Chapter Three

The cursor on the search bar blinked. Keys clicked.

Optic nerve repair

A spinning wheel. Links filled the screen. Clicks of a mouse. Words and pictures flashed across in blacks and whites and medical diagrams.

"Hn."

The cursor on the search bar blinked.

Experimental treatment for optic nerve damage

Speculations. Projections. Nothing that could happen now.

The cursor on the search bar blinked.

A pen snapped in a tense hand. Ink blotted on white cloth.

"Fuck."

When Kaiba passed Yugi's room, he heard two voices within.

"Joey, I can't impose on you like that," Yugi insisted. "Grandpa is one thing. I thank you for that. But… I'm a different story. I don't want to put you through that."

"You'll have a nurse. It'll be fine."

Exasperation, tight and tired. "I don't even think I can afford one." A sigh. "I'm not going to allow you to shoulder the burden of both of us."

"Listen, I'm not offerin', I'm tellin' you that you're stayin' with me, Yug'. I can't handle the thought of ya homeless. Okay? You gave me a place when I was in a rough patch. I want to return the favor."

Kaiba kept walking.

"Seto…" Mokuba began at dinner.

Seto raised a brow. "Mokuba." He chewed slowly on a piece of steak.

"We have a lot of room. A lot of extra space," Mokuba began, words slow and hesitant.

Seto set his fork down. Stared at his plate.

"I mean, we have a bunch of rooms no one even goes in," Mokuba continued, almost ranting. "It's honestly wasteful."

Seto sipped his wine. "Your point?"

Mokuba's shoulders drooped. "Yugi doesn't really have anywhere to go."

"Isn't Wheeler taking them in?" Seto said, monotonous. It barely sounded like a question

"Yeah, but he lives in a one-bedroom apartment! There's barely enough room for Joey in there, let alone two more people!"

"Mokuba, lower your voice."

"Sorry. I just… I just keep thinking about the orphanage. Those bunk beds."

Seto nodded. He remembered well, if not better. He and Mokuba ended up sharing the cramped top bunk at some point.

"I can't stand the thought of that happening to someone. Especially Yugi. He doesn't deserve it."

Seto thought of that blank violet stare. "It's true that we have more than enough room to take in both Yugi and his grandfather," Seto conceded. "But that doesn't mean he would accept charity from us." From me.

You don't have time for pity.

Mokuba frowned and fell silent. He knew Seto was right.

Seto looked back down at his plate. He set his fork to the side.

Mokuba prodded some broccoli. "I mean, it doesn't have to be 'charity,' does it?"

Seto started, looked back up.

Mokuba had a point.

A nurse was leaving Yugi's room, the door closed, when Kaiba arrived. He tilted his head toward it, eyebrows raised inquisitively.

"He's changing clothes for discharge," she explained. "He'll be pressing his call button when he's done."

Kaiba nodded and stood close to the wall, arms crossed, folder tucked to his side. While he waited, Sugoroku and Joseph Wheeler came ambling down the hall.

He stiffened.

"The hell you doin' here, moneybags?" Wheeler started, already bristled.

Kaiba lazily spun a circle in the air with his hand. "You do realize this is my hospital, right? I might have underestimated the level of your stupidity for once."

Wheeler looked close to lunging. Then, his face went blank. "Wait, are you saying you normally overestimate it?"

Kaiba arched a brow. "No. I normally guess it right on the mark. But, don't get me wrong, the mark is usually very high on the stupidity scale."

A growl, but then the nurse was walking between them. "Excuse me, gentlemen."

Kaiba immediately stepped back, but Wheeler was a bit slower, glaring as he backed away.

The nurse opened the door.

Yugi was sitting on the edge of the bed. He stared at them as they entered. He was wearing a baggy button-up shirt, clearly too big for him, and a similar pair of sweatpants.

Kaiba guessed they belonged to a certain mangy mutt. His eyebrow twitched.

