Warning: If you don't like lemons, skip ahead to the next chapter. And if you love them, then please feel free to enjoy this slice of one!

Chapter 05: Borderline

The code he had been editing began to blur in front of his eyes as Kaiba tried to stifle another yawn. He had lost track of the hours long ago, but he could see the grey dawn coming through his blinds, causing him to groan. That told him all he needed to know—it was Friday morning, the early hours of it, but Friday all the same. The good thing about that was it brought him that much closer to his duel with Yuugi later that afternoon; the bad thing was that it meant he had been awake since Tuesday. At least it stopped those damn dreams, he told himself, despite his body's continual protests that he rest. But somehow that thought brought him little comfort.

It was a close call between which made him feel more exhausted: the lack of sleep itself or the thinking about the reason why he was avoiding sleeping. Kaiba was tired of constantly analyzing the situation because it always came back to the same things, no matter how much he tried to reason it away. He hoped that when he finally did fall asleep, he would dream of nothing—hell, at this point he'd even take one of his old nightmares—but at the same time, the thought of having a dream that didn't involve Yami displeased him. Besides, who was he kidding? He couldn't even make it through his waking hours without remembering the old dreams or fantasizing about new ones despite his best efforts. He didn't stand a chance once he fell asleep and that disturbed him since he had always prided himself on his meticulous mental control.

In an attempt to console himself, he rationalized that if he had at least one more encounter he could find some closure in the matter, but it sounded like a line of bullshit to him. It was hard to ignore the reoccurring thoughts of what being with Yami had felt like and harder still to ignore his hormones that demanded he take things further in the next dream. Kaiba wasn't sure whether he was more angry or resentful about the whole thing, but he did know that he strongly disliked it. Things like this were the reason he avoided relationships in general; too many unknown variables that could be disruptive to his normal life, not to mention all the trust issues that he was grateful didn't apply to this situation.

Besides, he couldn't afford another repeat of the incident from Wednesday during the boardroom meeting when listening to reports about the financial projections for the next quarter had lost out to a particularly vivid and pleasing fantasy of what he could do to Yami on the conference table. It had made him painfully aware of the fact that despite his high level of responsibility, his body was still that of a teenager and he was just grateful that his dignity had been spared since the executives didn't have even the slightest inkling as to why he insisted on continuing the meeting rather than dismissing it early despite his inattentiveness. All of those years of training to remain expressionless no matter what was going on through one's mind finally had an alternative benefit, he mused, although it was hard to be grateful since it never should have been an issue. It couldn't be allowed to continue, and yet here he was still thinking about the matter.

Eventually he had to sleep, Kaiba understood that, but looking over at his empty bed kept him firmly seated at his desk. Sighing heavily, he knew that he was losing against his body's desire to recharge itself. He was pushing at almost seventy-two hours of consciousness at this point and that would be counterproductive for his desire to be fully alert during his duel later. Even if he slept for just two or three hours until he had to get ready for school…no, he couldn't risk it. After all, what would staying up all those hours have been for if he was willing to just lay down now? Is passing out in front of your opponent from lack of sleep that much of an improvement? he thought to with a wry grin. It wasn't that he hadn't pulled these kinds of hours before, but it was still a little much without the adrenaline of a real problem keeping him going. Yes, because this wasn't a real problem, it was just a temporary nuisance, really.

Renewing his efforts, he squinted at the monitor as he rested his head in his right hand, gently massaging his temple. All he could think about was how great a cup of coffee would be right about now, but it would take too much effort at this point, disgusting as that weak admission was to him. If you can't even make yourself a cup of coffee, how in the hell are you planning on going to school and then dueling Yuugi later? he wondered, making no further progress on his work which was beginning to swim in his vision.

