"You will not be allowed to use a formula card for the exam on Friday, so be sure to have this memorized before then."

Yugi was scribbling down notes in his notebook with his signature tiny script, slanted and neat. The pencil graphite was smudged along the side of Yugi's right hand from writing too hard and brushing aside the graphite dust. The shiny gray mark was wide and wrinkled where his hand closed around the pencil.

As the teacher finished his announcements for the end of class, Joey was already closing his books beside him, prepared to jump out of his seat the moment the bell rang. Joey seldom paid enough attention in their math class, and Yugi was sure that he would have to give his friend a crash course the night before the exam, but he didn't mind. It helped him review the material as well.

The bell rang, and Joey was the first one standing, hovering by Yugi's desk as he impatiently waited for him to finish packing his own books into his backpack.

"You're pretty excited for gym today, aren't you Joey?" Yugi asked, glancing up at his friend with warm eyes.

"Oh yeah, today's the day Yug, I can feel it."

"Yeah?" Yugi tried not to laugh as he stood and hooked his backpack over his shoulder.

"Yeah!" Joey flexed his arms as they left the room amidst the jostle of other students. "I'm gonna hit a home run today, I can feel it!"

"I'm sure you will, Joey!" Yugi encouraged, wanting his friend to keep smiling. The blond was having a good day, and he wanted it to stay that way.

When they reached their lockers, the pharaoh stirred in the back of his mind.

Yugi, do you remember that deal we made last month?

The deal about skipping classes? What about it?

Yugi had chosen to permit the Pharaoh to skip a certain number of classes each month, and no more than once a week. Sometimes the spirit needed a break from high school, and sometimes he had something to do, a lead to his past that he needed to pursue.

I would like to use one of my skips now.

You want to skip gym? Okay. Can I ask why?

Sweet Yugi, always respecting his privacy.

I would like to check on Kaiba. I think now is a good time, given his schedule.

Kaiba. Four days ago, he'd tried once more to defeat them in a duel, and instead he'd accidentally revived Anubis, the god of the dead, by playing the Pyramid of Light trap card. The KaibaCorp Duel Dome was undergoing extensive repairs as a result of the damage caused by the magic, and Kaiba himself had been injured when Anubis decided that the teenage executive had ceased being useful.

I'm worried about him too. I think that's a good idea.

"Joey?"

"Yeah Yug?" The blond stopped his chatter to turn curious eyes on his short friend.

"The Pharaoh has something that he needs to do. Can you cover for me in gym?"

"Sure. Everything okay?" Concern crinkled his features, and Yugi smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah, we just need to check on something. I'll be back before lunch, I promise."

"Okay, Yug, I'll save ya a seat!" There was a flicker of uncertainty in Joey's eyes, but he didn't argue with him. He trusted the pharaoh to take care of Yugi, and if he wasn't back by lunch, then he knew to start worrying.

Yugi's retreat from school was quick and discreet. Once he was out on the sidewalk, he closed his eyes and let the pharaoh take over.

Intent on wasting no time at all, Yami called a cab. It would take too long to walk to KaibaCorp, and he wouldn't have enough time to talk to Kaiba before he needed to head back.

The traffic wasn't too bad for almost lunchtime, and the cab got him to the skyscraper only a few minutes after he expected. He walked through the front doors with confidence, and the receptionist greeted him like she did every time: "I'll let Mr. Kaiba know that you're here to see him."

It hadn't taken the KC staff long to recognize Yugi once he started visiting Kaiba, and they didn't find his visits to be at all strange. He was the Duel Monsters champion, and he was Mr. Kaiba's former classmate. They didn't think it at all odd that the one person they could perceive as their CEO's only friend would visit him at work since that's where he spent most of his time.

The elevator took Yami to the top floor of the building, where Kaiba's office awaited him. It wasn't truly decorated, but every element of the room screamed of its owner's workaholism. Filing cabinets and bookshelves lined the walls, and there was a small couch and TV that, as far as Yami knew, existed here solely for the purpose of entertaining Mokuba. The extra computers were a bit of a mystery to Yami, as he often saw them on and in use, but couldn't understand why Seto would need more than one at a time. Computers were all a mystery to Yami, though.

"What are you doing here?" Kaiba demanded from behind his desk, fingers flying frantically over the keyboard as he typed up something that was undoubtedly important but could, in Yami's opinion, wait.

