Title: Title: Never Drive Faster Than Your Guardian Angels Can Fly
Author: bnomiko
Rating: R / NC-17
Pairing(s): Yami x Seto (and reverse), Noa + Mokuba
Spoilers: none
Warnings: swearing
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.
Summary: What if the dearly departed could visit the living once every five years? Unable to do anything, they can only watch and see… Are things better than they could’ve hoped for, or worse than they first appear?
Status: 2 / ?
Archived at: http://www.phenixsol.com/Miko/FF/

* * *

Never Drive Faster Than Your Guardian Angels Can Fly

Ch 2: Layover

* * *

"What the fuck?!" Seto screamed a split second after impact. He grabbed the rear view mirror and wrenched it in his direction so he could find out who was to blame for what just happened. Someone had rear-ended them. While Mokuba was driving. Someone was going to pay dearly for their carelessness.

Seto?! What hap…

Get back to you in a sec, Seto tersely told Yami as he narrowed his eyes at the guilty party behind them.

It turned out to be a carload of teens or young adults, not any older than he. Four of them to be precise, all with shocked expressions and their mouths open in an O. The driver was a kid with shaggy purple hair. He looked the most freaked out of them all.

"Everyone all right?" Seto quickly asked his brothers while his eyes bore holes into the other driver’s skull via the mirror. The guy was practically shriveling in his seat, as if he could feel the anger being directed towards him.

"Yeah. We’re okay," Noa answered, though he didn’t sound a hundred percent convinced, even to his own ears. Weird. It was just a little bump... He knew that. And yet he found his arms locked against the seat in front of him, as if he’d been bracing for a bigger impact.

"You sure?" Seto asked suspiciously, his voice rough.

Noa took a deep breath and forced himself to shed whatever niggling concerns he had. They were all in one piece. They were fine. He wasn’t going to let his old fears control him. "Yes." Sensing the explosion that was imminent, he added, "I bet their car got it worse," but all he got in response was a rumbling growl that sounded more animal than human.

"Yeah…" Mokuba’s voice was slightly shakier. After all, he was the one behind the wheel. He legally shouldn’t have been there. But he kept his head and kept his foot down firmly on the brake, instead of swiveling around like an idiot. It was hardly the worst situation he’d been in. Hell, he’d been at the controls of a crashing plane before… Thinking of it that way, a fender bender really was nothing in comparison.

Seto gave up on trying to glare the driver down through the mirror and instead threw the door open to get out. "Throw it in park, remember the parking brake, and stay put," he told Mokuba as he began climbing out the passenger side door.

The sight of an angry, 6’1" CEO emerging from the Mercedes S550 sedan caused the other driver to instantly – and unwisely – panic. Before Seto even had the chance to take a step towards it, the other car backed up, then shot over into the turn lane before speeding off down the intersecting street.

"Come back here you fucker! Face me like a man!" the brunette shouted after the car, but it was obviously too late to do anything about it, other than scream obscenities. Seto certainly let loose a long, loud string of them, much to the chagrin of other passing motorists. But, as he had said earlier, the traffic was fairly light, so he only managed to offend a half dozen people, all of whom gave the crazy man standing in traffic a wide berth.

"Well, at least I got his license plate number," Noa hollered out the window during a lull in Seto’s tirade. He was proud that he’d had the presence of mind to do that much. Fucking hit and run drivers…

"Yeah, I saw it too," Seto yelled back, the anger in his voice beginning to dissipate a little. That didn’t mean he was over it though. The desire for revenge burned on in his eyes.

"So how bad’s the damage?’"

"Dunno. Lemme take a look," Seto responded before heading for the back bumper.

Seto? It was Yami again, sounding more cautious than before.

Ah. Yeah, sorry. A lot’s on my mind. Someone rear-ended us and bolted. We’re okay at least.

