Title: Ever After
Author: bnomiko
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): Yami + Seto, Noa + Mokuba, Yugi + Anzu, Jou + Mai, Malik + Ryou, Rafael + Valon + Amelda
Spoilers: none
Warnings: swearing
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.
Summary: Final arc of the Life with Kai-baby and Yami-kins ficverse. A fairytale wedding for one happy couple brings friends together from around the world for a grand celebration. This is how Yu-Gi-Oh! should have ended!
Status: 3 / ?
Archived at: http://www.phenixsol.com/Miko/FF/

* * *

Ever After

Ch 3: Boys' Night Out

* * *

Anzu must've been waiting for that marriage proposal. By the next day she was pouring over the magazines she’d saved up and browsing websites and asking Yugi when his next days off would be, so that they could sit down and begin planning things out. But no one could blame her for being excited; she and Yugi had been dating for over 5 years and friends for many more than that. It was about time.

The upcoming nuptials were the obvious big topic amongst Yugi-tachi throughout that holiday season, rivaled only by Mai’s announcement that she was pregnant again. And so the year ended on a high note, with everyone looking forward to all the exciting new developments that would come next spring and summer.

There was a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it in. Yugi had thought that 5 months would be plenty of time to organize a big event – Anzu’s dream was to have a late spring ceremony, in a rose garden - but planning a wedding turned out to be far more complicated than he’d anticipated. Finding the right dress, flowers, reception site… those were things that made sense to him. But he hadn’t thought that it would be so time consuming to put together a registry, to taste cakes, to pick envelopes for the invitations. Really… did anyone look at the lining of the envelopes??

Yami and Jou, the two Best Men – as Yugi couldn’t decide between them they’d agreed to share duties - were sympathetic, but equally clueless. After all Jou had gotten married spur-of-the-moment in Vegas, in an all-inclusive $750 wedding package. And the only things Yami knew about weddings came from whatever he’d seen in movies or on TV. Certainly neither could remember the last time they’d noticed what color was inside an envelope, but apparently it was a matter of great importance to Anzu.

At least they were spared the majority of the planning, as most decisions fell squarely on Anzu and Yugi, or on their parents and guardian, respectively, or on Anzu and her Maids of Honor, Mai and Shizuka.

Funny too was the fact that they got to hear wedding news from both sides of the equation, as Anzu would consult with her Maids of Honor, and then Mai would tell her husband while Shizuka would tell Honda, Otogi, and the ladies at work. And then Mokuba and Noa would go home and relay the latest developments to Yami.

Even Seto tried pitching in, though it became clear early on that he thought the best solution to Anzu’s budgeting woes was to throw money at it. When she wouldn’t take a check from him – an early wedding gift, he’d termed it – he tried offering everything from hosting the reception at his restaurant to a stay at his vacation home for the honeymoon. In the end the only thing she and Yugi grudgingly accepted was use of Kaiba Corp. limos on the day of the wedding, mainly because the company cars didn’t have the same sort of personal significance to Yami and Seto’s relationship that the places did.

It was like the entire group was planning the wedding, but maybe that was the idea after all.

But the one thing Jou definitely wanted to take the reins on was the bachelor’s party. Mai mirrored her spouse and said she’d take care of Anzu’s as well. Both Yami and Shizuka were slightly concerned over just how far the blonde couple would go in an effort to one-up the other, but they also knew when to back off a little. Yami’s only request was that Jou pick someplace clean and reputable. He could only imagine Yugi’s horror if they ended up in some seedy joint that smelled of diesel, smoke and sweat, with desperately gyrating women offering “special favors” in a back room for a few dollars more.

In the end, after a bit of back and forth discussion, Jou settled on a topless bar not too far from the community college downtown. Originally he had wanted to go someplace raunchier, but Yami talked him down; he thought going full monty would be just too much for Yugi. Jounouchi didn’t really agree - he remembered Yugi being just as interested in porn as he was in high school – but even he had to admit it’d be a little hard getting into it when one’s grandpa would be in attendance as well.

