Title: Taboo
Author: bnomiko
Rating: PG-13 / R
Pairing(s): Main: Noa + Mokuba, Seto + Yami. Minor: Yamato + Kouya, Anzu + Yugi, Mai + Jou, Malik + Bakura
Spoilers: none
Warnings: swearing
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "Taboo" is from the musical Taboo, by Boy George. "Masquerade" is from the musical The Phantom of the Opera, by Andrew Lloyd Webber. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.
Summary: Prom and its aftermath... Noa and Mokuba get caught red-handed.
Status: 2 / ?
Archived at: http://www.phenixsol.com/Miko/FF/

* * *

Taboo

Ch. 1: Masquerade

* * *

The ballroom of the Domino Marriott Bayview was decorated in black and white, red and glittering silver, colors befitting the theme "Masquerade" from "The Phantom of the Opera." Tables topped with vases of red roses and papier-mache masks and lit with dozens of white candles surrounded a large dance floor upon which hundreds of gaily dressed teens danced the night away. The packed dance floor was where Kouya and Yamato had disappeared to shortly after their arrival, which was just fine with Mokuba and Noa since their intention had simply been getting the girls into prom, not to necessarily hang out with them. But for the sake of appearance, as well as the friendship they had developed over the last few months, the girls insisted that the brothers join them and their friends out on the dance floor from time to time, while respecting the fact that Mokuba and Noa wanted some time alone.

Mokuba was glad that they had befriended the pair of seniors, and was enjoying his prom experience about as much as could be expected. It was a little campy compared to the types of extravaganzas he'd seen thrown for Kaiba Corp., the decorations a little too cutesy and the attendees stiff, unused to tuxedos and ball gowns, but it was fun getting to act like a normal teen for once. Well, as normal as he could be. Not that Seto would care that he was bi and Noa gay, but it was his choice of boyfriend - and oh, how odd that word sounded in his mind still! - that would cause a stir. If things had been different, Mokuba could have seen himself going for a girl like Yamato. He liked her spunk and self-assurance, and she was pretty in a very natural way. Not that Kouya would have been a bad choice either... she was intelligent and pleasant to talk to, and just as pretty as her girlfriend. But... he had Noa now, so none of that really mattered.

Mokuba really didn't remember exactly how or when he and Noa decided to step up their relationship from being merely brothers to being something more. He knew had felt the stirrings of interest all the way back during their Battle City detour despite the fact that Noa had been their "foe" back then. Despite the fact that Noa had turned him against Seto. He should have hated him for that, hated him and never forgiven him, but... he had seen something in him that the others hadn't, something that he couldn't quite explain. So he had grabbed the portable hard drive that Noa had been backed up on almost out of instinct before they had fled, not realizing what a difference it would make nearly a year later when Shadi had mysteriously reappeared to collect the Sennen items, leaving behind only the Puzzle and an equally mysterious surprise of his own. The drive, which Mokuba habitually carried around in his bag, had somehow been affected by the same spell that had gifted Yami with his own body, and suddenly the possibility of something going somewhere with Noa became just as real as the form he had taken.

It was a little worrisome though. He had braced for a fight between Seto and Noa after Shadi had disappeared, but it hadn't happened. And that struck Mokuba as odd. But maybe Seto's view of Noa had softened a little when they found out that Noa's mother had committed suicide years earlier, leaving him an orphaned child. Well, he legally was a child since they had "corrected" his birth certificate. But regardless, Seto had accepted Noa into their home with surprisingly little argument, as if he had always been part of their family, and he didn't comment when Noa began referring to him as "Nii-sama" though they all knew that Noa should have been older than Seto. But the time Noa had spent alone in the virtual world had stunted his emotional and psychological growth, essentially locking him into the mindset of a pre-teen for all those years, so in the end, they figured he really was only about as old as he looked.

