Title: Shades of You and Me - Ch. 2: Midnight Blue
Author: bnomiko
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): Seto + Yami
Spoilers: none... takes place post-Noa's arc; vague and non-spoiling reference to Pharaoh's Memory / Ancient Egypt arc
Warnings: swearing
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "Midnight Blue" is performed and recorded by Lou Gramm. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.
Summary: Chronologically, the first fic in my "Life with Kai-baby and Yami-kins" AU. It's Seto's move... does he want to ask Yami out for another date?
Status: 2 / 4
Archived at: http://www.phenixsol.com/Miko/FF/
This is a SHONEN-AI fic (male + male romantic relationship). If you are offended by homosexual relationships, please do not read this. Flames will be disregarded.
* * *
Setup for this fic:
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Shades of You and Me
Ch. 2: Midnight Blue
* * *
Things could be different
But that'd be a shame, 'cause
I'm the one who could feel the sun
Right in the pouring rain
I won't say where
And I don't know when
But soon there's gonna come a day, baby
I'll be back again
- "Midnight Blue," Lou Gramm
* * *
Two days had passed. Two whole days since Yami had woken up in Kaiba's house, next to Kaiba's sleeping form, dreaming of making love to Kaiba's past incarnation.
I thought that he'd come by, or at least call. We seemed to be getting along well enough.
What was even more distressing for the former Pharaoh wasn't the fact that he hadn't heard from Kaiba at all since their date, but the fact that he had become wholly and completely obsessed with him over the last two days. He couldn't get the vision of his past out of his mind.
... naked bodies hot and fevered beneath the palm trees... eyes as blue as the Nile and as clear as the sky...
"Hello... Yugi to Yami! Did you hear a word I said?"
The crimson-eyed teen nearly jumped. "What?!"
"I said, Jii-chan is going to do inventory in the stockroom right now, so can you work the shop with me the rest of the afternoon?" Your obsession is starting to drive me crazy, Yami.
I... I'm sorry, Aibou.
Yugi's expression softened. I tried to call Mokuba and Noa but apparently they've been grounded and aren't allowed to take phone calls. And I can't get through on their cellphones either. But I'll keep trying.
No, it's all right, Yugi. I know you're trying to help, but this really is up to Kaiba now.
Maybe... but I can't help but be involved. We've never really been able to seal off our thoughts and feelings from each other, you know?
Yami glanced at Yugi and furrowed his brow. I didn't mean to involve you. I know I've been moody as of late...
No, I can handle the moodiness. When we still shared a body, you were moody or upset sometimes and I was okay with that. What I can't deal with is your, um... overwhelming horniness?
My... what?!
I have no interest in guys, Yami. But this... unresolved sexual tension... in the last two days Kaiba has suddenly become a lot more attractive to me, if you know what I mean? And it was bad enough before. Why do you think I was so eager for you to get it on during your date?
Ahhhh... I thought...
Yugi cut off the conversation and smiled as a customer walked in the door. "Welcome to the Ka... Kaiba!" He beamed at the scowling brunette and resisted the sudden horrifying urge to throw himself into his arms.
"Kaiba?" Yami felt his heartbeat pick up as he ducked out from behind the register.
Kaiba opened his mouth, thought about it, shut it, and then opened it again. Finally he settled for saying, "You have my jacket."
"Oh, I'll go..."
"It's at the dry cleaners!" Yugi suddenly shouted. "Right, Yami?"
Aibou, it's upstairs.
You wanna do it in our room? Fine. Just stay out of my bed.
I'm not... we're not going to do anything in your bed! But he felt something stir in his pants at the lewd possibilities anyways.
Yugi mentally whapped his other half. Look, tell him it's at the dry cleaners so he'll have an excuse to drive you some place, okay?
"Dry cleaners," Yami repeated. "Right. I guess we should go pick it up." Ra, he smells good, even after a day at work.
"Uh huh," said Kaiba, brow raised. "It's not at a fucking dry cleaners, is it?"
"Of course it is!" Yugi interrupted again, now stepping out from behind the counter. "By the way, did I mention you smell nice, Kaiba?" Yugi began unconsciously leaning towards the tall duelist.
Yami's eyes widened in alarm, as did Kaiba's. Aibou!!! What are you doing?
