To people unfamiliar with the phrase "not going to cut it," it means that something isn't enough to get the job done. For example, "If that's your best, your best isn't going to cut it."
Chapter Seven
Seto had to fly to New York City for a conference.
On the flight, he thought about the one subject that seemed to be perpetually on his mind.
Yugi.
The scenario just two nights before unsettled him.
What if he hadn't come home late? What if Yugi had been stranded on that staircase all night? After all, Yugi was far too polite (if not a little too proud), to call for help; he wouldn't want to wake up the other people in the house.
And that made Seto think even more.
What about when Yugi needed to go out in public? Seto knew he was going a little stir crazy. The physical therapy and Braille lessons had all but ceased, and KaibaCorp didn't need photoshoots and product endorsements all too often.
Michael had volunteered to be Yugi's personal escort, but Seto knew that that still wasn't enough independence to satisfy his former rival's desires.
He had to look at other options.
There had to be something.
"Woah, Yug', you got quite the beard going down! You're startin' to look like your grandpa!" Joey exclaimed.
It'd been a week or two since last they saw each other; Joey downright refused to visit the Kaiba manor, so Yugi had to all but beg Michael to drive him into town to spend time with Joey.
Yugi blinked, touched his jaw. Sure enough, what had been stubble was coarser, thicker, and longer now. "Huh. When I do photoshoots for KaibaCorp, the stylists normally give me a shave as well."
Left unattended, Yugi could grow facial hair to rival the best of them (it may take a while to grow out, but what it lacked in speed in made up for in general thickness). Joey had always been envious of it.
"You don't shave yourself?" Joey sounded incredulous.
Yugi lifted his shoulders almost to his ears. "I mean, I don't really notice. I don't look at myself in the mirror every morning anymore. I don't even think to shave."
"It's not like… sensitive?"
Yugi shook his head. "Not really."
"Huh. Mine gets sensitive when it grows out."
"Nope. It's only sensitive when it's stubble," Yugi murmured, rubbing his jaw again. It was maybe half an inch long, from the feel of it.
"I really hate you sometimes. Why does a shrimp like you have better facial hair than a guy like me?"
Yugi chuckled. "Genetics. My grandpa has a great beard, and, apparently, so did my dad."
"Well, you look fucking weird. You should definitely shave it off when you get the chance."
Yugi stuck his tongue out. "You're just envious of my superior beard-growing abilities."
"No, you're just startin' to look like a wild man, Yug'."
Yugi touched his hair. It, too, was getting long… but he didn't mind that so much. It was actually starting to get weighed down now; it didn't stick up quite like it used to.
He thought about it. It'd been since before the fire that he got it trimmed. A couple of months now.
He touched his beard again, and thought about Seto's fingers on his chin. Skin on skin.
Yeah, the beard had to go.
Seto looked around the penthouse at the New York City KaibaCorp location.
He gritted his teeth so hard he thought he heard his molars crack.
The staircase to the second level had no railing. The living area was lower than the rest of the first level by about two feet. There were only two small sets of steps leading down to it; everywhere else was just a ledge. A dangerous ledge.
Yugi wouldn't last two minutes in this place, cane or no.
Seto growled, ran a hand through his hair.
Time to redecorate.
Yugi lathered the foam onto his damp face. His hair was haphazardly tied back. Carefully, he rubbed the foam into any place he felt an undue amount of facial hair. He blew out a breath slowly, picked up one of the disposable razors he had somehow convinced Michael to get for him. (It felt more like pulling teeth than trying to get everyday hygienic products.)
The moment of truth.
Slowly, carefully, he drew the razor up his neck. It didn't go more than two inches before it stopped cutting the thick hair. He could feel the difference, and lowered the razor to rinse it off in his sink. He went back to trying to shave. This was going to take forever.
And then he nicked himself.
He hissed. "Son of a bitch." He reflexively touched the spot. It stung. He was probably bleeding a little.
He heard a knock on his bedroom door. "Come in!" The door opened, and he could tell based on the length of the strides that it was Seto. His grin made his cheeks hurt. "How was New York?"
A grunt. Yugi could see a long, lean lump of color hovering near what he knew was the doorway to the bathroom.
"Yugi, what the hell are you doing?"