Finally the day for the two parties came around, just a scant week before the wedding. Seto left the office earlier than usual, wanting to make sure all the arrangements on his end would go off without a hitch – some of the wedding guests were arriving early and he was providing transportation from the airport for all of them. He was also providing party buses for both the bachelor's and bachelorette's parties, to make sure everyone got around safely, and transportation and KaibaLand passes to Hitomi’s babysitters for the evening. The teens that worked part-time at the Kame Game Shop were already used to watching her, so it was a good arrangement.

As he pulled up to his home, he wondered if he was overthinking things. It wasn’t his wedding or bachelor’s party to arrange – he hadn’t been asked to help at all - but he’d felt compelled to offer what help he could, anyhow. Wasn’t that what friends did? Or was he really only doing it for Yami? But even if that was the case, it wasn’t a bad thing either, was it?

He was surprised to see that the most recent focus of his thoughts was outside, sitting on a horse by the security gate and chatting with the guards. Seto couldn’t stop the pang of jealously that shot through him… Yami was friendly with all the members of the security team, and had become especially friendly with Mahad, a guard who’d quickly risen through the ranks and had recently been promoted to the position of senior officer, in charge of home security. Isono had been a big part of that; he thought very highly of the younger officer and was now even roommates with him, after a fashion. Both lived in the dorm-style apartments that had been carved out of what used to be the guest house on the mansion’s grounds. It was very convenient, though so far only the two of them had opted to actually live there. Other security personnel used it as a break area, only occasionally staying overnight when working back to back shifts.

But just as quickly as jealously reared its ugly head, it began to fade. It helped that Yami’s face had lit up as soon as he spotted his boyfriend, that he’d pulled his horse away from the security station to pull up alongside Seto’s car instead, as if he were requesting an escort. It suited him to be on horseback, for him to be surveying the grounds with a regal bearing, like the king he’d once been.

Seto sighed as he brought his car to a stop under the porte-cochèr. Even after so many years, it seemed he couldn’t help but be possessive of his lover.

Yami grinned down at his boyfriend from his mount. “I wasn’t expecting you to come home so early.”

“Obviously.”

“I mean, the party isn’t until later tonight, so…”

Seto got out of his vehicle and shrugged, hands reaching out to pat the ponies that magically appeared to welcome him home. “It’s fine, there wasn’t much going on this afternoon.” He reached back into his car to grab his briefcase, indicating that he’d been planning on finishing off his workday at home, provided his guests didn’t need too much of his attention.

“I see.” Yami sighed dramatically. “You were just looking forward to it that much then?”

“NO!” Seto exclaimed, offended. As if he’d want to see naked women, when he had someone like Yami by his side!

The shorter man laughed. “Although I could do without the stripper part, I am looking forward to this party myself.”

Seto grunted. He wasn’t, but he wasn’t going to say that either.

“Oh, and Leon caught an earlier flight, so he’s already here.”

Seto gave a slight nod. Mokuba and Noa had opted to work from home for the day, so he figured they were already playing host to their German counterpart. The younger Kaibas had already decided they’d be going with Leon and Rebecca to KaibaLand, thus skipping the strip club, which was something of a relief, not that Seto would ever tell them that.

“So what’s the plan? Do we need to pick anyone up at the airport?”

“No.” The brunette quickly went through the list in his head. Pegasus, Valon and crew would be arriving shortly and staying as their guests for the week. The Hopkins had been taken to the Mutou residence. Leon was already there obviously, and Mai said she’d pick up Vivian Wong herself. Other guests, like the Ishtars, Ryouta Kajiki and Siegfried von Schroider would not arrive until much closer to the wedding date. “It should all be taken care of, as long as no one else caught early – or late – flights.”

“Okay. Then I guess I should go get changed since Pegasus and the others will be here soon.” Yami glanced over his lover. “You too.”