The damage isn’t terrible, but I’m… pretty pissed, Seto admitted as he inspected the rear of the vehicle. At least the bumper had done its job, crumpling slightly like it needed to to absorb the impact. He picked off a few flakes of paint, and grimaced. What bad luck for Mokuba to have an accident his first time driving! He still couldn’t believe the guy took off like that, and why did it get chilly all of a sudden? He could feel it right through his sweater and coat. We’re real close to home. I’ll see you in a few minutes, ‘kay?

Seto nodded reflexively, even though Yami couldn’t see it, then headed over to the driver’s side of the car. Mokuba opened the door a crack. "You wanna drive the rest of the way?" the black-haired teen asked. He could’ve handled it, but Seto had a look on his face like he needed the reassurance of being behind the wheel himself.

"Yeah, I think I should."

Mokuba inclined his head slightly. But rather than get out, he pulled his feet up from under the steering column, then swung his coltish legs over the central console. "Okay, all yours," he said to Seto once he resituated himself in the passenger’s seat.

As Seto shifted the car back into drive, his parents gave a collective sigh of relief and prepared to start trailing the trio again. They had anticipated an accident the moment the other driver turned to talk to his buddies and allowed his car to start sliding forward, but hadn't been able to warn their sons about the impending danger, no matter how loudly they yelled.

They’re okay. At least they’re okay, the woman chanted, as if that would ward off any future accidents. I know that, but still…

I know. The sound of an impact like that… isn’t something easily forgotten, her husband quietly replied.

She looked at him, but didn’t say a word. Some small, selfish, lonely part of her had been glad when her husband had quickly joined her in the afterlife, but that wasn’t the fate she wanted for her children. She wanted them to live long lives.

Now that she thought about it, perhaps it was that fear that had made the accident seem a thousand times worse than it really was. She looked again at the damaged bumper she and Seto had simultaneously examined earlier and realized… why, it really wasn’t that bad at all.

Almost more alarming was just how badly Seto had reacted to the situation. He’d spent a good minute cursing up a storm and swearing vengeance on the occupants of the other car, all while standing in the middle of the roadway. The woman could understand why he’d been upset, with the scare and the damage done to his vehicle, but his reaction had seemed a bit… much.

At least he appeared to be calming down, just a little bit. Or perhaps he had turned his anger inward instead, like a pressure cooker, as his body still showed obvious signs of tension. He had fallen into a profound silence. His knuckles were turning white on the steering wheel; he was gritting his teeth. He was taking the turns just a hair faster than he should have, though it was clear from the way his foot twitched against the gas pedal that he was having to restrain himself from going a lot faster.

His mood was affecting everyone else in the car as well. Mokuba stared thoughtfully at Seto, but remained mute as well, seeming to understand that conversation was not something the elder Kaiba would welcome. Noa was tinkering with something on his laptop; whether it was because he was busy or because it was an easy way to avoid having to talk, the woman wasn’t sure.

It wasn’t until they pulled up in front of the mansion that she finally understood just how upset Seto really was.

Yami was standing there, waiting, just under the eaves of the porte-cochere, as if he had somehow known that things had gone badly on the drive home. Perhaps he had. The two spirits were beginning to notice that Seto and Yami seemed unusually attuned to one another, almost as if they were of one mind. But that was something they’d have to explore later, when things slowed down enough to allow them the time needed to discuss the matter.

As soon as the driver’s side door opened, Yami ran over and gave his boyfriend a hug that was only partially reciprocated, then turned to the two teens that were getting out of the car. "You boys sure you’re all right? No headaches, nothing sore?" he queried, sounding a bit worried mother hen-ish.

Mokuba gave the crimson-eyed man a nod and a smile, one that his mother recognized from the old photos in the envelope. It was the same smile that Mokuba used to paste onto his face to distract everyone from Seto’s sour moods. "We’re fine. It wasn’t that bad, I guess. Just a bump. I think the other guy just took his foot of the brake and rolled into us."