Yugi waved the razor around before he rinsed it off. "Shaving." He lifted the razor back to his neck. "Don't want to walk around looking like my grandpa." Another nick. He hissed.
Seto growled. "Stop."
"No, I can't stop. I already started," Yugi replied, frowned in Seto's direction. "I'd look like an idiot."
Seto grumbled, "Who even cares what you look like…"
Yugi rolled his eyes, oddly… flattered. Did that mean Seto liked him for his personality? (Kaiba couldn't deny liking Yugi; after all, how many people could claim that they received nighttime snuggles from the one and only Seto Kaiba? He didn't hand those out to everyone.)
"Okay, well, you can either leave, or you can help me shave. Because if you stand there and keep bitching at me, I will cut you."
Seto actually laughed.
No mocking, superior derision. No maniacal cackles. A genuine laugh, low and rumbling.
Yugi blinked, cheeks warm. What he wouldn't give to have seen it.
"A laugh out of the Seto Kaiba? What has the world come to…" Yugi murmured, the corners of his own lips tipping up.
"I've never heard you swear before," Seto said, voice still thick and wobbling with amusement. "And having you threaten me with a disposable shaving razor feels like having a kitten spit at me."
Yugi pouted. "Hey…" he held the razor out towards the gangly shape that was Seto. "Shave me or leave, asshole."
A splutter, restrained chuckles. But cool fingertips brushed Yugi's hand, and the razor was pulled from his grasp.
"Chin up," Seto murmured, suddenly closer. Through the smell of shaving cream, Yugi could detect Seto's scent: warm and earthy and a little spicy. The same scent that had stained his blankets and pillows until Anna had changed them out for cleaning. He took a deep breath, huffed as much as that scent as he could now. It percolated into his lungs in silky tendrils.
Yugi did as instructed, and Seto inched forward. Yugi could feel his warmth now.
A hesitant, slender hand settled on the side of Yugi's neck. Seto's fingers were so long they nearly wrapped around the back of his neck. Yugi felt his eyes fall shut, reveled in that cool, tender touch.
The razor set gently against his skin, and then it was dragging up, against the grain of the hair. The sharp metal caught and cut until it was gliding uselessly along the foamy hairs.
Seto grunted. "This isn't going to work. Why is your hair so thick?"
Yugi chortled. "Genetics." He listened as Seto rinsed the blade off. "And yeah, that razor isn't going to cut it." He paused, grinned stupidly. "Both literally and figuratively."
Another laugh, and Yugi beamed brighter.
"I'll get you an electric razor," Seto replied. "But for now, we'll make do with this." Before long, he was tossing the razor, dulled by Yugi's brutal facial hair, and pulling a new one out of the package. "How the hell did you manage to shave this shit before?"
Yugi lifted a shoulder. "I shaved it when in was just stubble, before it got too out of hand. Only every couple days or so."
Seto grunted quietly.
Curiosity bubbled up in Yugi's chest. "How often do you shave?"
A beat a silence. "About once a week." He brushed a fingertip along Yugi's foamy jaw. "And it doesn't come in half as thick as this."
Yugi smirked. "Yet another thing I've got you beat in."
Seto snorted. "Don't get too cocky. At least I can groom myself on my own."
Yugi's neck was finally done, and his breath caught in his throat when Seto's hand shifted to grip him better to shave his jaw. His thumb was pressed just under Yugi's chin. "Hey, I could've done it all by myself."
"Yeah, after turning yourself into mincemeat."
"I would not have," Yugi murmured, lips barely moving as the razor dragged over his skin.
"You were well on your way when I got here," Seto replied. The slight breeze of his breath wafted down onto Yugi's face.
Yugi hummed, basked in the closeness and Seto's gentle hand on him. With less of the shaving cream cloying his senses, he could more fully enjoy Seto's comforting scent.
He blinked hazily. It made him a little sleepy.
They fell into a comfortable silence, filled only by the rasp of the razor and the occasional gurgling of the drain.
They were nearly done; Seto was carefully cutting away the hair above Yugi's upper lip, his other hand holding Yugi's chin between forefinger and thumb, and Seto broke the silence.
"Have you considered a seeing-eye dog?"
Yugi forced his eyes open. If he could see, he was sure his vision would still be bleary. "Yeah, I've thought about it, but I didn't think you'd want an animal in your expensive house."
