Are you nervous about tonight?

{Yes}

What can I do to make you less nervous?

{I'm not sure. Your house itself makes me nervous, honestly.}

Do you want to meet somewhere else then?

{I considered that, but I didn't want us to attract any unwanted attention, and I wasn't sure what kind of place that could be for you.}

There it was, Kaiba's fame was already creating inconveniences for their relationship before it even started.

{I'm fine going to your house, honestly. If we could keep it informal, that would help.}

How do you mean?

{Just you and me in a room, talking. No maids, no work calls, no three-piece suits. Maybe you could even try wearing jeans.}

Is this going to be a date?

{Did you honestly think it wasn't?}

It was possibly meant as a joke, and probably not meant with any intent of mockery, but that one question exposed in sharp detail how utterly inadequate Kaiba was at human relationships, how unprepared he was to accept their gracious, though impracticable, offer.

I don't think this is going to work. It's better to call it off now, before someone gets hurt.

Kaiba muted his text notifications from Ryou and put his phone down, expecting his friend—how much longer would he be able to call him that?—to be upset and attempt to change his mind. His mind was made up, though. It just couldn't work. Maybe it would be fun for a day, a week, even a month, but not much longer than that before human nature got in the way. There would be disappointment, jealousy, bitterness, not because there was anything wrong with Duke and Ryou, but just because the three of them were human. It was inevitable. Even the best people were imperfect.

"Duke, I think you need to talk to Seto."

"Why, did something happen?" Duke looked up from the sink of dishes that he was washing.

"We were texting, and then he said we should call the whole thing off, and he hasn't replied since."

"When was that?"

"An hour ago."

"I'll give him a call then and try talking to him." Duke pecked Ryou's cheek, wiped his hands on a kitchen towel, and went to his room, closing the door behind him as he scrolled through his contacts on his phone and pulled up Kaiba's cell. It rang three times before the brunette answered.

"What do you want?"

Duke's instinct was to reply with a sassy retort, but he bit it back.

"I just want to talk to you," he said instead, his tone gentler than his usual cadence.

"About what?" His question was as gruff as his greeting.

"Why do you want to call it all off, Seto?"

"Because it's destined to fail. It's not a wise investment of our resources."

Duke inhaled slowly. He had to navigate this conversation carefully. Seto's mind was a minefield, and every step had to be purposeful.

"Why is it destined to fail?"

"Because we're people, Duke. People are flawed and broken and horrible."

No doubt, Seto believed those words, but he might also be using them as a defense against his true feelings.

"Just because you're flawed or broken doesn't make you unloveable, Seto Kaiba."

The silence on the other end of the line stretched out long enough to make Duke uncertain. Had Seto hung up? No, the call was still active, but he couldn't even hear the sound of the other's breathing, and it unsettled him.

"Do you think I'm wrong, Kaiba?"

"You're not wrong," the brunette answered quietly. "Ryou is both of those things, and yet…"

"He's loveable and loved," Duke finished, when Seto seemed at a loss for what he was trying to express.

"Yes, but I'm not Ryou."

"It's still true for you. I'm not saying that you have to be involved with us, and I'm not saying that we're the only ones who could love you either." Duke would hate for that to be Kaiba's takeaway from this conversation. "If you genuinely don't want to try this, we won't force you, but, based on what Ryou's told me and what I've observed for myself, you do care about us. I think we'd be good for you, too. So what's standing in the way?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"It won't make sense to you."

"Let me determine that for myself."

"It's none of your business."

"Stop making excuses, Kaiba. Why don't you want to tell me?"

"Because it's difficult!" Seto snapped, Duke wincing as he realized he might have pushed too hard. "Because it's difficult for me to be vulnerable. It's difficult for me to trust people. And I'm not any good with people either. I have no idea what a normal romantic relationship is supposed to be like, and what you're suggesting is more… extreme than that. I don't even know what it is that you're asking of me, Duke. I can't understand why you're both attracted to me, and I don't know how to react to that, let alone participate in it." Seto paused for a moment, catching his breath and gathering his thoughts. "You're asking me to go far out of my element, Duke, and the risks are too high."

"I understand what you're saying," Duke said slowly. "And I'm sorry for not realizing how difficult this might be for you. But I want to ask you to set all of that aside for a moment. If you didn't have to worry about all of those risks, if you could enter this relationship with a guarantee of love and happiness, is this something that you would want? Are we what you want?"

