly upward. Their tongues twined together, Yugi growing impatient and reaching down to force Seto's hand between his legs. He felt Seto smile against his lips, his hand cupping him and rubbing. Yugi moaned, arching up, pulling him more tightly against him.
Seto broke the kiss and guided Yugi to turn around and lay down properly on the bed with his head on the pillow. Yugi reached over to the side table, dipping his fingers into the chocolate pooling around what was left of the cake, then rested them against Seto's lips. He watched with heavily-lidded eyes as Seto opened his mouth and drew his fingers inside, slowly sucking off the chocolate sauce. The sight sent arousal racing through his nerves and he brought both hands to Seto's chest, working the buttons of his shirt loose, untying the tie, pushing the material off his shoulders. Seto lay beside him after removing the shirt, cupping his face and kissing him again. As they made out, his hand trailed down Yugi's chest to his stomach.
Yugi gasped, breaking the kiss. Seto blinked in confusion, looking down at him, his hand still resting against his belly.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Yugi searched the darkened blue eyes, realizing that Seto noticed nothing different. "No-Nothing," he said hesitantly.
Seto frowned, hand rubbing his stomach gently. "Are you sick?"
Yugi shook his head, relieved that, to Seto, there was no change to his body. "No, not at all." He reached up and threaded his fingers through Seto's hair, drawing his face to his.
Seto seemed reluctant, but as Yugi worked his mouth open and delved his tongue inside, he became enthusiastic again, hand continuing down, pushing down Yugi's boxers until it could wrap around his erection and stroke. Yugi groaned, nipping Seto's bottom lip, then broke the kiss to kiss and mark his neck.
At last, Seto stopped his teasing and drew out of Yugi's arms, sitting up on his haunches and reaching to take Yugi's boxers off. He removed his own pants and underwear shortly afterwards, before reaching to the night stand and rummaging in the drawer for the lube. As he opened it and poured some onto his fingers, Yugi shifted comfortably and spread his legs, before taking Seto's free hand in his. As the first finger slid inside, he drew the other up to his mouth, closing his eyes and softly kissing each finger pad, licking and suckling at each of Seto's fingers.
"You make it difficult to concentrate when you do that," Seto said as he pressed in the second finger.
"Mmm!" Yugi grunted, arching up as they curled and pressed his sweet spot. "Unh… yet somehow you manage," he retorted.
The third finger was added and Yugi groaned as they stretched him, nudging his sweet spot so wonderfully he quaked. He was kissing Seto's palm now, but Seto jerked his hand back and replaced it with his mouth, kissing Yugi so hard his lips were sure to bruise. The other fingers were removed and Seto's weight descended on him, crushing him delightfully into the mattress as Seto relaxed on him for another moment of making out. Yugi hooked his legs around Seto's waist, fingers playing along his back and arms, the heel of one foot idly rubbing at the back of his thigh.
Seto shifted at length and broke the kiss, rising up to move into position. Yugi gripped his upper arms and groaned as he began to fill him, turning his cheek against the pillow and squeezing his eyes shut. He felt Seto's hot breath against his ear as he paused to allow him to adjust. Yugi squeezed with his legs to urge him on and the rhythm began, slow and unhurried as if they had all night, and they did.
Yugi turned his face back to Seto's, watching his dark eyes look back at him as they rocked together, each thrust sending a tingle of pleasure along Yugi's spine. They kissed lazily again, then Seto sped up his movements, making Yugi dig his fingers into his arms. He cried out, pressing his head back against the pillow, then reached down and began stroking himself, shuddering as the pressure built.
"Oh, gods," Yugi muttered. "Seto!"
He heard Seto growl in answer in his ear, the two of them moving together towards the end. He ran a hand down Seto's back, feeling the muscles bunching beneath the sweat-slicked skin, then clung onto him as the pleasure began to overwhelm him. He rubbed himself desperately, each powerful thrust of Seto's hips pushing him closer and closer to the edge.
The end snapped over him and he screamed, coming over his stomach as Seto joined him a second later. They collapsed, Seto squashing him, the both of them gasping for breath. At last, Seto shifted around and slid off of him, laying down on his side beside him. Yugi made a half-hearted attempt at cleaning them off with part of the sheet, then gave up.
A few minutes later, they were still tangled together, but propped up on the multiple pillows, sipping champagne and polishing off the rest of the cake. Seto even let Yugi feed him.
