Atem let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed his temples in frustration. "Would you two stop arguing?!" he yelled, opening the door of his home office and stomping down the hallway.
It had only been a couple of days since the house warming party and it was, of course, incredibly tense in the new estate.
He marched down the left side of the double staircase and into the luxurious entertaining kitchen. "What could you two possibly be arguing about now?! I have to finish this paper by Monday and I can't do that with you two screaming over each other!" Atem growled, putting his hands on his hips.
He glared at Kaiba, who was glaring at Salem. Her arms were crossed to warm her body as she shivered. She was drenched and her long curls hung wetly down her sides.
Atem raised an eyebrow. "What happened, Salem?" He became immediately concerned.
Kaiba scoffed and leaned against the long kitchen island. "Go ahead, Salem." he said impatiently.
"I just need to know one thing…" Salem's voice was smooth and confident. It contrasted her shivering body.
Atem tilted his head. "What is it?" he asked, walking up to Salem. He took off his track jacket and draped it around her shoulders.
Salem rubbed her upper arms and shivered again, "In the, I don't know, months that it took the two of you to plan and build this ridiculous home, did either of you think to get a copy of the blueprints?" she asked slowly, her eyes narrowing at Atem.
Atem swallowed thickly, suddenly realizing he should have stayed out of the argument. "Habibti, there was so much going on… and, everything happened so fast we-"
"So," Salem started, shedding Atem's jacket and placing it on the counter, "there are no blueprints?"
"I already told you that we don't have a copy." Kaiba mumbled. "I also said that there's a pathway you can take through the basement to avoid the wet floors in the lounge." he finished, standing his ground.
Kaiba knew it wasn't his fault that Salem didn't know how to navigate their new home. No one told her she had to walk around the entire estate in the rain.
"You told me that after I went outside and walked around the house. How do two grown men not have a piece of paper, a very important piece of paper, between them?" she growled uncharacteristically.
"It's not our fault you can't follow instructions." Kaiba said simply.
Salem scoffed and stomped her foot. "I wasn't involved in the planning or building of this estate! How am I supposed to navigate a home I've never seen when all you say is go around?"
Atem shook his head. "Wait, so, because you don't know the layout, you walked outside in the rain to avoid the freshly waxed floors in the lounge…even though there's a way through the house…but you wouldn't know that…" he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
He gazed at Kaiba who was now on the other side of the kitchen, rooting around in the cabinets. "Kaiba, she has every right to be upset. We didn't consider her feelings or thoughts when we went through with this place so now we need to listen." Atem explained gently.
Kaiba rolled his eyes. "You're going to make a great therapist some day, Atem, but don't give me the 'neutral mediator' when you're the one who pushed for this place to be done in time." he said, taking down three mugs.
Each mug a different color; pink, blue, and red.
Salem gazed at Atem and sighed. "I'm going to take a hot bath. I have a feeling that if I'm needed for an important decision, you two will make it anyway, so, don't bother me." she spat, trudging out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
Atem turned to glare at Kaiba, "What is your problem?" he asked, watching Kaiba pour a shot of bourbon into each mug.
"I came downstairs looking for her and she walked in from outside and immediately started yelling at me. Salem's temper is terrifying and you know that." Kaiba explained, pouring hot water from their electric gooseneck kettle into the mugs.
Atem rolled his eyes and shook his head. The fact that Kaiba was scared of a woman that was less than half of the brown-haired CEO's size was genuinely hilarious to the former king.
"What are you making?" Atem asked, temporarily changing the subject. He knew prying into why Kaiba had lashed out at Salem wouldn't get to the root of the problem.
Kaiba let out a defeated sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. "Salem is obviously having a hard time dealing with our lifestyle change." he paused and gazed down at the mugs. "One time, a long while ago, before everything, I was having a tough time and she made me this drink."
He splashed some lemon juice into the mugs and into Salem's pink mug, he splashed a little bit of rosewater. He spooned a small amount of honey into the mugs and stirred each of them. He pushed the red mug toward Atem.
"Seeing her that angry over something so small…I guess it's not all about the blueprints." Kaiba thought aloud, taking a long sip from his blue mug.
Atem sipped the hot drink, feeling his cheeks flush and his head swim delightfully. "Oh." he murmured, sipping again, "This is lovely,". He set his mug down and put his hand on Kaiba's. "We should have talked to her about all of this but it's too late now. I shouldn't have pushed so hard. I'll get a hold of the paperwork tomorrow and give it to Salem but-"
"I'll go give this to her," Kaiba said, taking a small tray out from under the kitchen island, purposefully placing the blue and pink mug in the center.
"She asked for space, Seto." Atem said carefully. "Maybe we should have Anansi bring it to her,".
"No." Kaiba said, "I'll do it,". He lifted the tray and headed toward the stairs."Do you want to come?" he asked.
Atem smiled. "I'll be up in a moment." he went back to drinking from his mug when Kaiba shrugged and walked up the stairs. He sighed and stared down at the liquid. He knew that the party had been awkward. He knew something was wrong when Salem didn't say a word all evening. He should have known that Salem would react this way. He and Kaiba should have known better.
After everything the three of them had been through, Atem should have known to include Salem on something as huge as a new home. He finished his drink and went upstairs, passing the door to the large master bedroom. He stopped just before going into his office, his curiosity getting the better of him.
He tiptoed back to the master bedroom and creaked the door open. After seeing that no one was there, he ventured inside and crept up to the ensuite bathroom door. He listened carefully, hoping he would be able to make out the conversation.
His heart fluttered when he heard Salem chuckle lightly. That must have been a good sign. At least they weren't screaming at each other anymore. He listened closer, hearing Kaiba mutter something under his breath.
"That was so long ago, Tanin. I'm surprised that you remember that I like rose water in my hot toddy. I didn't think you were paying attention to anything I did back then." Salem said. She seemed to have calmed down.
Atem heard the sloshing of bathwater and Salem sighing peacefully.
