Title: More Than Words – Ch. 3: I Will Be Here for You
Author: bnomiko
Rating: PG-13 / R
Pairing(s): Seto + Yami
Spoilers: none… takes place post-Alcatraz Duel Tower
Warnings: swearing, mention of obscene food items
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "I Will Be Here for You" is performed and recorded by Michael W. Smith. Alpo is a registered trademark of Purina. Night Light is a trademark of Global Protection Corp. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.
Summary: Prequel to "The Boys of Summer" (but can stand alone). Dinner, dessert, and Seto takes a step forward in the relationship.
Status: 3 / 4
Archived at: http://www.phenixsol.com/Miko/FF/

* * *

Author’s Notes:

• Setup for this fic:
• AU… takes place sometime after Alcatraz Duel Tower (fanfics are technically AU anyways *shrug*)
• Noa has been brought out of the virtual world, has a new body, and is living with Mokuba and Seto. The how and why isn’t important.
• Yami has his own body and is separate from Yugi. The how and why isn’t important.
• Ages of characters: Seto and Yami are 19, Noa is 14, Mokuba is 13.
• "Bakura" throughout this story refers to Ryou Bakura, the hikari, and "Malik" refers to Malik Ishtar, the hikari.

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More Than Words

Chapter 3: I Will Be Here for You

* * *

In this world of strangers
Of cold unfriendly faces
Someone you can trust
Oh there’s someone you can trust
I will be your shelter
I’ll give you my shoulder
Just reach out for my love
Reach out for my love
Call my name and my heart will hear
I will be there, there’s nothing to fear

I will be here for you
Somewhere in the night
Somewhere in the night
I’ll shine a light for you
Somewhere in the night
I’ll be standing by
I will be here for you

- "I Will Be Here for You," Michael W. Smith

* * *

With the limo filled to overflowing with hundreds of roses, Yami ended up in Seto’s lap for the remainder of the ride to the restaurant. Not that either one of them minded the inconvenience. By the time the limo pulled in front of the restaurant, Yami’s jacket had been pulled off and Seto was busy running both hands and tongue over his lover’s bared chest. Things would have probably gotten even more heated had the intercom not beeped upon their arrival.

"Mr. Kaiba, sir. We’ve arrived at The Center Club."

"Wha… oh, of course. Give us a minute," he said, then switched the com off. Instinctively he checked his watch. 6:42 PM.

"Even if we’re late, they won’t turn you away," Yami commented as he struggled to get back into his jacket.

"Doesn’t mean that I’m happy about it," he shot back as Isono opened the door.

Yami simply gave a single shoulder shrug and followed his boyfriend out of the car, looking over the restaurant’s façade as two tuxedo-clad doormen held the doors for them. The place was very low-key and hidden away, tucked in between a business complex and performing arts center. It seemed like an unobtrusive type of place, which was exactly what Seto liked.

"Are you ready?" Yami turned to his lover and waited. Seto glanced down at the shorter teen, then hesitantly put his hand on Yami’s shoulder. Together they strode into the restaurant.

* * *

Yami was pleased to see that he was right – in a place like this, the staff was willing to bend over backwards to please their patrons. Certainly the hostess didn’t blink an eye at their tardiness. After pleasantly greeting them with, "Good evening, Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Mutou," she efficiently ushered them into a private room that had been reserved for the occasion. "Here you are, sirs; I hope you will enjoy your dining experience in the Library Room. And as per your request, Mr. Kaiba, the wait staff will await your direction before proceeding."

Yami hated to admit it, but after being with Seto for a year, he was getting used to places like this. The room did indeed resemble an Olde European library except for the long dining table which sat proudly in the center.

"This is really nice, Seto. It’s a bit big for just the two of us, but it’s very elegant. Thank you."

"Hn. I didn’t want to dine with other people since this is a special occasion, and I certainly don’t need any more intrusions." Seto grumbled while removing his coat, obviously still a little testy over all the errands he had to run earlier that day. "And this is one of their smaller private rooms, as well as their most popular, from what I’ve been told."