Seto's silent acceptance of Noa was only half the equation, for in return the green-haired teen made no fuss over the way Seto ran Kaiba Corp. and further more, didn't ask to be involved in any part of it. So had they really forgiven each other then? Mokuba was pretty certain that Noa was okay with Seto, that he was genuine in his acceptance of Seto as his big brother, and that's why he let him do things like set curfew and enroll him in school even though he probably needed it as little as Seto did. But Seto... Mokuba wanted to think that everything was okay, but... well, he had to be realistic. And that's why he couldn't decide how or when or even IF he ought to tell Seto anything.

Of course, the biggest hurdle had to be the brother thing. True, they weren't actually brothers by blood, but he knew that a relationship of this sort would seem immoral to the rest of the world because their relationship would always include the term "brother." Honestly, that was as much as Mokuba thought he'd be able get from Noa, and he had tried to tell himself that that would be enough... but it wasn't. It just felt right for them to be together. Even so, he had never thought that he ought to act on that because it would cause to many problems, because it would upset Seto which was NOT acceptable, and yet... there they were. At prom. Living a lie.

* * *

Noa frowned as Mokuba silently fretted over things, concerned that the smile that had been present earlier had fallen from his brother's face and replaced by a frown and blank eyes. He had to be worrying about Seto again. It was becoming a bigger concern of theirs with each passing day. Noa thought perhaps they should step outside and give Seto a call and just resolve it once and for all, because it was driving him crazy, but Mokuba had begged, "Not today," and so Noa just kept his mouth shut and instead offered to get refills on their glasses of punch.

While the lady attending the refreshments table filled his glasses, someone tapped his shoulder from behind. He turned to see Shizuka standing behind him, Honda in tow. She was resplendent in a strapless ball gown in pink and coral taffeta, and he fidgeted in his simple tux with pink bow tie and cummerbund, but they still made a nice couple despite his discomfort. Noa almost expected to see Otogi as well, though he quickly realized that she wouldn't have taken both her suitors to prom and had probably gone with the first one who had asked her.

"Hi!" Shizuka chirped, beaming at the green-haired teen. "Having a good time?"

Noa nodded at both of his friends. "Yeah..."

"Yeah, I bet you are with that girlfriend of yours," Honda said, nudging Noa with his elbow. "She's kinda cute... not like Shizuka of course, but you know..."

Noa fought the urge to roll his eyes at the way Honda babbled on, clumsily trying to compliment both their dates in one go. It didn't matter anyway, because Shizuka wasn't one of those "stupid jealous" types, and Yamato wasn't his girl...

Shizuka put a hand on her date's arm, finally silencing him after nearly a minute's worth of prattling, and gave Noa an understanding look. "So where's Mokuba? Is he out on the dance floor?" She craned her neck a little in that general direction.

"No, he's... we're just taking a break." God, it would suck if either one of them started suspecting anything.

"Oh, okay. I just wanted to say hi to him."

Considering that it would seem odd to deny her the right to see him, Noa cocked his head in agreement and lead the pair back to their table. Mokuba looked up at them blankly as they approached, not recognizing Shizuka and Honda for a moment, but then he smiled and rose to his feet to wave at them.

Shizuka waved back. "Hi Mokuba!"

"Hey kid. Your girlfriend still out on the dance floor?" Honda asked.

"No, but I am right behind you," came an amused female voice, and the group turned to see Yamato and Kouya walking towards them. The girls glittered in gowns that complimented one another, all black and silver. Yamato had chosen a black chiffon sheath with spaghetti straps and a high slit over one thigh that was decorated with swags of silver beading, and Kouya wore a strapless satin and organza ball gown with a similar silver swag pattern, though hers were a touch more delicate in execution.

Honda laughed in embarrassment while Shizuka complimented the girls on their dresses. They weren't friends, merely acquaintances who had had a class or two together, but when it came to something like prom, girls always had a lot to say to each other.

"I love how all four of you match," the redhead gushed, taking a seat beside Mokuba. "The black and silver theme is great; matches the prom colors."

"Thank you. And I love your gown, Shizuka. It's a very nice color for you," Kouya responded.