Yami, would you get him out of here already?! God, I never noticed his cologne before...
"Uh... Kaiba, we have to go to the dry cleaners NOW," the ex-spirit practically yelled, grabbing onto Yugi's wrist and tugging him away from Kaiba. The violet-eyed teen gave them both a dazed look as he stumbled back into place behind the counter.
Kaiba stared at Yugi, then turned his gaze back to Yami. "Whatever. You two are just weird. But fine, you want me to take you to some nonexistent dry cleaners, let's go. As long as I get my blazer back by the end of the day."
Yugi just smiled at the two of them, and then suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to give his other half something of extreme importance. Yami!
Are you all right?
Surrrrre, but never mind that. You forgot something! Yugi fished something out of his pocket, then suddenly grinned wickedly. Think fast! he warned, and threw the item at Yami's face. And this time, don't feel obligated to come home! I'll cover for you.
The crimson-eyed teen snatched the item out of the air at the last moment, then took one look at it and blushed deeply. He tried to shove it into his pocket before Kaiba saw it, but as soon as he heard the young billionaire's voice, he knew it was too late.
"Yami... did Yugi just throw you a strip of condoms?"
* * *
"So, where's the dry cleaners?" Kaiba asked, smirking, as he started up his Ferrari F355 Berlinetta. The engine roared to life impressively.
Yami considered his options, then decided to go with the truth. "I could make up directions and force you to drive randomly around town, but there's no point in that. The jacket's in my room upstairs. I just had to get you out of the shop, that's all."
Kaiba snorted, but a part of him was almost disappointed that Yami didn't play along with Yugi's silly suggestion. And speaking of Yugi... "What's wrong with your aibou today?"
"Er... I'll tell you later. It's a bit complicated."
"What makes you think I want to hang around till later? I'm a busy person and I just came by to pick something up."
Yami narrowed his eyes slightly. "Cut it out. I'm not playing games now. I just had to get you out of the shop before things with Yugi got even weirder. So if you're really busy and just want me to go get your jacket, I will." He slid his hand towards the door and Kaiba frowned.
"I... er... we talked about cars a few nights ago, right? And I was telling you about my sportscars and stuff? You said that you hadn't ridden in a Ferrari before. So do you... you still want to drive randomly around town anyways?"
The shorter teen turned and smiled. "Yes, actually, I would. And I'll have Yugi go get your jacket, okay?" Yugi, if you have a moment, can you bring out Kaiba's jacket? It's on my bed.
Kaiba nodded, and a minute later, Yugi dashed out of the store, blazer in hand. Yami grabbed it through the window with a quick mental note of thanks, and went to hand it to Kaiba, but the taller duelist simply said, "You can hang onto it for now. Ready to go?"
"Yeah... so how fast can this thing go, anyways? It looks fast." Yami leaned over Kaiba's lap a little. "That little thing on the left says 200. Does that mean this car can go 200 mph?
Kaiba grinned and began rattling off specs in his excitement. "Zero to sixty in 4.7. Top speed of 185 mph give or take... the speedometer is exaggerating, as always. But I'm trading this one in as soon as I get my new F430 Spyder, which should be delivered tomorrow or the next day. It's beautiful... I'm really only getting it for the silhouette. That sucker should hit sixty in under four seconds and tops out at 195, 196. And my new performance car is going to be a Koenigsegg CCR, which is the current fastest production car on the market with a top speed of over 240 mph. It's faster than the fuckin' McLaren F1. I'm having one built on special order right now."
Yami smiled absentmindedly at the flood of information. Kaiba certainly was talkative when it came to certain topics. "185 mph is still a whole lot faster than Jii-chan's station wagon..." he mused, giving Kaiba a challenging look. "Well, let's see it!" The billionaire smirked and hit the gas.
* * *
True to his word, Kaiba drove aimlessly around Domino at Yami's direction. Considering that it was the tail end of rush hour, they didn't manage to go any faster than 50 mph, but the shorter teen didn't mind. It was nice just zipping through traffic and chatting sporadically about things that were completely unimportant. But eventually the conversation wound itself back to the topic of Yugi again.
"It's later. So, you going to tell me what's wrong with little Yugi today?"