As they cuddled together and chatted idly, Yugi didn't ask what had brought on the sudden romantic evening. There didn't need to be a reason, and there probably wasn't one. He was just content to snuggle with Seto before they fell asleep and enjoy himself.
But no matter how much he was pleasantly distracted by Seto, in the back of his mind he knew his two weeks was almost up. Anna had called his cell phone three times, and he had not taken any of the calls. He was still sorting through his thoughts, but he didn't have much longer, and he would have to make a decision he'd have to live with for the rest of his life.
…
Yugi pushed open the door to the mansion, hanging his key ring on one of the hooks inside the underground garage, and closed the door. He walked down the short hallway connecting it to the front entrance foyer, pulled open the door, and nearly tripped over a small fleet of overnight bags and other luggage sitting at the ready by the doorway.
"Sorry, Master Moto," a maid said, belatedly hurrying over to move the bags away from the door.
"Is that the last of them?" Seto asked, coming down the stairs.
"Yes, sir."
"What's going on, Seto?"
"I'll be leaving here in about ten minutes for the airport." Seto glanced at the grandfather clock against the far wall and frowned. "Hopefully, the traffic won't be too bad, or the jet will be late taking off."
He glared at the maid who was still rearranging the suitcases, checking what was there. She was new and more than a bit spacey. Seto didn't like her and Yugi was pretty sure she'd be looking for a new job soon.
"You forgot, didn't you?" Seto said, seeing the look of bewilderment on Yugi's face. "I'm heading for Chicago today."
Yugi looked up at him in dismay. He *had* forgotten all about it. Seto was heading for Chicago to attend a huge meeting of the owners of Kaiba Corp, Industrial Illusions, Gamers' Vision, R & D Corp, and Takera Productions, all of whom had interest with Duel Monsters, virtual technology, and a new game Maximillion Pegasus was supposed to unveil. After that, Seto was to head to London, then Paris, and then finally Munich on a business tour to promote his two new virtual reality games Kaiba Corp had produced in western Europe gaming markets. He had deliberately scheduled it all together, to get ready for the Christmas season coming up in a few months. It was a string of meetings and conventions expected to take three weeks to a month to finish, depending on travel, negotiations, and whether two major companies in Canada and Australia would be added to the itinerary for further North American and Australian releases.
And Yugi had forgotten all about it. Seto would be leaving in a few minutes and Yugi wouldn't be seeing him for a month. Yugi had a webcam on the computer Seto had gotten for him the previous year, and Seto had one on his laptop, plus there were cell phones, but they would still be apart. There *had* been a reason for last night's romance, the fact that they wouldn't be together for so long.
"You could still come," Seto said, eyes on Yugi's face. "It wouldn't put us behind that much for you to pack what you have here, and I can buy you more once we're in Chicago."
Yugi smiled affectionately. They had talked it over before, of course, Yugi remembered it all now. Yugi could leave the game shop to Grandpa for a month, with Yami around to help the aging man, but Seto would be in meetings and the conventions most of the day, so Yugi would be on his own. They would see each other at night, but that would be it. Of course, Seto had told Yugi he'd be able to go where he wanted, touring the local areas of the countries, and to not worry about expenses. And Seto would have a few days scattered throughout he could spend with Yugi.
Yugi was sorely tempted to go. He'd originally declined in order to not put any expectations on Yami to run the shop, because they both knew Grandpa was beginning to feel his age and wouldn't be able to do much himself, especially as much as he thought he could. Yugi also had the commitment of the classes. They started next week.
Still, Yugi was now very tempted to shirk all responsibility- deregister late, put the shop in Yami's hands- and go with Seto. He'd been all set to have Seto leave, but now, he really didn't want to be away from him.
But he couldn't go. He knew he was at the end of his time to get his head together. It was time to get the abortion, something he'd been planning all along on doing and not telling Seto. Now, he wondered if that was right. Unwanted, and certainly unexpected, but it was his child. He had a right to know, didn't he? It would change nothing, but was it Yugi's right to do this without his knowledge?
Yugi couldn't tell him now. Seto would be leaving and Yugi couldn't put that in his head right before he was supposed to take a three-week business trip.
"No," he finally said, as the chauffeur started picking up the bags to take them to Seto's limo in the garage and load them. "No, I still have the shop to run, and the classes. You'll be trying to get all this business stuff done I don't want to get in the way. I'll just see you when you get back."
