new story alert. this piece takes place in aug. of 2017, just so that y'all have an accurate sense of time. enjoy my lovelies.
Can I?
Authored by: MadgeWriter
.i don't own yugioh!.
-1 -
Crimson eyes gazed disinterestedly at the digital document from his brother, his cheek resting against his fist as he slouched in his office chair. Yami Sennen was, for lack of a better word, bored as hell. This was the fifth proposal his brother had forwarded to him to review, give his opinion on before a final decision was made between the two of them. Sennen Corp. was one of the largest international software engineering businesses, and everyone wanted to get their hands on a piece of it. And being co-CEO alongside his twin brother, it was up to the two of them to make decisions that would best benefit the company. And this proposal… wasn't one of them.
"Slouching like that creates bad posture, Yami," a male voice said suddenly.
Yami glanced up, noting that his brother had walked into his office. He quickly sat up, pushing away from his desk, and rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. "Yeah well, when you're reading over the driest proposal ever, you tend to want to fall asleep, which causes slouching. This one's going to be a no go for me, just like the other four. If anyone really wants to do any type of business with Sennen Corp., they're going to have to give us more than what they've been offering, Atem."
"Good, I was worried you would actually consider any of them," his brother teased, the corner of his mouth lifting into a half smile. "I'll draw up the declination letter and send it to you for review in the morning. Look over it and tell me if there's anything we should add or take out, then I'll send it off. For now, though, it's after five and we both have children to get home to."
Yami nodded, standing from his desk as he shut the computer down. He quickly dawned his blazer before grabbing his briefcase. "Hikari is probably running her aunt up the wall by now. Doesn't help that Heba joins in on the action. Those two take after us, after all."
"Mana can handle it," Atem commented offhandedly as he and his brother walked out of the office, Yami closing the door behind them. "She's an overgrown kid herself, after all."
Yami chuckled, his sister-in-law had always been an overgrown child ever since he could remember. It was one of the things he loved about her. She always kept his brother on his toes with her antics. One never knew when Hurricane Mana would come through and pull the ultimate prank on the elder twin. "And I don't foresee that changing any time soon."
"Neither do I," Atem agreed, pressing the down button on the elevator. The doors opened instantly before the two were walking into the car. "Mahad did tell me I was marrying a grown child when we got married. He also mentioned that she would never change so I've prepared myself for that." He pressed the button for the motor lobby before turning to look at his brother again. "Yami, when do you plan to start dating again?"
The question was so out of the blue, Yami couldn't formulate a single coherent thought. He and his ex-wife had just finalized their divorce only six months prior, and his brother already wanted him to get out and start dating again? "Not any time soon. I refuse to open myself up to someone and let them use me the way Midori did."
Atem nodded his head in understanding. He could understand why his brother was so hesitant. His ex-wife was a snake, having gotten with him simply for a payday. And the poor fool had fell for it. He'd been genuinely in love with her, while she'd done nothing but play a game. At least he'd had the sense to listen to him when Atem told him to get a prenuptial agreement drawn up in the event that something did happen. Atem hadn't trusted her from the moment he met Midori. They'd only been married for a year and a half when Yami discovered that she'd been cheating on him with various men (and some women) throughout the duration of their relationship from start to finish.
"If I happen to cross paths with someone whom I feel I can trust, I will try," Yami continued as they walked off the elevator. "But, I'm not actively looking for someone to share, not only my life, but Hikari's life with at the moment. Neither one of us need to invest time and feelings into someone only for them to pull the same stunt Midori did in the end."
"Understandable," Atem said, pressing the unlock key on his key fob before opening the car door. "The last thing I want you to do, is rush into something and get your heart broken all over again. We've been through that once already and I don't want to have to endure that kind of mess a second time over. Especially not so soon after the last ordeal. You're not the most pleasant when dealing with heartbreak."
Yami snorted, "If you think you don't want to deal with it, how do you think I feel. I mean, you are the twin that's happily married and have been married for the last seven years." He pressed the unlock button on his own key fob before opening the door to the black 2017 Maserati Quattroporte. "While I'm the one that's already been divorced and currently a single father."
"Point taken," Atem chuckled, stepping into his car and closing the door behind him. Yami heard the engine start before the window rolled down. "But, it won't always be that way. You'll eventually find someone that will love you for you, not your assets." He paused when his phone buzzed, gazing down at the text message from his wife. "In the meantime, we should get going. Mana's started dinner and invited yourself and Hikari to stay and eat."
"I'll follow you then," Yami said before he disappeared into his car.
Atem waited until he heard the engine to the Maserati start before pulling out of the parking space and making his way out of the garage, Yami following close behind. The conversation between himself and his brother continued to play over in his head. Midori had completely broken his brother's trust to the point that it would take a lot to re-mend it. And Atem wondered, honestly, would he ever find someone that he would be willing to give his heart to and allow her to put the pieces back together.
