Chapter Twenty-Two:
Upstairs, Yugi put his hands in the small of his back and winced, stretching as much as he could. Then he rubbed his chest, where a low burn was starting. Heartburn, as expected. He realized he had sort of being feeling these things for a about a week now, but hadn't really been paying too much attention. Now that he expected them, they seemed to be more in focus.
Walking down to the bedroom suite, Yugi massaged his chest. It didn't seem to help much. Once inside, he dug the journal that Kuribayashi had given him out of a drawer and straightened up. A faint wave of dizziness washed over him that was gone almost as soon as he felt it and he sighed as he sat down. He had thought the fun times were over now that he was further along, but it appeared the tone had only changed.
Opening the journal, he noted his morning weight, what he'd eaten so far, the heartburn and dizziness, and the fact that he'd felt some mild moodiness, though he skipped the details. That wasn't Kuribayashi's business, and he wouldn't really need them anyway. The previous pages of the journal, he'd retroactively added as much as he could remember since first becoming pregnant, including the more severe mood swings, nausea, and anxiety. It was a relief to note how much more mild these things were now. He wondered how normal that was.
Finished with the day's details up to that point, he checked the time. Only just after 2pm. Well, he wasn't hungry and he wasn't tired. He had around four hours to fill before dinner. He decided on a bath.
Disrobed and in the warm water, Yugi contemplated his swelling belly. It was really coming to the time when he needed to inform his family. Still, he wasn't sure how to get that conversation going. He could do the same thing he'd done with Seto, of course, but the idea still made him feel queasy. He knew his mother would fret, and Grandpa would be weirded out by the whole thing. He only just accepted the fact that Yugi was gay and in a relationship with his former rival. Grandpa would never do anything such as disown him, Yugi was comfortable in that knowledge, but he would still find it strange, and it would worry him, too. Grandpa was old and getting weaker, and Yugi didn't want to add any stress to him. He would undoubtedly want to take it upon himself to work more at the Shop, thinking Yugi would be too frail, and that was just out of the question. And his dad wouldn't even acknowledge the situation.
Well, it wouldn't matter too much if he put off informing them a little longer. It was different with Seto because he was the father…other father…and should have been told immediately.
Yawning, Yugi sank a little further into the water. His heartburn had died down, but his mouth tasted funny, sour. He'd read that in his baby books. Some acid reflux or having a metallic taste in the mouth happened often. He also expected to enjoy aches in the back, hips, knees, and ankles, swelling, nosebleeds, and other symptoms. Joy.
He debated what to do about Seto. He seemed to be maybe slowly coming to accept the situation, but he hadn't really said much of anything. Yugi didn't know if he should try to push for a more specific summation of what Seto was thinking or not. Pushing Seto might be a bad idea, but Yugi couldn't stand only half-knowing. He had seemed so upset last night that, though Yugi hated himself for it, he couldn't believe that Seto would just change his mind so fast. That was just not how Seto worked.
******
Seto sighed as he finished inputting the last line of code he had planned for that day. He still hadn't been able to figure out the bug that made his holograms glitch and it had put him in a bad mood. But that was programming. He'd find it soon and eliminate it.
Now that he wasn't focused on code, of course his thoughts were drawn immediately back to Yugi. And their situation.
Seto sat broodingly in his programmer's chair and allowed himself to think about it more. Of course, his first reaction was anger. Yugi had hid this from him. For almost six months from the sound of it. Three, anyway, ever since he was sure. And not just him. Yami and Wheeler and Kuribayashi and his assistant. Five people had hid something that greatly impacted him from him.
It didn't matter to him that they had done so because they had anticipated a negative reaction. Of course he was going to react negatively! How could none of *them* see how horrible this was? How utterly insane and stupid this was?
It was a curse. Never mind what Yugi said. Of course he would protest that. Even if his mind wasn't affected, and Seto wasn't so sure he believed that, Yugi was Yugi. He saw the positive in everything, far often to his own detriment.
There were times when Seto didn't understand why he loved Yugi. They were very different people.
