Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Unlovable Schemer, chapter 4 (unedited) ❯ Third Time's a Charm ( Chapter 4 )

Title: Unlovable Schemer
Author: Solitaire (of Solitaire and Xpyne)
Rating: NC-17
Archive: Anywhere, I don't care, as long as you keep my name attached. It'd be nice if you let me know, though.
Disclaimer: Don't own it, so fear not for your sweet young body, Yugi. And no, I'm not making any money from this. I do it purely for kicks.

A/N Solitaire: Thank you so much to those who reviewed. I'll admit there was a period this summer when I wasn't sure I liked this fic all that much, but the positive feedback I've gotten (and a weekend in San Francisco around other yaoi authoresses) has helped put me back on track.

[thoughts]
\ Yugi "talking" to Yami \
\\ Yami "talking" to Yugi \\
{{phone conversations, tv, etc.}}
things being remembered
(something said under one's breath, like when there's tiny print off to the side of a word bubble in manga; I liked it better when the font inside the parenthesis was smaller as well, but I can't get that format on ff. net or mediaminer)

gomen -- sorry
kisama -- bastard
doushita -- what's wrong?
sou ka -- Is that so? or Really?

This is important: For those of you who don't know (which will probably be those of you who have never seen the bad Hong Kong bootleg subs), the name Kaiba means "seahorse." And I found this especially adorable when I heard that in Japanese culture, a seahorse is thought of as a "dragon's lost child." ::hugs her Kaiba plushie tightly:: Just thought I'd mention this, so when Kaiba brings it up in this chapter, I won't have everyone thinking "WTF??" lol

This is my very first lemon (in the unedited version). I worked on it for months, partly because I'm that slow, and partly because I wanted to make it different from all those lemons that always follow the same, tired script. So, erm, I hope it's okay.

~*~

Unlovable Schemer
Chapter Four - Third Time's a Charm

I am heaven sent. Don't you dare forget.
I am all you ever wanted.
What all the other boys all promised.
Sorry I told. I just needed you to know.
- Brand New, "Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't"

~*~

"I've never seen anything like that in my life!"

Kaiba grinned a little at his enthusiasm. "Aa, it was quite something to see. Somehow, Jounouchi and Honda playing with fire in your backyard never seemed so..."

"Choreographed?"

"I was going to say civilized, but let's go with that."

Yugi laughed and looked out over the ocean to see if he could spot any lights in the direction of Lana'i. They had returned the car to the rental agency before the luau, and the walk to the wharf where a boat could take them back to Lana'i was a mile or two, but it was a beautiful night (as Yugi was sure all nights were, in a place like Hawaii) and Kaiba didn't seem to mind any more than he did.

He wasn't sure what words had been exchanged between Kaiba and his other self, but when his partner finally allowed him repossession of the body, they were once again seated at their table and Kaiba was behaving as if his earlier sullenness had never occurred. Yugi might have thought the brunet had forgotten the entire incident, if not for the sidelong glances in his direction whenever Kaiba thought he wasn't looking. He was just relieved that things had been resolved peacefully, and had feared that questioning the other boy on his sudden change in demeanor might set him off again. Anzu with PMS wasn't half as scary as Kaiba could be sometimes.

"There it is!" Yugi exclaimed, pointing as the dock came into view, then quickly dropped his arm and blushed. "Er, gomen." He was starting to think that all the day's excitement was getting to him. He couldn't ever remembering having a day so jammed full of activity since all those Duel Monster tournaments when he was a teenager. He knew he should have been more than ready to crash, but he was feeling way too wired. Maybe he should have stopped his other self at three desserts.

"Seto-kun, I know what I said, about this not being a vacation," he began, glancing over at the billionaire shyly, "but I just wanted to thank you for today." He smiled. "Mou hitori no boku and I had a lot of fun."

"Yugi."

Kaiba grabbed his wrist and he turned, surprised. The brunet tugged him a step closer.

