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Chapter 4 - Take Me Higher
Seto has already unpacked all but two boxes; one labled 'Yami - Shirts and Accessories 5,' which Seto himself packed, so it also has a list of contents on its top, and one labled 'Yami - Misc. Paper,' written in his lover's creatively illegible scrawl. Unfortunately, 'Yami - Misc. Paper' is all the description written on the top of the second box, so he'll have to actually open it to know its contents.
"Yami, why are we still unpacking your boxes two months later?" he yells up to the artist, who's ensconced once again in his beloved studio.
"Maybe because I'm so much more important than you!" Yami yells back.
Seto shakes his head and continues to open the box of 'Misc. Paper.'
Ever since the success of his gallery showing in Tokyo, Yami has been extremely busy, often flying all over Japan to meet with gallery owners, potential buyers for his works, and people requesting special commissions. Sometimes Seto goes with him, but most of the time Yami jets about everywhere on his own.
Seto frowns a little, remembering how hard it had been those first few times to wake up without Yami beside him. He hates to admit that his first thought wasn't that Yami was on a planned trip.
Sometimes it still isn't. It galls him that he still can't trust Yami to come home, but he does his best to keep that worry to himself. Seeing Yami so happy all the time is like falling in love with him all over again.
"What the…?"
It's not the bundle of letters that surprises him, but the name over the return address; Yugi Motou. Taking a closer look at the letters he's a little disappointed to see that they're all unopened. Was Yami so angry with his little brother that he didn't even want to read his letters? Checking the date stamp over the postage he realizes that they're all at least three years old and that they're all addressed to Yami's old dorm.
"Maybe he'd just bundled them up to read later once he'd calmed down and then couldn't find them," he murmurs to himself.
After all, the only reason Seto found them was because he was unpacking the last of their boxes; not to mention that the letters were stuffed underneath three reams of notebook paper and a binder.
Seto sits down on the sofa and really thinks about what's now circulating in his head; reuniting the estranged brothers.
The brunet has seen the yearning in Yami's eyes whenever he and Mokuba are bonding; he knows that Yami misses his little brother terribly.
"Maybe he just doesn't know what to say," Seto supposes. "Then I guess I'll have to say it for him."
Deciding to follow through with his idea, he picks up the phone and calls his brother's house; glad that it's the CEO who answers the phone.
"Noah, this is Seto. I need a favor," he smiles.
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Yami eyes the small box suspiciously. Searching his memory, he tries to figure out a reason the tall brunet would be gracing him with a gift.
It wasn't his birthday, his last gallery opening had been a few weeks ago, and he hasn't done anything else remotely important enough in their personal life for Seto to be rewarding him…
"Seto, what's this?"
"You'll see," the other evades.
Yami lifts the lid to find two gold lockets on thin chains; one a rectangle, the other a triangle. Surprised and now thoroughly confused, he tries again to come up with a reason for the other's actions.
It's not their anniversary; they haven't mutually done anything remotely important enough in their personal life for gifts to be exchanged…
At a loss, Yami looks questioningly at the brunet.
Seto places the triangular locket around Yami's neck before dropping the other around his own.
He hadn't actually meant to buy the lockets that day. Yami was out of town, and he'd had a bad night and early morning without him. The jewelry store was one he'd passed a thousand times on his way to work.
On his way back from a client's office that afternoon, he'd seen the lockets in the window as they'd glinted in the sun. For some reason, they'd reminded Seto of he and Yami and he'd bought them on the spot.
Sharing them with Yami at the conclusion of this trip, the one that had inspired their purchase in the first place, seemed appropriate.
"Open it," Seto urges.
Deciding to just accept the gift on its face and not worry about why it was being offered, Yami grins wide, feeling like a kid in a candy store. He loves surprises!
Popping open the locket, he finds a recent candid photo of he and Seto smiling at each other. Eyes misting with emotion, he smiles even wider when Seto opens his own locket to reveal the same picture.