“Me?” He’d just come from the office. How much more well dressed could he be, short of a tuxedo?

“A nice suit at a strip club is like a neon sign that says, ‘Hi, I have money,’ right?”

“How would I know?” But it did make sense, now that Seto thought about it…

Yami just shrugged.

“What should I wear then?”

“Go borrow a t-shirt from Mokuba, I guess?” Yami suggested. Seto didn’t really have much in terms of casual wear. A camp shirt or polo would do as well, but even those felt a little too stuffy for the occasion.

“Isn’t that way too casual? Pegasus…”

“… is coming straight from the airport, and this isn’t a business meeting, Kai-baby.”

Seto sighed. Yami’s request was reasonable; there was no reason to keep bickering over it. “I’ll see you inside, then,” Seto mumbled, throwing in the towel.

Yami just smiled and rode off towards the stable.

The young billionaire went inside, shedding his coat and dropping off his briefcase before heading to Mokuba’s room. No one was there, so he turned to Noa’s room across the hall instead. In his usual fashion, he simply strode in without knocking, surprising the three younger men gaming inside.

“Hello, Kaiba,” Leon said, standing up in greeting, once he’d gotten over being startled by Seto’s sudden appearance.

Seto nodded in acknowledgment. It had been a while since he’d seen Leon. He’d cut his hair since then – it was now shorter than Noa’s. He looked to be about as tall as Noa too, though it was hard to compare with the green-haired man still sitting cross-legged on the floor. He didn’t really have anything to say to Leon at the moment but that didn’t mean he still held a grudge against him either. Yes, the redhead was Siegfried’s little brother, but he was also Mokuba and Noa’s friend. And Schroider Corp. and Kaiba Corp. weren’t business rivals anymore anyhow – Kaiba Corp. had farmed out administration of Legends of Duel Monsters Europe to Schroider Corp. when the game’s first expansion had gone live.

It was a good arrangement. That didn’t mean that Seto trusted Siegfried though; perhaps he never would. But it made sense, business-wise; the game had become so successful worldwide that it had become difficult to manage, due to the broad reach of the market. And by using Industrial Illusions as an intermediary, there was a lot less risk of being double crossed – Siegfried knew full well that Pegasus could destroy his business with hardly any effort. Pegasus, along with Siegfried and Leon, would even get their own lead characters in-game, for the second expansion. It was an easy way to expand while allowing Seto to keep his fingers on the pulse of the game as well as his competition.

“Welcome home, Nii-sama… thanks for knocking, as usual,” Noa said with a wry grin.

Mokuba was smiling too, but after peering at his brother’s face, he put down his game controller and got a little more serious. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. I uh… wanted to borrow a t-shirt.”

“Oh. Okay…” Mokuba got up, leaving Noa and Leon to their game, and headed back to his room. He began digging around in his dresser. “What kind?”

“I don’t care. Whatever’s clean. Something casual.”

Mokuba chuckled, plucking one off the top of the pile. “Anything else?”

“No. Thanks.” Seto unfurled the shirt, then made a weird face. “What the hell is a ‘Mother Love Bone?’”

“It’s a band, Nii-sama… You did say casual,” Mokuba reminded Seto. As an afterthought he went and fetched a flannel button-up shirt as well. “Here, to complete the grunge look.”

Seto wrinkled his nose. True, he was trying to dress down, but that didn’t mean he wanted to look dirty. “Why would I want to be grungy?”

Mokuba merely laughed as he herded his confused brother back out the door.

By the time Seto got out of the shower, Yami had returned from his ride. He excused himself to go shower as well, deftly evading his boyfriend with a sly smile when the brunette tried to get back into the shower with him. Seto might’ve pressed the issue, but then he remembered their next round of guests would be arriving before long. They probably wouldn’t appreciate being greeted by a pair of naked hosts, not that Seto would let Yami wander around naked in front of that lot anyhow, especially Valon. Though Pegasus was a bit shifty too…

After getting dressed, Mother Love Bone shirt and all, Seto decided he probably had enough time to check his email at least, so he set up his laptop on the side table and worked while waiting for Yami to emerge. Ten minutes passed, then twenty. Seto might’ve wondered what was going on if he hadn’t distracted himself with work. But then the door to the bathroom opened, and Seto looked up, jaw dropping open as he did so.

