Opening his eyes after falling back to sleep hours ago, Kaiba was not surprised to find himself supporting a headache thanks to his hangover. Not only that, but he had a bad case of dry mouth, and he was internally cursing himself out for not taking a drink the night before while he had the chance. The bed was too uncomfortably warm as well, and feeling Anzu's head against his chest, he knew he'd gotten lazy the night before and didn't take proper care of himself, but it was too late now.
His temples were throbbing. Not pleased with the sensation, he forced himself from bed, careful not to displace Anzu too much, and made his way to the bathroom. She was still asleep, not even stirring when he placed her off from his chest and onto the mattress instead. Her eyes were closed, and her dark lashes were curling against her fair complexion, and even her mouth was slightly ajar in her sleep.
Kaiba wasn't exactly sure if it was a good idea to wake her up, and deciding that she was better off getting more rest and knowing she didn't have class that morning, he left her alone.
Besides, he really needed to use the bathroom. Going inside and shutting the door behind him, he quickly took a piss thanks to his upset bladder before drinking several glasses of water and swallowing a pain pill to make his hangover more manageable. He didn't want to deal with the discomfort all day, and after returning to bed, he decided that he wouldn't be showing his face at work.
And why would he? His eyes had dark circles, and he smelled like wine still. No doubt if he went, his dreadful appearance and the throbbing in his head would make the day rather meaningless since he wouldn't get anything of use done throughout the day.
Looking into the far mirror across from the bed, he noticed how awful he looked sitting there. While Anzu was something of a sleeping beauty, his hair was a damn mess and his skin was too pale. Using his fingers, he tried combing it down, but the strands still stuck up at weird angles and eventually he gave up.
His vanity would have to wait.
But Isono wouldn't. He picked up his phone from the bedside table and called the man promptly, so he wouldn't be missed from the ride to work.
Now to figure out what to do with his free day. Anzu was sleeping, and he didn't have a desire to rest with her, since his brain was too busy waking up. Being lazy first thing in the morning only worked after sex, something he was only fortunate enough to have experienced once, and since that hadn't occurred the night before, he didn't feel it was necessary to bond in bed together like that.
No, instead he went downstairs, carefully making each step while wearing a simple silk robe before reaching the dining room downstairs. Kaiba knew Mokuba would be there, since he couldn't cook for himself and he needed to eat before driving to school. It was a sort of freedom Kaiba allowed his brother, and taking a seat in front of him, he didn't even mutter a greeting before addressing him rather abruptly.
"You know better than to be eating in the middle of the night."
Crossing his leg, he waited before a servant appeared with a tray prepared, his morning meal the same as always. Japanese customary breakfasts entailed fish and rice with pickled vegetables and miso soup, along with some fruit if lucky enough to afford it. Kaiba had a peach, and being given his uncustomary black coffee, he sipped it slowly while waiting for Mokuba's response.
"I was hungry," he whined, stuffing bacon into his mouth, "And you wouldn't have cared if Anzu wasn't being so overly sensitive last night."
"You're going to make yourself fat."
Kaiba disapproved of the bacon. Mokuba wasn't always going to be a skinny little twig, and curling the corner of his lip, the older brother gave a look of disapproval before taking his chopsticks to eat his fish.
"And despite that, Anzu is important to me. I don't care if she was being "overly sensitive" or not, you don't have the right to be rude to her in my house while she's my guest. Got it?"
"Yeah, sure."
Mokuba was being a brat. It wouldn't be of any use to get angry over the disrespectful answer, and he didn't want him going to school in a bad mood, so Kaiba bit his tongue before deciding over what to say.
"I know you mean the best, little brother, but I can make my own decisions over whom to spend time with, and I don't need your seal of approval. I'm glad you like Anzu, but the fact of the matter is that's irrelevant since I'd still be seeing her even if you didn't-"
"-You make bad choices over people, Seto. You can't deny that."
"Anzu Mazaki is not a business colleague."
"Obviously. She's more than that, which makes it even more troubling."
"She's harmless."
"She's a girl, Seto."
There was an awkward silence as both siblings became quiet. Kaiba was trying not to glare at Mokuba while he gave his older brother the most serious look he could muster. It was rather uncomfortable, especially for the servants who were rushing to clear Mokuba's spot, as he already ate all of his cereal and a banana, as usual, and it was him who broke eye contact first.
"I just don't want you getting hurt again. I didn't think you'd get all mad at me for caring."
"I'm not mad, Mokuba."
Forcing himself to eat, Kaiba tried schooling his face a little so he wouldn't look so pissed. Food helped, since his facial features relaxed some, and the taste of fresh salty fish on rice with soy sauce was good compared to the junky crap Mokuba liked to shove down his throat.