Closing his eyes, he concentrated on his breathing to steady himself. He would rest for one more minute and then start working anew, and at the very least he'd force himself to go make some coffee. Satisfied with his plan, he leaned back into the comfort of his leather chair, wondering why it had never occurred to him to install a coffeepot in his room before. It would be a practical and efficient solution, so he made a mental note to take care of it later. Right now he just needed to focus…

He thought he heard a noise behind him, but at this point he was too exhausted to be bothered to turn around and look for something he knew wouldn't be there. Nothing could break through his security systems and Mokuba had been in bed hours ago, so he just wrote the noise off as a figment of his imagination. Besides, it wasn't as if Yami could just appear in his bedroom; thankfully that figment of his imagination was relegated to the realm of his dreams only.

"So I will ask you again: just how long do you intend to keep running away from me?"

Startled, Kaiba spun around to find a very bemused Yami standing before him, causing all of his shock to transform into anger, his previous exhaustion temporarily forgotten. "What is it with you and all of this 'running away,' bullshit? I am not running away from you or anything else! And how the hell did you get in here?"

Why was it that the one person he didn't want to see was standing right before him as if it was the most natural thing in the world? He was torn between his desire to take his mental or sexual frustrations out on the person in front of him, but all of this talk about his 'running away,' was quickly making the decision in favor of anger taking precedence over anything else he might be feeling. Kaiba wasn't sure why Yami kept bringing it up, but combined with the past few days, it had the potential to turn the situation into an explosive one.

Yami regarded him carefully before answering. "What do you call avoiding sleep for three days, then?"

"Normal," Kaiba said dismissively, his mind still reeling, trying to figure out how Yami got into his room. "Wait, how did you know that I haven't slept for three days?"

Yami chuckled softly, arching a single eyebrow at a very confused looking Kaiba. "You still think you're awake, don't you?"

"The only thing I'm thinking right now is that you need to leave." Well, that wasn't entirely true, Kaiba thought to himself, because he was having several other thoughts, most of them far from pure and frustrating him further. No, he would not be distracted!

This certainly hadn't been what Yami was expecting, but then again, this was Kaiba Seto and it wasn't always the best idea to push him too far. "I don't think so." Then again, sometimes Kaiba needed to be pushed in order to get somewhere.

Kaiba's tone of voice left no room for arguing as he said, "Leave," pointing at the window for emphasis. He felt a little stupid for gesturing toward a window, but Kaiba knew for a fact that Yami hadn't entered from his bedroom door, so that left the windows as the only option. At this point, he was even willing to overlook the intrusion, so long as the other left immediately. If this drew out any longer, he might lose some of his resolve and that was not something he wished to do in front of his rival.

Yami's eyes were defiant as he took a step closer, crossing his arms over his chest, refusing to be intimidated. "No."

Ignoring the urge to growl, Kaiba settled for clenching his jaw instead. "I said get out, damn it!"

"I heard you," Yami said smoothly as he came one step closer, "but I have no intention of leaving just yet."

Narrowing his eyes at Yami, he glared at him, trying to keep a firm grip on his emotions. "You will leave." It was becoming increasingly difficult since every step the other took made it progressively harder and harder for Kaiba to think, all the more reason he needed Yami to leave. He could not lose face like this—not to him.

Another step closer. "Eventually, yes."

"Now."

Taking one more step, he was looking down at Kaiba who had yet to move. "I don't want to."

"I don't care. Stop being so stubborn and—"

Yami cut him off with, "I could say the same to you."

"I've had enough of this!" Kaiba shouted, no longer keeping his anger in check since rationalizing with the other seemed to be having no effect.

"I think that's the problem, Kaiba. I think you haven't had enough of this," Yami all but purred, taking the opportunity to join Kaiba in his chair, positioning himself comfortably in Kaiba's lap. He was done with talking; he had other things in mind right now.

It took Kaiba a few seconds to process the sudden appearance of Yami just inches from his face, but it was enough to turn his anger into rage. No, he was tired of playing this game and he would put an end to it one way or another. He would not be easily pacified by the promise of things to come and it was about time Yami learned just who was in charge here, Kaiba decided, taking swift action. In one fluid motion, he stood up, removing Yami from his lap in the process, his right hand wrapping around Yami's neck to force distance between them.