He could swear the front of his pants was about to burst from all the blood that suddenly went rushing down there. For some reason Yami had equated titty bar with black eyeliner, and lots of it; it made his crimson eyes look like burning embers. The gold hoops in his ears glittered through strands of his bangs. He wore a purple muscle shirt with an open back, spiderwebbed by strands of lacing, and his favorite black pants that zipped together at the crotch. In a word, he looked fuckable as hell. Seto wanted to grab him and throw him down on the bed and put the ridiculous zipper on his pants to good use. But he managed to restrain himself again. Although Pegasus and crew hadn’t arrived yet, Leon was there, and supposedly they got rather loud sometimes… Though, they did have a very soundproof playroom… and gags were invented for a reason…

The phone suddenly beeped. “Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Crawford has just arrived and will be at the door shortly,” Mahad announced.

Better go and greet them, eh? Yami said, sauntering out of the room. The BEWDs tattooed on his back twisted sinuously under the net of black lacing.

It took Seto a few seconds to snap out of his fantasies and to run after his boyfriend. Wait… You’re not going to go get the door looking like that are you?

Yami stopped in his tracks and spun around. What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?

It’s… it’s… Seto fumbled.

It’s…?

It’s… distracting?

Yes, that’s the idea, isn’t it? Yami purred, before turning back around and continuing his march down the hallway, butt wiggling as he moved.

Seto stood there in the middle of the hallway a moment longer, letting it sink in: as much as he got jealous over Yami, the ex-spirit felt the same about him. And even though neither one was interested in women, Yami wasn’t going to have Seto’s eyes anywhere but on him. It was funny, but reassuring at the same time.

Suddenly feeling better about the whole thing, Seto smirked, then headed downstairs at a more leisurely pace to greet his guests.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was a whirlwind of activity. As soon as Pegasus, Rafael, Amelda and Valon arrived Seto gave them about twenty minutes to say their greetings and unwind before shoving everyone into a limo and heading to the Kame Game Shop. The shop was still open for business when they arrived but as soon as Sugoroku spotted them, a wide smile broke across his face and he announced that they were going to be closing a little early that evening. The customers didn’t seem to mind; as usual Seto was a big hit, and Pegasus an even rarer treat. Pegasus especially was happy to answer questions and pose for a few photos with both customers and part-time staff while Sugoroku and Jounouchi took care of the last few transactions before herding everyone present into the small house in the back.

Rebecca and her grandfather were already there, waiting, along with a couple of deli trays that Jounouchi had ordered to kick off the party. Everyone had a quick nibble and chatted while waiting for the party bus that would pick up the last few attendees before taking them to dinner and the club.

It really had been a while since everyone had last seen each other. Even though they’d all kept in contact via email or phone, it wasn’t the same as meeting up in person. So it wasn’t surprising that conversations ended up splitting off as old friends sought to reconnect and catch up. Sugoroku and Professor Hopkins wandered back into the game shop as they carried on a quiet discussion; Rebecca motioned Mokuba, Noa and Leon over to join her in the kitchen.

The passage of time was most noticeable amongst the younger adults. Rebecca had to tilt her head back a bit just to look at Mokuba, as he now stood taller than Seto, and Noa, who wasn’t quite as tall but still had a good 5 inches or so on her.

And then there was Leon… Like Mokuba he’d taken after his brother and now stood slightly taller than Noa, with a slightly thinner build, though unlike the two younger Kaibas he’d cut his hair short, trading in the ponytail he’d once worn for a more mature style. But many of his youthful trademarks still remained: the faint sprinkle of freckles across his nose and cheeks, the affable smile that still came easily. Rebecca didn’t remember him being so… good looking, a discovery which felt weird and exciting all at the same time.