"Rolled into us and then took off," Noa groused. He still had his laptop partially open, even though it was tucked under his arm.

Seto grunted, then glanced at Yami, as if he’d just noticed him standing there. His eyes narrowed a little as he began considering his options, then suddenly… "Get in. We’re going for a ride," he ordered.

"Nii-sama?" Mokuba breathed, confused.

The former Pharaoh blinked. "Wait… huh? Now? But lunch…"

"Lunch can wait. Let’s go." He slid into the car and quickly started up the engine again, revving it to hurry his lover along.

Yami stood stupefied a moment longer. Then he leaned down slightly to gaze questioningly at Seto in the driver’s seat of the black sedan before straightening up and looking back at the two teens. "Um… lunch is in the oven. It’s almost done. Once the timer goes off, I guess… just serve yourselves?"

Seto tapped the horn.

Yami ignored it. "I’m really relieved you’re both okay," he told Noa and Mokuba. He reached out an arm to hug each of them in turn.

"Thanks Yami," the pair chorused as he released them.

The horn sounded again, two quick beeps this time. Yami turned his head slightly to see Seto glowering at him through the glass.

"You better go before he pisses himself," Noa suggested. "Either that, or tell him to fuck off."

Yami sighed, shaking his head. "Noa… don’t say that."

The green-haired teen just smiled angelically, then practically jumped as Seto began really laying on the horn. "Fu… frickin’ hell!"

Yami rolled his eyes, but turned around and climbed into the car anyway. The Mercedes immediately took off like a rocket, chirping around the bend, before the younger man had even finished securing his seatbelt.

"Damn, he is reallly pissed off…" Mokuba muttered as the car quickly disappeared down the long drive towards the front gate.

"Wait ‘til I finish tracking the license plate of the guy who hit us. Then we’ll really see fireworks. I hope Seto rips that asshole a new one."

* * *

There was no choice; they had to split up. The man elected to stay behind at the mansion with their younger son and his adopted brother which meant his wife would be the one frantically keeping pace with their older son and his boyfriend. And frantic was the right word… Seto was driving so erratically, so aimlessly… If he got himself into another accident, it wouldn’t be a surprise.

For several minutes the brunette seemed to be following no particular path, turning here, turning there, until he ended up near the freeway. He ended up taking the onramp heading north.

"Where are we going?" Yami asked as Seto quickly merged all the way over into the fast lane.

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it does. Kai-baby, I know you’re upset, but this isn’t helping."

Seto merely snorted, then leaned back in his seat slightly, slipped his hand under his seatbelt, and began fumbling with something. Yami wasn’t quite sure what he was doing until he heard the sound of a zipper being unzipped. "You wanna help, suck me off," Seto said, casually pulling his length out of his pants.

"WHAT? Here? NOW?!"

"What’s the problem? You did it before."

Yami’s face suddenly colored slightly as he recalled the events of that rainy Sunday morning, on the way to the airport. What the hell was I thinking? "It was a terrible idea then, and it’s a terrible idea now!"

"Why?"

"Because I don’t want to die in a fiery wreck just because you’re pissed off right now!"

"We won’t die," Seto haughtily assured him. "Or is it that you don’t trust me?"

"Of course I trust you! You know that. But I…"

"Then prove it." The young CEO gave his semi-hard member a few tugs. "Come on. Do it."

Yami growled, but went ahead and pushed the shoulder strap of the seatbelt away, twisting in his seat and leaning over the center console. There wasn’t even the illusion that they were doing this because it was fun or wild or kinky, but he’d seen the look in Seto’s eyes, and that’s what had decided him. His lover was on the verge of losing it. He looked like he wanted to murder someone. That’s how angry he was. But he’d been trying to force it down without considering that there was no outlet of any kind and Yami dreaded what the explosion would be like if some of the tension wasn’t wicked away.