"What kind of greeting is that?" Yami replied instead, walking closer to the desk. It was new, made of metal and glass, the shape of it curving around his desk chair, clearly custom-made to suit his needs.

It was probably for the best that he'd finally replaced his step-father's desk.

"I'm busy, Yugi." Kaiba's right hand left the keyboard for the mouse. "Skip the friendship speech and get out."

"I'm here to check on you, Seto."

For the first time since Yami entered the office, Seto's eyes met his. The hairs on the back of Yami's neck began to prickle.

He could barely see the blue in Kaiba's eyes.

Yami curled his fingers into a tight fist at his side, his fingernails pinching the skin of his palm.

The pharaoh had known for some time that Kaiba used drugs, and Yugi had helped him to understand that information with a more scientific slant. Kaiba used amphetamines and stimulants. They gave him energy, they kept him going, they enabled his workaholic nature. They let him try to live up to the standards he held himself to; after meeting Gozaburo Kaiba in the virtual world, Yami had to wonder if those standards came from his step-father and not himself.

Yami had seen Kaiba while he was under the influence of drugs before, but he'd never seen his eyes as dark as this.

"Check on me?" Kaiba scoffed, narrowing his black eyes. "I'm an adult. I can take care of myself. Get out."

Yami's lips curled into a smirk. As much as his visit was motivated by concern, that didn't mean he would eschew his pleasure in verbally sparring with Kaiba. The pharaoh had quickly learned that Seto Kaiba was a beast: each time they met, he had to tame him all over again. Kindness didn't work on Kaiba; he was too suspicious by nature, too accustomed to ulterior motives and selfish behavior. So, Yami had developed a different tactic.

He placed a delicate hand on his hip, shifting his posture.

"You're not a man, Kaiba. You're an overgrown child." Hand still on his hip, Yami strode closer until he was immediately behind Kaiba's computer monitors. "Now tell me, how have you been since our duel? Is your arm healing well?"

Seto grit his teeth and glared, momentarily speechless. Yami watched the gears turning in his mind as he decided how to respond.

"I'm more of a man than you'll ever be."

Yami reached out between Kaiba's dual monitor set-up, leaning over the desk and tightly grabbing the arm that he remembered seeing Mokuba bandage.

His fingers closed around the arm, and Kaiba hissed in pain. He yanked his arm out of Yami's hold and pushed his chair back, reaching up to touch the injury, but stopping short.

Yami straightened up and started to walk around the desk.

"How many stitches?" he asked.

"Five," Kaiba muttered as he stood from his chair, moving his hand away from his injury and using it to casually brush over part of his desk.

Did Seto think that Yami didn't see the fine white powder floating down away from his hand? Or the fresh cup of coffee still steaming next to one of his monitors?

"How much coffee have you had today?"

Seto cocked his head in confusion, then narrowed his eyes.

"That's none of your business."

"Right, just like it's not my business whether you're eating properly," Yami scoffed. That was another argument they'd had before. "Safe to assume you've had too much. Have you taken a break yet today?" But Yami took Seto's hand, not waiting for him to answer, and started pulling him towards the couch. "Come on, Seto. You need to stretch your legs, at least."

Aggressive uncertainty still covered Kaiba's face, but he let Yami lead him around his desk, past the shelves and cabinets, almost to the couch, then those polished leather shoes stopped complying.

Barely-blue eyes met bright orchid ones, then glanced back at his computer. Yami smiled encouragingly.

"You can do it, Seto. Just a little break."

"I have too much to do, Yugi." He tried to pull his hand back, started to turn away.

Oh no you don't.

Yami tightened his grip on Seto's hand and yanked him closer, grabbing the other in a similar vice. While Seto was still surprised, Yami moved fast, dragging him over to the couch and shoving him down.

"Just a short break," Yami was saying as he climbed onto Seto's lap, straddling the taller teen and settling his hands on those bright blushing cheeks. The pharaoh had never been quite this forward with Kaiba before. "Like I said, I'm here to check on you. How does your head feel?"

Kaiba was, again, momentarily speechless. When he found his voice, all he could say was, "My head?"

"Yes, your head." Yami too-clearly remembered watching the god's hand close around Kaiba's skull and lift him from the ground, just to toss him aside when his utility was spent, like he was garbage, like he didn't matter. Even recalling that vision filled Yami with rage. "You were grabbed by a god. I was concerned that he'd hurt you besides your arm." Kaiba had been unconscious for a long time after he'd been thrown by Anubis, and brain damage wasn't an impossible consequence. Kaiba was still shocked into silence, his hands, trembling from an excess of caffeine (among other things), still hovered, unsure of what to do. "You summoned a god from his prison, Kaiba, which is most impressive"—Yami smirked, pleased with himself for slipping in a compliment—"but he seemed rather ungrateful to you."