After a few minutes the younger contingent – stretching from little Hitomi to teen employees Judai, Sho, and Asuka, to nearly 21 year old Leon - decided to head out, rather than keep Fubeta waiting in the back parking lot. Hitomi was especially excited to get going. She’d been to KaibaLand a number of times already, but this was the first time she was getting to go with the “big kids” instead of her parents.

The bachelor’s party didn’t have to wait long either… the bus arrived only ten minutes after the limo left. A quick call to Mahad confirmed that the bachelorette’s party would soon be underway as well.

Yami ended up next to Yugi, noting that his other half looked both excited and nervous as they got underway. It was a little amusing… He knew it wasn’t Yugi’s first time at a strip club – the guys had all gone together once, years ago, for someone’s birthday – but now that there was someone special in his life, things were different.

It’ll be fine. It’s just this one night. Anzu understands, Yami told Yugi through their link.

The little duelist couldn’t help but smirk at his darker half. Would you say the same about Kaiba?

Well… Yami grinned and shifted marginally closer to his infamously jealous lover.

Yugi smothered a laugh. I was just joking of course. But, thanks… I know what you mean. Anzu trusts me just as I trust her. When it comes down to it, it’s that simple.

At the same time, Jou and Seto had somehow gotten into a similar debate and were slinging shots over Yami and Yugi’s heads.

"Oh, for fuck’s sake, Mutt… you’re a father. You’re married. Mai’s an attractive woman, right? So why would you want to watch some cheap floozy fling herself around a pole?

“I’m married, not dead,” Jou snidely responded. “Besides, it’s just lookin’. I ain’t doing anything wrong. And you can’t tell me you never look at uh, other guys at all.”

Seto rolled his eyes. “Of course I don’t.”

“Ever? Never ever? Man, no way…” Jou figured Seto had to be a freak of nature or something, to not want to look at anyone other than Yami. But with a shake of his head, the blonde let it drop. Even though he couldn’t understand it, he had no doubt Seto was being honest. And even if it bordered on unreasonable obsession, he couldn’t help but approve of the brunette’s devotion to his boyfriend. It was that same single-mindedness that was driving him to go to a strip club with everyone else, even if he didn’t really want to be there. But after a little thought, Jou decided he was glad Seto was along for the ride. If nothing else, his reaction to things at the club would be amusing and well worth the price of admission.

* * *

Dinner took place at a favorite old standby, Burger World. Yugi couldn’t help but smile at Jou’s choice of restaurant; he had expected to go some place fancier but he liked it better like this, being somewhere homey and familiar. Jounouchi knew him that well. Meanwhile said best friend had been worrying that Seto or Pegasus might make a stink about being dragged to such a low class eatery - he’d pretty much counted on it - but neither man voiced a complaint, both silently figuring the venue was appropriate given who the party was for and who was hosting it. Sugoroku ended up being the one to crack a joke about it, implying that there was a relationship between Yugi’s love of burgers and the girl who’d once worked at said location, which in turn caused Valon to think up a snide little comparison of his own. Yugi was very quick to voice his protest at that… Anzu teaching classes in a dance studio had nothing to do with the fact they’d be seeing exotic dancers in just a little while!

After they’d had their fill of burgers and fries, they got back on the bus and headed to the main event: Fillies, home of the “finest adult entertainers in Domino.” With such a noisy group it was hard getting in without attracting some attention, but Seto just shuffled in behind Rafael and no one passing by noticed that the famous young billionaire was part of the herd.

A pair of bouncers just inside the door checked IDs on the younger looking members of the group – Yugi being the most notable one – and handed out wristbands as age verification for alcohol. Everyone checked out without issue, though when it was Seto’s turn to flash his ID, one of the bouncers paused, did a double take, then asked him quietly if they wanted the private VIP lounge. Seto considered it a moment – being famous did have some useful perks – but ended up declining, since this had been Jou’s party to plan, and a private room hadn’t been part of that plan. The bouncer shrugged – wealthy folks were weird - before ushering them around a corner into the joint’s main room.