"I paid more attention than you think I did." Kaiba said with a small laugh. "You've saved me so many times, Salem. This house… it's a monument to the three of us and everything we're going to create." he murmured.
Atem raised an eyebrow, Create? Does he mean children?!
"Create?" Salem asked, the water sloshing lightly, "I noticed that there wasn't a place for me to put a lab…".
Atem's heart sunk. No. No more science. Not in this house. His heart couldn't take Salem creating more problems for their growing family. Especially if those problems can be prevented.
"Salem, I want you to be comfortable here. This is your house too. But…" Kaiba trailed off and cleared his throat.
"But?" Salem asked. Atem heard her shift in the water.
"No science. No home lab. No portals. I know you use the portal to get around quickly but it's not safe." Kaiba said boldly. "If you want to make new gadgets, you can use anything you want in my company's research and development department, but nothing else." he finished.
Atem pushed the door open slightly so he could see inside. He saw Salem covered by fluffy bubbles in the large tub and Kaiba sitting gracefully on the ledge fully clothed. He studied Salem's face carefully and felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach. She looked upset and sad. He hated that he and Kaiba were trying to control the most powerful woman in the world but, what choice did they have?
He watched as Salem took a deep breath and gazed at Kaiba seriously. Oh no. Was she about to yell?
"Seto, I-Are we ready? For any of this? This house, the engagement? Atem is so excited but I'm worried. Your friends don't like me. And Mokuba…" Salem wrapped her arms around her bare chest and shuddered. "I'm glad that I can be amicable with your brother, but after everything am I really the right choice?" she slipped her hands back under the water and swirled the bubbles around her.
Kaiba tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
Salem sighed. "It could be so easy, mish kida?" she said, leaning back against the tile, her accent slipping through her words.
Kaiba chuckled. "Mish kida? I haven't heard you say that in a long time." he said, standing up and pulling off his shirt. He unbuckled his pants and let the fabric pool around his ankles before stepping into the tub to join his fiancee.
"Our life, this life, only makes sense with the three of us together. You know that." Kaiba said, pulling Salem onto his lap.
"Of course it makes sense, Tanin. But,it's not easy. It won't be easy." she mumbled, leaning back against Kaiba's toned chest.
Kaiba scoffed and wrapped his hands around Salem's slim waist. "Yeah, well, if polyamorous relationships were easy, everyone would do it. Plus, I think you just aren't ready to not have enemies from your many failed scientific endeavors."
Salem mimicked Kaiba's scoff. "I think you mean successful endeavors. I wouldn't have had enemies if I had failed. It's not like anyone is trying to break into the Kaiba Corp space station." she said with a cheeky grin, "Your tech sucks,".
Atem stifled a chuckle and stepped away from the bathroom door. He was happy that Salem and Kaiba were always able to make up so quickly, but something about the nature of their arguments made Atem think there was going to be continued tension.
He walked out of the master bedroom and down the hallway to his office. As he sat down, he wondered what could be a good way to diffuse that tension but came up short. He sighed as he started to type. He was slightly upset that Salem didn't make more of an effort with his friends. He knew that she was right to be nervous about the engagement. Even he was nervous.
He sighed again and closed his laptop. No longer able to focus on his paper, he stood up and took his phone out of his pocket, speed dialing Yugi's number.
"Hello?" Te'a answered the phone.
Atem sighed and cleared his throat. "Oh, hello, Te'a. Is there a reason why Aibou couldn't get to the phone?" he asked, trying to remain as polite as possible.
"He's with our child in the other room." Te'a retorted defensively.
"Okay…may I speak with him?" Atem knew that Yugi was trying to spend more one on one time with his daughter, but the least he could do was answer his phone.
"Is this an emergency, Atem? If not, I can take a message," she said dully.
Atem blinked and felt his chest bubble with rage. "Um, Te'a, Yugi is my friend and I'm calling to speak with him. I don't think you need to screen my calls."
He hated speaking with Te'a. He wanted to blame the fact that he and Yugi hadn't been as close on the way that Te'a treated Salem, but he knew there was more to it than that. There had to be more.
"If you just tell me what you want to talk to him about, I can tell him and he'll call you back when he isn't busy. Our family comes first, Atem. He's with our daughter and he'll call you after. I'm not screening your calls," Te'a explained. Her voice was soft and gentle but there was a bitterness underneath.
Atem sighed in defeat. "You're right, Te'a. I'm sorry. I was just calling to invite Aibou over for breakfast tomorrow," he lied. He wanted to have a phone conversation with Yugi, but that wasn't going to happen tonight.
"Oh. He's supposed to have Yuna tomorrow as well." Te'a said, feigning sadness.
"He can bring her along, it's just breakfast," Atem blurted. This was getting out of hand.
"Well, if that's the case then I'll come too. What time should we be there?"
Atem froze. No. He'd just wanted to talk to Yugi and now Te'a and their daughter were coming over too?
"Um, 10am," was all Atem could muster when Te'a thanked him and immediately hung up.
He sighed and shoved his phone back into his pocket. Great. At least Kaiba wouldn't be home, but Atem wouldn't know how to break the news to Salem.
Maybe he wouldn't have to tell her. The house was gigantic. Salem wouldn't even have to see Te'a. Yeah. Salem didn't need to know.
Te'a sighed as she buckled Yuna into her carseat. She was exhausted from having to put Yuna to bed the night before when Yugi fell asleep after dinner. She knew that her husband was trying to be more involved, but she couldn't help but feel like she was expected to do more just because she stayed at home.
Yugi tousled his bangs in the driver's mirror and cleared his throat. "We're going to be late, Te'a," he watched her slowly get into the passenger's side and buckle her seatbelt.
"Atem knows that handling a toddler in the morning is difficult. I'm sure he'll understand," Te'a said calmly.
Yugi set his lips in a tight line and started the car. "Is there a reason you didn't give me my phone when Atem called? I'm not mad, it's just strange," he asked, pulling out of their driveway.