And more than that, he understood how Seto operated. He was feeling a loss of control, which was something he never dealt well with. Taking hold of the car himself, speeding, acting recklessly… some people would see that as a sign of brash, youthful cockiness, or pure stupidity. They’d be partially right in the sense that it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. But there was so much more to it than that. Seto needed to be in control. That was how he’d survived. It was what made him successful. It would not do to blunt that edge he had honed.

But there were only a couple of people who understood Seto Kaiba the way the former Pharaoh did and unfortunately Seto’s mother wasn’t one of them, not anymore, not with a whole lifetime of experiences separating them.

Mortified, the woman could only look away as Yami’s head disappeared into Seto’s lap. She wasn’t sure what either man was trying to prove with such an insane stunt. Bad enough that her son was driving too fast with no real destination, in a car that had already seen one accident that day. But to do that while engaging in very distracting sexual activities… it was suicidal!

Why was Seto tempting death? Did he really have no concept of where his choices could lead? And why did Yami give in when he was so obviously aware of the danger they were in?

She wondered if she would’ve been better off remaining at the mansion and leaving the task of looking after their older son to her husband. Not that he would’ve approved of such risky behavior either, but he seemed to accept Seto’s relationship with Yami in a way that she could not. Of course she still loved her son. She wanted him to be happy. But if being with Yami meant that Seto would come to harm, then she couldn’t accept it.

However, acceptance or not… that didn’t change the fact that she was a ghost. And that was the crux of the problem. She couldn’t do anything about it – talk to him, explain things to him, ask him for his thoughts and feelings. She could only watch…

Or in this case, not watch.

As much as she tried to ignore it, she couldn’t block out the sound of Seto’s harsh breathing or Yami’s guttural grunts. Oh, she could have left or at least given them enough distance to go about their business in private, but she was unwilling to do so. If things were going to end catastrophically like she feared, she had to be there for him. It was the only thing she could do as a mother.

And then just like that, it was all over. To her chagrin, she looked back too quickly and caught sight of Yami wiping off his bottom lip with the back of his hand while Seto shifted in his seat and stuffed his exposed manhood back into his pants. She shook her head slowly. She wasn’t ever going to get used to the idea of her son, and this man…

"Ah, perfect timing," Seto suddenly said. He sounded so pleased she had to take a look at what he was referring to.

The GPS on the dashboard had suddenly lit up with an address and directions.

* * *

"Well, it’s up to him what he wants to do with that info," Noa announced, pushing away from his laptop a little. It wasn’t difficult for him to hack into other systems, even government ones, but it was still tedious work.

Mokuba sighed. He’d been ambivalent about whether or not they should provide Seto with the information he’d clearly been dying to receive. "I hope he doesn’t overreact," he said as visions of Seto punching out the other driver danced through his mind.

"I hope he does," Noa said viciously. Seeing the startled look on his boyfriend’s face, he quickly amended that to, "Well, I don’t mean I want him to overreact. But I sure hope he makes the guy pay for what he did, and then some."

"Why? It wasn’t *that* bad. And I don’t want him going to jail over it!"

"Maybe it wasn’t that bad this time…"

Mokuba blinked, then suddenly lowered his head a little, ashamed of himself. "Oh… that’s right. I’m sorry, I totally forgot," he said softly. He’d been so worried about Seto that it had totally escaped his mind. A hit and run… That’s how Noa had died years ago. That was what led to the virtual world, to Mokuba stuffing a hard drive under his shirt as they’d escaped, to Noa magically getting a second chance at living. That just made his life all the more precious…

A hand alighted on the black-haired teen’s head.

"It’s okay. I don’t really think about it anymore anyhow." Noa sighed. Mokuba looked at him, cautiously, but Noa was being truthful – it was old news. He’d had a lot of time to agonize over it in the virtual world, to ponder all the what ifs, to finally accept it because that was the only thing he could do. But at the same time, if some dickhead was going to rear end them and flee, then he needed to be taught a lesson, pure and simple.