Seto’s initial impression was that it was dim and the décor a bit dated, but at least it wasn’t filthy like he’d thought it’d be. There was an elevated, neon lit walkway with poles along one wall and extending into the center of the room with a pair of dancers gyrating on it, an L-shaped bar that hung off to one side, and an assortment of rounds tables scattered throughout. Being early in the evening, there weren’t many patrons yet, and most of those were lingering around the bar. A lingerie-clad hostess showed them to a trio of tables at the end of the walkway, then took their drink orders. Beer was the predominant request, though Pegasus and Yami opted for mixed drinks instead. Seto – and interestingly enough, Amelda - didn’t order drinks at all.

“Oh… is this great or what?” Sugoroku enthused, his head swiveling back and forth nonstop. He hadn’t been to a gentleman’s club in many years. Nothing beat an ice-cold beer and sexy women! Even the hostess and bartender were nice to look at, though they weren’t as scantily clad as the dancers. Pegasus apparently agreed as he was trying very hard to strike up a conversation with their hostess. “Right, Yugi?”

The little duelist smiled awkwardly. Even with the help of alcohol it was a bit hard to “enjoy” the show when all his family and friends were sitting right there with him. And maybe he’d outgrown this sort of thing without even realizing it. If he were a little younger – or a lot more single - he’d appreciate the display of flesh a lot more. Although the ladies certainly were lovely, none of them could compare to Anzu. But he kept that to himself. He didn’t want to dampen the mood… and honestly he was glad to have a night out with his friends, even if it meant being at a strip club. A break from wedding worries was exactly what he'd needed. “Oh, yes…”

“We just gotta get some of the sheilas over here now,” Valon whispered loudly. “Hey Kaiba, how about flashing some moolah?” He waggled his brows as he rubbed his fingertips together.

Seto had been doing his best to hide in the shadows. “Go flash your own,” he snarled softly, his arm tightening around Yami’s shoulders. He didn’t want dancers coming over, harassing them, staring at his boyfriend…

Valon just laughed and began waving around a few bills, enticing one of the dancers over. She shimmied for him and was rewarded with a few dollars tucked into the garter around her thigh. With the ice broken, some of the other guys joined in, tipping her as well as she began putting a little more effort into her routine, twirling around the pole, teasing the audience with a tiny pout as she began peeling off her sequined tube top…

“Yeah, that’s what we wanna see! Take it all off!” Jou hollered. The dancer had on a super sheer bra underneath her top, but the thin material did nothing to hide what lay beneath. Jou couldn’t help it… he turned, grinning, wanting to catch Seto freaking out over the sight of full, jiggling breasts, but much to his disappointment the other duelist was simply sitting there with an impassive look on his face.

“Baby, can I have some money?” Yami asked as the other girl onstage began heading towards the group. He hadn’t bothered going to the ATM beforehand, having gotten used to using a credit card for nearly everything.

“Ohhh… I’ll give you some money, mate,” Valon cheerfully offered. Seto instantly began snarling, his glare promising a slow, fiery death if the Aussie even tried to touch a hair on Yami’s head. Valon considered his options… but in the end wisely decided to not push his luck and even moved his chair over to the next table, chuckling to himself all the while for having gotten a rise out of Seto when Jou could not.

Now that his rival had literally been chased off, Seto refocused on Yami’s request. The Kaiba Corp. CEO did indeed have a decent amount of cash in his wallet, which he’d brought with the intention of giving to whichever of their friends were in need, in case they ran low. Valon’s instincts hadn’t been bad when he’d made his initial request… except Seto hadn’t had him - or Yami - on his list of people who “needed” it. “Why?”

“Well that’s what we’re supposed to do, right?” Yami asked, watching his friends. And besides, everyone will have a better time if there’s more dancers over here, I think.