"... Yes."

The word was quiet, almost choked. It had been a difficult confession for him.

"Then how about you come to our place for dinner tonight instead. I'll do the cooking, and we can start with small steps, like just spending time together. And if being with us feels good to you, then we can move forward. Is that okay with you?"

"That's… fine."

Duke couldn't tell if Kaiba actually found the arrangement agreeable.

"Okay then. Be here at seven o'clock."

"Okay."

"And Seto?"

"Yes?"

"Try to remember to smile, okay? We like it when you smile."

Duke hung up then, mind already turning to the issue of what he was going to make for dinner. A hearty stir fry with rice could never go wrong, could it? Certainly not. Beef and vegetables with honey ginger sauce and jasmine rice. Yes, that would be good.

"Roland, I need you to drive me somewhere."

"Yes, sir."

The chief security officer stood at attention, casting a cursory glance at his employer's clothing, since it was so unusually informal for him: dark-wash jeans (actual jeans) that neared blackness in hue, hugging tightly to the long thin legs of their wearer; oxford shirt in a muted median blue, open at the neck but still tucked into his waistband; black, patent leather belt with three rows of round gunmetal studs running parallel down its length; no jacket, no tie, no briefcase.

"Where am I taking you?"

"Here." Seto handed Roland a slip of paper with the address scrawled on it in pen. "I'm meeting some friends for dinner." He turned away then, heading for the front door with the implicit order that Roland fetch a car and bring it around to the front of the house. Roland smiled to himself as he went to do as ordered, pleased that the brunette finally had people that he could openly call his friends.

Duke had informed Ryou of the change in plans, which Ryou accepted with only brief questioning. If Duke thought it was a good idea, he'd go along with it, but he still planned to have some private moments with Kaiba. He needed to ascertain beyond doubt that the kiss Kaiba'd given him was as sincere as it had felt when it happened, and that the soft, tender affection he'd felt in those fleeting moments on the sidewalk, was real.

So Ryou was sitting on the outside stairs that lead up to Duke's apartment waiting for him to arrive. When Kaiba's sleek mustang arrived and the lanky young man stepped out onto the sidewalk, Ryou perked up. He'd really come, and not only that, he was a little bit early. Kaiba was serious about this, then. The brunette took long, purposeful strides down the alleyway, approaching the base of the stairs just as Ryou hopped up from his perch above and scampered down the steps. The sound of sneakers on wrought iron caught Kaiba's attention, and he stopped in place at the bottom, waiting for Ryou to come to him. He wasn't expecting his friend to throw his arms around him in a sudden hug.

"I'm so glad that you decided to come over," Ryou said, still hugging Kaiba close as he stood on the bottom step of the stairs. It let Ryou put his head on Kaiba's shoulder quite comfortably; normally he would be much too tall for Ryou to reach. "I really care about you, Seto. I'm so sorry if I upset you earlier."

Ryou hugged him close, and after a few moments, Seto was carefully putting his arms around him in return.

"May I give you a kiss before we go inside?" Ryou asked, pulling his head back just enough to see Seto's face color a little with a blush.

He looked so perplexed that Ryou expected to be turned down. The brunette glanced away for a brief moment, looked back at him, and offered a small nod. Ryou beamed and leaned in to give him a few soft pecks on the lips, Nothing too sudden, just soft, damp touches that warmed the brunette's heart in a way that he hadn't expected.

"C'mon, Duke's been working on dinner. He says it's his newest masterpiece." Ryou gave Seto a grin and led him up the stairs.

"Duke, he's here!" Ryou bounced into the apartment, glowing with a light of his own.

"Hey there, Seto. Glad you could make it!" Duke greeted the brunette from behind the stove, Seto acutely aware of the other's "Kiss the Chef" cooking apron. So, he really was as playful as he'd always acted around Kaiba, it wasn't just a show for his benefit. "Dinner should be ready in a few minutes, so just take a seat."

"Do you want anything to drink? Coffee, tea, water…?"

"I'm fine for now, thank you." Seto waved a hand dismissively. He hadn't expected this, and it felt weird. He was used to being waited on, but not by people that he considered to be his peers.

