CHAPTER 16: THE CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN CLICHÉ

THE CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN CLICHÉ: While clothes may not make the man, they often say something about his character development. Captain America's costume evolves from the jaunty 1940s red, white and blue extravaganza in his first movie appearance to the darker version we see by the time Endgame rolls around. Luke Skywalker's original baggy white tunic and beige pants scream, "I'm from the unfashionable arm of the galaxy," until both his wardrobe and his Jedi skills get an upgrade by the third movie. The X-Men's Storm changes costume with each arc (and gain or loss of her superpowers) from bikini-clad, caped weather goddess to punk rock icon and back again. Even The Doctor changes outfits with each new incarnation.

MORAL: It's easy to show your growth through your outfit changes when you have a blockbuster budget and a team of designers on your side. But if style is a way to express personality, what happens when you're trying to figure them both out at the same time?

Isis smiled in satisfaction as the last of the items from Atem's tomb were cataloged. It was her final act of obligation to her clan. Their task had been accomplished (after a fashion). It was time the pharaoh's tale belonged to the world. Most would consider it as a myth or a metaphor, would hear the prayer for rebirth and think of the fields of Osiris, not Japan. Isis left work and walked home, appreciating as always, the colors, sounds and smells of the above ground world.

Malik and Rishid were at home when she arrived. Rishid had made dinner. Isis glanced at the lights and camera equipment that had been laid aside. Rishid had a cooking section on their social media channel. She held back a sigh. Malik had gone from brainwashing people with the Millennium Rod to being an influencer. Rishid had followed him. It worried her. She shook her head. She was done seeing omens where none existed. Isis sniffed the air appreciatively. "It smells wonderful," she said as they sat at the table.

"Our viewers certainly think so. Or it could be the sight of Rishid in an apron they find tasty." Malik chuckled. "Based on their comments, they want him to keep the apron and lose the shirt."

Rishid ducked his head to avoid looking at them.

"Stop it," Isis scolded, but there was no bite to her words. Malik laughed as Rishid spooned food onto their plates.

"Delicious," Isis commented after taking a bite.

Rishid's face darkened in pleasure.

"We finally finished cataloging the items from the pharaoh's tomb," Isis said.

"Surely, he's 'Atem' to his friends by now," Malik put in.

Isis ignored him, wondering if younger brothers were always this annoying.

"I never got why you care about this stuff, anyway," Malik said.

"Because it's history. Our history."

"That seems like a good reason to ignore it."

"I got the job as Director of Antiquities because it was the only way I could think of to find you. But I came to believe in what I was doing, in preserving our past, in studying it, in sharing it with others."

"You're taking what we learned in darkness and bringing it to the light," Rishid said quietly.

Isis smiled. "Thank you. Yes." She paused. "There was such a wealth of items in Atem's tomb. It seems only fair that the first stop of our tour should be in Domino."

Malik laughed. "Of course. I should have guessed. Is this your subtle way of inviting us along?"

"Does it bother you?" Isis asked.

Malik dropped his sarcastically indifferent air; he suddenly looked much younger. "I don't know. I didn't want to preside over Atem's death. That's what it was, no matter how many nice words we wrapped it up in. He didn't deserve that any more than we deserved anything that happened to us. But it's strange having it over." He tried for a carefree grin, but his lips turned downwards too fast to pull it off. "I guess even the loss of an enemy is a loss."

"Atem was never our enemy," Isis reminded him.

"I know that. But I blamed him for everything for so long and now that's gone." Malik shrugged. "Habits, even bad ones, are hard to break."

"I'd like to go," Rishid blurted out.

"Because our last trip there was such a bang-up experience?" Malik asked.

Rishid looked down but briefly held his ground. "They're still our friends. It would be nice to make new memories in a place that held so many bitter ones, to see it freely." His resolve faltered. "But I didn't think… if going back hurts… if you don't want to… I'm…"

"Please don't say you're sorry," Malik interrupted.

Rishid nodded.

"Stop worrying about whether what you want and think and feel matches my moods," Malik said quietly; use and time had worn the edge off his words.

"I know," Rishid said.

"Do you?" Malik shot back. "Never mind. We're both learning. And even if I decide to stay home sulking, you can still go party in Domino without me."

"Does that mean you're not coming?" Isis asked.