No, he did know why. It was that sunny outlook, as crazy as that sounded to him. Yugi saw good in him, wanted to help him see it himself, wanted to take care of him, and some part of Seto appreciated that. The part that he hadn't completely drowned in anger and resentment when he'd thrown off his childhood and became determined to do whatever was necessary to get the best for himself and for Mokuba. Despite all the dark things he'd done, Yugi had refused to hate him.
There were times when Seto debated whether it was Yugi or Yami who had spared him from a total mind crush.
******
Yugi was pleased when Seto joined him and Mokuba for dinner. Sure, he'd said he was going to, but sometimes Seto worked right through his meals, or had them catered to him wherever he was by the kitchen staff.
As they ate, Yugi wondered when and how Seto was going to tell Mokuba about the pregnancy. He was leaving that up to the him. He wondered how Mokuba would react. Mokuba had always accepted magic much easier than his older brother.
While they ate dinner, Seto grilled Mokuba on a project for Kaiba Corp, for the unveiling of a new online virtual dueling interface. It would allow duelists to duel with each other all over the world.
Yugi would be lying if he said he didn't have a little reservation about it. Virtual worlds and Seto hadn't gone well together before. But maybe third time would be the charm. Certainly he kept his opinion to himself. He'd already agreed to help Seto with promotion and marketing with himself and Seto being the faces of the campaign. Yugi would even be recording lines and getting body scanned so duelists could duel a virtual version of himself.
Although, now, that would have to wait until after he didn't have a pregnancy bump ever growing.
He was also trying to talk Seto into acknowledging Joey as a necessary part of the face of the campaign. His best friend was the number three ranked duelist in the world, and Yugi steadfastly believed his involvement was essential to the accuracy and entertainment value of the project. Joey still had hopes of being a professional duelist, a goal he'd set aside to form a household with Yami and Yugi didn't want to see him lose sight of it. But the animosity between Seto and Joey had never lessened.
It turned out Mokuba had neglected his part of it while Seto was away. This, naturally, did not make Seto happy and dinner quickly turned argumentative.
"You've had eight weeks to get that finished!" Seto snarled.
"I've been busy!" Mokuba snapped back. "School and work and-"
"And videogames?" Seto sneered. "Talking on your computer with your friends?"
"I barely have friends because I'm always doing something for Kaiba Corp!"
"It's your job! If you want to be Vice President, then you do what you're supposed to do."
"I'm still a kid, too! I want a social life, Seto."
Seto snorted derisively.
"Yeah, I know that doesn't mean anything to you," Mokuba said. "But just because you never cared about anything but work and Duel Monsters doesn't mean I'm like you!"
"I know you're not like me. I wouldn't be failing math and chemistry and setting Kaiba Corp behind and instead of working on it you're going out to stupid parties."
"Seto…" Yugi started.
"Stay out of this, Yugi," Mokuba growled. "I'm doing everything I can to pass, Seto, but math is really hard. At least it is for me."
"That's why I told you you're getting a tutor. But I bet you haven't started looking for one of those either, have you?"
"When was I supposed to? When I'm spending three hours a night just trying to finish my homework after I've spent all day at school and all afternoon-"
"You wouldn't be spending three hours on your homework if you got the tutor," Seto said. "I think this is obvious."
Yugi closed his eyes.
"Yeah, it's obvious for you, the genius one!" Mokuba leapt to his feet. "Sorry to disappoint you, Big Bro, that your little brother's an embarrassing fucking idiot!"
He threw his fork down, shoved back his chair, and stormed from the dining room. Seto yelled at him to come back, but he didn't even turn his head. The dining room door slammed so hard that the decorative glass panel shuddered in its frame. Seto got to his feet as Yugi opened his eyes.
"I wouldn't…" Yugi murmured.
Seto turned to him. "No, *you* wouldn't."
"What do you think going after him to yell at him some more is going to accomplish?" Yugi asked. "Let Mokuba calm down. Seto, he is just fifteen. I know you were able to be the CEO and a high schooler with perfect grades and able to make your Duel Discs all at once, but not everyone can do what you do."
"You're taking his side?"