Hair and nails and slobber.
Seto was silent, but the rustling of clothing suggested that his shoulders shrugged. Water running, splashing as Seto rinsed the razor off. "I mean, I wouldn't mind it. I like animals, believe it or not."
Yugi snorted.
"Mokuba had a dog. His name was Steve," Seto said.
Yugi spluttered, choked on surprised laughter. "Steve?"
Seto chuckled. "Mokuba isn't all that creative." He tilted Yugi's head about with a firm grip, looked for any places he might've missed. He didn't think, didn't pause when he began to tactilely investigate the smooth, wet planes of Yugi's face and neck.
Yugi's breath caught, eyelids fluttering as Seto inadvertently caressed him. "What…" he huffed out a contented breath. "What happened to Steve?"
Seto touched up a spot under his jaw. "He was a sickly dog. A rescue from a puppy mill. Disgustingly inbred. We had donated to the shelter, and they'd sent us photos of the animals the money was going to aid. The instant Mokuba laid eyes on the photo of that frail puppy…" Seto wiped off the remains of shaving cream from Yugi's face. "Well, let's just say that the rest is history."
Yugi smelt as well as heard when Seto cracked open the aftershave.
"He was a good dog," Seto said quietly, and he rubbed his wet hands on Yugi's throat and cheeks. The cooling-burning effect of the substance soothed the irritation from the shave.
Yugi leaned into the touch. "So, you wouldn't mind, is what I'm hearing."
Seto turned away. The faucet running. He was rinsing his hands. "I wouldn't mind. In fact, I'm encouraging it. I…" The knobs squeaking. The gurgling of the drain. Seto was silent a moment. "I don't want what happened last week to happen again."
Yugi froze. That night, a lot of things had happened, and Yugi couldn't be sure to what Seto was referring.
"What if…" Seto began again, "What if I hadn't come home late?" A slow breath. "You would have been stranded on those fucking stairs all night."
Yugi lowered his gaze, stared at the blur of white that was the bathroom floor. "I've thought about that as well."
Seto sighed, and the aura of his body heat moved closer again. His hand cupped Yugi's cheek, tilted his head back up. "But it's not just about that, either. It's about your independence in general."
Yugi nodded, and the motion had Seto's palm brushing his cheek.
Yugi breathed out softly, cautiously edge closer, carefully wrapped an arm around Seto. Seto embraced him. And as Yugi inhaled that comforting scent, he thanked anyone out there that was listening for letting Seto be a part of his life.
So Seto arranged an appointment with an agency that trained guide dogs. He stood at Yugi's shoulder, let Yugi guide himself into the place.
Yugi met several of the dogs, some only untrained puppies.
"And this is Sebastian," the woman said.
The clicking of nails on the tile floors.
"Sebastian is a golden retriever and German shepherd mix," Lacey, the representative, mentioned off-handedly.
Yugi smiled and watched the mottled blond smear trot closer. A huff of hot, wet air on Yugi's hand. Yugi reached forward, gently set his hand on top of the dog's head. Soft, silky fur, ears that perked up with interest. The dog sat still, let Yugi pet him, then, when Yugi proffered his hand for another sniff, a gentle tongue lapped at his palm.
He felt the dog turn away, the brush of a furry, muscular flank on his leg, and then pressure on his foot.
A tail thumped between his feet.
Sebastian sat right on his feet.
Yugi laughed, and he reached forward to scratch behind one of those perky ears.
Seto and Lacey exchanged glances.
Yugi may not have chosen a dog, but a dog certainly chose him.
"So, you have to train with this dog for, like, four months?" Joey asked, took a loud, slurping sip of his drink.
Yugi nodded. "Yes, but he has to finish his own training first. Then we train together with supervision, and then he can live with us." Joey was silent, and Yugi frowned. "What's wrong?"
"I mean… It's nothing, I guess," Joey mumbled.
Yugi shrugged. "You can tell me what's on your mind."
"I guess it's just weird that you're so familiar with Kaiba and everything. You said 'live with us.'"
Yugi smiled, "Well, yeah, I literally live with him now. I'm going to get a little more familiar with him. And my statement was by no means inaccurate. Sebastian isn't going to be living with just me."