"Hell, no. I just draw the line at wasting my days in some stuffy museum. I bet I can get Kaiba – or Mokuba – to come across with some VIP passes to KaibaLand, especially for two big time influencers like me and Rishid. We'd be doing them a favor." He grinned. "Let's go take on Domino – and we'll do it as a family this time."

Mokuba came down to breakfast to find his brother and Atem talking about clothes.

"We need to get you your own stylist," Kaiba said to Atem. "I'll have Isono find suitable candidates for you to interview."

"A what?" Atem tried to recall Anzu and Miho talking about stylists, but Yugi had rarely paid attention. "You mean for my hair?"

Mokuba snickered. A maid put a plate of pancakes in front of him and he turned his attention to his breakfast. He took a large bite and said, his mouth still full, "A stylist buys clothes for you."

Atem tilted his head, confused. "Yugi bought his own clothes. I was with him."

"Very probably," Kaiba said.

"This saves time so you don't have to do a bunch of shopping. You don't even have to bother looking at the clothes until they arrive," Mokuba explained.

Atem swelled like a porcupine displaying its quills. "I'm not letting anyone make choices for me!" He turned to Kaiba. "I'm not some dress up doll for you to play with!"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "You're big on trust until it comes to trusting me," he snapped. "You talk to a stylist about how you want to present yourself. They find potential outfits and bring them to you. You're the one in control. You can even design your own clothes and they'll find someone to execute your vision." He looked with satisfaction at his coat. It was silver, but seemed to change color when he moved, like sunlight shimmering over a dragon's scales.

"In case I want a complete dragon wardrobe, right down to my swimming trunks?" Atem suggested.

"Precisely," Kaiba replied, smoothing his coat lapels with satisfaction.

Atem turned to Mokuba. He dressed almost exclusively in jeans and generic striped shirts or Kaiba Corporation T-shirts. Today's choice was a T-shirt with a cartoon Blue Eyes White Dragon wearing a yellow construction hat.

Mokuba puffed his chest out. "I save my design energies for our mascot."

"We use it to draw attention to safety features and to indicate areas under construction – whether physical or on our website. It is absolutely not our mascot," Kaiba replied.

"Not yet," Mokuba corrected.

"The point remains: there's nothing a store can do for you that a stylist can't," Kaiba said to Atem.

Atem stuck his chin out. "Yugi and Jounouchi go to the mall."

"They would," Kaiba muttered. "Go ahead. Follow them. Do whatever you want. I don't care."

Atem frowned, half-expecting the flowers on the table to change color and shape into something more ominous, more in keeping with the sudden tension that had rolled in like rain heavy clouds. He glanced at the windows; it was still sunny outside.

"All this fuss over a bunch of clothes," Mokuba muttered, glaring at Atem.

"That's not what this is about," said Atem and Kaiba at the same time. Kaiba's snort blended with Atem's rueful chuckle.

"This isn't about anyone but me. I don't want a curated collection," Atem protested. "I want to experience walking into a store and having everything laid out in front of me."

"Ahhhh…" Kaiba breathed in relief. "That's different." Atem had a habit of trying things, like fish ice cream, just to see if he liked them. Atem's choices didn't make sense to Kaiba, but he could appreciate the need to figure things out for yourself without relying on other people's faulty opinions.

And the more Kaiba thought about it, the more Kaiba liked the idea. There was something seductive about ditching work to go shopping with Atem. Kaiba never bailed on work unless dueling was involved, and here he was, about to do it twice in as many weeks. But why come back and have everything stay the same? That wouldn't get them to the future they wanted.

Kaiba suddenly threw back his head and laughed, imagining Gozaburo's fury. Ditching his schedule on a whim – spending the day wandering in and out of stores with Atem – had to be the biggest middle finger he'd ever given the ghost of his adoptive father since he'd razed Gozaburo's weapons factories.

"Most of the design houses, especially the avant-garde ones, are clustered around the piers," Kaiba said. "The city renovated some of the piers and designers rushed in. If you want to go shopping, that's where the best houses are. They'll have tailors on hand when you need the pants shortened. We can go now." Kaiba noticed Mokuba staring at him as if a stranger was suddenly sitting at the head of the table. "Do you want to…?" he started to ask.

But at the same time, Mokuba rolled his eyes and, "Bor-ring."

Kaiba frowned. Was this how Mokuba started to drift away? "Maybe we could swing by when we're done and all go to dinner?" Kaiba asked awkwardly.