Kaiba's hands dropped limply to either side of him on the couch. He was still trying to process what was being said. What should he respond to first?

"Gods don't exist, Yugi." Seto frowned at him, perplexed that his rival was sitting in his lap like a pet or a lover. "Religion is the opiate of the masses. And what happened on Friday was–"

"Some kind of hocus-pocus magic trick?" Yami chuckled, moving one hand off of Kaiba's cheek to start smoothing back his hair, combing it delicately away from his aristocratic features. "Still in denial about the magic, I see." Yami leaned in closer and whispered, "Would it really cost you so dearly to admit to the existence of something you don't completely understand?"

Seto narrowed his eyes and scowled back at him.

"You know that it would," he whispered back, surprising Yami with a brief moment of true honesty. Two hands suddenly seized Yami by the waist and tried to lift him, but he didn't have proper leverage. "Now let me up, I have to get back to work."

"No. I meant what I said about you needing a break." Yami finally removed his other hand from Seto's face as well, noting that his blush had almost disappeared. "You never take a break unless someone forces you to."

"I don't have time for a break, Yugi," the brunette snapped at him, even as his rival ran both hands through his shiny brown hair. "You never listen to me. I don't have time."

"You certainly don't have any time to yourself, do you?" Yami dropped his hands from Seto's hair, resting one on his shoulder and one on his chin. "You never take a break. You only rest when you sleep. Have you ever once in your life taken a vacation?"

Seto, in his discomfort at being pinned and interrogated, tried to shift, but he only succeeded in making his former classmate lean on him more. Damn, he was trapped. He couldn't push Yugi off without the risk of him hitting his head on the coffee table, which could be terrible for so many reasons, including both liability and personal pride.

Yami watched dilated eyes dart around him in search of an exit to this conversation, saw long fingers gripping at the cushions beneath them as if grasping for something that refused to materialize.

"Seto?" The name carried concern, and Yami shifted his thumb upwards to press to the edge of Kaiba's bottom lip. "Are you okay? Can you still hear me?"

"Can I–what? Of course. What do you–" Rapid confusion spilled from his mouth, always stopping short. He opened and closed his jaw again, but without making a sound. Then he repeated, "I have to work."

"No." Yami moved his thumb aside and kissed him. It was simple and sweet, and Seto responded, eager to have something to do. He could finally act, even if it was only his lips returning the kiss and his tongue demanding more.

They'd kissed two or three times before, so this wasn't new, but the Pharaoh had never been this physically close to Kaiba before, straddling his lap like he belonged there, like Kaiba himself was his throne. And Kaiba had never been this hungry for him before, returning his hands to the Pharaoh's waist and squeezing lightly, slipping his thumbs under the hem of his uniform shirt.

If he wouldn't be allowed to work, then he would touch and take. He would do something, because he couldn't stand sitting still without a task. Yami widened his legs, pressing closer as he removed his uniform jacket, their lips never parting, and tossed it to the floor. Their mouths separated only briefly, for quick breaths to feed the fire that burned between them. Seto didn't even notice at first that Yami had loosened his tie until he started unbuttoning his shirt too.

Kaiba grabbed his hand and pushed it away from his neck, forcing Yami to lean back.

"What the hell"–he was completely breathless–"do you think you're doing?"

Yami grinned, and Kaiba wondered how Yugi's friends could think that the man crouched over him was so pure and noble with a feral smile like that.

"I'm making you take a break." Yami rolled his hips down, prompting a grunt of surprise from Kaiba, who was fully blushing once more. Then he eased back a little, gracefully moving from Kaiba's legs to the floor between them.

Seto's eyes widened.

Yami's hands slid from Seto's knees up his thighs to his crotch, and still Kaiba looked paralyzed in shock. The Pharaoh chuckled, the sound low and throaty, as his palm pressed to the other's bulging crotch. Seto gasped.

"You really don't have anything to say, Kaiba? I expected you to be a bit more… vocal."

His fingers closed around the other teen's zipper.

"Shut up," Kaiba rasped, finally finding his voice again, even if it was thick with a desire that he'd kept buried in his heart.