"You have obviously misunderstood me," Kaiba said coldly, his eyes never leaving Yami's. He didn't know whether he should be impressed or irritated by the fact that there was only a look of momentary surprise and not fear in those blood red eyes.

He may have misjudged the situation, but he wasn't ready to back down just yet. "No," Yami told him, reaching up to gently brush the other's cheek with the back of his fingers, his eyes softening, "I think I understand perfectly."

Kaiba tightened his grip around Yami's neck, but that was the only indication that Yami's words had any effect on him. Presumptuous little shit! What could he possibly understand? If Yami really understood, he would have left when Kaiba first demanded—or better yet, he never would have shown up at all.

Yami continued speaking, "You don't want to deal with this."

"I don't want to deal with you. That's different."

"No, you don't want to deal with the emotions," Yami countered, but the only response he got was the narrowing of ice blue eyes. This was getting them nowhere so Yami decided to push his luck a little farther. "Refusing to face them is no different than running away from them."

Shortening the distance between them but still refusing to relinquish his hold, Kaiba loomed over Yami, resisting the urge to strangle him, preventing him from saying such nonsense ever again. "For the last fucking time, I am not running away. If you value your life, then you will immediately cease and desist—"

"Then prove it!" Yami challenged him, glaring up at him defiantly, ignoring the threat completely.

"You want proof?" Kaiba asked, his voice low and dangerous, sending a thrill of anticipation through Yami. "I'll give you your fucking proof!" The hand that had been holding Yami's neck slid down to his chest as Kaiba shoved him hard, forcing Yami to stumble back a few steps.

Ignoring the temptation to make a smartass comment back, Yami allowed himself to be gradually backed up against the bed before he was roughly pushed onto it. Moving further up on the mattress, Yami watched as Kaiba hastily removed his shirt and threw it aside before Yami hurriedly rid himself of his own. That taken care, Kaiba was on him in an instant, kissing him with the force of all the fury and aggression he had been feeling for the past few days. Gone were the teasing touches from the previous dream; they had been replaced by raw, volatile actions that were an attempt to assert dominance, and that suited Yami just fine. He had his own frustrations that he was using to meet Kaiba move for move.

All of Kaiba's previous arguments and protests were abandoned and he didn't give a shit, because right now all he could think about was how good this felt. Although he couldn't quite shake the feeling that he had been manipulated toward this outcome, his anger was rapidly being overtaken by a heated lust that was demanding to be satiated, so he told that part of his brain to fuck off and continued ravaging Yami in the hopes of getting it out of his system so he could resume his normal life.

When Yami pulled away to catch his breath, Kaiba refused to show him any mercy as he moved on to other areas, alternatively kissing and licking his way down Yami's body, tormenting him by stopping at the waistband of his pants in order to move back up again. Occasionally nipping to make sure the other was still paying proper attention, he was just about ready to engage Yami in another heated kiss when something caught his attention. "What the hell?"

Noticing where Kaiba's attention was focused, Yami explained, "That would be your doing."

"But I didn't do anything!"

"This time," Yami said, letting his hands run over Kaiba's firm ass, annoyed by the fabric that came between them. They hadn't removed their pants why? But he didn't dare attempt to remove them just yet; it was one thing to push Kaiba, it was another thing to push him over the edge.

Ignoring Yami's wandering hands for the time being, he looked at the still slightly bruised earlobe, trying to figure it out, but he was drawing a blank on how it could carry over from one dream to the next. "But that doesn't—"

"—doesn't really fucking matter right now, does it?"

Kaiba leaned back in for another drawn out kiss before replying, "Not in the least." Returning his attention once again to the ear, he didn't bother to examine it further, instead he began to tease it with his tongue, getting an instant reaction out of Yami, but it wasn't enough for him. Taking it between his teeth, he pulled on it gently and was rewarded with a vocal moan out of Yami that pleased him immensely.