But his face wrinkles in a frown when he sees that Seto also has a picture of Mokuba and Noah in his locket.
"Seto, why don't I have that picture, too?" he pouts.
"Don't pout, Yami. I just thought that you'd want to choose the other picture yourself," Seto demurs, leaning down to kisses him lightly.
"You're always so thoughtful, Seto," Yami beams.
"Hmm. Right now I'm thinking that I haven't spent anytime with you since you got back yesterday," the brunet smirks.
"Is that so? Well, maybe I could fit you into my very busy schedule," Yami teases, sliding his arms around the taller man's neck.
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Yami lightly fingers his locket as he chats with Seto on the phone. The unexpected gift had lightened his heart about having to be away from his lover for such a long time.
"Yami, let's have a dinner party when you get back," Seto suggests amicably. "We haven't seen Noah and Mokuba in over a month."
Yami's plane had landed in Singapore a little over two hours ago. This five-day stint will be the last leg of a nineteen-day trip arranged by Mr. Tanaka. The gallery owner apparently has even more friends in high places than Mr. Crawford, and seems to delight in showing Yami off to each and every one of them.
Yami sighs to himself in memory and regret.
As much as he loves his freedom, he really misses his mentor. If he didn't think it would upset Seto, he'd invite him to the dinner party his lover is planning. Still, it's been almost six months. Maybe…
No, he can't even ask such a thing of Seto. Not after the pain Mr. Crawford inflicted; on both of them.
"Can I think about it when I get back?" Yami yawns.
"Sure," Seto replies. "You sound tired. I'll let you sleep if you promise to call me when you wake up."
"I will. Talk to you soon."
"Get some rest until then. Goodnight, Yami."
"'Night, Seto."
He hangs up the phone, snuggles under the covers of his king-sized hotel bed and drifts off to sleep.
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Seto paces worriedly as the time for the dinner guests to arrive gets closer.
He'd originally planned to cook himself, but worried that, in his preoccupation, he'd mess up the food, or spill something, or cause some other disaster.
"Thank Kami for Noah," he whispers to himself.
Not only was the generous CEO flying in the surprise guests with his own money, but he'd recommended, and is paying for, the catering company that's cooked dinner for them tonight.
"Seto, why are you so nervous?" Yami stops him in mid-stride by grabbing his hand. "You've been like this for the past few days. What's wrong? It's just our friends and family. What are you so worked up about?"
Seto takes a deep breath and tries to calm down.
"You're right, Yami. It's just our friends and family. Everything will be fine," he agrees.
Just then the doorbell rings announcing their first guest.
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"Hey! What's with the fru-fru food?" Yuuri tilts his head toward the small array of catered delicacies laid out on the dining room table, his blue jeans and t-shirt clad frame casually flopping down on the spacious living room couch.
"Yuuri…" Wolfram groans.
"Seriously, though, Seto," an equally casually dressed Mokuba chimes in, "You said we were just getting together to celebrate your unpacking the last box. Not that we had to dress up for a real dinner and actual guests."
"You should always dress appropriately, Mokuba," Noah admonishes lightly, brushing invisible lint from his business casual attire.
"Leather pants," Mokuba coughs, discretely reminding the CEO of his choice of attire at their first outing together, the Aucifer reunion concert.
"That was entirely appropriate for the occasion," Noah asserts, earning snickers of amusement from all assembled.
"Right, if you say so," Mokuba grins before plopping down on the loveseat beside his boyfriend.
Their playful banter notwithstanding, Noah and Mokuba discreetly share a knowing look. They could tell Yuuri why the dinner was being catered, but they didn't want Yami to find out.
"Sooo, are you gonna tell us why the fru-fru food?" Yuuri presses, ignoring Wolfram's attempts to quiet him. "Are we expecting a VIP?"
"I simply did not wish to cook and Noah knew an excellent caterer," Seto deflects.
"Uh huh," Yuuri acknowledges, his raised eyebrow suggesting that he thinks there's more to the brunet's explanation.