"You shouldn't be on the phone while you're playing with our child. It's just for safety." Te'a said, absent-mindedly staring out the window.
Yugi glanced at Te'a before bringing his attention back to the road. "Are you okay? You've been… a little too calm recently."
Te'a blinked at Yugi and smiled. "I'm just tired. I think while you and Atem are talking, I'll hang out with Salem. Do you mind taking Yuna with you?"
Yugi furrowed his brow. "H-hang out? I thought you hated Salem?"
"Hate is a strong word." is all Te'a said before becoming completely silent for the rest of the ride.
Atem yawned and smiled at Isono as he showed Anansi how to set the small table out on the terrace. It was a nice day and Atem wanted to take full advantage of it. He gazed down into the garden, seeing Salem setting out bags of soil and plastic pots of nursery flowers.
"We need to staff the estate, not set the table. We could have someone else do this while we do our actual job," Anansi argued, delicately placing the trays of freshly made food on the table.
"Anansi, thank you for doing this. Salem and I will start interviews soon, but until then we just need a little extra help. She made the food even though she didn't feel like sitting down with Yugi and me," Atem explained, getting excited when Isono's watch beeped.
"I'll buzz them in," Isono said. "Anansi, finish up here and then meet me downstairs. Her excellency said that the windows in the main living room peer out onto a busy street. We need to look into reinforcing those-"
"I'm done. Let's go or we'll be here forever." Anansi responded, winking at Atem.
Atem chuckled and waved off the two guards. He sat on the iron patio chair and anxiously waited to see his friend.
"Welcome to the Kaiba Family Estate." Isono greeted with a bow.
Yugi and Te'a looked at each other and then at Isono. "There's no need to be so formal. We were just here a few days ago," Yugi said with a small laugh.
Anansi bowed as well, "Atem is waiting for you on the second floor terrace, Mr. Mutou. If you would follow me-"
"Um, sorry, where's Salem? I was hoping to speak with her," Te'a interrupted, handing Yuna to her father.
Anansi raised an eyebrow and gazed at Te'a seriously. "Are you not joining your husband for breakfast with Master Atem?" Anansi thought Te'a's sudden interest in Salem was strange.
Yugi gazed at his wife, "Just text me if you, um, need a life line."
"You too," she said with a playful smirk as Isono led Yugi out of the large foyer.
"Her Highness is in the garden. Please, follow me." Anansi said, his deep voice shaking Te'a to her core.
Te'a awkwardly followed the young man through the house before finally speaking. "So, you've known Salem your entire life basically, right?"
"Yes." he clipped, leading Te'a to a wide, bright sliding door and gesturing to the barren garden. "She's out there." he said, opening the door.
"Thank you, Anansi." Te'a said, nervously walking out onto the dirt.
She slowed her steps when she caught Salem's attention. She held back a shiver when Salem looked into Te'a's eyes. They were piercing straight through her soul.
Te'a only realized that she had walked all the way up to Salem when she was looking down on the shorter woman.
"U-uh, I-I, um… " Te'a stuttered stupidly.
Salem raised an eyebrow and then looked up at the terrace, her eyes softening when she understood that Yugi and Atem were having some much needed friend time.
She adjusted her sun hat and tucked a loose tendril behind her ear. "Have you eaten this morning?" Salem's voice was smooth and calm.
Te'a shook her head from side to side and put her hand on her lower belly. "No… I probably should've..."
Salem held her hand up."I'll tell Anansi to bring us some breakfast," with the same hand, she gestured to a small iron table, "Come sit." she said.
Te'a stepped over piles of rocks and mulch and sat in the matching iron chair. She gazed around the spacious yet empty garden. "You aren't planning on planting an entire flower garden by yourself, are you?"
Salem shrugged as she sat down. "It's not like I have anything else better to do. My company practically runs itself so gardening gives me time to think," she said, sending Anansi a quick text message.
Te'a tilted her head. "Think about what?"
Salem sighed and took off her sun hat, revealing her messily braided curly hair. "Well this morning I was pretty close to calling Seto and cussing him out, but I decided against it," she said with a chuckle.
"What? Why?!" Te'a was shocked at Salem's casual attitude.
"I mean, you'd be upset too if Yugi said "let's have a garden wedding in this house that I didn't tell you I was building, also there's no staff to do it and we have to get started immediately if we want mature rose bushes by 2020." So, that's just one example," Salem explained, pulling off her thick gardening gloves.
Te'a lowered her eyes and gazed at the intricate design on the table. "You were pretty quiet at the party…" she trailed off.
"I didn't know what to say, honestly. I promised Seto and Atem that I'd stay with them. I just didn't think they would…" Salem trailed off and shook her head. "They know they were wrong for keeping secrets so we're slowly moving past it."
Te'a winced lightly and put her hand on her stomach. She looked at Salem who noticed that she was in pain.
"Why did you want to come out here? We could have started arguing," Salem said, gazing at Te'a's stomach knowingly.
Te'a sighed and shook her head. "I needed to talk to you. I feel like I can't talk to anyone else because they'll just tell me what I want to hear. But, you, you'll tell me the truth, right?"
Salem furrowed her brow and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "You're pregnant, aren't you?" she said, staring at Te'a's protective hand over her belly.
"Shh! Yugi's right up there!" Te'a said in a hushed voice. "Yes, I found out before the party but didn't want to say anything. And now, I just-" her eyes began to water and her voice was wavering.
Salem shifted in her seat uncomfortably and cleared her throat. "Do you not want to be pregnant?" she asked awkwardly. She wasn't the best at comforting those in distress. Let alone those with which she cannot get along.
Te'a wiped away her tears. "I thought I did. But, Yugi's so busy and Yuna is lovely, but a handful. I was hoping to start teaching dance again when she started school but now…" she covered her mouth to keep from sobbing.
Salem looked at Anansi nervously when he showed up with a large covered tray. She shooed him off once he set the food on the table.