Mokuba reached out and hugged him, then kissed him lightly on the lips. Mostly it was to make Noa feel better, but it helped him feel better too.

"I know. It’ll be okay," Noa said when they parted. He’d felt the slight tremor in Mokuba’s lips and understood the reasons behind it. But he didn’t mind… he liked knowing he could make his boyfriend feel better. It made the whole situation much more tolerable.

"Thanks," Mokuba whispered back, a small smile appearing on his face.

They sat in a companionable silence a minute longer, then Noa finally decided they’d spent enough time thinking. "So, um… I don’t know about you, but I’m still kinda hungry, and lunch was really good. Wanna go polish it off?"

Mokuba couldn’t help but laugh. As a change of topic, it was masterful. His stomach agreed. "Sounds good!"

* * *

The directions Noa had sent led Seto and Yami to a very average looking neighborhood. Kids were playing on snow dusted lawns and there were a few adults out too, walking dogs or clearing driveways. Something about it reminded Seto a little of the neighborhood where he once lived with his family. It all seemed so perfectly normal and safe, but the young billionaire knew better than to be deceived by appearances.

He parked just across the street from the address he’d been given. But in this case, he didn’t even need that information for confirmation. The vehicle that had hit them was sitting in the driveway, in plain sight. Seto felt his mouth twist into a scowl as he went to get out of his car. He felt his hands tighten into fists. Anger and adrenaline had always mixed well for him.

"Wait…"

"Yami, don’t even start," Seto warned his boyfriend. He was not going to be talked out of confronting the driver of the other vehicle, no matter what.

I know you’re angry; I understand that, but just… don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do, Yami quickly warned him as the young CEO jogged across the street.

You told me you trusted me earlier. Don’t go changing your mind now, Seto volleyed back.

Kai…

The garage at the top of the short driveway was open. There was an older man puttering around inside. Seto momentarily debated whether or not to involve him, then realized there’d be no way to pretend he simply didn’t notice him.

"Yes?" the man asked, when he looked up and saw the tall duelist standing there, staring at him.

Seto didn’t waste any time getting to the point. "Where’s the guy who was driving this car a little while ago?"

The man stared at him a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face, then he murmured, "Oh, I see… He told me he had hit a pole in the parking lot by his younger brother’s job."

Seto forced down the urge to simply start yelling at the man for believing such a story, given that the damage wasn’t consistent with that explanation. "More like he rear ended my car and then sped off."

"I’m very sorry…" the man began saying.

"I don’t care."

"He’s my son… I’ll pay for…"

Seto ground his teeth. Was the man stupid or what? "I don’t give a fuck if he’s your fairy godmother. Where. Is. He??"

The man wavered. He was probably thinking that Seto looked like the type who’d hit first and worry about consequences later...

Seto would never find out if the man would’ve given in or not, as the driver of the vehicle suddenly came running out of the house, his face pale.

"Oh man… Why’re you here?" the purple-haired young man blurted out. When Seto turned the full force of his glare on him, he nervously stammered, "Well, what I mean is… how’d you…"

Seto smirked at him quite nastily. "If you’re going to hit and run, you ought to start running before the other party has the chance to write down your license plate number. Or better yet, don’t hit people with photographic memories and legal teams that can bury you."

"Dude, I didn’t mean to! I didn’t know what else to do! ‘Cause, like… when I saw you getting out of the car, I just freaked. I mean, you’re like, Seto Kaiba…"

"Not like. I AM," Seto snarled irritably. The idiot was like an even less intelligent version of the Mutt, if that were possible.

It was strange, Seto’s mother mused, as the other young man made a distressed sound. Her son and the other driver were probably about the same age. But the other boy seemed so immature, almost childish, while Seto came across as being much older… and far more wild. There was a smoldering rage in him, clouding his eyes and tensing his body, that was truly frightening to behold. She couldn’t imagine facing it herself.