"There are still lots of things to see and do here on Maui. If you like, we could stay into tomorrow," he suggested, watching Yugi's face. The smaller male balked nervously.

"Won't the plane be fixed by then?"

"There's nothing saying we can't stay in Hawaii an extra day, is there?" Kaiba looked down at him questioningly. Yugi pulled slightly at his wrist as his gaze darted anxiously towards the wharf.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," he said quietly. He peered up at Kaiba through his bangs. "We should get to San Francisco soon, in case something happens to the plane there, too, na?"

The brunet continued to stare at him for a few moments longer, whether impressed or annoyed, Yugi didn't know, until he finally released him. Yugi snatched his arm back into himself and turned away quickly, his cheeks warm.

When they reached the wharf, he wrapped his arms around himself as Kaiba approached an employee who had just exited the boating service office.

"Sorry," she called out before the CEO could even open his mouth, "but you just missed the last boat. We've closed up for the night." She pulled the door shut behind her and took out a set of keys.

Kaiba frowned. "What do you mean you're closed?" Yugi glanced anxiously from Kaiba to the girl who was locking up.

"Just what I said," she replied. "The last boat left for Lana'i at nine-fifteen."

"Isn't there someone here who can take us?" the brunet insisted. "The trip's only twenty or thirty minutes. I'll pay double."

The girl shook her head, hitching her purse up over her shoulder. "I'm sorry, sir, but all the other employees have already gone home. I'm only still here because there was some paperwork that needed to get done--"

"Triple."

"Sir, I really--"

Kaiba took a step forward and Yugi's hand darted out to lay across his arm. "Seto-kun--" The brunet brushed him off.

"My friend is not interested in staying on the island." Yugi cringed. "We want to get back to Lana'i tonight." At the girl's continued blank, unconcerned expression, he scowled. "Look, is it a matter of cost?" The lanky youth pulled out his wallet. "I can buy every last seat, if that's what you want."

"Kaiba." The brunet turned to find the Other Yugi glaring at him, his hand gripping tightly onto his forearm. "There's no need for a scene," he murmured in soft, yet resolute Japanese. "If she says the boats are no longer running, then we'll just have to wait until tomorrow morning."

"All the seats?"

Both boys' attentions snapped to the American girl. She chewed one manicured nail tip contemplatively, then pulled the keys to the office from her purse.

"I'll see who I can get on the radio."

~*~

Kaiba unlocked the door to the condo and pushed it open. "I don't understand what you're so angry about. I got us back here, didn't I?"

Yugi jerked off his sneakers and socks to shake the sand out of them onto the porch. "I'd have rather just stayed in a hotel until tomorrow morning, than have you almost start a fight with that girl back at the dock," he informed the brunet with annoyance, striding into the darkened house. Kaiba reached inside to switch on a lamp, then toed off his own shoes and followed. The door clicked shut behind him.

"You wanted to get to Lana'i, and we're in Lana'i. What does it matter how we got here?" he demanded, irritated. Yugi flopped onto the couch and crossed his arms.

"I'm saying that the whole thing was unnecessary!" he exclaimed. "Why do you do things like that?!"

"I wanted something. She didn't want to comply. So I provided incentive," Kaiba responded, as if this explained everything. "You saw for yourself how she reacted after I offered to buy every seat on the damn boat. Money gets things done." Yugi stared at him incredulously.

"So that's your answer to everything? If someone doesn't do what you want, you strong-arm them? You bully them or throw money at them??"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow impassively. "It's highly effective. Everyone has a price."

Clenching his jaw, Yugi stared down at his lap. "Does that include me?" he wanted to know. The brunet fell silent for a moment as he tossed the house keys onto a nearby end table. He seemed to be debating whether to turn on more lights, but decided against it.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

The smaller duelist squeezed his eyes shut and fisted a hand against his forehead. "Oh come on, I'm not stupid! You taking me to Hawaii, all the stuff we did today, all the money you've been just throwing around, money Anzu and I could never afford... It's all your way of trying to show me how much better my life would be, if I would just leave Anzu to be with you!"