Te'a crossed her arms over her stomach, "I haven't told Yugi yet."
"Oh." Salem said, lifting the lid. She took a piece of fruit from the porcelain bowl on the tray and popped it into her mouth.
"Well, you obviously aren't mentally ready to tell him. Especially if you're feeling under-appreciated in your own home," she said, staring up at the bright blue sky.
Salem would never think of having a child at this moment in her relationship with Kaiba and Atem. Things were just too chaotic.
"Salem, the last time I got pregnant, I didn't tell Yugi right away. He thought I was being selfish but I was just so scared that I just didn't make a decision and then by the time I knew what I wanted, I didn't really have a choice," Te'a explained, trying to calm herself down.
"So you're making the same mistake now? I'm sorry, but what are you asking of me? I can tell you're under a lot of stress but what did you need to talk to me about specifically?" Salem asked, trying to be as understanding as possible.
"I need Yugi home with me this time. I can't do this alone again. I have Yuna to take care of and my parents are too far away if something were to happen," Te'a started. "Do you think it would be selfish of me to ask Yugi to take time off?"
Salem sighed and gazed at Te'a's tear-stained face. "Te'a, You really need to tell Yugi that you're pregnant. After that, maybe he can talk to Seto about reduced hours, but temporary leave before you've had the child might be difficult."
"Well, maybe you could talk to Kaiba?" Te'a asked hopefully.
Salem clicked her tongue. "Mmm, it might be better if Atem asks after you talk to Yugi."
"Salem. You have to be the one to talk to him. He's not going to listen to Atem about paid leave-"
"Wait, wait. You want Yugi's leave to be paid?" Salem asked, her guard going up immediately. She had hoped that Te'a came to bury the hatchet but instead, the short-haired brunette was asking for money.
"Well, of course! We're going to have another child, we need that money now more than ever. You're a CEO of a successful company, you know what he can do for his employees. He has the money to-"
"It's not a matter of him having the money, Te'a. Seto's given Yugi too much special treatment as it is. Yugi doesn't even have a college degree and he's a department head. Your family makes more than enough money for Yugi to take unpaid leave if you need him home that badly," Salem felt her anger bubbling in her chest. "It would honestly be less trouble if Yugi just quit outright."
"Salem, come on-"
"You wanted me to be honest, Te'a. You can't ask me for something like this when, as the head of your family, Yugi should have put enough savings away in case of emergencies," Salem tried her best to keep her voice down.
"I'm scared to tell him because what if this doesn't constitute an emergency?!" Te'a asked, her hands beginning to shake.
"Of course this is an emergency! Your mental health is important. Take it from me, Te'a. I know better than anyone that mental health comes first. If you're really worried about the health of your child, then you need to take care of yourself," Salem calmed herself down and reached her hand out, "Te'a, this is me being honest. Tell your husband. Tell him everything you told me. If you aren't honest with him, he can't take the steps he needs to be able to make you feel more secure."
Te'a took Salem's hand in hers and blinked her tears away. "Wow. Um, that's really good advice," she sniffled and smiled. "Thanks, Salem."
"You can text me after you tell him," Salem said calmly.
Te'a nodded and gazed at the fruit on the tray. "Thank you for providing food but…"
"I'm guessing you'd like something a little more filling?" Salem asked, raising an eyebrow.
Te'a laughed and held her stomach. "It's been hard to hide it from Yugi because I only want certain foods when I'm pregnant."
"Oh? I wonder what that's like…" Salem trailed off in thought."What are you craving?" she was genuinely curious in her questioning.
"I'm craving a really big bowl of pork miso ramen…" Te'a said dreamily. She was practically drooling.
Salem chuckled lightly and stood up. "Then let's go. I'll have Anansi take us and you can get whatever you like." She smiled down at Te'a, "If you come inside with me, I can get cleaned up and we can…make like a baby and head out."
Te'a laughed dryly. "I didn't know you had jokes," she said, following Salem inside.
"I'll think of better ones but now you're stuck getting ramen with me while I do that," Salem snickered, closing the sliding door behind them.
"No," Te'a murmured, smiling lightly, "I feel anything but stuck."
Atem chuckled as Yuna lightly clapped her tiny hands together as Yugi fed her a large fork full of eggs. "She looks just like you when she gets excited, it's adorable," he said, sipping his homemade chai tea.
Yugi smiled at his daughter and wiped her mouth with the maroon napkin, "She's got Te'a's energy though," he put the fork down as Yuna danced happily in her seat and gazed at Atem. "I honestly don't know how Te'a does it all by herself," he said with a deep sigh.
"Not doing the cooking probably gives her a gap in her stay at home wife schedule," Atem said dully, taking a sliced pear from a glass bowl and chomping into it.
Yugi narrowed his eyes at Atem. "Does Salem cook? I highly doubt she has time to cook homemade meals being a CEO, an entrepreneur and keeping you and Kaiba sexually satisfied." He covered Yuna's ears. "I don't understand why you're so critical of Te'a. What changed?"
Atem sighed and softened his gaze. "Aibou, I'm just worried. She doesn't cook which means you must eat out often-"
"I certainly do." Yugi said with an out of character chuckle.
"Ugh, gross, Yugi. I'm being serious. Think of the long term effects of all of that bad food. Think of Yuna," Atem argued. He hated this. It seemed he and Yugi were fighting more these days.
"Of course I think of Yuna. And it's not like I want to buy takeout all the time." Yugi said, removing his hands from Yuna's ears. "And you know I'm a worse cook than Te'a is…"
Atem chuckled. "Yes, well, we all can't have Salem's skills now can we?"
Yugi shook his head in disbelief. "So she does cook?"
Atem shrugged. "When I was first brought back, I was very weak and I couldn't really expend a lot of energy. Salem cooked for me, she tutored me, and she even helped me change my hair-"
"What's wrong with the way it was styled before?" Yugi asked, subconsciously fixing his blonde bangs, slightly offended.