Yami cursed the brunette's excellent memory. "Does it really matter?"
"Call it curiosity. He was sniffing me, for starters. And then he threw you a bunch of condoms. Please tell me he's not asking for a threesome."
Yami considered pounding his head against the dashboard, then decided against it. His forehead wasn't worthy of the car. "He's... uh, you know how Yugi and I are linked, right?"
"Hmph. More of that mindless drivel, Yami?"
"Are you going to let me explain or not?" Kaiba's eyes narrowed but he wisely shut his mouth. "Yugi and I have been mind linked ever since he solved the Sennen Puzzle, and it's carried over even though I have my own body now. But we still try to respect each other's privacy. Sometimes though, strong thoughts... or feelings spill over the link. Which is why for a short time I thought I might be attracted to Anzu. And now, erm... Yugi's... he's attracted to you."
Kaiba suddenly slammed on the brakes after nearly running a red light. "Yugi's attracted to me. Because of you," he said stiffly.
"Something like that." The older duelist didn't say anything for a moment, and Yami swore he could hear his neurons firing. Make the connection, Kaiba.
Kaiba finally gave a short snort and jammed on the gas pedal. "Noa wanted Chinese take-out for dinner. I really shouldn't indulge him since he's grounded, but if I don't he'll probably end up sneaking into the freezer and eating ice cream until he's sick. And Chinese doesn't sound bad to me. How about you?"
Yami grinned. "Sounds good."
* * *
As soon as they pulled up to the mansion, Noa and Mokuba ran out in greeting.
"Hi, Yami!" chirped Mokuba, grinning from ear to ear. "Nii-sama, did you have a good day?" He instantly ran around the car to take his brother's briefcase.
"Hn."
"Hey, Seto, Yami. Yay! You brought food!" Noa snatched the bag of take-out from Yami's hands.
"Um, you're welcome?"
"You better not have started on the ice cream, you little rat," said Kaiba, but Noa just stuck his tongue out in response. Yami couldn't help but smile as Kaiba ruffled Noa's green hair while the young teen protested in vain.
It's odd seeing him like this. Kaiba's normally so stoic; I've never seen him act so friendly, not even with his brothers. Is he just in a good mood? Or is it because he's feeling a little more comfortable with my presence?
Once they were in the foyer, Kaiba turned to his younger brothers. "Okay you two, show Yami to the kitchen. And I'll be taking this back." He plucked at the collar of the blazer Yami was still wearing.
"Ah, right." He shrugged off the jacket and handed it over, then watched appreciatively as the brunette strode up the stairs.
"Yami, as soon as you're done drooling over my brother, the kitchen's this way," said Mokuba, the back of his hand pressed against his lips. He looked over at Noa and then they both sniggered.
"I wasn't... um... yeah. Coming." And I wish Mokuba and Noa were a little less perceptive.
* * *
They ended up eating at a small dinette set in the back of the kitchen. Kaiba nibbled at some noodles while Mokuba and Noa fought over the egg rolls, dry braised beef, and honey walnut shrimp. Yami laid claim to a box of Kung Pao chicken and fished out the red chili peppers, sucking on them thoughtfully between bites of food.
"I'm surprised that you don't have a chef or something back here. It's a nice kitchen. I bet I could whip up a lot of food here."
"You cook?" Kaiba sounded interested as well as surprised.
"Yes, well, I'm trying to at least. Yugi bought me some cookbooks."
"Oh, and here I was thinking that cooking was an important skill for a Pharaoh to master in ancient Egypt," the taller duelist said mockingly, but Mokuba immediately jabbed him in the ribs. "What was that for?" he hissed, glaring at the boy. Mokuba just glared back.
"So, uh... what do you like to cook, Yami?" Noa asked.
"Pretty much anything. Yugi likes burgers so I barbecue a lot. But he's open to most things. And you didn't hear this from me, but Jounouchi is usually my other... what's the term... 'guinea pig,' since he'll try anything I make."
"You should know better than that, Yami," Kaiba interjected in a scolding voice. "Dogs aren't known to be picky eaters."
"Kaiba." The ex-spirit sighed. "Talking about picky eaters, don't tell me you're already done."
"I'm done." The young CEO leaned back in his chair.