Instantly filled with the desire to retaliate, Yami wanted to return the favor and leaned up and began kissing Kaiba's neck with a wicked grin. "Don't even think about it," Kaiba warned him, nudging him away. Undeterred, Yami instead went for his shoulder when Kaiba was otherwise distracted by his own activities. Acting quickly before Kaiba realized his intentions, he bit down and applied the right about of suction that was guaranteed to leave one hell of a mark in the morning. It's a pity he wouldn't be there to see Kaiba's reaction to that, although maybe it was for the best; he did want to live a little longer. He quite enjoyed the yelp he was privy to, though, along with the look that promised him he'd enjoy the consequences even more.

"You told me not to think about it; you said nothing about carrying out the action," Yami said slyly, anticipating the line of questioning.

While a small part of him wanted to point out that in order to carry out the action, you had to think about it first, Kaiba decided to let it go for the sake of focusing on a proper payback. Kissing him again in an attempt to silence anything else he might say, Kaiba began to buck and roll his hips against Yami's, smirking as the other gave a particularly feral growl before he swore, "Damn it, Kaiba!"

Deciding that those types of movements were best reserved for times when they weren't wearing pants, Kaiba paused and let his right hand travel down Yami's body, slipping it between the other's thighs, gently trailing his fingers up one of them, causing Yami to curse Kaiba for returning to his torturously slow tactics once more. It was then that Kaiba let his hand firmly grope Yami's hard member through his pants, causing Yami to groan as he rocked against it, impatient for more.

It was tantalizingly close, but not close enough for Yami's tastes. With more force than necessary, Yami engaged Kaiba in a rough kiss, causing just enough of a distraction. Reaching down, he quickly unbuttoned Kaiba's pants in an attempt to gain access, but was denied when Kaiba sat back, smirking down at him. "As if that would work!"

Taking advantage of Kaiba's position, Yami threw his weight against Kaiba and knocked the taller man flat on his back, quickly moving to get on top of him. "It would if you'd just fucking cooperate!"

Straightening his legs in order to accommodate this change of positions, he rolled his eyes at Yami's outburst. "Hn, spare me another one of your cooperation lectures," Kaiba said with distain, having heard enough of those during their previous encounters dueling during the Battle City tournament.

"If you listened to me the first time, I wouldn't have to repeat it," Yami shot back, shifting further back on Kaiba's legs.

"Instead of wasting more time with pointless speeches, you could put that mouth of yours to better use," Kaiba countered, his voice full of suggestions. As much fun as it was to prolong his torturing of Yami, it was getting to the point where he was becoming impatient.

All too happy to oblige, Yami quickly relieved Kaiba of his pants and underwear, but not yet removing his own; Kaiba would just have to wait a little longer for that. Understanding passed through Kaiba's eyes, even as he tried to ignore the embarrassment of being the only one completely naked as he shifted into a sitting position, parting his legs enough to accommodate Yami. That thought was completely forgotten about as Yami traced from the base to the tip of his cock with his tongue, eliciting a sharp breath from Kaiba. Hesitating a moment before progressing further, Yami couldn't help but tease, "Weren't you the one who was supposed to be proving something?" before licking the head, tasting the precum that had gathered.

Kaiba's first retort disappeared into his gasp as Yami took him entirely into his mouth. The wet warmth that surrounded him was enough to cause him to tilt his head back as he rested back on his elbows, losing himself in the sensation, but not before he managed to get out, "What about you?"

Yami's drawn out response of, "Hmmm?" reverberated around his shaft and Kaiba found himself thrusting into it with a shudder, barely noticing the hands that restrained him from choking the other.

"You're the one—aaah!—you're the— mmm, Yami…" Kaiba took a deep breath, trying to formulate the words, but it was so hard to speak around the pleasure he was currently experiencing. He wasn't exactly sure what the hell Yami was doing with his tongue, but he was damn well enjoying it. "You're the one who always leaves first," he interrupted his own sentence with a low moan before continuing a moment later, "isn't that like running away?"