"But you need to be careful about how you talk to Anzu. She's not one of your friends from school, and you'll probably be seeing more of her in the near future. If you try chasing her out of my house next time you see her around, then I'll be a little more than just mad..."
"Seto, I wouldn't do that."
"For your sake, I'd hope not."
Mokuba knew his brother wasn't against punishing him. Not when it fit the crime, and he didn't want to subject himself to the unpleasant experience of being humbled when Seto set his mind to being "father" instead of "brother". It never ended up good.
"I won't upset her again," Mokuba mumbled, dropping his head down, "Like I said before, I just wanted to make sure she wasn't using you or something. Women do that."
Kaiba snorted. As if he hadn't had enough experience with that. Women and men both were quick to whore themselves out physically and emotionally when they wanted something from him, and he had learned at a quick age to avoid that sort of attention. That most people were not sincere.
But Anzu was different. He had, after all, chosen her.
"She's not dating me for money or anything like that, you goose," said Kaiba, as he sighed and started sipping his soup, "I had to work hard to convince her to even give me a chance. I'm more attached to her than she is me, and anyone who was looking to use me wouldn't have been so damn difficult to get in the first place."
"Sounds like you have poor game then," laughed Mokuba, as he got up from the table, "I thought you were Domino's most eligible."
"I was never a part of the game," he corrected, huffing some, "At least not willingly. But it's no matter; my "game" is just fine now."
"If you say so."
Kaiba snorted, and he looked at Mokuba square in the fact before speaking, making sure his brother heard him clearly before rising from the table.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was the one who had a dancer sleeping in his bed while you were alone in yours. I think a little less sarcasm would suffice. I'm not some hopeless bachelor, and you're no Casanova, Mokuba."
He smirked at his brother afterwards, letting those thoughts stick in the boy's head before leaving the dining room. No doubt that thought would bother Mokuba for a while, since he didn't like thinking about his brother in a sexual context. Especially since the teenager wasn't getting any himself. Instead of saying anything back, Mokuba just crossed his eye brows and looked at Kaiba begrudgingly.
"I'll see you after school."
"Later, bro."
Going up the staircase, Kaiba finally left Mokuba alone. He was feeling better; his muscles were less cramp after getting up and moving around, and by the time he reached the bedroom again, Anzu looked more awake. Her eyes were still closed, but her breathing wasn't as deep, and the way she kept moving around the mattress was a good indication that she was trying to get more sleep but couldn't find a comfortable position.
So wanting her to be more settled and not quite feeling like rising yet, Kaiba moved up against her back, laying down next to her as he waited to see if she would still. Which she did, after grumbling and hiding her face into a pillow, from whatever embarrassment she was feeling, but he didn't think too much of it.
"You should wake up," he said, his words tickling the back of Anzu's neck, "Before the morning is lost and you end up wasting an entire day in bed."
"Shuddup Kaiba, I'm tired. I had to carry your drunken ass up the stairs."
"You did no such thing."
He snorted, but didn't become offended since he was rather incapacitated the night before. It must have been annoying for Anzu to deal with, but nothing she hadn't done to him before. If anything, it was only fair he had a chance to let loose after so many nights caring for Anzu, who couldn't keep her alcohol down for shit…
"I already had breakfast, but I could have something sent up if you're hungry," he said, trying to tease her into rising, "The chef can make whatever you'd like."
"Even pancakes?"
"If that's what you desire."
One large blue eye opened at that, and Kaiba could see Anzu twist her head around as the other opened as well. They were big, in comparison to his, and the color was far lighter. Peering into them, he tried not to stare, but usually Anzu was more closed off from being like that with him, and he couldn't help but relish the way she was looking at him. It was different.
"Are you feeling sick?" She asked. "I was sure you'd end up feeling hung over like crap after last night…."
"I am hung over," mumbled Kaiba, snorting a little, "But it's nothing I can't deal with. I've already drank some water and coffee, took a pain killer… The headache is nearly gone now. It was much worse when I just woke up."
"How long ago?"
"Maybe half an hour?"
Anzu looked away, and Kaiba pressed his face alongside her neck before sighing. It was nice while it lasted, but her vulnerability wouldn't stay forever. Now she was avoiding eye contact, but he didn't let that bother him too much. Taking hold of her waist with one hand, he got himself comfortable before closing his eyes and thinking over what to say.
"I would have waited to eat with you," he explained, "But I didn't know when you'd wake up, and I didn't want to force you before you were ready. Besides, you're not exactly a morning person anyways."