"You… you gonna call the cops on me? Please don’t call the cops, man," the other driver whined, sounding younger and younger by the second. "Oh… shit, this is so gonna fuck up my insurance…"

"What, that’s all you care about? You’re worried about the trouble you’re in, what this might cost you, but don’t give a shit if anyone was hurt because of your carelessness? My brothers were in that car with me! I ought to tear your face off just for that!" Seto roared, his hand rising up on its own accord to close itself around the other man’s jacket collar.

The other driver cowered and tried to pull back. "Sorry! I’m sorry. My little bro was with me too, ya know?"

"You should be sorry! And you should be apologizing to him too, you piece of shit. What kind of brother are you?!"

"Are… are your brothers all right?" the other driver’s father quickly asked, the concerned tone of his voice dampening Seto’s anger a little.

"They’re shaken up. You better hope that’s all," the tall duelist growled, shaking the other young man a little before he finally realized what he was doing. He released the other driver after a final warning shake, then turned to evaluate the father. Was the older man just trying to distract him? Was his concern only for his kid? Or did he really mean it?

The older man suddenly bowed down, deeply. "I’m very, very sorry. I’m relieved that no one was injured, in either car." Then he glanced over at his stupefied son before grabbing the younger man’s arm and pulling him down into a bowing position as well. "Please… accept our apologies. I’ll pay for the damages."

Seto glared at the kowtowing man. "I don’t want YOUR apologies or your money! You weren’t even there!"

"Yes, I know," the older man acknowledged. "But it was my car. And my son was in the wrong. So as his father, I feel partially responsible."

"Why?"

"Isn’t that how fathers are?"

A dark shadow flitted across Seto’s face. He was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable. He couldn’t help but think that Gozaburo also would’ve offered to pay had he been in the same situation, though he would've taken it out of his hide right after. He didn’t know if that was the type of person this man was, and he didn’t want to know. So instead of saying any of the various things that drifted through the depths of his mind, he simply grunted, "I just want my car fixed. I don’t care how."

The purple-haired man lifted his gaze a little. "I… I really am sorry, man. I’ve never been in an car accident before, ya…"

"Shut up," Seto snapped.

"I’ll take care of it. Please…" the father begged.

Seto wouldn’t have minded making them sweat some more, but honestly, he just wanted to leave. He was sick of listening to the simpering son and dealing with his baffling father. They were making his head hurt. He just wanted to go home and be with his brothers. So he relented. "All right. We'll make a deal…"

As Seto began writing up a payment contract with practiced precision, his mother’s spirit drifted away a little. The distance between them – physically, emotionally – seemed almost insurmountable. Now that she thought about it, it really had been ten years since she last saw her older son; he’d been in a coma five years earlier, so that hadn’t really counted. She hadn’t been able to see his personality then. He really wasn’t her sweet little boy anymore, or even the young victim of Gozaburo’s insanity. He’d grown up. But she just wasn’t sure what to think of the man he’d become. And that uncertainty – and the ensuing guilt – sat in her heart like a pair of lead weights. On one hand, he was very successful and was a wonderful big brother; it looked like he’d done his best to keep his promise to take care of Mokuba. But on the other, he was wildly unpredictable, with major anger management issues. It was just like watching a car careening out of control and knowing that nothing could be done to stop it on its path to self-destruction. She cursed that knowledge. And yet, at the same time, she was a tiny bit grateful that the veil across her eyes had been lifted. It was unfair for her to expect Seto to be someone he wasn’t when she hadn’t been there to shape him and guide him in his life. And, she was sure, he was trying to live his life the best that he could. At least now, perhaps she could try accepting the person he was, instead of the idealized version she wished he had become.

* * *

The young CEO thought he’d feel at least a little better, but he didn’t. Something just felt… off. It didn’t fully occur to him what it was until he briskly walked back to his car, slid into the driver’s seat, and noticed that Yami was staring out the passenger side window instead of looking in his direction.