Breaking his rhythm, he released Kaiba in order to rest his jaw and respond, although the latter didn't look too happy about it. "I suppose," he said with a slight smile before resuming what he had been doing with even more vigor than before. He regretted that this position didn't afford him a better view of Kaiba's face to see the full range of reactions to his blowjob. The ones he had managed to catch were incredible, and it made him achingly hard, but that would be taken care of in due time.

It was fascinating to Kaiba, seeing his rival going down on him in such an enthusiastic manner, and he couldn't wait until he got the chance to fuck the other, but for now this was fine. Kaiba reached out to entangle his long fingers in that tri-colored hair that was surprisingly soft to the touch. He was so close to cumming now, he could feel his muscles starting to tense up as Yami increased his pace, causing him to become louder in turn. "Yami, I'm going to—"

"—fucking kill someone! Shit!" Kaiba began to curse, his eyes opening to a sight he did not want to see: an empty bedroom with a ringing alarm clock. He was still sitting at his desk, fully clothed, and now on the brink of orgasm. His string of obscenities began to switch languages as he got up to storm over to the offensive alarm and silence it before heading into his bathroom, stripping as he went, violently throwing each offending article away from him. He was vaguely aware of the sound of a lamp shattering on the floor, but he didn't care—fuck the lamp, he'd just buy a new one. If anything should have been broken, it should have been that damn alarm clock, he thought to himself, even though he couldn't quite bring himself to destroy something that resembled his Blue Eyes White Dragon; no, he would never do that again, even if it was something as trivial as an alarm clock. He found himself hoping that his maid staff wouldn't come to clean it up until after he left for school because he really wasn't in the mood to deal with people yet.

As his feet touched the cold marble floor of his bathroom, it brought his attention back to his earlier thoughts. Where had his goddamn warning been? In each previous dream he had a momentary warning before being pulled out of it, but this time, there was nothing! The logical part of his brain tried to help him by suggesting it was probably because of his refusal to believe that he had fallen asleep or the fact that it was his alarm clock going off instead of Yami leaving first, but still! His current state made it impossible to find any amount of satisfaction in the fact that Yami had been left wanting as well, either. It then occurred to him that he had been forced to commit the very same action he had just accused Yami of—leaving early. "Fuck!"

There was only so much torture he could take and so he didn't opt for the cold shower he knew he needed and instead turned the heat up to a temperature that was almost scalding before entering and slamming the door behind him. Leaning against the cold marble, he had hoped it would shock some sense into him, but to no avail. His body demanded release and he was too far gone to deny it. An image of Yami on his knees, looking up at Kaiba with that fucking smirk was all it took as he quickly brought himself to a finish, the sound of his breath echoing off the shower walls. Rinsing his hands, he banged his head back against the wall with a dull thud as he closed his eyes, letting the warm water wash over him. Why couldn't he get control of himself?

His brain was effectively turning off, although he wasn't sure whether it was a result of over exhaustion or disbelief, and he began to shower quickly. Desperately trying to ignore what little help his mind was giving him in the form of reminders of what Yami's fingers had felt like as he ran them over Kaiba's body, he tried to focus on anything else because he refused to jerk off twice in one morning. Exiting the shower, he grabbed a towel off a nearby rack and dried himself off quickly before wrapping it around his waist and heading over to the bathroom counter.

Running his fingers through his damp hair, he was calmed by the familiar motion until he noticed something in the mirror. What he saw on further inspection caused him to drop his hand limply to his side as he stared in disbelief at a bruise that had appeared on his shoulder. It wasn't so much the fact that he was bruised that shocked him, it was the fact that the very distinctive mark was in the exact same place where Yami had bit him during the dream. With shaky fingers, he tentatively reached up to touch it, his eyes never leaving his reflection as he fought against being overwhelmed by the surrealism of it all. Pressing at it gently, his eyes went wide as he felt a tiny bit of pain and it was enough to cause him to look at it without the aid of a mirror. It was really there, the purple discoloration standing out against his pale skin defiantly. There was no rational explanation for it and he knew that there was no way he could have done that to himself in his sleep. It was just too round and too dark for it to have been anything but the hickey that it was.