Mokuba's mouth dropped open. His brother typically made plans and simply assumed Mokuba would follow along. He'd certainly never offered to adjust them before. Was this some side effect of his brother's trip out of this dimension? Should he be worried? "Sure thing!" Mokuba shouted.

Kaiba called the office to reschedule his meetings and they headed out. They arrived at the pier. Atem barely glanced around before rushing into the first store. He stopped short, staring in horror at endless racks of exquisitely tailored black and charcoal gray suits.

Atem was in a coral and pumpkin silk shirt with a gold chain back, metallic gold leggings and burgundy ankle boots; a phoenix rising from an ashen field. "What is this place?" he asked, outraged.

"You marched into the flagship store of a designer famous for his business attire and are surprised to find suits?" Kaiba asked, raising an eyebrow beneath his bangs.

"You don't wear anything like this," Atem said, waving a hand to encompass the store.

Kaiba smirked. "I'm not boring."

They spent the day drifting in and out of stores, picking up a pair of leather pants here, a jacket there, all to be delivered when the tailoring was complete. Atem was enthralled, seeing choice after choice laid out before him. Kaiba still thought a stylist was more efficient, but he admitted this was something he could imagine those older versions of themselves doing and it had the charm of novelty. They stopped at the end of the pier and stared at the ocean, at the promise of a boundless world, just out of reach.

They went into the last fashion store on the pier, "House of the Sun." Kaiba snorted. "I have to give them credit. They managed to find the most pretentious name on the entire pier."

But Atem wasn't listening. He swiveled in place, entranced by the embossed, gilded and brocaded clothes surrounding them. He fingered the golden charms dangling from the chains looping around a pair of black leggings, ran a hand down the stained-glass gold and blue hues of a color blocked silk shirt.

Atem went into the dressing room with an armful of clothes. He came out, showing off his choices one by one in an impromptu fashion show, then waited to have them measured and marked for tailoring.

Kaiba stared at Atem, enchanted. A strange peace washed over him, cocooned him in its quiet euphoria, a glimpse of what it meant to be enveloped in the present, in this moment and no other.

Atem came out of the dressing room a final time, wearing a loosely woven burgundy and violet halter top, bordered in gold; the blood dark tones matched his eyes. He'd paired the shirt with a pair of low rise, gold silk pants; they flowed from hip to shin as Atem moved, until the fabric was caught in a series of tight bands below the knee. The clothes fit perfectly, as if the designer had made them with Atem in mind. Kaiba gasped. Atem was a sun god, miraculously brought to life and landing in Domino.

"Perfect," Kaiba whispered, still short of breath.

Atem smirked at him, and suddenly he was all too human again – and all too deliciously touchable. Atem twirled and retreated to the dressing room. Kaiba followed him inside and stopped, stunned, barely remembering to close the door behind him.

He grabbed Atem, needing to prove he held a living lover in his arms. Kaiba pressed Atem against the dressing room wall and grinned. He'd bet that even the geriatric pair in the bathtub had never done anything like this before. He kissed Atem, stripping off his shirt. "Don't worry," Kaiba said. "I disabled the security cameras."

"How thoughtful of you," Atem murmured.

Kaiba dropped to his knees with a groan. Atem stepped out of his pants. Kaiba grabbed them and flung them to join the discarded shirt before returning his attention to Atem.

Atem was suddenly aware of the smoothness of the wall at his back, unnaturally conscious of the locked door between them and the outside world. He moaned as Kaiba's tongue traced widening spirals across his hips and groin.

"Be quiet," Kaiba warned as he took Atem in his mouth, the taunting edge in his voice as intoxicating as his tongue's swirling movements.

Atem instantly disobeyed, hissing loudly, biting on the hand that was not tangled in Kaiba's hair, to contain his moans. He leaned against the wall, tossing his head from side to side, trying to keep his legs from buckling, trying to keep from screaming Kaiba's name in more than a broken whimper.

It was crazy and reckless and exhilarating. Like Kaiba himself, this moment was everything life promised in all its unpredictable glory; desperation and desire perfectly balanced as Atem writhed in their embrace, aching for the paradise that lay in wait just over the edge. All he had to do was fall. Atem's hand tightened on Kaiba's hair, pulling back, then pushing Kaiba's head closer. He mouthed Seto's name over and over; being forbidden to speak made every sensation that much more intense. Atem closed his eyes, narrowing his senses by one as he arched into Kaiba's mouth, thrusting on trembling legs and finally climaxing.