"You are still feeling better, aren't you?"
Yugi smiled again and nodded. "Much better," he said. "I haven't been sick at all the last four days." He hesitated, then added, because this would be all over by the time Seto returned, "Maybe it's something that will clear itself up. And all this worry will be for nothing."
Seto scowled. "How often do you think that happens?"
"It only has to happen once for it to be possible."
Seto snorted derisively. "I'll stick to thinking practically. We can't assume it'll disappear, whatever it is. That you'll have some sort of miraculous recovery. You need to be on your guard against any new symptoms and ready to get help instantly. Instead of believing in some magick recovery just because you feel better for a few days."
Yugi, annoyed, snapped back. "You know perfectly well magick is real, and even if it had nothing to do with it-"
"'If'?" Seto sneered. "Maybe magick is exists, but that doesn't mean it affects everything like some mystic crystal-wearing new-age nut job believes. You're smarter than that, I hope."
"Even if it has nothing to do with it," Yugi went on, "a lot of concern you're showing going away for a month." And then, because he was well and truly mad now, "I'll try not to die while you're gone."
Seto froze in place like he'd turned to stone. The look on his face was frightening. He looked like he couldn't decide between being stricken and being furious. Yugi's anger was gone like a candle flame being snuffed and he gasped in horror.
"Seto, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that!"
"Is there something you're not telling me?" Seto asked, his voice almost robotic as he struggled to keep rein on his emotions. "A test that came back or-"
"No!" Yugi said quickly. "No, Seto, I'm much better. I'm sorry I said that."
Seto relaxed slightly, but only as if only one of his worries had been assuaged. "Would you rather I stay? I can cancel this-"
Reading Seto's expression as he'd come to be able to do in their time with each other, Yugi shook his head. He reached out, taking one of Seto's hands, relieved when he allowed it. "I know you care," he said. "I know how worried you are. I never meant to suggest you didn't care. I'm sorry, I was just-"
"I'm sorry, too," Seto said quietly. "I shouldn't have talked to you like that."
Yugi squeezed his hand. "Go. I'll be fine. I feel much better, really, I do. I'll call you the minute when, if, anything happens. I promise. And I'll see you when you get back."
Seto studied his face, then nodded. He bent down and Yugi met him. They kissed, long and slow, saying goodbye as well as apologizing, before Seto pulled back and straightened. Yugi let go of his hand.
"Have a safe trip," he said.
Seto nodded and stepped past him. Yugi noticed that the chauffeur and maid were absent, no doubt having hurried away when the pair of them started fighting. All of the luggage was gone, put in the limo. Yugi turned and followed Seto into the garage, standing in the doorway and watching as he got into the limo and the driver pulled away, driving out of the garage and disappearing down the long driveway.
Yugi turned and stepped back into the house, stopping in the entrance foyer and then looking around helplessly, crossing his arms over his stomach, lost.
…
"I'm glad you finally got back to me," Anna said as she led Yugi into her ultrasound room. Yugi had called her an hour after Seto had left for Chicago, and made an appointment to have the second ultrasound before making an appointment for an abortion. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't."
"Sorry," Yugi said. "I had a lot to think about."
Anna smiled sympathetically. It was six o'clock two days after Seto had left, and the office was empty. Anna had deliberately put this after hours so that the second ultrasound wouldn't show up on his medical records.
"Let's have a look-see and see where we stand," Anna said.
"Have you thought about how we can do this covertly?" Yugi asked, beginning to strip. Anna had already seen him in his boxers, and she would again, so there was no reason to be modest. Though, Yugi still faced with his back to her.
"Yes, a lot. On a woman, an abortion is a fairly simple procedure that can go horribly wrong easily. It involves a-"
"I'd rather not know," Yugi interrupted gently. "This is already hard."
Anna said nothing to that, only changed to the matter at hand. "With you, an incision will need to be made into your abdomen and everything removed. The incision will be several inches long. A C-section incision would probably work best, but one that runs from your belly button to your pelvic bone, rather than horizontal across your abdomen, like usual. We'll need anesthesia, an IV, disinfectant, scalpels, sponges, clamps, sutures…"
"You sound like you're going to do it yourself."
"No, Kentaro could."
