Disclaimer: Legal stuff in previous chapters. I'm too lazy to rewrite it.
Warnings: Language, ungodly amounts of coffee, success and failure. Implied Seto/Yami.

He rose before the dawn, before the birds. In the false dawn of the early morning hours, he slipped upstairs and forced himself through the rest of the project.

When it finally was finished, Seto slumped, feeling defeated despite what many would consider his greatest accomplishment. The fatigue he had forced his body to ignore up until this point finally pushed its way past even his barriers. If he'd been standing, his legs might have simply given out from under him.

I need coffee. I need caffeine. Dammit.

Seto forced himself up to his feet, unsteady at first, but still able to stand. Then they gave out from under him, letting his body collapse in a heap.

Great. Now what? he growled in his thoughts. I'm not calling Yami. Imagine that conversation: Hi, can you come rescue me from my office? Overwork and malnutrition finally seem to have caught up with me. Thanks! No, he would figure some Kaiba-esque way to depend on no one, and work his way down the stairs to the almighty god known as coffee.

Even if he had to roll the whole way there.

Rolling wasn't quite necessary, though Seto did find himself on his knees a time or three on his way down the stairs. It just added to his stubbornness.

When he finally reached the kitchen, Mokuba and Yami were already up. Mokuba was feasting on an overflowing bowl of Cheerios while Yami idly fished handfuls of the dry cereal out of the box to munch on. He was reading the morning paper, Seto noticed, leaning over his lover's shoulder to pull a bowl out of one of the cabinets.

From the other side of the kitchen, Mokuba called, "Heads up, Nii-sama!"

The warning came just soon enough for Seto to turn and fling out a hand to stop the projectile moving towards his face. By accident, he ended up actually catching it, and was glad he had.

"Was there any reason to throw a spoon at me?" he asked, borrowing the Cheerio box from Yami long enough to pour a bowl of it. "I was coming to sit down anyway," he added, snagging a cup of coffee as he passed by the pot on the counter.

The teen shrugged, brushing untidy black hair out of his face as he did so. "I wanted to see if you were really awake, Seto," was all the justification he offered.

Seto grumbled as he sat down. "There were better ways of checking," he muttered.

Yami pulled up a chair as well, sitting down comfortably at the table. "Anything interesting happening in school today?" he inquired.

The teen grimaced. "It's not interesting, but it is annoying," he complained. "We've got guest speakers for three of my classes. They just drone on and on."

"Always about nothing?" Yami asked sympathetically.

Seto watched the exchange in interest. Usually, he was gone before these two were up eating breakfast. Today he could have been gone if it hadn't been for the damn project. At least that was over and done with, though. He could focus on more important matters now.

Things like that puppy – no, brother – Mokuba had expressed an interest in. Maybe he and Yami could go someplace too, now that he thought of it. If he recalled correctly, his lover had Monday afternoons, Wednesday mornings and all of Fridays off from work…

" – and then she got mad about it!" Mokuba finished complaining, dragging Seto out of his inner musings long enough to catch the tail end of his brother's speech.

Yami clucked disapprovingly at whatever the story had been about.

"Could you just Mind Crush her?" Mokuba begged.

Seto instantly opened his mouth to reprimand his little brother for making such a callous statement, but Yami began to chuckle, so instead he frowned and poked at the Cheerios floating in the excess milk of his cereal bowl.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, even for you," he replied, eyes twinkling in mischief. Seto watched in curiosity.

"However," Yami added, shooting Seto a look that was half demonic smile, half ingenious plan, "I'm sure we can think of something."

Mokuba grinned at that. "I'll let you figure out the details then. Um…" He cast a glance at Seto, seeming to be unsure of what exactly to do with his older brother still home.

Seto could feel the slight tension and uncertainty; he stood up, feeling more awake with coffee infiltrating his bloodstream. He set the mostly empty cereal bowl on the kitchen counter and said goodbye to both Yami and Mokuba. It hurt, seeing the half-relieved look in his younger brother's eyes.

If we're not competing against one another or together against someone else, we don't know how to act around each other anymore, he realized. He knew it was his fault. His fault for staying late at work, getting up early, disappearing over weekends –

He'd always be around if Mokuba really need him, but it seemed as of late, he was less and less available for simply being there. That lack of connection was beginning to show, too. Once upon a time, he would have known all the details of his brother's schedule and every person he had a grievance with. Not so much anymore. Where had that easy familiarity gone to?