"Oh, thanks! I shouldn't have made Hiroto wear pink accessories to match though. It looks kinda wrong on him. He's not a pink sort of guy."

"Meh. What does that matter?" Yamato asked, laughing brightly as she plucked a rose out of the centerpiece. "He doesn't seem to mind."

"Nope, not at all!" Honda said, joining in on the conversation. Then he leaned over the table as if he had a big secret to share. "So, what are you guys doing after this?"

Kouya and Yamato exchanged glances, as did Mokuba and Noa, and then Yamato winked and said, "Why, you want to join in?"

The brunette instantly reddened.

"Yamato, shut up," Mokuba mumbled under his breath.

The implication must've flown over Shizuka's head because she answered, "We were going to go bowling with Ryuuji. Want to come?"

Noa wondered at what that meant though he didn't say anything about it. Hey, if Jou's sweet little sis wanted to play both guys, it made no difference to him.

Yamato opened to her mouth to reply but Kouya beat her to the punch, which was probably a very good thing. "No thank you, we were planning to drive along the beach for a little bit, and then head home after that."

"Ah, I see." Honda took a quick glance at his watch, then lightly touched Shizuka's arm. "Actually, we better get going. Otogi's supposed to meet us at the bowling alley in twenty minutes, and it looks like they're finally starting to let people leave." He stood up and gave a shallow bow to the occupants of the table, then snagged a rose out of the vase himself. "Have a great evening, ladies and gentlemen," he said, presenting the flower to his date before they strolled away.

"Oh, we will," Yamato called out, waving goodbye with one hand as she slid the other under the table to intertwine her fingers with her girlfriend's.

* * *

Kouya hadn't exactly been lying when she had mentioned the drive along the beach. What she had left out was the step after driving and before heading home.

The limo was currently parked in the dimly lit parking lot in front of the harbor along with an assortment of other vehicles: more limos, sedans borrowed from parents, even a classic car rented for the evening. And in each one teens were engaged in various after prom activities. The quartet in the black limo with the plates reading KAIBA1 weren't doing anything really bad however, just taking the opportunity to kiss and snuggle a little before it was time to go home.

* * *

Seto nipped at Yami's lower lip as his lover pressed him further into the leather upholstery of the Mercedes S550 sedan. They were hopelessly tangled together, Seto on his back upon the rear seats, his long legs tucked up alongside Yami's body, his jacket half off and his shirt already unbuttoned. Yami was still dressed as Seto had his hands full of firm ass, his fingers alternating between squeezing and stroking while Yami's fingers traced the bulge beneath the straining fabric of Seto's trousers. God, it felt so good, and they hadn't even gotten down to business yet.

The former Pharaoh had set up a perfect evening. Dinner took place at Orange Hill out on the same patio that they had their first date on, then they went for a stroll around the harbor which culminating in a private slow dance in the corner of a nearly empty plaza nearby, the soft music floating out from speakers hidden in the hardscaping around them. And then they headed back to the car where Yami proceeded to shove Seto down onto the backseat to have his way with him.

Head swimming with the promise of pleasure, Seto undid Yami's pants, then slipped one hand down the back of Yami's trousers and was rewarded with a rumbling purr as his fingertips traced tiny circles over the warm skin. He went to slide his other hand in as well but a sudden sharp tapping sound stopped him. Did you just hear something?

Yami stilled his hands and lifted his head slightly. He was about to say that he hadn't heard anything, but sure enough, it happened again. Someone's... at the window?

Seto grumbled something about "better not be some fucking photographer" and pulled his jacket back on, resorting to holding it closed with one hand as the tapping grew more insistent. Yami shifted over to one side in an awkward crouch as Seto opened the door a crack, growling, "What do you wa..."

The cop standing outside quickly swept the inside of the car with his flashlight, a peevish expression on his face. "I don't care if it's prom, you kids can't be out here doing this sort of thing. There's laws against public indecency you know. Do you want me to call your mom and dad and let them know what you're up to out here and to come get you out of jail?"