"Don’t worry, I took care of everything. The kid’s old man agreed to pay for the damage. If they don’t, then I’ll happily sue them for what they owe me… or let the police and insurance deal with it, whichever they fear more," Seto reported, but he wasn’t sure if Yami was even paying attention. "Are you listening to me?"

No response.

"Hey. What’s wrong?" Seto asked.

"What’s wrong?" Yami huffed, his head snapping around, his eyes blazing. He looked like he was trying to decide whether to just blurt it all out, or to keep stewing over it even longer. The former won out. "We’ve been out riding around – recklessly – most of the afternoon. Then you leave me sitting in the car – with no keys, I might add, which means no heat, no radio – while you run off like an idiot to threaten someone over a scratch on the bumper, right after yelling at me. We didn’t even get a chance to eat lunch, and I’m starving, and Yugi and the others will start showing up at 5:00 and I haven’t even begun getting ready for that yet!"

For a moment, Seto just blinked at his lover. Yami rarely got mad at him over such… trivial matters. The brunette was just itching to take up the fight, but then something in the back of his head told him, He’s this irritated because you dragged him into it. Because your bad mood is affecting his. He shook his head slightly. "Come on, don’t be mad. You know why I had to come out here…"

"Don’t be mad?! That’s rich, coming from you!"

"What, doesn’t it bother you that someone hit my car while Mokuba and Noa were in it?!"

"Of course it bothers me! It scared the crap out of me! You know that, so why would you ask such a stupid thing? You think I was standing outside, waiting for you, because I was bored?? Do you really think I don’t care?"

Seto looked away for a second, fighting down his own rising agitation as it sought to keep pace with Yami’s. He didn’t want to get mad, not over this. Mokuba and Noa were okay. And he had no reason to fight with Yami, especially since he had to grudgingly admit to himself that the shorter man had made some good points. In his zeal to get revenge, he hadn't been considerate of Yami’s feelings or plans at all.

"I… I didn’t mean it like that. I know you care. I’m just… I had to do something, you know?" Seto lamely explained as Yami’s gaze continued to bore into him. He sighed, then tried grabbing for an olive branch to help smooth things over. "Look, since you’re hungry, how about we head for a drive through or something? What would you like?"

"I would like to go home and eat the lunch I worked hard to prepare!"

"Yam…"

"Are you going to start driving or do I have to do it myself?" Yami snapped.

Seto thought of saying something else, but he couldn’t think of anything appropriate. Yami continued glaring at him a moment longer as if confirming that he'd made himself clear, then turned away to resume staring out the window.

Seto took a deep breath and let it out in a silent sigh. He needed to think of something he could do to make things right. Driving actually wasn’t a bad idea; it’d give him time to think at least. So mutely, he started up the car, then with one last glance at the back quarter of his boyfriend’s head, he began heading home.

* * *

TBC

• Y'all didn't really think that I'd hurt them, did you??
• Reference from previous story, as a refresher: The previous incident Yami mentioned (on a rainy Sunday morning) took place in a fic aptly titled "Sunday Morning" : p
• I did take into consideration the fact that: 1) Mokuba is not only an underaged driver, but doesn't even have his permit yet, 2) Even if Mokuba had his permit, Seto is too young to accompany him as his "instructor." 3) The other driver recognized Seto and saw him get out of the passenger's seat, thus knew he was not driving. And Seto mentioned his brothers were in the car, so it's pretty clear who was driving, even if one of the people in the other car didn't actually see or recognize him. So it's logical to wonder why the driver / his father would agree to pay off the damages so easily, instead of trying to mitigate it through the legal system. However, I think if the other driver's father had the opportunity to make the problem "go away" by paying for the damage done, he'd take it; who'd want to get into a legal battle with someone like Seto? Even if he won, it'd probably be far more of a headache and cost a lot more... and it would be unlikely that he'd walk away scot-free, as it was a hit and run.

February 9, 2009