Yugi wasn't sure what he was expecting. Stunned silence, maybe, or even a confession. He didn't expect Kaiba to be hurt, but that was how he sounded, beneath the fury.

"Is that how little you think of me? That I would try to buy your affection?!" Yugi flinched at the sound of glass shattering against the hardwood floor. Probably the vase that had been sitting on the table by the door. "Kisama! I won't forgive you!"

Yugi glared pointedly out the window, ignoring the other young man's ranting and raving and blinking against the itching behind his eyes. His throat tightened and he swallowed with difficulty. He had known from the start that agreeing to this trip was a bad idea.

Kaiba appeared in front of him before he noticed he'd moved and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him to get him to look at him. "You think you're so damn irreproachable? You're fucking twenty-two years old, and you married the first girl who came along!"

"What do you care? It's my life and I can do what I want with it," Yugi muttered as he turned his face aside, sadly. "It's not like you ever made an offer, Kaiba."

"Well I'm making one right now! Divorce Anzu. Get the marriage annulled, or just leave her--"

Yugi squeezed his eyes shut, unable to stand that wild, desperate look in Kaiba's eyes. "I can't do--"

"Yes, you can!" Kaiba growled furiously, dropping to his knees and bringing himself closer to the other boy's level. He slid a hand behind Yugi's neck and pulled him into an angry kiss, fully prepared to fight him for it but Yugi grabbed his face and jerked him forward unexpectedly. Their mouths meshed sloppily and Kaiba's tongue slipped easily inside, seeking out Yugi's but it was already there, soft and slick and eager, and Yugi was pressing himself closer, heedless of the sennen puzzle wedged between them.

The brunet groaned and tightened his hand in the smaller male's hair, crushing that delicate mouth beneath his. Yugi tugged frantically at Kaiba's shirt, his fingers fumbling blindly at too many buttons that were too small as he fought to keep up with the force of the larger youth's passion, he was drowning, and it was like nothing he'd ever experienced with Anzu, he'd thought only his other self could make him feel this way... He hooked a leg around Kaiba's hip--Kaiba ground hard against him--and Yugi's head fell back with a ragged gasp. He arched up into the blue-eyed billionaire, his heel dug into the back of Kaiba's thigh as he tried to get more friction, pressing himself into the solid body above him without thought.

"Kaiba-kunnn..."

Lowering his mouth to the arch of Yugi's neck, Kaiba ran his tongue over the gentle curve and slid his hands up under the back of the little blue t-shirt. Yugi tasted like the sea, he tasted like sweat and the billionaire sucked at the pliant flesh, marking it as his. Yugi moaned softly and the sound made Kaiba ache. He pressed closer, then grimaced when one of the corners of the Puzzle jabbed into his ribs.

"Take it off," he ordered huskily.

Yugi could hardly form a coherent thought with the feel of Kaiba's long fingers dancing over his spine, and that hot, ravenous mouth at his neck; he shuddered at the timbre of the brunet's voice.

"Nngh...No," he groaned stubbornly, even as his heel forced the larger boy's hips more firmly against him. "I'm not going to chea-cheat on A-ahh-nzu." Kaiba bit at his collarbone through the fabric of his shirt in retaliation and slipped one of his hands around to tug sharply at Yugi's nipple. Yugi arched up off the couch with a surprised yelp and one of the buttons on Kaiba's shirt snapped from its thread.

"You fucking little cock-tease! Take it off, take it all off, or so help me..."

Yugi's breath quickened, and he pulled back enough to look at Kaiba's face. "Or what? You'll force yourself on me?" he demanded breathlessly, not believing for a second that he'd really do it, no matter how angry he got. Kaiba's eyes were a deep, bright blue, the color of the sky just after sunset on clear nights, right before the stars come out. Yugi was sure he hadn't seen many things more beautiful, even with Kaiba glaring hatefully at him like that.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" he shot back. "It'd certainly release you from all responsibility, na?" Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "Well you can forget it. I'm not the bad guy here, Yugi, so don't make me out to be one." He tipped his head and leaned in to skim his mouth over Yugi's jaw to the sensitive spot behind the smaller male's ear, and then his tongue flicked out to touch the skin there. Yugi panted and squeezed his eyes shut.