Yami didn't have to be mind linked to Seto to know that he was fuming at the implication that he had to answer to "mom and dad." So in the interest of keeping things civil, he quickly said, "Sorry, we didn't mean to get carried away. Please don't call our parents."

Seto just turned and gave his boyfriend the most incredulous look. You're shitting me...

"Please." Yami couldn't quite bring himself to beg, but he did adopt a believably innocent look... believable if you didn't know him. At least he doesn't recognize us.

Well, Seto couldn't argue with that point.

The cop paused dramatically as if he were still considering taking them in, though it was obvious by that point that he was just doing rounds. Then he finally said, "Okay, I'll let you boys go with a warning this time, but I better not catch you out here again!"

"You won't. Thank you," Yami said sincerely.

The man grunted at them, not really buying the crimson-eyed teen's statement but not in the mood to waste anymore time on the pair since there were plenty of other cars to check in on.

As the cop walked away, Seto straightened up his jacket a little and told his lover, Well... I guess that's that.

Looks like. But Yami winked at him anyway. Guess "missing out" on prom really wasn't a big deal after all, huh?

Seto smiled slightly as he went to open the driver's side door. I don't think I missed out on anything.

The shorter duelist chuckled. Perhaps the evening wasn't really anything out of the ordinary for them, but at least he had taken Seto's mind off what Noa and Mokuba were doing that night... at least for the most part. But he understood and respected that, for Seto wouldn't be Seto if he didn't keep his brothers first and foremost in his thoughts.

Then suddenly, Yami felt a twinge of unease from his lover. "Isn't that...?" The brunette's voice hitched and trailed off in uncertainty.

"Seto?"

"That's my limo..." Seto finally said, staring at the sleek black automobile parked behind a little Honda Civic. It couldn't, no... shouldn't be, but there was no denying it since the license plate identified it as his vehicle. What was it doing there? Prom wasn't over yet... was it? They couldn't possibly...

The cop that had talked to them just a minute ago was giving his spiel to the occupants of the compact, and would probably head for the limo next. Seto didn't even think... his long legs began carrying him to the limousine at a rapid pace. Alarmed, Yami was quick to follow as Seto reached the limo and flung open the door, and inside...

... Inside was a scene that neither one had expected to see. Mokuba and Noa... wide-eyed and startled, their arms still around each other, their lips still moist from the kiss they had been engaged in when Seto had opened the door.

Shock, anger, hurt, betrayal... they all flashed in the depths of the young CEO's eyes for the briefest of moments, and then his face went blank. Without even turning to look at Kouya and Yamato huddled over by the privacy partition, he coldly said, "The driver will take you two home. Noa, Mokuba... out, now."

"Nii-s..."

"Now, Mokuba." Seto's voice was deceptively calm, like the eye of the storm. But inside he was just a churning mess of confusion and rage. What the HELL were they doing? And how long had it been going on? Why didn't he know? Why didn't he see it? He barely registered his brothers shamefully creeping out of the limo, neither one able to meet his eyes as he struggled to keep from losing his temper right there in the middle of the parking lot.

Yami was worried. His lover was ushering the younger teens to the sedan, Noa in the front passenger's seat, Mokuba in the back. To those that didn't know him, it wasn't obvious that something was troubling Seto. The cop hadn't walked over, choosing to bypass the limo after seeing the two of them standing beside it. But Yami knew better, and he could feel his body trembling in response to the force of Seto's emotions as if it were being lashed by gale force winds. ... Seto...

Silence for a moment, and then finally a response that was barely a whisper. Can you drive?

Sure. Yami slid into the driver's seat and took his time adjusting the seat and mirrors so that he could glance at the other silent occupants of the car. Noa sat stone-faced beside him, eyes fixed straight ahead. In the back, Mokuba was slumped over, his hair hanging down over his face, and next to him, Seto started out the window, his face pale and hands clenched. He didn't look up to acknowledge his boyfriend even though he knew Yami was watching him with concern.

God, it was going to be a long drive home...

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:

March 22, 2006