Kaiba glanced at the shirt again and frowned. "Yugi…"

Yugi's eyes blinked wider. "Kaiba?"

"Yugi, your buttons are uneven," Kaiba informed.

Yugi's cheeks blossomed beet red. He grabbed at the hem of his shirt.

"Jesus, Kaiba, way to fucking embarrass him," Wheeler hissed.

Kaiba crossed his arms. "Better to have one of us point it out than to have him walking around like that. Much more embarrassing for him, I would think."

"You're right, Kaiba," Yugi said quietly. "Thank you."

"Hn." Kaiba turned his back, politely looked away so Yugi could adjust his clothing, even if Yugi wouldn't be able to tell either way. "Why didn't you choose a pull-over? A T-shirt or something," he asked gruffly.

"His burn is still healing, moron," Wheeler snapped.

Kaiba rolled his eyes.

Right. The stretch to pull something over his head might have been incredibly painful.

"Joey, don't be so rude," Yugi said. Kaiba could still hear fabric rustling.

Wheeler made an indignant sound, like a child reprimanded. Which was very accurate, Kaiba concluded. "He started it!"

Sugoroku finally chipped in, "Actually, young man, you started it when you quite rudely asked him 'what the hell are you doing here.'"

Yugi clucked his tongue. "This is his hospital."

Kaiba snorted. "That's what I told him."

Yugi chuckled, and then there was a beat of silence. "Umm…" Yugi started, sounding sheepish and nervous. "Can someone help me?"

Kaiba looked over his shoulder. Yugi's shirt was correctly buttoned, and he still sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the floor. His face was a vivid red.

"I don't think I can walk out of here on my own."

They walked down the hall. Joey and Sugoroku both had a hand on one of Yugi's shoulders, and they guided him through the hospital's corridors. Kaiba trailed behind for once. The folder felt thick in his hands.

When they made it to the front desk and Sugoroku was signing the discharge papers, Kaiba addressed Yugi.

"Yugi, there is something I need to discuss with you." He cut a glare to Wheeler, who was listening to their conversation. "In private."

Yugi smiled, looking vaguely in the direction of Kaiba's face. "Yeah, sure."

Wheeler set a hand on Yugi's shoulder again. "I don't know about this, Yug'."

Yugi frowned. "It's fine, Joe." He focused his attention on Kaiba again. He gave a small smile, almost a grimace. "You'll have to lead the way."

Kaiba hesitantly set a hand on Yugi's shoulder. It felt so small under Kaiba's palm. "We'll go to the cafeteria. Hungry?"

Yugi laughed. "Famished."

"Good." Kaiba gently nudged him forward, steered him by the hand on his shoulder.

He suddenly wondered if he'd ever touched Yugi before.

He banished the thought, instead focused on pacing himself correctly so Yugi wouldn't stumble. "I've personally seen to it that every dish, no matter how small, is of acceptable quality."

Yugi's voice was thick with amusement. "If it meets your standards of 'acceptable,' it must cost a pretty penny."

"Not really. You can still make good food out of inexpensive ingredients," Kaiba said, lip twitching with a ghost of a smile. His arm ached from the awkward angle at which he held it. "This position is not comfortable for my arm. I'm going to move my hand to your back."

Yugi nodded.

Kaiba shifted his hand to the small of Yugi's back. The curve of it felt much more comfortable against Kaiba's palm. He steered him into the cafeteria and guided him to a small table. Kaiba pulled out a chair. He gently took Yugi's hand in his and set it on the back of the seat.

"Thank you," Yugi said quietly.

"Hn." Kaiba looked over to the counter. The people there stared at him. Most of them had never seen the head honcho in person before. "What do you want to eat?"

"Um, a chicken sandwich is fine." Yugi dig around in the pocket of his sweatpants. "Here-"

"Put that away," Kaiba growled. "I'll be right back."