Atem stared down at Kaiba, still kneeling on the floor, looking utterly triumphant, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Before Kaiba could boast of his updated score, Atem pushed Kaiba back until he was sitting, sprawled on the floor. Atem knelt in between Kaiba's legs. He unbuckled Kaiba's belt with deliberate slowness and then yanked his pants down. "You forgot to say, 'Turn ended.'" Atem said as he bent down and began his counter-attack.

The next couple of days at the Kaiba mansion passed uneventfully, except for Kaiba smothering a giggle every time Atem went to his closet and often undressing Atem as soon as he'd finished putting on his clothes.

School was starting soon. Atem remembered the last-week-of-vacation feeling from his time with Yugi. Even now, he felt an echo of the uncomfortable mixture of anticipation and dread that had Mokuba in its grip. Mokuba was engaged in an ongoing campaign to rearrange the Kaiba Corporation schedule so he could miss the maximum number of school days. Kaiba would put most of it back, while letting some things – like visits to the international KaibaLands – slide. Atem would have written this off as the mellowing effect of limbo, except it was clearly a long running game.

Atem found himself drifting towards the Kame game shop in the afternoon. The rest of the gang all seemed to be on their own for once.

Sugoroku welcomed Atem when he walked in the door.

"Yugi's out," Sugoroku reminded him, unable to keep from grinning.

Atem nodded. "He said he was busy, that he couldn't talk but he'd tell me about it later."

"I hope he's very busy, indeed." Sugoroku laughed at Atem's puzzled face. "Never mind that. It's good to see you. What brings you here?"

Atem smiled in place of an answer. After a pause that Sugoroku showed no sign of breaking, Atem admitted, "I didn't have anything else to do."

Sugoroku laughed.

Atem's face heated. "I didn't mean it like that. I just realized… since my return, I've had every day planned out for me. And now that I have a day to myself, I have no idea what to do with it."

"The weight of free time. You should try running a business. You won't have to worry about having nothing to do ever again."

"That certainly seems true for Kaiba," Atem admitted. "I love the idea of idle days. The reality of it is a bit more disconcerting. Maybe it's a skill I have to learn."

"Or not."

Atem tilted his head, trying to make sense of Sugoroku's two-word reply.

"Maybe you're not cut out for drifting. Maybe you are. Inaction is also an action." Sugoroku laughed and waved his arm around the shop. "One I've never been good at."

Atem smiled as Sugoroku led him to the back of the store. He'd known Yugi's grandfather would put him to work.

Sugoroku adjusted the bandana on his head. "Since you have nothing to do and no talent for idleness, I'll let you help me open boxes and log in the new inventory. You're welcome."

They worked in silence for a while. It was peaceful.

"I've always wondered," Sugoroku said, "when we found your tomb, we broke in. And yet, you saved my life."

"Even though I'd forgotten everything, you reminded me of my old friend and counselor. I couldn't let you die."

"You seem to make a habit of that. You tried to save Yugi's life as well, by leaving."

"It was Yugi's time to live. I assumed that meant it was my time to die. I never told Yugi my doubts and regrets."

"That could be why he didn't know."

Atem smiled. "Yes."

"So, what happened to derail your grand plans?"

"Seto Kaiba did." Atem chuckled. "And it seems, given the choice, I wasn't ready for the after-life."

Sugoroku grinned. He leaned forward and whispered, "I'll let you in on a secret. Neither am I."

Neither Yugi nor Anzu were sure it was a date. They were at an exhibit of dance costumes at the Domino Art Museum. They were alone except for all the other visitors. Yugi dutifully studied Odette's costume from Swan Lake. He was thrilled to be standing next to Anzu staring at a white tutu. He supposed it did look like a swan. The skirt had feathers. It was white.

Anzu planned to go with her dance class in a couple of weeks, when everyone got back from vacation, but she couldn't wait. Yugi had offered to go with her. She'd said yes. Did that make it a date?

Yugi and Anzu walked to the other side of the display. Back to back with Odette's costume, was another, almost identical one in black. "This one has feathers, too," Yugi said.

"It's Odile's costume. They have to look identical, except for the color," Anzu explained.

"Why?"

"In Swan Lake, Odette and Odile's costumes match the plot." Anzu thought for a moment. "Odette's been enchanted by an evil sorcerer. She's a swan during the day and only gets to be human at night. Prince Siegfried goes hunting and falls in love with her at first sight."