Yami just chuckled and wrapped an arm around his lover’s waist. "It’s perfect. Don’t worry… even if it weren’t, we would still enjoy it."

Seto cocked a brow. "I think those roses have been going to your head, Yami. Besides, I’m sure when you were Pharaoh, you dined in splendor far greater than this," he said lightly, but Yami could detect the faint strain lingering in his voice.

Resisting the urge to frown, Yami instead considered what the hostess had said. "So the waiters won’t come in unless you tell them to, right?"

"That’s right. I’ve dined here on business before, and the waiters are as attentive as vultures circling a kill. It’s all right for business, but I’d rather not have four strangers watching my every movement while I’m trying to eat with you."

A smile broke out on Yami’s face. "I just had an idea, Kai-baby."

"… Oh no." A playful Yami was a dangerous thing indeed.

The ex-spirit pouted slightly. "We’ll have the wait staff stay outside of the room. We can place our orders through the door and just have them come in when needed. Same thing goes for anything else we might want. What do you think?"

Seto processed the idea quickly. "I think… they won’t want us messing around on their overpriced furniture." He scowled and Yami laughed.

"By Nut’s night sky…I wasn’t implying anything, Kai-baby. We’re just here to eat." Seto scowled even more and Yami reached up to gently stroke his lover’s cheek. "I had no intention of ‘messing around’ on their furniture or the floor or anywhere else." Then he dropped his voice into a sultry whisper. "Besides, the lube is back in the car."

"And in my pocket," the brunette added, his dark mood lifting slightly. "But that doesn’t matter, does it?"

Yami sighed and pulled Seto down for a short, sweet kiss. "I’m hungry and we’ve both had a long day. But… that doesn’t mean we can’t have dessert later."

Seto merely smiled in return.

* * *

Not surprisingly, the wait staff was more than a bit confused by Seto’s unusual request, however after consulting with management, Yami’s wish was granted. So a menu was slipped through the door and Seto sat down in a club chair to look at their options while Yami perched himself on the edge of the dining table.

"Are you sure you don’t want to see the menu, Yami?" Seto had no idea why his lover was sitting on the table, and momentarily he even thought that Yami resembled a little squirrel looking for nuts. Oooookay…

"Positive. Surprise me, Kai-baby." He drew his legs up and rocked back on the table.

"Hn. Don’t complain to me if you don’t like what I pick out."

The shorter duelist chuckled. "All right then. Just get me… whatever the most expensive item is on the menu."

A brow arched. "That would be… the Baja Pink abalone. Do you even know what abalone is?"

Yami thought about it for a minute. "It’s some sort of shellfish right? I love seafood, you know that."

Seto grunted in affirmation. "I guess I’ll have the Steak Diane. Do you want an appetizer?"

"I’m hungry, Seto." The ex-spirit flopped onto his back on the table and then rolled onto his stomach immediately. "Oww."

"My advice to you is whatever you just did, don’t do it again." Yami rolled his eyes. "We’ll start with the half dozen oysters on the half shell then. I'm sure you approve of that." Seto got up and headed for the door to place their order.

"Oysters are an aphrodisiac," Yami commented with a smirk as his boyfriend walked by. Seto nearly stumbled at the comment, pausing for a moment in thought, then turned back towards the door.

"All right, here’s our order. We’ll start with a half… no, make that a dozen oysters…"

* * *

"We definitely have to order more oysters in the future," Yami murmured as he slid another of the slippery shellfish into his mouth.

"I agree," Seto replied as Yami leaned forward to feed him the oyster mouth-to-mouth. Half the time he wasn’t sure if he was actually swallowing oyster or Yami’s tongue, but it was all good. While the two took turns frenching with oysters, the wait staff knocked on the door once to signify that their entrees were ready.

"Mmm… shall we let them in?" Yami swallowed the last of the oysters and twisted his body so that he was merely sitting across Seto’s lap instead of straddling it.

Seto frowned and pulled out the chair next to him. "You said you were hungry, right? And the food isn’t going to walk itself in, so park yourself in a chair." Yami started to pout, but moved over into the other chair as requested. "All right, come in," Seto called out.