"You barely ate anything. What was that, one noodle?"
"Wrong. It was two." He reached over to Yami's plate, grabbed a chili pepper, and popped it in his mouth. "And one pepper."
"Kaiba, I'm serious. Considering your height, you're pretty skinny. You ought to eat more."
"Fuck off, Yami."
By this point, Mokuba and Noa were swiveling their heads back and forth with the conversation like spectators at a tennis tournament.
"Here, have some chicken." Yami used his chopsticks to flick a piece at Kaiba's plate. Kaiba glared at it as if it was the most disgusting thing he had ever seen, and tossed it back at Yami's head, managing to land it in Yami's blond bangs.
Noa and Mokuba instantly began snickering. The ex-spirit scowled and tossed a piece of chicken at Mokuba as well, bouncing it off his cheek. When Noa laughed even harder, Mokuba chucked a sticky glazed walnut at him, and then all hell broke loose. Kaiba grabbed the remainder of his chow mein and simply leaned over the table and dumped it on Yami's head, while Yami commandeered the sweet and sour sauce from the egg rolls and threw it into Kaiba's face. Meanwhile, Noa grabbed a handful of rice, ran around the table, and stuffed it down the front of Mokuba's shirt just as Mokuba retaliated with two handfuls of honeyed shrimp, rubbing it into Noa's hair. Deciding that the rice was a good addition to the red sauce, Yami also grabbed some, latched onto Kaiba's belt, and stuffed it down his trousers, eliciting something that sounded almost like a yelp along with his growled name. The former Pharaoh roared with laughter and then tried to beat a hasty retreat, but was a bit too slow to evade his adversary, who suddenly tackled him to the floor.
Yami's stomach ached from laughing so hard, and he slapped at Kaiba's chest until the brunette decided to pin his wrists to the ground. When he finally regained control of his senses, the shorter teen slowly looked up to see amused blue eyes peering back at him from a sea of dripping red sauce.
"You're a mess," Yami blurted out, reflexively twisting his wrist out of Kaiba's grasp and pushing back wet brown bangs. He only managed to smear the sauce through the taller teen's hair, which just made him chuckle again. Even covered in sauce, the older duelist was stunning to look at.
A slow, genuine smile spread over Kaiba's face as a blob of sauce dripped off his chin and landed on Yami's nose. "Of course I'm a mess. This is one of the dumbest things I've ever done."
"Same here. Feels good, doesn't it?"
"You're obviously not the one with rice in your underwear."
Yami gave him an unrepentant grin. "Oops."
Kaiba twisted his head to look over at his amused younger brothers. "All right you two, I'll make you a deal. If you clean up this mess before going to bed, I'll unground you. Unground... hn. Is that even a word?"
"Deal," said Noa, picking bits of shrimp out of his hair. Mokuba also nodded in agreement and brought some napkins over to the older duo.
"Shouldn't I help as well?" asked Yami, now swiping at the droplets of sauce splattering his face.
"No." The taller duelist stood up while wiping off his face, then adjusted the crotch of his pants a little. A few particles of rice fell out of his pant legs. "I'm getting that crap out of your hair, then you're taking a shower." He held his hand out to Yami.
The shorter teen accepted the help up. "You need a shower too, probably more than I do."
"Maybe." He began plucking noodles and vegetables out of Yami's hair.
I could help you get the rice out of your pants and underwear, Yami wanted to say, but in the interests of not sounding *too* forward, he kept his mouth shut and stood silently while Kaiba picked out the food particles in his hair.
"Okay, I think I got all the large pieces. You can use the shower off of my room. Come with me."
* * *
Yami stood in Kaiba's bedroom and tried to finger comb his hair into some semblance of order while the young billionaire took his turn in the shower. It's so tempting... I want to peek! He had to wonder if the brunette was purposely doing this to tease him, or was he really so clueless as to think that Yami wouldn't be tempted to "check in" on him? Normally he would have thought it was all an act, but Kaiba had been surprisingly... benign, the majority of the day. Was he really taking to heart all the things Yami had told him earlier on?