"That's why her costume has feathers!" Yugi said. "Uh, he meets her when she's human right?"

Anzu laughed. "Yeah, he doesn't fall in love with a swan."

Yugi smiled back. "Just checking."

"Anyway, he can only break the spell by vowing to love her and keeping his promise. But at a huge ball, the sorcerer shows up with his daughter Odile, who's been enchanted to look like Odette. Siegfried never had a chance. He falls for it."

Yugi wondered how the prince could be so blind. All his friends had known the difference between Atem and him and having the spirit of a pharaoh sealed in a puzzle was almost as unbelievable. "What happens next?"

"Everyone dies."

"That's awful!"

"No! It's beautiful!" Anzu protested. "I cry every time I see it."

That didn't sound like a recommendation to Yugi, but he suggested, "If it comes to Domino, maybe we could go together?"

"I'd love that! You'll see how amazing it is!"

(Would that be a date?)

They moved on to the next exhibit of contemporary dance costumes for Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Yugi giggled at Winter. Light blues and silvers and whites blended and swirled through the costume. A miniature wind machine caused the filmy material to flare out behind the mannequin as if it was in flight. "Kaiba would love this one."

Anzu stared at it for a moment, then choked with laughter. "Can you imagine him watching and complaining there weren't enough dragons?"

"Which is your favorite?" Yugi asked.

Anzu pointed straight to Spring. The mannequin seemed to be rising out of the ground, the blooming flowers and butterflies of her costume celebrating the rebirth of hope.

"It looks like you," Yugi said.

They wandered through the rest of the exhibit. It might not have been a date, but they left the museum holding hands.

Kaiba was still at work when Atem returned to the mansion after visiting Sugoroku at the game shop. Mokuba was home as well. Atem suddenly realized that although he'd been living at the mansion for almost two weeks, he and Mokuba had never really spent time together, just the two of them. Atem cleared his throat.

Mokuba looked up. He was about to offer Atem the second game controller, then stopped and looked around, as surprised as Atem to find themselves alone in the room.

Atem walked to the window. He looked at the motorcycle track in the distance. He caught a glimpse of the dirt bike course behind it. "Your brother gave me a driver's license and I don't even know how to ride a bicycle."

"You don't?"

"Yugi never learned." Atem frowned. "Or maybe he never had anyone to ride with until he solved the Puzzle, and just avoided it." Even now, in his own mind, Atem shied away at prying too deeply. "I'm not sure."

"I thought you guys knew everything about each other."

"So did I," Atem said softly. "Maybe no one does."

"I learned late, too. Seto already knew. They had a few bikes at the orphanage, but they were for the bigger kids." Mokuba scowled. "And it's not like the bastard who adopted us was handing out bicycles for our birthdays. And after Gozaburo offed himself, Nisama was… you know… busy…" Mokuba paused. His face brightened. "He taught me after Duelists Kingdom. Hey! I know what! I can teach you!"

"You would? Thank you!"

"I bet you'll learn easy. I did!" Mokuba boasted. "My brother told me that and he doesn't lie." Mokuba shrugged. "Besides since you're living here, you might as well learn."

They headed for the garage. The silence between them grew and took on weight. Atem sighed. "Whatever's on your mind, Mokuba, please ask."

"Why'd you move in with us?" Mokuba blurted out. "I asked my brother but he just went off about some alternative world where you guys were old and some fake me had kids."

"It was a nice world. But no one could replace you, not even another version of yourself."

Mokuba's face brightened. "That's what Nisama said!"

They reached the garage. Mokuba pulled out a couple of bikes. He adjusted the seat on one.

Atem watched him, smiling, remembering Kaiba's endless fiddling with his Duel Disk. "Have you ever felt like something was crucial, even if you couldn't explain it?"

Mokuba looked up from his work and nodded.

"That's how I felt about coming back. Like if I missed this chance, I'd never get another one."

"That explains why you came back to Domino, but not why you moved in with us. I mean, you and my brother could still do it, even if you were staying at Yugi's house like everyone expected."

"I'm tired of expectations. This is where I want to be. I've seen enough futures to know I won't accept one that doesn't have your brother in it."

Mokuba grinned. "That's okay, then. Let's get you riding!" He brought the bike to Atem, who took the handles warily. "This is how my brother taught me. It's based on physics or something. Expect to fall a few times."

They wheeled their bikes out to the driveway. Atem stared at the smooth, flat road in front of him as though it was an opponent and he needed to devise a strategy to defeat it.