"You can always go home and then you don't have to eat the 'fru-fru' food," Yami intones.
Mokuba, Noah and Wolfram immediately fall out laughing.
"And on that note, I will shut the hell up," Yuuri remarks, reaching for one of the delicious looking canapés.
Seto and Yami chat with Noah, Yuuri and Wolfram about various subjects in between bites of delicious starters and sips of light wine.
As the time for the hors devours winds to a close and the special guests have yet to arrive, Seto starts feeling completely let down. He thinks he's hidden it well as he talks with everyone, since neither Yami nor Mokuba have said anything or given him odd looks.
They've just sat down to eat when the doorbell rings again.
"As the host, I'll get it," Seto nods to the group, certain that his special guests have finally arrived.
Opening the front door, he politely greets the flushed, shorter version of Yami with violet eyes, who's holding a giggling, even smaller version of Yami with sparkling blue eyes. A slender, blue-eyed brunet with a protruding belly stands beside them.
"I'm so, so sorry that we're late," the brunet gushes. "But Atemu was such a handful tonight and this little one to be forced us to stop on the way here from the hotel," she pats her belly. "I hope we haven't missed everything!"
"Nonsense! You're right on-time for dinner. I'm Seto Watanabe, Yami's life partner. Welcome to our home," Seto bows.
"Thank you, Mr. Watanabe," Anzu beams, bowing as much as her stomach will allow. "It's nice to put a face to the voice."
"I agree," Seto nods.
"I am glad to meet you, too, Mr. Watenabe," Yugi echoes, his bow abbreviated by the toddler in his arms.
Seto wonders if the smaller man is going to make it past the introductions since he looks like he's about to pass out.
"Daddy hurt! Too tight!" the squirming bundle in Yugi's arms exclaims.
"Sorry, 'Temu," Yugi stammers, loosening his grip on his son.
"Here, I'll take him," Seto offers, taking the eager toddler. "You just worry about your lovely wife."
"Th-Thank you," the violet-eyed man stutters, taking his wife's hand.
When Seto had initially contacted the couple about reconciliation between the brothers, the brunet, Anzu, had been the reluctant one. By contrast, he and Yugi had spoken at length about how much Yugi wanted to see his brother again. They had even e-mailed and texted each other about the travel arrangements for Yugi and family's trip back to Japan. Knowing that, Seto is quite surprised by Yugi's current state.
As they walk down the front hall, Seto hears Yugi murmuring, "I can't do this. This is a bad idea. I can't do this." He isn't able to hear the wife's reply as the bright-eyed toddler starts singing something nonsensical in his ear.
"The last of our guests have made it," Seto smiles as he steps into the dining room.
Yuuri and Wolfram offer polite bows and more formal greetings to the new arrivals. Mokuba and Noah's slightly more familiar bows are topped with delighted smiles.
Yami misses all of them as he jumps up from the table in shock, his chair scraping behind him.
He and Yami stare silently at each other for a full minute before Yugi looks down and away. He hadn't expected his brother to welcome him with open arms, but that silent, crimson stare upsets him much more than he'd expected.
"S-sorry, Yami. I'm so sorry. Please…please forgive me," Yugi chokes.
Yugi stands next to Seto and tries to calm down. The last time he and his brother had seen each other, nearly 8 years ago, Yugi had said – yelled – such awful things at Yami. Things he still couldn't forgive himself for...
Head down, silent tears begin coursing down his face as his wife squeezes his hand for support.
Steadying the toddler in his arms, Seto looks away from the stricken Yugi toward Yami's deer-in-the-headlights stance. He's certain that Yami will push past his hurt feelings and welcome Yugi back into his life.
But when another few moments pass and the only result is Yami closing his eyes, still without speaking to his brother, Seto isn't sure what to think. Beside the brunet, the weeping man in question composes himself somewhat and reaches for his son still in Seto's arms.