"Oh, no, nothing, Aibou, I just wanted my own identity, I guess." Atem leaned back in his chair and stared up at the clear sky. "I guess I don't really forgive Te'a for being so critical of Salem because it reminds me of how awful I was…"
Yugi tilted his head, "You were awful? To who, Salem? Wow, I can't really imagine that. You're so protective of her."
Atem looked into Yugi's eyes. "Yes, well, I became protective after, um, that Halloween party…" He trailed off, remembering how Salem was in pain for weeks after her emergency surgery.
Yugi's eyes darkened and he shivered. "Right. I actually thought about that the other day…" He tucked a lock of hair behind Yuna's tiny ear, "I personally think, and I know this contradicts with how I feel about Salem as a person but, Kaiba-kun should honestly be in jail for what he did to her."
Atem felt the wind knocked out of his chest by Yugi's words. "W-what?" He stammered, "It wasn't just Seto, Mokuba was the one who was extorting her!" Atem blurted, covering his mouth and regrouping with a smile. He needed to make sure Yuna didn't think that him and Yugi were fighting.
Yugi's eyes widened. "What? I didn't know that?" He responded in a hushed whisper. "It doesn't matter that she forgave Kaiba-kun for what he did, it's still wrong."
Atem pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I wanted to have you over to enjoy breakfast, not argue about things that Kaiba, Salem, and I have put behind us." He folded his napkin and put it over his unfinished eggs, "So much for destressing…" he said, shaking his head and looking down into the now empty garden.
He quickly stood up to get a closer look. "Um... where did the ladies go?"
Yugi blinked at Atem and then at his daughter before standing up and looking over the railing. "That's strange... you know what's really weird is that Te'a actually wanted to talk to Salem. But, they wouldn't leave, would they?"
Te'a slurped her noodles happily, not minding the small splashes of miso landing on her cheeks. She smiled as she chewed diligently, earning a small chuckle from Salem who was seated next to her.
"Slow down, the ramen isn't going anywhere." Salem said, sipping on her green tea.
Te'a laughed nervously, "Sorry, I'm just-thank you. I honestly think I had you all wrong, Salem."
Salem raised an eyebrow and set down her tea cup. "Oh? she moved her long curly hair from her back over to one shoulder. "What do you mean?"
Tea set down her chopsticks and patted her face with her napkin. She shrugged and stared down at her bowl of curly yellow noodles. "This whole time I've always thought that you were just this hardened genius who didn't have any real emotions."
Salem stared at Te'a blankly. "Okay."
"But, now, I don't know, it just feels like you're different than you were before." Te'a explained, studying Salem's face carefully.
Salem sighed sadly and stared at the green liquid in her cup. "I am different than I was before. I changed when I switched realities, I changed when I met Seto, and I changed when I met Atem. But recently, I've been worried that I'll never change again," she trailed off, ghosting her hand over her lower stomach.
She looked up at Te'a seriously, "Te'a, you told me your secret so now I'm going to tell you something."
Te'a perked up and smiled. "Really? You don't have to, I was really just looking for advice."
Salem shook her head. "That advice I gave you, I should follow it too."
Te'a gasped and put her hand on Salem's, "Are you pregnant too?" she whispered.
Salem scoffed with a smile. "No, no. I just have something I've been hiding from, well, everyone. I've been hiding it since Seto and I saved Atem that day."
"Right, the Evil Kaiba? I didn't know there could be a worse version of the Kaiba I know but from what Atem told me-"
"Te'a, he did something to me. He injected me with something. At first, I thought it was poison, but that didn't make sense considering he was going to, you know... " Salem didn't know how to finish her sentence.
Te'a tilted her head and furrowed her brow, "What?"
Salem sighed. "He said something like, 'can't have you dying on me,' before he injected me with something. My whole body felt like it was on fire and then I passed out. When I woke up, I could feel that something wasn't right."
"And how could you tell?" Te'a asked, her voice low and inquisitive.
"Because I felt amazing. Better than I've ever felt in my entire life. I mean, at least physically. Mentally, I'm still me and you know, my traumas, and my anxiety and depression, but physically, I-" Salem cut herself off, swallowing a lump in her throat. "When I was finally able to get out of bed, I ran some tests on myself and everything seemed normal…"
Te'a took a sip of water. "But?"
"Well, then I thought to check my cellular age. Normally it's a year or two off from your actual age in either direction. But, this time when I did my tests, my cellular age came back as seventeen years of age." Salem said quietly.
Te'a remained silent and thought to herself. What could that mean?
"At first, I thought I made a mistake, which is of course impossible at this point in my life when it comes to anything scientific, but I couldn't rule out the possibility of error on my part." Salem explained. "I did the tests every morning for the past year and it's always the same. Seventeen years of age. Te'a,I'm not aging. Whatever he injected me with reversed my cells and then halted them."
Salem stared down at her hands and held back tears. "I haven't told Seto and Atem what I've found out…"
Te'a's eyes widened and she studied Salem's posture, skin, and overall body composition. She had guessed that Salem did look slightly more mature when they first met, but Te'a had just assumed that Salem had gotten work done or went to the spa often. She couldn't fathom the actual cause of Salem's way-too-youthful glow.
"So, does this mean you can't die?" Tea asked.
Salem shook her head. "No, I'm still susceptable to accidents, murder, you know, getting hit by a car. But, I can't die from old age. Even my organs are pristine which definitely wasn't the case when I first came to this reality," she said, absentmindedly taking a sip of her tea.
"What was the case before?" Te'a was becoming concerned about what this information meant for Atem's health. If Salem wasn't from their reality and she was having issues, Te'a worried that Atem would have issues as well.
Salem raised her eyebrows and set down her cup. "Well, cells and atoms are tricky but one thing that's for certain is that they are tethered to everything in the universe. Atoms, matter, everything that you're made from is connected to your reality."
"But what happens when you leave your own reality for someone else's?" Te'a had a feeling that she wasn't going to like the answer.