Three waiters came in immediately, one carrying a plate of abalone steak with sides of potatoes au gratin and asparagus, the other two pushing in a cart with a hot skillet of steak and mushrooms already sizzling on top.

"Looks like they forgot to finish your food," the younger duelist said in amusement as one of the waiters poured a liberal amount of brandy onto the steak and set it aflame. "Do you remember what happened the last time I tried to flambé something?"

"Was that the time you set the drapes on fire, or was that something else?" Seto drawled as the fourth waiter brought in fresh drinks and a plate of rice pilaf and steamed vegetables to go with the steak.

Yami let out a short laugh. "That was it, yes." He sniffed the aroma as the liquid around the steak began caramelizing. "That does smell good though."

"I told you to order your own food, but no… ‘Surprise me, Seto,’ you said."

"You won’t eat it all anyways, so I can at least try it." The younger teen wrapped a lower leg around his boyfriend’s.

Seto’s eyes crinkled in silent laughter. "No way, I’m not sharing."

"What?! And to think I was going to share mine with you! Ingrate."

* * *

Seto ended up sharing anyways, as usual. Yami not only ate everything on his own plate, but polished off a third of Seto’s steak as well, plus all the zucchini on the side, much to the brunette’s relief. At least Seto also got to try a bite or two of abalone, which wasn’t a bad choice after all.

Although Yami certainly looked full, he immediately began asking for a dessert menu, so Seto went to the door to summon the wait staff. The first two men efficiently cleared the plates away while the other two carted in what appeared to be a miniature, two-tiered, heart-shaped cake covered in baby pink rolled fondant. The fondant was studded with pink pearls and clear rhinestones, giving it a quilted look, and was topped with loops of baby blue ribbon which had "Happy Anniversary Yami & Seto" printed all over on it.

"I didn’t order this… I just wanted a dessert menu," Seto rasped, scowling at the frightening pink item.

"It was a special order for you, sir." And the waiter handed the young billionaire a note before walking away. It read:

Of course, Seto’s first reaction was the glare at the note. His second reaction was to think disparaging thoughts about a restaurant that would allow any type of canine through their doors, even if there was someone holding onto his leash.

Yami’s laughter broke into his train of thought. With a roll of his eyes, Seto simply said, "Your little friends need to get lives of their own instead of sticking their noses in ours."

Yami smacked him lightly in the arm. "Don’t be like that, Kai-baby. It’s sweet. They did a lot for us today. Aren’t you grateful at all?"

Maybe… "No, not really."

"Seto Kaiba, honestly! The things that come from your mouth," huffed Yami, but he was grinning broadly.

"It’s a pink cake, Yami-kins. Goddamn motherfucking PINK… with pearls and crap all over it! And it’s probably got an additional layer of special Alpo filling in it, thanks to...."

"Kaiba!" Crimson eyes narrowed for a moment. "Well… I have to admit I’m horrified by the pink frosting too. But it probably tastes pretty good."

"Then you eat it."

"Fine, I will." Yami could barely keep the amusement out of his voice as he picked up a fork and dug it into the little confection. "Well, it does look better on the inside," he remarked.

"I sup…" The ex-spirit quickly grabbed the bit of cake off his fork with his fingers and popped it into Seto’s mouth. The brunette glared at his lover, but chewed and swallowed the dessert obediently. At least it was much tastier than it looked.

"You’re smiling. I guess I don’t have to ask if it was any good," said Yami, taking a bite for himself. "Mmm… I love sweets." He offered another forkful to Seto, who was quick to take it.

"I’m surprised you’re not fat by now, with all the food you stuff in your face."

"Kai-baby, I maintain my figure by willpower alone." He ate another delicious forkful. "That, and I have a high metabolism."

"Mm hmm. Whatever you say. Gimme more cake."