I like seeing this side of Kaiba. He's been full of surprises today, he thought, idly tugging up the waistband of the boxers Kaiba had loaned him. The older teen had also loaned him a T-shirt and pajama pants, but Yami opted out of the pants since they were much too long for him. I ought to do something nice in return... show him I appreciate his efforts. Hearing the water shut off, Yami sat down on Kaiba's large, comfortable bed and waited for the taller duelist to finish up in the bathroom.
Kaiba finally emerged from the bathroom some five minutes later, a towel draped around his shoulders and a pair of light cotton pajama pants hanging loosely off his slim hips. Yami couldn't help but be riveted by the sight of his rival's slender, toned physique, and once again his dream surged to the forefront. Ra help me, I just want to touch that chest...
"Yami?"
"Huh?"
"Why are you on my bed?"
Yami blinked. "Do you want me to get off?" He put his hands down behind him and began to scoot towards the edge, but Kaiba just shook his head.
"It's... okay. Guess it doesn't matter," he said gruffly. Why am I so nervous? He snuck another quick peek at Yami sitting on his bed in nothing more than a borrowed T-shirt and silk boxers. Oh yeah, that's why.
Aww... he's nervous. Ugh, did I just think "Aww?" I need to stop listening to Anzu and Shizuka. "Come here... have a seat."
"Why?"
"I want to give you a backrub. You look a bit tense."
Kaiba frowned slightly and considered his options quickly. Finally deciding there was nothing overtly harmful about the offer, he slowly sat down next to Yami. "Just a backrub."
"That's right."
"What should I..."
"Just lie face down on the bed." Kaiba tossed his towel onto the floor, then hesitantly stretched himself out on the bed. Yami dropped his towel on top of Kaiba's, then went to turn off the bedroom lights, leaving just the bathroom lights on. "You wouldn't happen to have any massage oil or anything... lubricating like that around, would you?"
"No."
So much for Yugi's contention that he's got lube around here, and considering how he's been acting... Kaiba's obviously a virgin. The thought excited Yami, but he willed himself to ignore the insistent throbbing between his legs. "Uh... hmm. I guess I'll just start with something simple, all right? If I do anything you don't like, just let me know."
Kaiba grunted. Yami half sat, half knelt by his side, and began running his fingertips lightly up and down the taller teen's spine, then tracing light circles outward from there. The former Pharaoh admired the pale skin under his fingertips, which was still slightly warm and damp from the shower. Kaiba did have a few old scars, but they were barely noticeable and in no way detracted from the sleek beauty of his body.
For several minutes, Yami continued his gentle ministrations until Kaiba finally gave in and moaned softly, settling himself into the mattress and stretching his back out in a catlike fashion. "You like that?"
"It's... nice..." Kaiba said, the words slurring a bit.
"Yeah? Yugi taught me how to do this." He began to gently roll stiff neck muscles in his palm.
"Hnn... I haven't... had anyone... do this in a... long time."
"Really? You don't have a personal masseuse or anything?" Yami joked lightly. "No chef, no masseuse, and you make your brothers clean up the kitchen. Are you sure you're rich?"
The muscles under his hands twitched and stiffened in agitation. "What, you think because I have money that can't take care of things on my own?" snarled Kaiba, and Yami stopped rubbing for a moment. "I'm not going to let my brothers be lazy and complacent; they can clean up their own room and their own messes. I keep a minimal staff around... a housekeeper comes twice a week, the gardeners once a week, and I have a mechanic on-call. Plus the security team."
"I wasn't implying anything, Kaiba. It was just a joke. I think it's admirable that you're teaching your brothers to be responsible." The younger teen resumed massaging, moving back to the neck muscles which had tightened up again. "Can I ask another question without you getting upset?"
Kaiba's muscles tensed up marginally. "Depends."
"Don't feel obligated to answer, then. How many other people have you dated?"
No response.
"Okay then. How are my backrubs compared to ones you've gotten before?"
The brunette seemed to be debating something internally. Finally he responded. "I haven't dated anyone else."
Yami blinked. "Really... huh. I'm honored."
"Why do you sound surprised?"
"You're attractive, I already told you. And you're intelligent, famous..."
Kaiba let out a soft snort and bitterly said, "I'm not interested in women, publicity hounds or gold diggers. Or idiots, cowards or sycophants. And I intimidate and scare off about 99% of those who remain. How many guys are left in the dating pool after that? And it wasn't like you chose to go out with me anyways; it was a set-up."