"I guess," Joey murmured. A beat of silence. "Nice shave, though. It looks a lot better now."
Yugi grinned, ran a hand along his jaw. It just barely stubbly again. "Thanks."
"How'd you manage it?"
Yugi's amusement bubbled up and out of his throat, and he snickered to himself. "I didn't."
He could all but hear Joey's confusion.
"I didn't manage it. Seto did."
"Seto."
"Yeah, he helped me," Yugi replied, cautiously lifted his water to his lips.
"Seto helped you."
"That's what I said."
"Wow, when I said 'familiar,' I didn't realize you were on a first-name basis with him," Joey said, and his tone was decidedly snappish.
"Well, he's always called me by my first name," Yugi replied, and he felt himself bristle a little.
"Humph."
"Look, Joey, he's been really helpful, compassionate, and considerate." Yugi shook his head. "I don't even what to know what would have happened to me if I hadn't accepted his help." Yugi lifted a shoulder. "We've become close, and if you can't handle that, I really don't know what to tell you, Joey."
Joey snorted again, and Yugi felt his shoulders sag with disappointment.
Seto had come to sit next to Yugi on the veranda again. In the languid warmth of the evening sun, Yugi's eyes felt heavy with sleep.
"Joey's mad at me," Yugi murmured, turned his face slightly towards Seto.
Seto grunted. "What did you do?" Though it seemed that it didn't take much to incite Wheeler's anger.
"I called you 'Seto,'" Yugi replied, his eyebrow furrowing lightly. It had soured Joey's mood for the rest of their time together. Seto remained silent, but Yugi kept his face turned towards him. He blinked slowly. "I didn't know what to tell him."
"You don't have to tell him anything. How you decide to refer to people is none of his business,' Seto rumbled.
Yugi sighed. "I know. But I don't want to lose him over something like this."
"If he drifts away from you because of it, then he really wasn't much of a friend, was he?" Seto replied quietly.
To both of them, it felt like the conversation was layered with double meanings.
Yugi let his brows furrow tighter as his eyes drifted closed. "But…" and he trailed off, then sighed again. "I guess you're right. 'The ones that matter don't mind,' right?"
"Of course I'm right," and then Seto's thumb was rubbing between Yugi's brows, smoothing out the wrinkles and the tension there. Then his hand slid, tickled Yugi's skin, and it cupped his cheek, the pad of his tumb brushing Yugi's cheekbone.
Yugi hummed out a breath, leaned into that touch, laid his smaller hand over Seto's.
He tangled their fingers together. Seto gave his hand a barely-perceptible squeeze, but Yugi's lips still tilted into a sweet smile.
Wheeler picked up on the second ring.
"Is your head up your ass for the warmth?" Kaiba immediately snapped.
"Kaiba!" Wheeler snarled back, "How the hell did you get my number?"
"You're as dense as ever," Kaiba growled. "I own a multi-billion dollar tech company. Getting your number is relatively simple."
"Whatever. What the hell do you want? Remember that I can hang up on you at any moment."
Blue eyes rolled. "Likewise." He huffed indignantly. "You're being an idiot. Not surprising, all things considering-"
"-Kaiba-"
"- but I really didn't expect you to let your stupidity hurt Yugi."
"... What?"
Kaiba felt his lip curl up into a snarl. "You heard me."
"I don't see how that's any of your business -"
"Look, Yugi spent most of yesterday moping around the house like some angsty teenager. It was distracting, and it affected my productivity. That made it my business. I don't like people moping around my house." Especially Yugi. "You keep hurting his feelings, and I'm just getting sick of it." Joey inhaled, as if to speak again, but Kaiba plowed on. "You refuse to visit him simply because of where he lives, and now you shun him because of even more asinine reasons." Kaiba snorted derisively. "I remember being on the receiving end of several of your bonds of friendship lectures, and, I must say, you do not practice what you preach, Wheeler."
"You can't-"
"I've said my peace," Kaiba interrupted, and then he hung up.
He sighed and rubbed his forehead. A tension headache was swirling around the lobes of his brain. He huffed out another breath, as if the exhale would exorcise some of the pain.
"Yugi should be glad I love him…" He grumbled to himself.
And then he froze.
And then he sagged in his seat, head tilted back.
His lips twitched into a small, private smile.
END PART