"About letting you down? No. About being a kid with a lot on his plate who worries he's not good enough for you? Yes."
"Not good enough for me? I never once said-"
"You don't have to say it or even mean it. He'll take it that way because he sees it in himself."
Seto growled. "That's ridiculous."
"To you, maybe. Not to him. Don't brush aside other people's feelings just because you don't share them."
"Any other advice?" Seto asked scathingly.
Yugi glared at him. "Yeah. Don't act this way when our daughter arrives."
Seto's jaw set. Yugi got to his own feet. He knew he was letting his emotions get away with him. He'd normally never actually fight with Seto, just try to reason with him. But he'd seen the hurt on Mokuba's face and Seto had never gotten better about accepting that other people failed. Not even Mokuba. And Yugi was worried Seto would act this way, even get worse, with their daughter and Yugi would not have that.
"Leave Mokuba alone for tonight. Then in the morning, you apologize." As Seto's eyes narrowed, Yugi matched his expression. "Yeah, you heard me. Apologize, it won't kill you. I'll help Mokuba find his tutor because he's embarrassed he needs one. Embarrassed, Seto. Embarrassed to be less than his brilliant, driven, 'perfect' older brother. You don't have any idea what that's like. And if you don't start learning to empathize or at least back off, you will push Mokuba away from you."
Yugi left the dining room. He headed through the mansion and up to the top floor where Mokuba's suite was opposite Seto's. As he walked down the hall, he massaged his chest. He was a little short of breath, too. Who knew slacking off on exercise after gaining some weight could affect him so fast?
The first knock to Mokuba's door received no response. Yugi tried again.
"Mokuba, it's Yugi. Can I come in?"
"Why not?" came the distant reply.
Yugi opened the door. Like Seto's suite, the door opened into a seating room with a fireplace and seating arrangement. Yugi bypassed that to the bedroom. Peering through the open door, he could see Mokuba laying on his back in bed, on his phone.
"Can I come in?" Yugi asked.
"You're already in," Mokuba said without looking up.
Yugi crossed the threshold into the bedroom. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "Look, Mokuba, I know Seto can be pretty mean sometimes, but he-"
"You're going to tell me about my brother?" Mokuba asked, now looking at him with a scowl. "I've known him a lot longer than you."
"-he just wants you to succeed," Yugi continued calmly.
"No, he wants me to be like him."
"I know he hurt your feelings, but he didn't mean it. He knows how much you do for the company. That's why he's given you so much responsibility. He knows you can do it."
"Well, maybe I don't want to!"
"I know. You want to be a kid, and I don't blame you. You're a teenager now, and it's different than when it was just you and Seto. Mokuba, even if Seto isn't any good at saying it, you know he's proud of you. And you know he only wants what's best for you. There's no shame in hiring a tutor, we've both told you that. No one is good at everything."
"Except Seto," Mokuba muttered bitterly.
"Seto isn't any good at people. Public relations, employee interactions, corporate partnerships, all of those only happen because you're there. We all know that. Seto's the cold, logical thinker, you're the rational, passionate idealist. Maybe Seto made Kaiba Corp the international game conglomerate it is, but he couldn't have done it without you. If you want to back off a bit from it, do it. Seto will come around. But Mokuba, you really should think about a tutor. Do it for you, not because Seto wants you to. School will be over sooner than you think."
"Seto said the same thing."
"Because Seto's twenty and he knows from experience." Yugi stood and winced, rubbing his chest. "Just think about it, okay?"
Yugi turned and started to leave.
"Yugi?"
"Yeah?" Yugi turned back. Mokuba was looking at him, the light from his phone making weird shadows on his face.
"Are you sure you're okay? You were really sick there for a while and you still look, I don't know, you just seem a little different."
Yugi just smiled at him. "I'm fine, Mokuba."
Mokuba looked back at his phone. Yugi turned to the door again.
"Thanks, Yugi."
Yugi looked back again. Mokuba was still looking fixedly at his phone, and Yugi was again reminded about how similar the two Kaiba brothers were getting. It brought another smile to his face.
"Anytime."
tbc...