* * *

By the time the cake was polished off, Seto had called Isono back to the restaurant to pick them up. The sweet scent of roses hit them as soon as they got back in the car, and Yami ended up opening up the moonroof to dilute the fragrance a little, while Seto groaned aloud at discovering a plain brown bag with yet another note stapled to the top of it. Not wanting to deal with even more insanity, he handed the entire thing to Yami, who squinted a bit in the soft light in order to read the note aloud:

"Great. What do you suppose those twits got us?" Seto complained as Yami tore open the paper bag. The ex-spirit began chuckling as he fished out an odd assortment of items which included a life-sized chocolate dildo with molded balls and pubes, a strawberry flavored sugar-free gummy dong proudly labeled with the claim that "It Vibrates! Just Add AA Battery! Vaginally Safe," a foiled box of champagne flavored sparkling body powder, and a three-pack of Night Light glow-in-the-dark condoms.

Seto burst into laughter as Yami waved the wrapped gummy dick at him. "Did they include a battery for it?" he asked, grabbing the condoms and tossing them into the sea of roses. Yami just looked at him oddly, trying to refrain from laughing even harder. "We didn’t need those, obviously."

"I don’t think they’ve progressed quite that far into their relationship," Yami finally chortled. "They probably thought they were being kinky." He pushed the candy dicks out of the way, then peered at the box of body powder.

"Not my fault that you’ve dragged me into the depths of depravity."

"Me? Oh please, Kai-baby… don’t kid yourself." The shorter teen popped open the box of body powder and took a taste. "You’re the one who has unmarked parcels sent to his office on a weekly basis. Hmm… this isn’t bad." He tossed away the puff applicator and simply sprinkled the powder directly onto his own chest.

"I only order that stuff because you insist on it. You’re the King of Games, remember?" Seto responded smoothly as Yami straddled his lap again. He lapped experimentally at the powder sparkling on Yami’s bared skin. "Well, it’s all right. Just sweet. Not champagne flavored though."

"Who cares?" The crimson-eyed duelist proceeded to dump the remaining contents of the box down his shirt, rubbing his hips suggestively against Seto’s lap. The brunette's cock responded immediately.

"Oh God… Yami," Seto groaned, his fingers reaching up of their own accord to grab at Yami’s tri-colored hair, his lips attaching themselves to a collarbone sparkling with flavored powder. Yami threw his head back with a moan to give his boyfriend better access while his hands began working at loosening Seto’s tie.

Upon feeling his lover’s hands on his tie, the young billionaire suddenly realized that he hadn’t even given Yami his gift yet. He had been putting it off all day, but now… "Wait, Yami… stop."

Yami sat back and cocked his head. "Is something wrong?"

"I… uh… I’ll be right back." Pushing the smaller teen off his lap and onto the seat, Seto half crawled, half stumbled over roses to get to the privacy partition. Rolling the mirrored glass down for a moment, he picked up the gift box in the passenger’s seat and gave Isono a terse order to drive around until further notice. Yami’s eyes were positively glowing by the time Seto made his way back to the rear seat.

"What’s that?" The ex-spirit hadn’t taken his eyes off the box since he saw it.

Seto sucked in a breath. He had spent days rehearsing what to say, but nothing had sounded right, so he simply gave up last night and figured he’d worry about it when the moment arrived. Now that the moment was here, he still couldn’t think of anything to say. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I should have given this to him for his birthday. Maybe I shouldn’t… well, it’s too late for that, isn’t it? Stupid… just stupid…

Wordlessly, he knelt on the small patch of cleared floor space in front of Yami and thrust the box into awaiting hands.

"Kai-baby?"

"Uh…" Feeling his cheeks starting to heat up, Seto let his head drop down so that his bangs hung heavily over his eyes. "It’s… something. For you." Why am I having such a hard time with this? I can give a presentation to thousands of employees, but I can’t even talk to Yami without feeling like shit?

Yami chewed on his lower lip. Seto had just done a complete about face; he had been playful, but now was flushed, sweating and stammering. The younger teen glanced down at the box, then back to up at his lover. "Seto, what is it?" He reached out and gently tilted Seto’s head back up so he could look into his eyes, almost gasping at what he saw there.

A maelstrom of emotions whirled in Seto’s eyes. Love, hate, joy, sadness… it was as if something was about to be decided, and Yami knew that it all revolved around the contents of the box he now held on his lap. "Just… open it," Seto ground out.