Salem sighed and gazed into Te'a large blue eyes. "Naturally, your cells won't, I guess, mesh with the new reality, so they start to degenerate. For me, it started slowly…"
"When you first came here?" Te'a scooted closer to Salem, intrigued.
"What? Oh, no, this isn't the first reality I've been to. I actually lived in an alternate version of Domino and I was even friends with an Atem in that reality." Salem explained with a slight chuckle.
"W-what? So you knew us before-"
"Well it wasn't exactly you. I was much younger and so was your group of friends. There was definitely more petty drama. Anyway, I noticed that I was feeling sluggish the longer I stayed in that reality. I thought it had something to do with the toxic environment, but after I left and came here..." Salem gazed at her engagement ring as she felt her eyes well with tears, "As you know, my grandmother was the first person I brought back to life and things were normal and nice for a while."
Te'a cleared her throat and shifted awkwardly as Salem quickly wiped a tear away.
"First, it was her immune system, then it was organ failure. For her, it was her kidneys. Even with all of my resources and money I couldn't prevent her body from rejecting new organs. Eventually, I gave up on replacing the kidney and just went with dialysis." Salem sank into her stool and sniffled. "I was only prolonging the inevitable. Her age didn't help, but as time went on I began to see my body show the same signs. I don't have to worry about that now but-"
"What about Atem? Is he, you know?" Te'a's voice was shaky. She couldn't believe all of this. She and her group of friends had been through the end of the world so many times but the thought of losing Atem all over again was too much to bear.
Salem inhaled deeply through her nose and sighed. "He's different."
"How? Salem, I really do think you need to follow your own advice and at least tell Kaiba about this. I mean, how is Atem not going to have the same fate?!" Te'a lowered her voice when she realized she was drawing too much attention to their corner of the restaurant.
"Well, this is technically Atem's reality, he just died a long time ago. His body is organic and-"
"I need you to give me a straight answer, Salem. What's Atem's life expectancy?" Te'a asked through clenched teeth.
Salem searched Te'a's eyes for any way out of answering the question, but knew that she had dug herself a hole. "His cellular age is forty-seven," she clipped.
Te'a narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Which means?"
"When Atem is in his forties, he's most likely going to have a plethora of issues. Right now, because he works out and basically runs on vegetables and protein shakes, he won't show any signs of cellular degeneration…" Salem looked into Te'a's eyes and smiled sadly. "But, by the time he's forty, his cells will be that of a sixty-seven year old man. I can't imagine he'll be feeling optimal."
"So, what you're saying is he probably won't live past fifty?" Te'a noticed it became difficult to see and she used her napkin to pat just under her eyes. She was crying.
Salem nodded. "And, with Seto sneaking the occasional cigarette, who knows how far he'll actually make it. It's a grim thought, but I know for a fact that once Atem goes, Seto won't be too far off," she said, staring down at her now empty tea.
"But, you can't age. You're stuck looking like a twenty year old forever. How is that going to work? Can you even have children?" The gravity of Salem's situation was going to keep Te'a up at night.
"Well, like I said, I'm still a human with an organic body. I can still get hurt and die. I burnt myself the other day and it scabbed over normally, so it seems my body is able to do it's normal functions. I assume that means I'm still able to be impregnated." Salem explained, filling her cup with matcha powder from a small bowl, using the filtered hot water to make a new cup of tea.
"You make pregnancy sound so...scientific." Te'a murmured. "You know, before I had Yuna, I would have done anything to stay young forever. But now, I couldn't imagine not being able to change."
Salem nodded slowly in agreement. "I believe change is essential and I wouldn't wish everlasting youth on my worst enemy. It's already difficult enough to get people to take me seriously. I was looking forward to aging so that I could be the matriarch of my family with a sort of refined grace and now...now I don't know."
Te'a clasped her hand in Salem's and smiled. "I know your future is uncertain, but maybe, if you focus on one day at a time, you can ease a little bit of that uncertainty to make room for what's most important."
Salem smiled and clicked her tongue. "Now that's good advice," she chuckled breathily and blinked her tears away. "I'm glad you came to talk to me this morning. This was nice."
"Was?" Te'a asked, playfully.
Salem nodded her head toward the glass window.
Te'a turned to see several paparazzi and regular folk with their faces and cameras pressed up against the glass.
"Oh." Te'a breathed, "I guess we shouldn't have picked such a popular place."
Salem shrugged and hopped off of her stool. "You got your ramen and that's what was important." She smoothed out her skirt and smiled, "We should get going. Lord knows what the tabloids are saying about us right now."
Kaiba was snapped out of his thoughts when his phone buzzed violently in his pocket. He gazed at the blank new email form and sighed. He must have zoned out while he was composing it, and it was just his luck that he couldn't remember who he was trying to email.
He pulled his phone out of his suit jacket pocket but not before looking at his caller ID. "Atem? How was your breakfast with Yugi?"
Atem chuckled on the other line and sighed heavily. "We argued."
Kaiba scoffed. "Surprise, surprise."
Atem rolled his eyes and shook his head, "I don't know why Aibou and I can't have a normal conversation without arguing. It's not like us. I'm worried he has more going on in his life than he's letting on." Atem paused for a brief moment. "What if he's stopped trusting me, Kaiba?"
Kaiba groaned internally and pursed his lips. This wasn't a conversation he wanted to have in the middle of his work day. "Atem, I'm at work. Why don't you just ask him? He was obviously fine coming to see you."
"It would have been better if Te'a didn't invite herself along and then disappear with Salem…" Atem murmured.
Kaiba's stomach did backflips as he processed Atem's sentence. "What did you say?"
"Te'a and Salem apparently went to have ramen together. Yugi was furious because he hates dealing with paparazzi." Atem explained.
"Those vultures didn't find the new house, did they?" Kaiba asked, immediately sending Isono and Anansi an email to sweep the perimeter of the estate.
"I think they did. Yugi said that vans of paparazzi were waiting for them at the front gate when they left."