"I made the seat low enough so you can put your feet flat on the floor. I'll raise it a little later."

Atem sat on the bike seat. As promised, his feet were flat on the floor, grounding him.

"Don't worry about the pedals," Mokuba ordered. "Push off with your feet and glide a little. Put your feet down on the ground whenever you need to keep yourself from falling over. When you get used to it, put your feet on the pedals and go."

Atem pushed off and instantly fell over. He got up, his face hot with embarrassment.

"I told you to expect to fall. Everyone does when they start out," Mokuba said.

"I didn't come back to be 'everyone!'" Atem snapped.

Mokuba rolled his eyes. "Where would my brother be if he gave up after the first try?"

Atem smirked, thinking of Kaiba chasing him, demanding duel after duel, and then losing every time. His smile turned softer as he remembered Kaiba sitting among limbo's flowers patiently updating his Duel Disk, coming closer to success each time. "Who said anything about giving up? And let's not pretend your brother has ever accepted defeat gracefully."

Mokuba snorted.

Atem picked up his bike and tried again. Somewhere around the 5th or 6th try, he realized he was pedaling and stopped in surprise. He started to fall but managed to brake and get his feet out to balance himself. He tried again and went a bit farther, then father still, getting used to pedaling, to moving forward under his own power. "This is wonderful!" Atem shouted to Mokuba, delighted to find he could talk and ride at the same time.

Mokuba rode up next to him.

"You asked why I came back?" Atem continued, picking up the pace. "For this!"

"To learn how to ride a bicycle?"

Atem laughed. "To do all the things I never even imagined doing. To discover the world one day at a time." He pedaled with the speed of his own thoughts. "When I first emerged from the Puzzle all I knew was Yugi's anger – and the remnants a of pharaoh's duty to exact retribution, to judge and punish."

Mokuba swallowed. "Yeah. I remember."

Atem nodded, relieved that he had to keep his eyes on the driveway. "That's not a life. I was more shadow than person." He smiled. "Except to your brother."

Mokuba snorted. "You were real enough to duel."

"Yes," Atem said with satisfaction. "But even after I came to know Yugi, to learn from him, there were limits to how far I could go. I was like a plant constrained by a pot that was too small, unable to grow past its confines. I would have gone to the after-life without realizing I was simply exchanging one jail for another, more spacious one. And now I'm free… to feel the wind on my face…" Atem laughed as the breeze blew his hair back. "To take on a new set of doubts and regrets and know it's worth it for the chance to truly live, to find out what pleases me and no one else, to determine my path – one that's different from my father's or destiny's or Yugi's or even the many roads all my other selves walked."

Mokuba almost stopped short in astonishment, suddenly understanding why – beyond rivalry and sex – Atem was here and with his brother. They were bound by more than he'd thought.

.

Thanks to Bnomiko for betaing this chapter!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I wanted to come up with a simple way for Mokuba to teach Atem to ride a bicycle, and this one, as unusual as it sounds, actually works! I also liked the idea of him being enthralled with learning something that didn't exist back in Ancient Egypt and that he never got to do as part as Yugi. I could see the subject of the period between Kaiba's first penalty game and Death-T being an awkward one for Atem and Mokuba, since it involves Atem giving Kaiba a penalty game that includes reoccurring nightmares of being torn apart by duel monsters, Mokuba tasering Yugi and trying to poison him and Jounouchi, and Atem imposing two penalty games on Mokuba in return.

It struck me as I was writing the scene with Atem and Sugoroku that although Atem came back with the idea of choosing his own path Yugi or Kaiba has planned his actual daily activities every day.

In the chapter, the Blue Eyes White Dragon with the hard hat is from Duel Links. It's an adorable cartoon dragon, without being quite as overly cute as the toon dragon. I love the idea that the Duel Links dragon was designed by Mokuba, as a sort of updated version of his hand drawn BEWD from the anime.

And since the story celebrates so many clichés, I have to admit, Kaiba and Atem go shopping together (complete with dressing room sex) is one of my favorites!

Stay safe everyone!

SOCIAL MEDIA NOTE: I am on Tumblr, Dreamwidth and Pillowfort as Nenya85. Come check me out there!

To paraphrase Louise Rosenblatt, "A story's just ink on the page until a reader comes along to give it life." This is my way of saying that I'd really like to hear what you think. Please comment.