The younger teen nodded slowly and began tearing off the wrapping paper, then lifted off the lid and peeled apart layers of tissue paper to find two nearly identical titanium nameplates, one excised with YAMI and the other with SETO, each attached to a band of fine black leather. Yami slowly picked up each piece, noting that the YAMI plate was attached to a belt, and the SETO one a collar. "This… do you mean… Kai-baby?"

"I’m… I don’t want to hide anymore, Yami." Seto’s eyes dropped again and he began to fiddle with his trademark KaibaCorp belt. "I want others to know that you… are with me, and… Unless, you don’t want…" His voice trailed off and he grimaced.

Yami’s heart went out to his lover. Even after a year, was he still so uncertain about their relationship? Maybe I should have told him I love him, but I didn’t think he was ready for it. Was I wrong, all this time? "Seto, I l…"

"No, Yami. Don’t say it. I know, of course. I’m not stupid, but…"

"Oh, Kai-baby… you may not be ready to hear it, but I show you how I feel everyday. And everyday you show me in return. That means much more to me than any words ever will." He reached out again for Seto’s chin, wanting to see his eyes once more. He need to know if those blue eyes he loved were still clouded with uncertainty.

Seto jerked away and refused to meet his gaze. Yami frowned. For once, he wasn’t sure what the other teen was thinking. Quickly reconsidering the situation, he decided to try a different approach. "Seto, give me your belt."

"What?" The brunette had been playing with the buckle and already had it undone.

Yami reached into the box and pulled out the new belt which carried his name on it. "I’m keeping your KaibaCorp belt. From now on, you’re wearing this one instead."

"What makes you think you can order me around?" Seto snapped, his eyes flickering up to meet Yami’s.

"Because you belong to me, just as I belong to you. Forever." Yami tossed the belt onto his boyfriend’s lap, and began to undo the buckle to his collar. "I’m going to return this to Yugi," he stated decisively, tossing the collar into the gift box and replacing it with the new one.

"I’m not some sort of possession, Yami." But the anger had passed from his voice, and from the look in his eyes, Yami knew that he understood. Seto put on his new belt with a defiant glare and tossed the old one to his lover.

"No, you’re not," Yami agreed, catching the belt and dropping it into the box next to his discarded collar. "Because we belong to each other; never forget that." He reached out and grabbed Seto by the collar of his jacket and pulled him roughly into his arms, wrapping his forearm around the brunette’s head and holding him against his chest.

Seto shuddered and shut his eyes, concentrating on the beats of Yami’s heart. Show me, Yami… make me believe.

* * *

In the driver’s seat, Isono picked up another call from Mokuba.

"Isono here. Mokuba. Yes… Mr. Kaiba requested that I drive until further notice. I don't know when we’ll be back. No, I haven't given them the envelope yet; I have it right here. Yes, I… NO! I will not check if… I’m sure he, er, they are. No, I don’t care how much you’d pay for… what?! Yes, I value my job! Why… no! I’m hanging up now!"

* * *

TBC

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Additional Author’s Notes (regarding how this chapter came up):

• The Center Club is a real restaurant that requires a membership just to get in the door. Sounds like the type of place Seto would consider just "good enough" for a special dinner, don’t you think? Unfortunately, I was unable to access a menu so I used the menu from another restaurant.
• Please don’t be like Seto… practice safe sex. As far as I’m concerned he and Yami have only ever slept with each other, plus they’re in a monogamous relationship, so that’s why I let him toss the condoms.
• Regarding Seto’s gift to Yami: And there we have it. Not much of a surprise if you saw my fanart already ^^. But I had to explain how they got those pieces in the first place, and rather than have it be a simple exchange of items, I decided to play it up a bit. Hopefully you guys understood what transpired here. If not, I’ll explain it in my A/N next chapter.
• Also regarding Seto’s gift to Yami: I chose to have the nameplates done in airdraft-grade titanium simply because it's a lot lighter and stronger than gold, silver or platinum. It had nothing to do with cost.

* * *

May 30, 2005