"Sorry for ruining your party," Yugi chokes. "We'll be going now."
Anzu threads her arms through Yugi's free one and leans against him.
"Don't be sad, daddy. Don't be sad. We love you," Atemu soothes, petting his father's head as the family walks away.
Seto's stunned disappointment at Yami's lack of action swiftly turns to anger.
"After all this time, you can't even speak to him?" Seto snarls. He turns and storms into his library, slamming the door behind him.
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Yami can't believe his eyes. Yugi! His brother Yugi is here? How? They haven't spoken in…He never even opened the letters!
How did he get here?
Tearing his eyes away from his weeping little brother, he sees an equally upset and obviously pregnant Anzu holding Yugi's hand as though she's afraid he'll run away. And in Seto's arms is a wide-eyed little boy, the spitting image of his brother with Anzu's blue eyes.
Seto…Seto must have done this for him.
'How much must he love me to do this?' he thinks, eyes misting in appreciation before he closes them in an effort to compose himself. Looking up a few moments later, he turns to capture Seto's eyes in gratitude, only to find them blazing in anger.
'Why is he so mad,' he frowns to himself.
Before Yami can voice his inquiry, Seto snaps, "After all this time, you can't even speak to him?" and then turns and slams into the library.
Turning away from where Seto has gone, Yami means to tell his brother to wait until he brings the other back out of the library, only to catch his brother's back as he leads his growing family out of the room.
No! He can't lose Yugi again!
"W-wait," he stammers, beginning to panic.
Momentarily torn, he isn't sure if he should calm Seto down first or go after his brother. Mokuba intercepts him as he's heading toward the library.
"I'll talk to Seto. Your brother needs you now," he smiles at Yami.
A sincere smile and "thank you" precedes Yami's run down the front hall after his brother.
He finds Yugi out front helping Anzu into one of Noah's limousines. Knowing that his extended new family also had a hand in the reunion with his brother makes Yami even happier.
Yugi has just sat his son down inside the car when Yami joyfully tackles his brother to the ground.
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After watching Yami happily lead his brother's family back into the dining room, Mokuba slips into Seto's library to find his sibling sitting angrily in the corner of the sofa. He sits down beside him, leaning his head on Seto's shoulder.
"That was a really awesome thing you did, big brother," Mokuba admires.
"Not that it matters," Seto snarls. "I can believe Yami just stood there!"
"He was in shock, Seto. Cut him some slack. Besides, it all worked out in the end," he smiles knowingly.
"What do you mean?"
A light knock interrupts them.
"Come in," Seto calls.
He is stunned when Anzu pokes her head in the door.
"Um, I don't mean to intrude, but dinner's getting cold. Aren't you joining us?" She inquires sincerely.
Blinking at her in surprise, Seto is pleased to know that his plan actually worked. Now Yami could truly be happy. A light nudge from Mokuba reminds him that he's staring at Yugi's wife, but has yet to reply to her.
"Yes, we'll be right there," Seto nods politely.
"Okay! I'll let everyone know!" She beams, closing the door.
"See, I told you that everything worked out," Mokuba grins.
"I don't understand. When I left, Yami was still standing there," Seto notes.
"Let's talk about it over dinner, I'm starved," Mokuba urges.
The moment Seto steps into the dining room, Yami jumps him, smothering his face with kisses before engulfing him in fiery kiss after fiery kiss. The tall brunet stumbles a bit before they both fall to the floor.
"Hey! Hey! Children in the room!" Yuuri calls out; his interruption causing them to pull slightly away from each other.
"You're welcome," Seto pants against Yami's lips, before pulling them both up from the floor and straightening their clothes.
"Seto, how can I ever repay…" Yami chokes.
"Never leaver me," he replies seriously.
"How can I?" Yami smiles through misty eyes.
"I know, the sex is too good," Seto grins before kissing Yami soundly.
"Hell-ooo! Children!" Yuuri calls out again, earning a round of laughter from all assembled.