The Sennen brothers arrived at Atem's home half an hour later, Yami parking behind his brother in the long driveway before they were both exiting their cars. Yami followed his brother into the home, both discarding their shoes at the door before walking through the foyer to the living room where their children were sitting down, watching a children's learning program on the television. Atem could hear his wife in the kitchen, pots and pans clinking as she finished up dinner for the evening. The moment the children heard their fathers enter, the TV was long forgotten and they were running at them full speed, launching themselves in their awaiting arms.
"Daddy," Heba said, grinning bright at her father who lifted her off her feet the same time his brother had done with her cousin, "You're home! I missed you!"
"I missed you too, little one," Atem said, hugging her close.
"Are we staying for dinner, Daddy," Hikari asked, looking up at her father expectantly.
Yami chuckled, rubbing his nose against his daughter's. "Of course, we are. Aunt Mana invited us to stay and eat, then we'll head home."
"Yay!" Hikari shouted happily, grinning at her father just as Mana walked out of the kitchen.
"Good, you boys are home," Mana said, drying her hands on a kitchen towel before opening her arms to take Hikari and Heba. "Dinner's ready, give me the girls and go wash your hands so that we can sit down and eat." Each twin handed over their daughter to the Egyptian woman before she was making her way into the kitchen again. "C'mon girls, we'll get the table set while we wait for your daddies to come back."
"Okay!" both Hikari and Heba chimed in unison.
Yami chuckled, nudging his brother with his elbow, "C'mon, you know how your wife gets when we take too long to do anything. She's very impatient. And besides, dinner smells delicious and I just realized I didn't eat lunch today."
Atem rolled his eyes, following his brother to the bathroom. He washed his hands first before moving out of the bathroom again to allow Yami access to the sink. "I've told you about skipping lunch."
"I was too busy reading those extra dry proposals to notice I didn't eat," Yami pointed out, drying his hands on the towel his brother offered him before hanging it back on the towel rack.
.cani?.
The Next Day
Yami pulled into the parking space, cutting the engine of his car before he was stepping out of the Maserati and closing the door again. He'd decided he would go to the local Starbucks to grab coffee and something to eat lest his brother yell at him again about not eating something. He walked into the lobby, making his way to the counter to place his order. The teenager behind the register typed his order in before taking his name and assuring him it would be right out after he'd paid and left a tip for her.
He walked away from the counter to allow the next person behind him to order, heading to the end of the store where the hand-off plane was to wait for his items. His phone had buzzed in his pocket, notifying him of a new text message. He pulled the iPhone 7 Plus from his pocket, unlocking the phone to open the text from his brother. He replied quickly before his head shot up at the sound of his name being called.
He grabbed the drink and food before thanking the barista and moving to head out of the door. He hadn't been paying attention, his focus back on his phone as he reached the door. If he had, he would have seen the woman that was entering just as he was leaving before he slammed straight into her. He dropped his coffee, the hot liquid spilling all over the carpet that had been set in front of the main entrance. Thankfully, none of it had gotten on him. Or her, from what he could tell.
"I'm so sorry," he heard the woman say as she stooped down to pick the fallen coffee cup up. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and ran straight into you. Are you okay?"
Yami finally looked at the woman, taken aback by her beauty. She was quite a bit shorter than he was, standing at maybe five feet, eight inches thanks to the heels that she wore. She sported long, waist length tri-coloured hair that had been pulled into a ponytail at the nape of her neck; the platinum blonde fringe coming dangerously close to covering her left eye. She had a nice figure; he could see the voluptuous swell of her hips and breast through the curve hugging navy dress she wore. Not that he was really looking that hard, he wasn't a creep, dammit. However, it was her eyes that captivated him the most. They were a beautiful, deep shade of amethyst. He swallowed thickly, heat rising in his face when he realized that she'd asked him if he was alright and he'd yet to answer. "I'm fine, are you alright?"
"Totally fine, didn't get any coffee on me at all, either," she answered, standing up straight again once she'd retrieved the fallen coffee cup. She fixed her dress before she'd offered a small smile, her head tilted to the side. "I'll buy you another coffee to replace the one I made you drop. It's the least I can do."
"It's really not necessary…" Yami protested.
"I insist," the woman said glancing down at the cup, reading the sticker. "Blonde americano with three pumps caramel and heavy cream, got it. I'll be right back."
Yami watched her walk away as he stepped to the side to allow incoming customers access to the doorway. It really hadn't been necessary for her to buy him another coffee. He could have gotten it himself. But, she'd insisted that she buy him another to replace the one he'd dropped, and he couldn't exactly stop her from doing it. She'd walked off before he could protest any further.
A baffling, but interesting woman, Yami decided before she was standing beside him once more only minutes later.
She held out the coffee for him to take, which he did before she smiled. "Sorry about that, again. I'll have to make sure I'm paying better attention to where I'm going next time."
And then she was gone, leaving Yami to stare after her as she disappeared into a black 2017 BMW x5 that had been parked right in front of the door. He decided then, once the coast was clear, that he would leave, glancing down at the coffee cup in his hand. He noted the name on the sticker and assumed it to be hers. Muto Yūgi, it read. And he wondered, honestly, if he would ever see her again. That thought stuck with him the entire way back to the office.