The brunette took a moment, while Ryou poured drinks for them all (pouring water for Kaiba despite his response), to glance around the apartment and assess its state. It seemed to be clean and tasteful, but comfortable at the same time. There was a large, rumpled blanket in the corner of the couch, and Seto could easily picture it wrapped around Ryou's shoulders as the Brit held a mug of tea with both his hands. The bedroom doors were ajar; should he take that as a sign of trust, or did it possibly mean nothing at all?

Seto still wasn't even sure why he was here, what he was expecting to result from this. He just knew that he didn't want to lose these friends, whatever else happened and whatever else they wanted.

"Ryou wanted to pull out the GameCube for after dinner, so we pulled out a bunch of multiplayer games for you to pick from. Go take a look at them, see if there's one in particular that you'd like to play."

Duke spoke with such casual ease that Kaiba felt a twinge of jealousy. Casualty was obviously the correct tone for this evening, and Seto had no idea if he could manage it.

He approached the TV stand and crouched down to look through the collection of GameCube games. The multiplayer ones had been pulled out from among the others, but there was one on the shelf that had caught his eye. One long finger pulled the game case away from the others as he took it off the shelf so he could examine it. He remembered when this one was released. It was the kind of old game that people still raved about as being one of the best in its series.

"That's one of my favorites."

Ryou's voice surprised him, and he looked up over his shoulder.

"I'm sure I've played some of those levels a hundred times by now, but I never get tired of them. We can play that one if you want."

"I would like that." Seto stood and handed the game case to Ryou.

"Have you played this one before?" the Brit asked, placing the game on the coffee table behind them.

"No, never. I didn't have a chance when it came out, and I've been busy since."

When it came out? Ryou did some fast mental math and immediately understood.

"Which game is it?" Duke asked from the kitchen.

"Sonic Adventure 2."

"We can play story mode on that and take turns." Duke was in the process of plating their dinner. "I think it's a good game, but I didn't grow up with it like Ryou did, so I don't know it as well as him."

"I bet Mokuba would like the chao garden," Ryou commented as Seto's eyes strayed back to the game's case, studying the text and game screenshots on the back. "It's really adorable, and I think it makes replaying the levels more meaningful."

"What are the chao, exactly?" Seto asked, looking back up at Ryou. He seemed like the right one to ask. "I'm not clear on what the in-universe explanation is for their existence."

The conversation for the rest of the evening revolved around video games: the ones they grew up with, the ones coming out now, and the very first ones. It worked, though. It was a neutral topic that they were all interested in. Duke made sure that the conversation never ventured into the territory of virtual reality, knowing full well that it might stir up unpleasant memories.

They talked about video games all through dinner and afterward, where the conversation turned to discussing the specific game they were playing.

"I know that a lot of people don't like the treasure-hunting levels and complain about them," Ryou was saying as he sat to the right of Kaiba, controller in hand. "But I never really understood why. If you have a character whose primary function is being a treasure-hunter, like Rouge, then it's logical to have the treasure-hunting levels. Besides, they give you a chance to slow down and appreciate the work that went into making the levels."

"People tend to dislike change that they don't understand," Kaiba offered as an explanation.

"I do think it's as simple as that, actually," Duke agreed. He was sitting to Kaiba's left, legs tucked under himself as he leaned a little on the brunette. "When a game series built on the premise of speed, or perceived speed, makes you slow down, people are disappointed."

"It's not like this was the first time that the franchise used slower-paced gameplay, though." Ryou collected the last item that he needed for completing the level and handed the controller to Seto as the end-level fanfare played and the character on screen acknowledged the rank that Ryou had earned. "The Adventure games were just the most popular games in the series to have those slower-paced elements."

"I haven't played most of the Sonic games," Duke admitted. "I have played some levels from the original two games, and I've played some of the Adventure games with Ryou, so I wouldn't say I have a good grasp on the franchise as a whole, but I'm very familiar with their recent advertising materials. It still places heavy emphasis on speed, but even the speedier gameplay has slowed down and the fans are disappointed."

As Duke spoke, Seto played one of the speed levels in the current game. He wasn't as fast as Ryou at playing this level, but Ryou by his own admission had played each of these levels dozens of times. Ryou was still impressed by how good he was on the first play of this game.

"I think you're talking about the Boom spinoff." Ryou's face twisted a little. "It's been such a mixed bag as far as content goes. Wait."