"Shit." Kaiba growled, clicking to his search engine and going to his trending topics page.
"The article is actually quite funny." Atem chuckled.
"There's nothing funny about Salem being in the tabloids. The last time she was caught in a tight dress walking around Shibuya, the paparazzi called her 'Japan's Very Own Kim Karadashian.' Needless to say, Salem wasn't too happy about that." Kaiba explained, clicking on an article titled 'The Lovely Ladies Behind the Great Men."
"Who's Kim Kardashian?" Atem asked innocently.
Kaiba rolled his eyes and scanned the article. It was tame considering the incredibly sexist title. Salem was an accomplished politician and scientist and the tabloids were trying to turn her into a housewife.
He scrolled down and saw a picture of Te'a holding Salem's hand. What? He read the caption beneath the photo.
'Left: Te'a Mutou (Wife of Yugi Mutou, Head of Game Development, Kaiba Corp.) and Right: Her Excellency Sala Wahab (Wife-to-be of Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp.).'
He studied the picture carefully. Something seems off. He scrolled to the next picture and his eyes widened. Salem seemed incredibly sad. Hmm. The conversation looked like it was heavy.
"Kaiba?"
"Is Salem there with you? Put her on the phone, please." Kaiba demanded, closing the article.
"Fine."
Kaiba heard rustling on the other end of the line and Atem whispering indistinctly. He heard Salem give a loaded sigh before speaking.
"Tanin, if you don't want to walk funny all day then stop strapping the blue eyes white dildo on me and demanding that I fuck you raw." She deadpanned, earning a loud laugh from Atem who was now seated next to her.
Kaiba pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, Salem-ugh, did you...hang out with Te'a this morning? In public?"
"Oh, you saw the article. Yeah, they're really hyping up the 'Wives of Kaiba Corp.' It's a good thing Mokuba and Rebecca aren't still in town. It might have turned into a reality show." Salem said sarcastically.
Kaiba leaned back in his leather chair and smiled lightly. "Whatever you two were talking about seemed to be drama worthy."
"Yeah. Um, actually, you and I should talk when you get home." Salem said seriously.
Kaiba nodded to himself. "Is everything okay?"
"Well, the world certainly isn't ending, but it's something that needs to be discussed." Salem responded playfully.
"Alright then. We'll talk when I get home." Kaiba said glumly.
Kaiba sighed when the line clicked. He rubbed his temples and set his phone down on his desk.
She sounded sad… Kaiba thought, wondering what could possibly be on Salem's mind. I guess I'll find out tonight.
Te'a hummed happily as she washed the dishes. She hadn't told Yugi about her pregnancy yet, but she had a feeling that Salem was going to do the right thing for their newfound friendship. She had already put Yuna to bed and Yugi was upstairs getting ready to go to sleep as well.
She jumped when her cell phone buzzed repeatedly. She walked over to the kitchen table and became nervous when she saw the caller ID. It was Kaiba. Oh, Gods. It's happening.
"H-hello?" Te'a's voice was shaking.
"First, congratulations." Kaiba started.
"Thank y-"
"Second, where the hell do you get off faking 'little nice girl' with Salem in order to get her to talk to me about giving Yugi paid leave? Are you out of your fucking mind?!" Kaiba yelled. He knew he shouldn't scream at a pregnant woman but Te'a had gone too far.
Te'a scoffed. "Faking?! Salem and I were finally able to connect and you think I manipulated her with friendship?"
"No, I don't think you're smart enough to manipulate anyone. I think you used guilt. Which is the cheapest tatic to-"
"Kaiba, I really can't handle this right now. My guess is that your answer is no." Te'a said, rubbing her lower stomach.
"Well, I've decided that since Yugi's job is now on the line, he should be the one to ask me for the paid leave, don't you think? I mean he does know that you're with child, correct?" Kaiba questioned tactfully.
Te'a gulped and looked up at the ceiling as she heard Yugi walking around upstairs, blissfully unaware of the situation at hand.
"Put him on the phone, Te'a." Kaiba demanded.
Te'a's bottom lip quivered and tears streamed down her face. "He, um, doesn't know yet," she said between sobs.
"Okay, there's a couple different options you can choose from right now, Mrs. Mutou. The first one is, you tell Yugi what's going on and why you spoke to Salem today. The second is, I tell Yugi what you've been up to and you can explain the situation. Third, I fire Yugi for inappropriate conduct and you two can figure it out from there." Kaiba explained through gritted teeth.
Te'a sniffled and took a deep breath. "You wouldn't fire Yugi, Atem wouldn't forgive you."
"Oh I think he'd have more trouble forgiving you considering I'm the only reason why Yugi had the job in the first place and you're the one who stuck your nose where it didn't belong and cost him the best career of his lifetime." Kaiba spat back. "And the fact that you had the nerve to go to Salem-"
"Salem is going through so much and if you spent more time listening to her you wouldn't be calling my family to threaten a pregnant woman. She deserves more emotional-"
"You don't get to tell me about Salem like you've known her for years! You have no right to-"
"To stick up for her?" Te'a interrupted, hearing Yugi stomping down the stairs, "I have to go."
"Yeah, I bet you do." Kaiba growled, hanging up the phone.
Te'a took a deep breath and put her phone on the kitchen counter. Shit. This is bad.
"Te'a? Are you okay?" Yugi asked, walking up to his wife and wrapping his arms around her waist."Hey, what is it?" he asked again, pressing his lips into Te'a's shoulder.
Te'a kept her eyes down and gazed at the sink. She let out a shudder when she felt Yugi's hand trail down to her lower belly.
"Oh. Um." Yugi stuttered and backed away. He tilted his head. "Sweetheart, do you, um need to tell me something."
Yugi knew that Te'a had been acting strange lately, but the small bump on her stomach was beginning to explain things.
Te'a turned to face her husband, tears streaming down her face. "I-I"m…" she placed her hand on her stomach and hiccuped.