Seto imagined half-dressed women fawning all over the former Pharaoh. He didn’t like it, but then again it was Yugi’s party, so maybe Yami did have a point. Though… didn’t that mean he ought to hand the money to Yugi instead? But Yugi already had some cash on hand, and Seto didn’t want to start pushing more onto him, considering all the other times the engaged couple had rejected his offers of financial assistance.

Seto growled softly as his hand went to his wallet. All right, just… don’t go nuts. I don’t want them swarming us like ants, he said, jerking his chin in Pegasus’ direction in emphasis. The man had apparently thrown enough cash at the hostess to convince her to sit down beside him, a pitcher of beer on hand for their immediate table. Seto noticed that while Malik, Bakura and Rafael were happy to accept refills on their drinks, Amelda seemed to be content remaining sober.

Yami accepted the bills with a nod and a kiss on the back of the hand, then stood up to tip the pair of ladies, though unlike the others he handed them the cash rather than tuck it into their scant clothing. The girls stared at him, then glanced at one another, then one of the ladies knelt down to talk to Yami for a few moments before straightening back up and whispering something to her partner. She then motioned to someone offstage before resuming her performance with a wink and a flip of her hair.

“Damn, did ya give them a big tip or somethin’?” Jou asked, scratching his head as a third dancer hit the stage and began performing as well.

What did she say to you? Seto demanded as soon as his lover sat back down.

She asked if you were my boyfriend, and I said, “Yes.” Then she asked if this was a bachelor’s party, and I said it was.

The young billionaire bit back a comment. Yugi was wearing a t-shirt that read GROOM in large letters. What did she think that meant? Or did she not even notice him since he wasn’t shoving cash at her crotch?

And I told her, “Just keep dancing, and we’ll keep tipping.”

It seemed an odd line of questioning, but maybe she was just curious as to why a gay man was at a strip club, and why he was tipping. Or in their case, gay men… Considering they were at a gentleman’s club, it was kind of funny that straights were in the minority in their group. And that’s all?

Yes… Then Yami grinned. Oh, but I might’ve mentioned that Jii-chan would really love to dance with them.

Jii-chan? Not Yugi? At that, Seto looked over at the old man, who looked excited as a kid at Christmas as the girl Yami had talked to came down off the stage and began doing a dance for him right at his seat.

“You go old man!” Otogi cheered; he was getting an eyeful of the stripper’s assets from his seat at Sugoroku's table. Honda gave Sugoroku a double thumbs up, then reached over and thumped him heartily on the back. Professor Hopkins, on the other side, could only make an “Ohhh!” sound while his eyes bugged out. The rest of the gang joined in, hooting their approval.

Yugi’s having a good enough time without a private dance, I think. Or more like, Yugi was mortified at the very thought, but was otherwise enjoying himself, as all his friends were having a good time. The former Pharaoh confirmed that with his partner and received a relieved little smirk in response.

Hmm. Hey, Yami… Seto began.

Seto, is it okay if I give Jii-chan the rest of this money? Yami said simultaneously.

The young CEO snorted, relaxing into his seat. You read my mind.

I didn’t have to. I know how you are…

Yami didn’t even wait for Seto’s answering nod. He got up and stepped around behind Sugoroku’s seat, then lightly tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention before pressing the cash into his palm. It was enough to pry the elderly shopkeeper’s attention off the stripper. He stared at the money, then glanced up at Yami before looking over at Seto, who simply nodded again. Surprised but grateful, he mouthed a quick thank you, then went back to enjoying the dancer’s moves.

With the money now in good hands, Yami returned to his seat, pushing his chair a few inches closer to Seto’s. He picked up his drink and began sipping at it again as his boyfriend placed his arm back around his shoulders, both of them content to just kick back for the rest of the evening, enjoying their friends’ antics while they could. With the wedding only a week away, things were bound to get crazier.

* * *

Author’s Notes:

January 24, 2014