There was a snort of indignation, but that was all.
"Anzu," Kaiba pressed on, "I'm sorry for bothering you while drunk... But I meant every word I said last night. I'm going to nag you and remind you each time we're together so you know I'm serious. If you went away, I'd chase after you. I'd use every single damn resource I have to come find you and convince you to come back to me, and unless you told me you could never be happy with me, I'd keep trying..."
"You make this so hard…"
She turned around and Kaiba stared at her eyes, moving closer as she touched his arm with one hand. Anzu seemed almost sad in a way, her brows crossed in what could be taken as frustration, but instead of doing anything, Kaiba just stared. He looked at her for a long time waiting for a better answer before she finally gave out one.
"I don't know what I want yet."
"Well, let me ask you this, Anzu. Do you want me?"
"Yes?" Her voice sounded weak, and the grip she had on his arm grew stronger as she moved closer to Kaiba's face, "It's not so simple. You're throwing everything off, I had a plan, and you're asking me to give up everything I wanted since I was a kid-"
"-If you want something bad enough, you wouldn't let that stop you."
"Kaiba, it's not that simple."
He frowned when she turned around, pressing her head against the pillow, her brown hair was cascading down it. Using his hand, Kaiba moved it out of the way as he shifted to be closer, laying with his chest against her back as he made the grip around her waist more steady. It wasn't like Anzu was trying to avoid contact, but she came off like she didn't want to deal with something. And Kaiba was tired of playing games as Anzu couldn't make up her mind over her feelings.
"Anzu," he said, his voice growing firmer from irritation, "Either you want to dance or you want to be with me. If there was some way to make both things work, I would do anything within my power to make that happen for you, but we both know that's not possible. I can't leave Japan. Not for good. And I don't want you leaving me for a half desired dream you can't make up your mind over."
"-But no one thought I'd be able to manage it. Everyone thought I was being stupid, trying to become a dancer. Only Yugi ever encouraged me; even my parents thought I was going to fail, and now I know I'm one step closer to proving them all wrong…"
"Is it worth being right at the risk of being unhappy?"
She didn't answer back. And sighing, Kaiba closed his eyes again.
"You can be so stubborn, Mazaki. I always knew you'd get what you wanted, I had no doubt in my mind you could be a professional ballerina if that was what you wanted. But sometimes things change. Unforeseeable events happen, and I've been guilty of not wanting to change, but we both know how foolish that is… Don't push me away because I wasn't a part of some grand master plan."
"Kaiba, I'm not trying to," she answered back, her voice becoming more assertive, "But you're asking so much from me. If I gave New York up, I'd be giving up everything. I can't be with you and dance. We both know that… The lifestyle doesn't allow for it."
"Then maybe you should readjust your plans."
How many times did they need to discuss this before something more happened? It was frustrating Kaiba, that Anzu refused to let him go, but wouldn't move forward either. She wanted him, he knew this, but she was too afraid to commit to her feelings and do anything more than what she was doing already. Not unless something drastic happened, would she finally let go and realize for herself that she did love him. Kaiba knew she loved him, and as long as that was obvious, he wasn't going to let her go willingly.
"…Anzu, I'm not Atem. I'm not going to disappear on you anytime soon."
There was angry huffing in response to that, but Kaiba tried soothing down Anzu's temper by stroking her hair, breathing in her scent while her eyes bore into the wall in front of her. She seemed tense, her body ceased to be lucid anymore, but maybe if they just got everything out in the open, it would finally end.
"Don't act like this isn't a part of the problem, Anzu. I know you're under the impression that as soon as you let this wall down, I'm going to abandon you or change my mind. I assure you that is not going to happen. You have no idea how hard this is, trying to talk to you and convince you to say with me…
I know I'm not perfect; I've been rude to your friends and more arrogant than I have a right to be, but we could be happy together. You make me a better person, whether I want to change or not, and I don't feel so miserable when you're around."
He felt so silly for admitting that much, but Anzu turned her head in reply, looking at him. It was enough of a response for Kaiba that he opened his mouth to speak again, trying not to bother himself over admitting his feelings.
"I refuse to let you run off because of what happened in the past. I can be as stubborn as you are, Mazaki, and if you push me to extremes, I'll-"
He felt a finger on his lips, his threat cut off immediately as Anzu turned around with a cross look on her face. She looked like she was trying to keep from smiling, but her eyes were hard with intensity as Kaiba shut his mouth, looking back just as intently.