Yugi whirled around, mouth opening, but Anna held up her hand. "I know you didn't want to tell him, but I don't know what to tell you. If you go for a scheduled C-section in any hospital, this will get out and you'll be on the six o'clock news. There's no cross-dressing you. A doctor will notice the absence of a uterus when they open you up. Kentaro is an internal medicine doctor, and a private practice one, but he is a doctor."
"There's a difference between a doctor and a surgeon."
Anna gave him a look. "I know. Look, Yugi, please listen to me before you get hysterical. A woman once performed a C-section on herself and she and the baby both survived. There's a lot of risk involved in this, but Kentaro is a competent doctor and he does have some surgical training."
Yugi hesitated, his heart being erratically. How crazy was this? He felt he could trust Kuribayashi and Anna both, but the reality was that he didn't know either of them, and having a surgical procedure done by someone who wasn't a surgeon was likely to be the stupidest thing he'd ever done.
But what choice did he have? Risk it, putting his trust in people who had a better idea of the dangers and their capabilities than he did; or go with a real surgeon and hazard being the next big news story, on top of the surgery risks.
"You told Kuribayashi?"
"No. It's up to you."
Yugi hesitated, slowly pushing himself up onto the examination table. Anna came around and turned on the ultrasound machine, getting the bottle of gel.
"Let's take a look first, okay?" she said.
Yugi lay back against the backrest and let her squirt some of the gel across his belly. He hadn't bothered with the paper gown this time. As she placed the wand against his stomach and spread the gel around, he heard faint shushing sounds.
"What's that?"
"Your stomach as it digests, I believe. This isn't going to be a normal ultrasound, so there's go to be more background noise than normal."
The sound was on? It hadn't been the first time. But Yugi didn't protest, just watched the monitor as Anna moved the wand around, searching his abdomen for the baby. Abruptly it popped onto the screen, far clearer than it had been two weeks ago. He could see it more clearly now, and with it, a rabid and slightly off-rhythm pattern that sounded oddly like a horse galloping.
"What's that?" Yugi asked again.
"Fetal heartbeat," Anna said, studying the screen. "A baby's heart beats much, much faster than an adults, about 150 beats per minute. You, as an adult man, have a heartbeat only about 70 beats per minute. Sounds fast, doesn't it? But that's normal."
Yugi stared at the screen, transfixed by the rapid beat. As he stared at the image, he realized he could see details. The baby was curled up into a typical ball, and he could see the outline. The head appeared over large, the legs pulled against the stomach, and the arms bent and pulled into the chest. The longer he stared as Anna moved the wand around, the more he could make out. He could see the legs and arms, the shoulders and head, even the ears and nose. The image was moving slightly, and he realized the baby was moving, almost spastically twitching its arms and legs occasionally.
"I… didn't realize it would look so… like a baby," Yugi said slowly.
Anna nodded, eyes still on the screen. "A baby starts looking like a person and less like a newt at about seven weeks. The "tail" has become legs and the lower part of the spine by nine weeks, and the hands and feet are developing fingers and toes. Here, at fourteen weeks for you, the baby is about three inches long, all the facial features have developed for the most part, and it is starting to produce bile and red blood cells. And, yes, this fetus is still alive."
Anna removed the wand and sat back on her stool. "Okay, it's time to make a decision. You can come in tomorrow and we'll talk to Kentaro. I really believe he'll take this about as well as I did. You can trust him."
"I know," Yugi said distractedly.
"He'll have a good idea of what he's capable of. If he doesn't believe he can perform the abortion safely, we'll have to think of something else, but I suggest we at least talk to him first. So, can you come in tomorrow around one o'clock?"
Yugi stared at what was now a blank screen. The heartbeat was no longer on the ultrasound sonogram, but he could still hear it in his head. He could still see the tiny, curled up fetus twitching aimlessly. He had even been able to see the face enough to see the closed eyes.
"Yugi? Is one o'clock good?"
"No."
Anna frowned. "Well, okay, I can look at Kentaro's schedule and see-"
"I can't do this."
Anna's mouth dropped open. "What are you talking about? You have to do this as soon as possible, before that fetus develops big enough to start putting strain on your body." She pointed the bump in his abdomen that was now big enough he could see it without searching for it. "You don't have a choice."
"Yes, I do," Yugi said, his heart pounding.
The enormity of the decision he was not lost on him, of course. But, seeing that image, the decision had jumped into his mind, and he knew he it was the path he had to take. Shaking, he looked up into Anna's face.
"I'm keeping my baby."
tbc...
A/N: ^_^