Then the thought came, Is this why he wants a brother? It was all he could do to start the car and begin the slow drive to work instead of running back inside to demand an explanation.

The whole way to the KaibaCorp building, a mantra rang in his head, through caffeinated blood: weakWeakWEAK.

He ran a red light. There was no one coming anyway, and the stupid voice wouldn't get out of his head.

weakWeakWEAK

Presentable at last, Seto steeled himself for what could arguably be the biggest step in his career. The doors beckoned, mahogany and steel grinning at him in the assurance they knew more than he did.

Seto snarled and forced the doors open, wrapping the chill, icy calm of a commander about his shoulders.

Ignored the voice humming in the back of his skull.

weak

weak

weak

The phone rang. He listened, waiting for someone to pick it up on the other end, waiting for the deep voice of his lover or the light tenor of his brother.

It still rang, echoing across the planes of technology that warped space.

Just before he hung up, someone picked up. "Hello?" It was Yami's voice.

Seto smirked a little. "The deal's sealed," he said, his own voice filled with pride and confidence.

There was a pause on the other end, then, "Great job, Nii-sama!"

Seto winced away from the volume, but remained smiling all the same. Had Yami handed over the phone or put it on loudspeaker?

His internal question was answered a moment later when Yami's voice cut in over Mokuba's cheers. "Congratulations, Seto." Yami hesitated before continuing. "Does this mean you'll be home for dinner?"

He paused himself, thinking. After the acceptance of the project, there really wasn't any reason to stay at his office. Any complaints/queries/comments/problems could find him at home or wait until the next day.

A playful note entered his voice. "Depends on what's for dinner."

"Lasagna!" That was Mokuba. "I helped make it."

Seto smiled indulgently, knowing what a mess dinner would look like if that was truly the case. At least it would taste good. "I'll be home," he promised.

There was a click on the other end and he only heard Yami's voice. "Thank you, Seto."

"Give me a half hour. I'll be there."

"See you then."

They both hung up.

Now Seto knew he couldn't miss dinner. Dammit, Yami's lasagna is more addictive than coffee.

"G'night," Mokuba yawned before trotting up the stairs to go to bed.

"Goodnight," Seto and Yami called after him, lying twisted together on the couch. They had been watching a movie, but with Mokuba gone, the sounds from the TV regulated themselves to ambient background humming.

"How was your day?" Seto asked, tracing the curve of his lover's back slowly.

Yami's eyes were half closed in sleepy pleasure. "Nothing too exciting. No revolutionary discoveries, but plenty of paper shuffling." His amative gaze locked with Seto's for a moment, long enough to perceive some sort of unease. "Is something wrong?"

Seto shook his head slightly, but Yami's violet gaze never wavered. The CEO blinked and looked away.

"What is it?" Yami pressed, pulling Seto a little closer, offering a source of comfort rather than judgment.

"Mokuba." The one word, the one name that had him all twisted up right now, going over every second of the past years, searching for a sign.

Yami frowned. "What about him? I wasn't really going to Mind Crush his teacher."

Seto shook his head again. "That's not it. He –" He stopped himself. He was not going to admit it was possible his brother was seeking a replacement for his affections. "He's grown up so fast." It was true, too. Mokuba had grown and matured remarkably swiftly in the past year or so. But that wasn't what was really bothering him.

Yami didn't seem to catch it though. He nodded seriously and said, "He is, but don't worry. Even when he's fully grown, he'll need some form of support. You'll always be his Nii-sama."

Seto nodded, accepting that as the given fact, but still, a nagging doubt wormed its way into his sense, chiding him. The same voice that had interfered with his head earlier that morning, now doing more than simply planting doubt.

weakweak it chanted.

weakWeakWEAK!

Author's Note: Another hard chapter. But I got it done, and what's more, I got the Interlude written too, so that should be up shortly. Just have to type it out... Hearts all around and thanks to beta Lightning Sage.

--Mokuba's growing up! And teens are often a little more touchy around their family. Yami isn't technically family, so I'm letting him be the one Mokie's comfortable with for now.
--Yami's lasagna is a long standing joke. I forget how and why it started.