She removed her finger after a minute and before Kaiba could ask what she was doing; Anzu looped her arms around his neck and kissed him. It took his breath away, he was not expecting that, but Kaiba certainly wasn't against it either. He pressed his lips back against hers in earnest, closing his eyes as he tried controlling his breathing before opening them again. Unlike times before, Anzu wasn't being too shy around touching him, her face pressing against Kaiba's nose awkwardly before he finally broke the contact.
They just looked at each other for a moment. Neither of them knew what to say, and after a minute of intense eye contact, Anzu started to squirm away as if about to get out of bed, but Kaiba grabbed her arm, pulling her back before taking hold of the side of her face.
"You need to make up your mind," he said, using his free hand to hold onto her hip while she wasn't trying to break free anymore, "Anzu, I can't deal with you pushing me away and then coming back. It's too much."
"I'm not trying to," she replied back, looking up at Kaiba's eyes before glancing away from some sort of discomfort he wasn't aware of.
"But you are. And you won't even look me in the face, Anzu please."
Slowly turning her face back at him, she sighed and touched Kaiba's face, moving the bangs on his forehead before resting her head more deeply on the pillow. She wasn't going anywhere, her body was pretty much pinned on its back, but that didn't seem bother her too much.
"Your eyes are too intense," she said, brushing a fingertip down Kaiba's nose before reaching his lips, "The color is so dark and I feel like you're trying to look into me."
"Maybe because I am?" Kaiba answered back, now looking at the finger that was tracing his face instead of Anzu's bright blue eyes. He found her touching game strange, he usually didn't allow people to do that with him, but once it stopped at the back of his neck, he relaxed again.
"What were you doing?'
"Studying your face," Anzu replied back, smiling a little now, "You have such a strong profile, with that nose of yours. I couldn't help it."
Snorting in response, Kaiba almost felt self-conscious, but wouldn't allow himself to. Yes, he had a rather noticeable nose, thanks to his mother's European influence. He couldn't help that it stuck out a bit more than usual, and it wasn't until Anzu flicked him there hard with her fingers to get his attention back, did he come back to reality.
Now his nose was smarting.
"Why would you do that?" He asked, rubbing the tip while frowning some, "You shouldn't just hit people randomly on the face."
"It was sticking out, I couldn't help it."
Before Anzu could begin laughing though at Kaiba's expensive, his expression changed as he moved under the blankets, tackling Anzu down against the mattress and tickling her repeatedly. It wasn't something he'd done since he was a kid with Mokuba, but it certainly worked still. Anzu was now screaming to be let go of, laughing between her threats of violence, and it wasn't until she kicked him did Kaiba stop, letting go and moving away before giving a smug grin.
"And that's why you shouldn't hit my nose," He warned, poking Anzu's exposed stomach before his hand got swatted away, "I'm not against repeats."
Kaiba moved under the covers again, but this time instead of tickling Anzu, he held onto her hips, brushing against her stomach with his lips before listening for a response. She didn't say anything, and he couldn't see her under the covers of the bed, so taking that as a cue to proceed, he kissed along her abdomen several times, amused by how her skin twitched in response to his light touches.
She was so sensitive. Maybe that was why she was such a great master of her own body, Anzu seemed so in-tuned to everything. When he started playing with the hem line of her underwear, she started to shift a little uncomfortably, but Kaiba just rubbed on her stomach a few times, kissing the inside of her thighs before she seemed to settle down enough to pull them off.
It had been a while since he had the chance to initiate anything between them. He could smell her arousal, her sex wasn't too far away from his face, and the musky scent didn't turn him off in the slightest. If anything, it only made him more settled on what he wanted to do; slowly using his hands to part her legs enough that he could place is head comfortably between them.
He could tell by now that he was more than just a little aroused himself, and using one hand to steady Anzu's stomach while using the other to pull back her outer labia, he found her blushing clitoris right at the opening of her sex. She was probably very nervous, by how her legs were shaking a little, and pulling the covers out so Anzu could actually see what he was about to do, Kaiba decided to sooth her just a little.
"Don't whack me in the head for trying," he teased, flashing his blue eyes up at her, "You smell amazing and I just want to do this."
Anzu looked slightly confused, like she wasn't sure what to say, but since she didn't try moving him away, Kaiba just lowered his face before taking her into his mouth.
He used his tongue to play with her, as he felt her hands come into his hair and breathing begin to become raspier. Her legs were no longer relaxed but shaking, as Kaiba continued kissing and sliding his tongue against her to make the girl quiver in response. It was a little difficult, when her thighs settled against his head, and he had to take a few deep breaths to keep his breathing steady before sucking on her whenever Anzu got too excited, but he was enjoying himself.