Yugi managed to eat his sandwich pretty well, but Kaiba reasoned that he'd had a decent amount of practice for that. They sat in silence, and Kaiba nursed a coffee strong enough to knock anybody else flat on their asses. Yugi made little hums of enjoyment as he ate, and Kaiba's lip twitched.

Yugi balled up the wrapper. His other hand carefully sought out the tray on the table. Kaiba nudged it forward until Yugi's fingers brushed it.

A smile. Yugi laughed.

Kaiba thought for a moment how much like the Pharaoh Yugi was starting to look as he got older.

But still the edges were soft, the eyes, though sightless, still so warm.

"Thanks for lunch," Yugi said, and he took a sip of his water.

"Hn." Kaiba pushed the tray to the side. He set the folder on the table.

Yugi's brows furrowed. "What is it you wanted to discuss?"

Kaiba took a deep, silent breath through his nose. "I would like to offer you a position at KaibaCorp."

"What?" Yugi asked, hand tightening rhythmically on the edge of the table. His disbelief was palpable.

"I hardly think I need to repeat myself."

"I… can't see, Kaiba," Yugi began. "Hell, I can't even read. There's nothing I can do for you," Yugi said, eyes downcast.

Kaiba's hand rested on top of the folder, and his finger began to tap rapidly. "You don't need to be able to see or read to do promotional events. Photoshoots, product endorsements, attending corporate events."

Yugi shook his head. "People aren't going to take my product endorsements seriously if I can't use them."

Kaiba snorted. "You'd be surprised." He drummed his fingers. "And as to being able to read… I'm extending to you exclusive employee privileges and benefits." He started counting off on his fingers, though Yugi wouldn't be able to see it. "An instructor who will teach you Braille, health insurance to cover any medical costs you might accrue - be it present ones or expenses for a nurse or caretaker, and, last but not least, quality housing for you and your grandfather."

Yugi's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"I'd like to note that Mokuba directly requested that you take up residence at the Kaiba manor until other plans are arranged," Kaiba added quietly.

"Kaiba…" Yugi began, "That's… that's too much to ask of you…"

Kaiba leaned back, crossed his arms. "You aren't asking anything of me. I'm not handing anything to you. You're going to work for it, Yugi."

Yugi shook his head, touched his forehead with a shaking hand. "I-I appreciate the offer, but, I already have living arrangements."

Kaiba scoffed. "Three people in a one-bedroom apartment. That's not going to work. Wheeler's food costs are going to triple. He can't support you on his own. Your grandfather will have to get a job. Who knows if anyone would even be willing to hire someone his age." Kaiba leaned forward. "I would advise you to get a job, but as you said… you can't even read."

Yugi's head snapped away. Tears glistened in his eyes. "I… I know…"

"I'm not trying to pressure you into this. Your life is yours to live. Just know that this opportunity exists," Kaiba reached forward, held Yugi's hand, and placed the folder in his grasp. "Here is the paperwork, all the contracts, even some pamphlets for people to get you… better adjusted to your new life. There is a card in there for a lawyer. Your grandfather or - god forbid - Wheeler can call her and she will be right over to go over all the documents, one-by-one." He pulled his hand away, rested back in the chair. "Most importantly, take your time making this decision. This opportunity will not expire."

A slight nod of Yugi's head. "Okay." His hands held the folder with utmost care. Like it was something about to break.

Or a bomb about to go off.

Kaiba felt his lips tighten. "Let's go, before Wheeler decides it's time to sniff us out and hunt us down."

Kaiba stood. So did Yugi, though slower.

Kaiba guided him back to the lobby.

"What do you have there, Yug'?" Joey asked as they walked out of the hospital.

"I… I'm not sure…" Yugi murmured.

Yugi looked over his shoulder. But with all the colors blurring together, he couldn't tell if Kaiba was standing there anymore.

He hugged the folder to his chest. "I'm not sure."

END PART