Yami sighed. "I already explained that to you, Kaiba. And obviously I didn't regret it or else I wouldn't be here now. But now I'm curious as to why you chose to answer my first question instead of the second one?"
Kaiba took a deep breath and once again, his back stiffened. He said nothing for a long minute, then murmured, "My mother."
What? "What do you mean?"
"My mother... she used to do that thing that you were doing earlier, to put me to bed."
"Oh." Inwardly, Yami winced. He hoped he hadn't dredged up any unpleasant memories or associations. His hands hesitated for a moment, then resumed the massage.
"Um... would you go back to doing that thing again?" Kaiba asked softly, after several more minutes had passed.
Yami paused again, this time in surprise. "Okay... sure." Yami stopped pressing his palms into Kaiba's back and lifted his hands back up until only his fingertips were touching, then began moving them around in a light, sweeping motion. The older duelist began to stretch himself out again and sighed deeply.
"Hn..." His eyelids fluttered shut. "And don't... fall asleep... okay?"
"Uh..." Now that was a cryptic statement. Don't fall asleep... right now? Tonight? In this bed? In this house? Let's see, my shirt is in the wash, but I suppose I could just wear this T-shirt and my pants and get one of the security guys to take me home. Thank goodness leather wipes clean. "Kaiba?"
He didn't respond. Yami took a closer look and realized he had managed to put Kaiba to sleep yet again.
* * *
Yami was in the process of quietly sneaking out of Kaiba's bedroom when he was suddenly accosted in the hallway by Mokuba and Noa, both in pajamas.
"Yami, what are you doing?" Mokuba asked, rather loudly.
The crimson-eyed teen pressed his index finger against his lips. "Shh... Kaiba's asleep."
The brothers just stared at Yami as if he had just claimed to have seen the tooth fairy. "It's not even 10:00 yet. Seto doesn't go to bed until way later," Noa argued.
"Well then, he's amazing at pretending to be asleep," Yami said quietly.
"I have to see this." Mokuba wandered over to the door to Kaiba's bedroom, peeked in, and came back with a look of awe on his face. "I can't believe it... Yami, what did you do to him?" he asked, accusation in his voice.
"I just gave him a backrub. Why? What did you think I did?"
"I thought you guys were doing *it*, you know, and then you were being scummy and trying to sneak out afterwards."
Yami indulged his urge to slap himself on the forehead. "Mokuba, you thought that I... that Kaiba and I... you're what, 10?"
"12!"
Yami sighed. "You're watching too much TV."
Mokuba just gave him another odd look. Then Noa asked, "So did Nii-sama kick you out or something before he fell asleep? Or why are you leaving?"
"Yes, well, no, not really. Actually, I'm not sure. I usually have a pretty good read on your brother, but he's thrown me for several loops today."
Noa rolled his eyes. "Unless he specifically told you to leave, you should stay."
"Uh... where?"
"In his bed, duh."
Why me? "Why is everyone trying to get me... what did Yugi call it... 'thrown down' by Kaiba?"
Mokuba gasped. "We didn't tell you to go have sex with him! Just go sleep in his bed."
"You were implying that I just had sex with him!" Yami countered.
"Well, now I know you didn't, so get back in there. Don't make me handcuff you to the bed!"
Yami took a deep breath. "Okay, two questions. First of all, why do you even own handcuffs? And secondly, why do you want me to sleep in Kaiba's bed?"
Mokuba and Noa looked at each other. "I got the handcuffs from Isono," the black-haired boy answered.
"And don't you *want* to sleep with Seto?" asked Noa smugly.
"Errr..." He's right, I do. So why *am* I arguing about it? "All right... I guess I'm going to bed then?"
Both brothers grinned. "Good night, Yami," Mokuba said sweetly.
"Don't let the bedbugs bite... or Nii-sama, either," Noa added in.
"Uh... right. Good night."
As soon as the crimson-eyed teen disappeared back into Kaiba's bedroom, Mokuba turned to Noa and asked, "So should we call Yugi back now that we have good news?"
* * *
TBC
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Author's Notes:
* * *
June 20, 2005