His mind struggled for an answer, searching for anything to explain it. While it was true that he had given Yami one on his ear during their second dream and it was still there during the last one, it still didn't explain how something that happened in a dream carried over into his real life. It made no sense whatsoever, and yet there it was, definitive proof of their early morning activities. He swayed a little on his feet, grabbing the edge of the counter with both hands to steady himself. This wasn't happening and it certainly couldn't be happening to him. Things like this just weren't possible!

He just couldn't think about it right now. It was too early to be questioning things like this; he certainly didn't have enough sleep to tackle a problem like this, nor did he have enough answers. So he did the only thing he could do: he took a deep breath and continued to get ready. He would start with the simple things and then work his way back to this, but somehow he couldn't quit staring at the mark or remembering everything that had just occurred.

A/N: Evil, I know! But there's a reason for all this madness, so patience, patience!

Also, I'd like to apologize for the delay. My computer and one of my external hard drives broke so both had to be sent away for repairs. However, the hard drive has been taken care of and my computer is now my own again, so hopefully there shouldn't be anymore delays. I'm just glad that I didn't lose any data this time around….

And now I remember why writing het smut is so much easier. All this 'he' and 'his' and being forced to repeatedly use their names! At least when there is he/she it makes things a lot clearer about who is touching/tweaking/smexing who. Oh, but I do love me some boy on boy action, so I can't complain too much.

Kaiba's cease and desist line cracks me up every time, but that might just be my sense of humor. Or the fact that I learned the hard way laughing at a business major who says that is not exactly the best idea I've ever had. XD Oh the things we learn. But I love the idea of a Blue Eyes White Dragon alarm clock, because you just know that he would have one of those. If it was an ultimate BEWD clock, each of the three heads could be the snooze buttons for three separate alarms and have their own distinctive roar to wake you up...I mean, if the boy can have his own BEWD Ultimate Bingo Machine...yeah, he'd totally have one of those clocks.

I originally didn't have the lamp line in there, but my friend persuaded me to put it back in, so I listened to her, as per usual. She's the one who got me into this fandom after all. It felt very much like a reference to Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series, and if you don't know what I'm talking about, go to www(dot)yugiohtheabridgedseries(dot)com. That's season one and season two just started. Seriously, go watch, you will laugh until it hurts and will be quoting it forever. So the lamp line is akin to, "Screw the rules, I have money!" only a little more vulgar. XD

I'm sure some people may be thinking that Yami is a little OOC here, but I'd beg to differ. Ever since their first battle, and especially after the one at Death-T where he shatters Kaiba's heart, he's always been pushing Kaiba, usually against his will, to become a better person. I think this is just an extension of that and it'll come into play the next chapter when everything starts coming together finally.

I'm still grinning like an idiot over all of my positive reviews. I've almost had 600 hits, which is kind of mind blowing to me since this just started off as a minor idea that kind of exploded, haha. I really do appreciate the feedback and I'm sorry again for the delay, but thanks for sticking with me! So, as always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to review and I'll get back to you!

NEXT CHAPTER: Crossover

Kaiba finally gets to duel Yuugi, but things aren't going quite the way he expected. However, when an unexpected visitor interrupts the battle, how will Kaiba react? And will he ever be able to defeat Yuugi in Duel Monsters?

A lame description, I know, but I swear it's much better than it sounds. I have had a devil of a time trying to get this one just right, but hopefully everyone will enjoy it. I'm still tinkering with it to get the final touches on it, but it should be up within the week! And after that, the real fun begins...