Part III
Let it not be said that things weren't awkward between them and Seto after that. The short trip to the infirmary was relatively quiet and Yami resisted the urge to ask Seto what was going on. Although Seto had continued to let Yami lean on him, he had been tense all throughout and Yami stared at him worriedly.
"Spill."
"What?" Yami gawked at him, confusion littering his wide red eyes.
Seto sighed. "Tell me what you're thinking about."
"Oh," Yami reddened, looking down embarrassedly. "It's nothing."
Seto grasped his chin and made him look back up. Seto's eyes were glimmering with a quiet understanding that made Yami feel flustered even more. Damn it. They hadn't even reached the clinic yet, Seto having stopped by the lockers instead. Yami shook his head. It really was nothing, wasn't it?
"It's okay," he told the brunet, who appeared like he didn't want to believe him.
"Something's bothering you," Seto matter-of-factly countered.
"Are we okay?"
"Of course."
"Why won't you look at me earlier?"
The faint shade of red on Seto's face made Yami smile. He seemed to have taken a liking on making Seto blush the same way Seto did to him, and it was nice. Embarrassed, the brunet turned away and started to walk, taking extra care to not drag Yami and make him favor his hurt leg.
"Seto?"
They were at the door of the infirmary when Seto finally met his eyes. Seto was still hiding something, that was evident in how he bit his lip anxiously and how he ran his hand through his hair. It looked like something was bothering him and he refused to share it with the former monarch. Yami wondered if Seto was going to run away from him and if he would have had Yami not hurt himself. Maybe Seto didn't mean it? Kissing him?
"Ilikeyou," Seto blurted.
"What?"
Seto stared at him incredulously, the faint blush on his cheeks reddening further. Yami honestly didn't hear. He sighed.
"I'm sorry. I didn't hear you, Seto," he cleared up.
"I said," the brunet paused, looking down as he held on the doorknob as if for support. He was blushing madly and he didn't want Yami to see how he was humiliating himself. He coughed, "I said… that I like you."
Yami, Seto found out, was really good with asking questions. Especially when he was unaware of the internal dilemma he's causing people with his seemingly innocent queries.
"Seriously?" Yami asked in disbelief.
"Forget it," the CEO brushed off, opening the door and guiding both of them inside. He shouldn't have said that.
When Yami thought about it, he figured after the nurse got him ice compress for his ankle, Seto could have left. But he didn't. Instead, he sat beside Yami and opened a book. It looked exactly like the copy of Julius Caesar by Shakespeare that Yuugi lend. It had the same faded outlines and the same folded pages–
"Where did you get that?" Yami asked.
Seto's stare was all that he got initially.
"What are you talking about? This is from my library."
"But–" Yami faltered. His library? "Yuugi… he… did he borrow that book from you? He made me read it three weeks ago."
The brunet nodded.
"Oh. So that's how you knew that I–"
"Yami, are you okay?" Anzu's voice was loud and annoying as she barged into the clinic, all overwhelming worry as she crowded into his space. Seto stood up, taking the intrusion an opportunity to leave. Yami looked at him, though, and managed to grab his hand. Anzu didn't notice as she continued to rant about how Yuugi and the others were stuck in class and how she did a good job sneaking out of her own.
"Please stay," Yami requested, eyes boring into Seto's.
"Kaiba!" Anzu finally recognized the brunet beside her crush. She narrowed her gaze, seeing how Yami held Seto's hand. "What are you doing here?" She asked suspiciously.
"Seto caught me when I fell," Yami explained, standing up beside the CEO as if he was trying to protect Seto from Anzu's unreasonable wrath.
It was endearing, what Yami was trying to do. But Anzu's gaze had remained on the CEO.
"Anzu, I'm fine," Yami insisted, grabbing Seto's hand and dropping the ice compress.
"Yami–"
"Thank you for checking up on me, Anzu," Yami bowed courteously before he and Seto stepped out. They stumbled on each other since they were in a hurry but the lockers broke their fall.
Seto was looking ahead, not necessarily avoiding him but not really meeting his gaze either.
"Seto?" Yami tried, suddenly remembering the brunet's confession.
"Yes?"
"Do you really like me?"
The CEO sighed. Was that so hard to believe? Because the thing was, he did.
"Seto?" Yami came closer, brushing Seto's bangs from his eyes without thinking.
Seto stilled him, dipping his head to claim Yami's lips softly.
"Why do you question me?" Seto asked when he pulled back, savoring that brief intimate moment when Yami tried to catch his lips back.
Yami blushed, staring at him.
"I like you, Yami. That's what I know," the brunet admitted, "And I know it's surprising for you but it's not to me."
Yami shakily nodded, his heart, cliche as it might sound, skipped a beat. He didn't know what to answer. He didn't know what he felt, only that this was nice. This felt overwhelmingly nice. And he couldn't let this go.
"Seto, I… uhh…"
The chuckle that came from Seto's lips was bitter and didn't suit the brunet at all. Yami sadly smiled, trying to reach for him but Seto shook his head. "It's okay," he reassured the ex-spirit. "Things got out of hand. We deal with it."
Yami's indecision was the most blatant rejection Seto had ever heard in his life.
"No, listen," Yami protested, "I don't know how I feel. I confess to that… but this… this is okay."
"What do you want, Yami?" Seto asked.
"This."
Seto nodded, letting him be. Yami returned it with a smile, tiptoeing to kiss Seto this time. Seto pinned him on the lockers, as he wrapped his arms around the brunet.
"Mr. Kaiba! Mr. Mutuo!"
The couple broke up, eyes widening as they heard the principal's voice. Yami blushed, looking down. First day and he'd already been reprimanded. Twice. He glanced at the brunet and chuckled lightly at Seto's mischievous grin.
"Sorry, sir," they meekly responded and watched the principal scoff at that before returning to his office. Yami laughed and leaned his head on Seto's shoulder while Seto wrapped his arm around his waist and pulled him close.
"So we're okay now?" Yami asked.
"Yes, Yami."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Seto–" Yami quieted when Seto kissed him again, effectively shutting him up. When they broke apart, he was panting and Seto was smirking. But unlike the smirk that graced his features that morning, this was playful. Endearing.
"You ask too much."
"That's because you interest me too much as well."
Seto laughed. They were late for their next class, where coincidentally (or not), they were classmates.