Ryou placed a hand on Seto's right wrist, and the brunette's hand stopped on the controller, anxiety gripping his heart for a moment.

"Up ahead, one of the Golden Beetle enemies will appear." Ryou gently touched the camera control stick to change the view on the screen. "Up in that corner."

Kaiba didn't answer, but rushed forward and took out the enemy with a homing attack. It required him to jump out over a pit, leaving him vulnerable until he was close enough for the enemy to spawn. Attacking it allowed him to reach a platform that he couldn't have reached otherwise.

"Nice. Then if you take that spring, it's a shortcut."

"You'll get your turn again soon enough, Ry," Duke remarked from Kaiba's other side, resting his head on the brunette's shoulder. Kaiba's character was hit by an enemy a moment later and he frowned.

Duke had distracted him. Had he done it on purpose?

Kaiba decided that he probably hadn't as he continued racing through the level. He wasn't able to recover the same number of rings by the end of the level that he'd had previous to Duke's distraction, so he finished the level with a B rank. He'd have to be satisfied with that. He handed the controller to Duke and glanced at his watch.

"I have to go," Seto announced, standing up from the couch, Duke catching himself with his hand as the brunette removed himself as a support. "I have an early meeting tomorrow. Roland will be here any minute with the car."

Duke and Ryou rose to their feet as well, Ryou moving towards the door while Duke reached for Seto's hand.

"It was really nice having you visit us." Duke put as much warmth in his voice as he could; he needed Kaiba to know that he meant it. "We should do this again sometime."

Duke punctuated his statement by kissing his cheek.

"I agree." Kaiba gave Duke's hand a squeeze and released it, moving to where Ryou waited, about to open the door.

"I can walk him out," Ryou said, giving Duke a purposeful look. He wanted a moment alone with Seto.

The brunette either ignored their looks or didn't notice them as he exited the apartment.

Kaiba descended the stairs first, Ryou behind him. Roland wasn't here yet, but that was fine.

Once they were both standing on the ground, Ryou took Seto's hand in his own, gently holding it.

"You know," Ryou began, eyes darting up. "We never did get around to talking about Gozaburo's ghost."

Kaiba's hand immediately tightened its grip. They were both silent for a minute as the taller man collected his thoughts.

"When I asked you for that explanation, I thought I was ready to hear it." Seto paused, choosing his words carefully. "When we first met for coffee, I realized that I wasn't. Now, after having more time to process it, I think I might be ready to accept your explanation as well. Not just hear it."

"Were those other conversations just distractions for me, then?"

"No, they weren't just that." Seto looked down at Ryou with an intent look. "You're one of the few people that treats me like I'm a real person, instead of an asset or a threat or a caricature. Nobody at KaibaCorp treats me that way. None of the mansion staff treat me that way."

Seto paused, and Ryou couldn't tell if he was uncertain of what he was about to say, or if he was uncertain whether he should say it at all.

"You made me feel normal. It was such a relief from how I feel at all other times. Our conversations at the cafe… they were calming and stimulating. I always looked forward to those days with you."

"Oh, Seto…" Ryou was choked up. He couldn't help it. He hadn't been expecting such a confession. It was also the most that the brunette had said at one time all night.

"I still want to hear your explanation about his ghost," Seto continued, looking away. "Maybe you can come over soon and we can talk about it."

"I would like that very much." Ryou looked up at the brunette again. "Seto."

Kaiba looked back at him.

"Please kiss me."

Seto put his free hand to Ryou's cheek, caressing it momentarily before leaning in and kissing him. It was so terribly gentle, it almost made Ryou want to cry. It was also just like their first kiss, tentative and light, and so unsure.

"How was your dinner, sir?"

It wasn't part of Roland's job to ask questions like that.

"It was nice."

There was something soft in the CEO's voice that let Roland know he was telling the truth. He had genuinely enjoyed his evening with other people, and that wasn't something Roland often saw.

"That's good."

The two men were silent for the rest of the drive home.

Kaiba used his sedative again that night to help him sleep. Once his mind had returned to the evening, he'd begun worrying over every moment of the time he'd spent with his… friends? Yes, for now, he'd still call them his friends. Not wanting to be filled with doubt after what should have been—had been—a nice evening, he opted for the peaceful oblivion of a restful sleep.