Yugi gasped and put his hands over his mouth. He didn't want to wake Yuna, "Te'a, this is, this is-"
Te'a sobbed and hiccuped. This was going to be so difficult.
"Amazing!" Yugi finished, pulling Te'a into a tight embrace. "Is this what's been bothering you?"
Te'a threw her hands around Yugi's shoulders and buried her head into his chest. "It was just so difficult last time, Yugi. I need you home. Is there any way-"
"Wait, what? For how long?" Yugi asked, completely confused. "Are you not feeling well?"
Te'a sighed as Yugi got a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water. He handed it to her and she took it from him with a small smile. She watched as he plopped down onto a nearby chair next to the table.
He rubbed his forehead and chuckled. "This is scary isn't it? I can't imagine how you must be feeling. Maybe we can look into daycare services-"
"I tried. I don't work, so most of those places want to save space for working mothers." Te'a responded, taking small sips of the water until it was all gone.
Yugi gazed at his wife and breathed out his nose slowly. "You know, I could probably move my schedule around. Maybe we could sign up for some classes. We didn't get to bond much while you were pregnant with Yuna but maybe there are things we can do to bond as a family." He thought aloud.
Te'a smiled. "Are you sure there isn't a way for you to take leave?" She asked, hoping her husband would at least consider the possibility of staying home.
Yugi sighed and shook his head. "How about, for now, I work with Kaiba about reduced hours or a schedule change and then when you're closer to having the baby, I can take leave? Kaiba will appreciate me having a plan in place before talking to him rather than just asking for a favor." He explained, reaching his hand out in the middle of the table.
Te'a tangled her hand in Yugi's and smiled. "Maybe, since Salem works from home, she can teach me how to cook during the day. That way Yuna and I can bond more too." She said, thinking that learning to cook would be a good way to cut down on some of the at-home stresses.
Yugi lips stretched into a wide grin. "That's a great idea! I'm glad you two were able to bury the hatchet!" he chuckled and shook his head. "I read that article about you two. 'The Lovely Wives of Kaiba Corp.." Rebecca's going to be upset that she wasn't included." He chuckled again.
Te'a laughed. "Yeah. Salem's actually very tame. She just has a low tolerance for bullshit."
"As if that was a secret." Yugi scoffed, and then paused for a brief moment before continuing, "Atem and I argued again. I just wish there was a way for all of us to reconnect as friends. Like when we'd have mini-tournaments."
Atem shuddered as Kaiba ran his tongue up and down the crimson-eyed king's shaft. "Fuck…" he moaned, rolling his hips up to meet Kaiba's lips. He gasped and whined when Kaiba enveloped him completely.
Kaiba hummed around Atem's member as he bobbed his head up and down. He noticed that Atem's body was more stiff than normal. He pulled away and sat back on his heels. "Hey, are you okay?"
He ran his hand up Atem's thigh as the former king sighed and sat up. He carded his fingers through his sweaty chestnut bangs.
Atem smiled sadly. "I just have a lot on my mind," he said, getting off of the plush bed and stepping into his black track pants and pulling them up around his waist.
Kaiba blinked and sighed internally. Oh. He guessed they were done. He understood that if Atem wasn't in the mood, it wasn't going to happen.
"Are you still upset about Yugi?" Kaiba asked, getting off of the bed and adjusting his slacks and button down shirt.
Atem nodded. "I feel like you, me, and Salem have gotten better since the therapy session, but everyone else is avoiding me." He vented, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I don't think you're the one they're avoiding." Kaiba chuckled, sitting next to Atem and wrapping an arm around his partner's slender waist.
They remained in a comfortable silence until Atem fell back onto the mattress with a light poof!
"I need to get something off my chest, Kaiba." Atem murmured, staring up at the back of Kaiba's head.
Kaiba stayed in his seated position and gazed at the soft carpet. "What is it?" he asked softly.
Atem took a deep breath. "Yugi said he believes you should be in prison. At first, I thought he was exaggerating but when I think back...I think he's right. But, that means that I belong in prison too. So would Joey. And, so would Salem." He explained, carefully watching Kaiba's form become rigid.
"Your point, Pharaoh?" Kaiba asked stiffly.
"Are we bad people? I've always thought of myself as a good person but looking back at the things I've done, specifically to you and to Salem, it just makes me wonder if I even deserve this life that you and Salem have given me." Atem said, his eyes becoming hot and watery.
Kaiba looked up from the carpet when he heard the door opening. He watched Salem saunter into the bedroom and give him a beautiful smile.
"What's going on?" she asked, seeing the awkward position the two men were in.
She walked closer to the bed and saw Atem's tear stained face. "Oh, Habibi, what's wrong?" she asked, concerned as she crawled onto the bed and cradled Atem's head in her lap.
"He feels as though his, um, our friends are avoiding us because we're bad people." Kaiba said, fully climbing onto the bed and sitting with his legs crossed to face his two lovers.
Salem tilted her head from side to side and shrugged, "Well, if that's how they feel, they're certainly entitled to their opinion, and they aren't exactly wrong." She started. "Everyone makes bad choices. If your friends had an opportunity to learn what it's really like to have to make extremely tough choices with even tougher consequences, I'm sure they'd see things from our perspective," she explained in her soft, velvety voice.
Atem sat up quickly with a large smile. "That's it!" he hopped off of the bed and snatched his phone off of the marble nightstand. He took his shirt from the floor and slipped it on as he ran out of the bedroom.
Kaiba and Salem sat alone, blinking at the door in confusion.
"What do you think he's planning?" Kaiba asked, gazing at Salem with a raised eyebrow.
Salem sighed and laid back against their abundance of goose feather pillows. "I'm not sure, but whatever it is, I know you and I aren't going to like it, mish kida?"
Kaiba laid next to Salem and gazed up at the ceiling. "Great."
Salem chuckled and turned over, snuggling herself against Kaiba's chest.
"Yeah. Great."
Thank you for reading and for your continued support!