Yami laughed again and, with quick fingers, freed Seto's swollen member. Yami stared at it, ten dainty fingertips pressed to its length as he took in the sight. Then he glanced up and found burning blue eyes staring back at him. It was more than shock on his face now. It was horrified lust, bordering on disbelief. The Pharaoh decided not to delay any longer and wrapped his lips around the head, pressing his tongue to the tip as a low moan sounded above him.

He worked his lips further down Kaiba's length, gradually taking him in. Kaiba remained much quieter than he'd anticipated–but then again, they were in his office. He was likely afraid of being overheard by his employees. Violet eyes glanced up at the CEO to see that he was biting his own hand to smother the little pleased sounds that escaped his throat. Yami pulled back, inhaling a damp gasp. He wrapped his hand around Seto's wet member and watched blue eyes, previously scrunched closed, blink open at the change in sensation.

"I want to hear you, Seto." Yami reached up and tugged on his arm. Kaiba resisted for a moment before yielding. Yami glanced at his hand, shiny with saliva, and seized it, struggling for a moment to unclench his fist so their fingers could interlock.

"No," the brunette gasped out, and Yami stroked his dick once. Wet lips parted in a silent gasp, and Seto didn't break his gaze. "Are you insane?"

Yami smirked and murmured, "Last time I checked, no." He pressed his lips to the tip again, and Kaiba bit his bottom lip. Yami sucked hard, taking his whole length back into his mouth. He returned to the task with renewed fervor, and Kaiba's quiet grunts turned to smothered whines. He wasn't going to last much longer, but that was alright. Yami had to get Yugi back to school soon.

The Pharaoh leaned down, taking Kaiba as deep into his mouth as he could without choking, and hummed. The vibrations did the trick, and Kaiba came, exploding into his mouth as he lost control. He gasped and threw his head back to stare at the ceiling as he gripped Yami's hand so hard that his knuckles turned white. Yami swallowed everything with a purr and a smile in his eyes, only pulling back once he was satisfied.

"How was that, Seto?" the teen asked playfully, rubbing his thumb across Kaiba's hand. "The best you've ever had?"

Blue eyes widened slightly, then narrowed in a fierce glare accompanied by a fiercer, "Fuck you."

Yami laughed.

"How is your head feeling now, Seto?" he asked.

Blue eyes—yes, they were blue again, and that in itself was a good thing—blinked back at him with less animosity than before.

"Better," he sighed, and Yami smiled again. This time it wasn't the predatory grin of seduction or a teasing smirk of superiority, it was a real smile, the kind he showed his friends.

"I'm truly happy to hear that." Yami stood and leaned down to kiss the brunette. It was even sweeter this time, without the frantic fire of unfulfillment forcing them to rush. While they kissed, Kaiba's hands moved to tuck himself back into his pants, and Yami took amusement in his shyness. Their lips parted and Yami placed a hand on Seto's cheek. He was so docile now, he let Yami's tongue slide right in to taste him.

They didn't kiss for much longer, and when Yami pulled back, he checked his watch.

"I wish I could stay, Kaiba, but I have to get Yugi back to class."

"I don't," the brunette scoffed, checking his own watch. "I have a meeting in ten minutes."

"Of course." Yami held Kaiba's chin in place and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you again soon, Kaiba. And please, please take care of yourself."

The high school student collected his jacket from the floor, walked to the door of the office, then turned to look over his shoulder at his rival. His hand was on the knob and Kaiba was standing now as well, watching Yami to make sure he was leaving.

"Start by cutting back on the caffeine."

"Hey Yug! I was startin' to worry 'bout ya." The relief on Joey's face made Yami wince a little in the back of Yugi's mind. "You've missed most o' lunch. Everythin' alright?"

"Yeah, Joey, everything's fine." Yugi smiled brightly as he took the seat that Joey had saved for him. "How did gym go?"

Joey rolled his eyes and launched into a complaint about someone's pitching while Yugi hurried to eat his sandwich in what little time he had left. On their way to the next class, Yugi nudged Yami.

Was that what you planned on doing with Kaiba all along? the teen asked. The entire encounter had baffled him, and he was trying to make sense of it. He knew that the Pharaoh chose to confuse and disorient Kaiba to make him let down his guard; he'd witnessed as much before, and like today, that strategy could sometimes get Kaiba to reveal a few truths he wouldn't admit to otherwise.

No, that wasn't part of my initial plan, but I can't say that I'm dissatisfied with that turn of events. There was a smile in Yami's voice and for now, Yugi was satisfied.