Kaiba wanted her to enjoy it. Have her relaxed and wanting, so if their time together progressed into something more, it wouldn't be a disappointment for her. He liked Anzu, immensely, and satisfied with her taste as she became wet and he felt like his head was becoming far too dizzy from the lack of air, he finally parted, bringing up his head and resting it on her leg while panting a little.
They were both out of breath. And looking back up at Anzu's face, he could see that her eyes were closed and her mouth was open. It was too arousing a thought not to take advantage of that, moving up back so she was underneath him, and taking hold of the side of her face, he kissing her lips, giving her a taste of herself before stroking her tongue with his own.
Closing his eyes, he felt her tense up a little, maybe from feeling his own arousal or just from the taste, but before he became worried, she had her arms around his neck again. When he opened his eyes to watch her, Anzu's were open as well, and before he was aware of what he was doing, he could feel his erection sliding against her moist sex before she moved to part her legs further, his breath caught once he felt himself surrounded by slick heat.
He had to stop for a moment before continuing. His body was quick to react, and using one hand against the mattress to steady himself, he just waited for everything to die down before bending down to kiss Anzu's face, who was watching him while biting her lip. She didn't seem uncomfortable, but maybe slightly embarrassed, and taking the liberty to nibble along her neck and collarbones, he waited before doing anything more until she responded, her strong legs grasping at his hips as Kaiba took the hint to start thrusting.
Now that he didn't feel that overwhelming light sensation coming over him, everything just felt good. The heat, the wetness of her sex, how tight she felt around him, it was enough that Kaiba almost felt like he was going to become lost in her if he wasn't focusing his attention on her eyes. They were so bright, and a little puffy from being woken up early in the morning, but Kaiba wasn't put off from that.
No, he watched her face while reaching behind her back to unclasp her bra, which wasn't well done until Anzu helped pull it off, grinning once it fell to the ground. He liked the visual appearance of her breasts, how perfectly shaped and youthful they were. When he rolled his thumb under one nipple, it immediately hardened, and he could feel himself tense up just slightly from the sensation, bending down to suck with his mouth when Anzu didn't appear too put off by the gesture.
He just really liked touching her. It was new to him, and flicking his tongue along the sensitive tip, it only made Kaiba more excited to hear her moan a little in response. Predictably, she was trying to keep quiet like last time, and testing how far her self control could last, he began to intensify his thrusting, lifting his head to hide his face in her neck before sucking against the skin.
Her body was squeezing against him so tightly; he could feel his vision blurring white. It was becoming too overwhelming a feeling, her body clenching against him, and taking her hands into his, he lifted them over her head and intertwined their fingers before making a few last frantic thrusts, hearing his own moaning intermixing with hers before climax hit him and he couldn't do more than just shudder from the euphoria.
For a moment he was afraid he'd ejaculated too soon, and pulling out once he felt everything relax again with the moment passing, Kaiba moved to Anzu's side and continued to hold her hands. It was comforting, even for him, and glancing at her face several times, he could see that her eyes were closed shut, but her breathing was settling down and she didn't appear upset.
"Anzu" he said, finally breaking the silence, "I really like you. And I want you to stay with me, please."
He felt very foolish, doing whatever he could to convince her to stay, snuggling his face into her hair, but he couldn't help it. Kaiba for the life of him couldn't return to being indifferent after sharing something like that, and with all the heavy emotions he felt inside of him, he wanted an answer. Something that would end the conflict of Anzu's feelings, he could only do so much to make her stay with him.
"I can't just make up my mind right this second," she replied, gripping his hands tightly with her own, "Give me a week to figure this out. Don't ask me something like that right after…"
Sex. Really good sex. Better than the first time, in Kaiba's humble opinion, and just like before, he breathed in her scent while smiling to himself, glad that at least she seemed content with him. If she didn't enjoy him, she wouldn't be holding his hands with a death grip, and knowing Anzu wasn't going to admit anything unless bothered to, he took that as the confirmation he needed before closing his eyes.
"It's fine," Kaiba finally said back, "I'm tired and I was planning to go get you breakfast, but give me another hour of sleeping in. I can't be fucked to get up right now."
"I'm not even hungry yet," laughed Anzu, looking back at Kaiba's face before bumping her nose into his on purpose, "I can wait."
"Good." He was mumbling now, his face moving to hide itself in Anzu's hair, "And leave my nose alone, Mazaki…"
Haven't written smut in a while without Septima, so that was fun. Thanks for reading, and please review. I like knowing what my readers want and enjoy from this story, and this an ending will be coming soon, it would be a better ending I think for everyone if I knew what you guys wanted to see settled before I bring this story to a close. Again, thanks for the support and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.