"You wouldn't be here if you didn't want this," Kaiba whispered as he slid a hand up the inside of Yugi's thigh. The multi-color haired youth placed his hand over Kaiba's apprehensively. "Are you going to stop me, Yugi?" he asked with amusement, his voice low and seductive. His fingers flexed on that soft limb, testing his limits. He caught Yugi's mouth again, and it didn't take much to coax the boy's tongue to move against his own. Yugi returned the kiss fervently and guided the brunet's hand between his legs.

"I hate you," Yugi moaned against Kaiba's lips, his whole body shuddering as the other young man's hand kneaded him mercilessly through the material of his cargo shorts. "You jerk, I waited for you for years, and then you decide to show up after I'm married to--"

"Don't you dare say her name when you're with me," Kaiba hissed angrily. He bit down on Yugi's bottom lip just hard enough to ensure he had his attention. "I'll make sure you don't even think her name," he promised, grinding into him again, and the slighter boy cried out softly. Another button popped off Kaiba's shirt. The billionaire thrust his tongue into that inviting little mouth once more, unrelenting; he wanted Yugi to give him everything he had, and then more.

Yugi's breath was coming in labored little pants when he could manage it and he slid his hands down Kaiba's bare chest, not to push him away, but to press closer, yes yes... He felt the taut muscles of Kaiba's stomach, so nice, the brunet's heart pounding as wildly as his own, and Yugi slipped his fingers under each side of the open cotton shirt to touch the other youth's ribs, to brazenly sweep his fingertips over his nipples as he kissed the hollow of Kaiba's throat.

The young CEO groaned quietly and nudged Yugi's face upwards, pressing his lips to the corner of his jaw, a hand caressing the boy's bare thigh while the other splayed over his back to hold him in place. He ran his tongue along the smaller duelist's skin, his open mouth scorching as it sought out what spots would make him moan, ah, right there...

Scraping his fingernails lightly over the sensitive skin, Yugi felt it harden under his touch, and the action elicited a shaky inhalation from the blue-eyed boy. Without a word, Kaiba shoved him away enough to pull his puzzle from around his neck and yank off his t-shirt, dropping both to the floor. Then Yugi was pushed back to lie on the couch and he climbed atop him, straddling his thighs.

Yugi swallowed thickly, breathing in rapid little gasps, and pulled the billionaire down to kiss him. His tongue slid along Kaiba's hungrily, and he pushed the larger youth's shirt from his shoulders to run his hands avidly across Kaiba's overheated flesh. Yugi could feel the muscles bunch and pull just beneath the surface, the swift, implicit strength they held, and couldn't help but wonder if Kaiba would physically overpower him to get what he wanted, were he to try to resist him. The idea made Yugi's pulse quicken inexplicably.

Kaiba tore his mouth from Yugi's to sit back on his heels for a moment--get rid of the shirt--and then crushed the slighter framed boy beneath him in another kiss, desperate, brutal in his desire. Yugi groaned as their upper bodies touched, bare skin, hot and slick with sweat--Kaiba's erection pressed into his hip and Yugi shifted so it brushed against his own, gasping at the jolt of pure lust that ripped through him at the contact.

With a growl, the brunet rocked against him and Yugi's spine arched, Yugi's hands tugged mindlessly at his hips, pulling Kaiba against him more firmly, rubbing against him desperately, oh please, please...

The billionaire kissed him again, drawing Yugi's tongue into his mouth as he reached between them to jerk open the other youth's shorts. Kaiba's fingers closed around his straining arousal and Yugi made a strangled noise as his body jumped at the stimulus. He reached up to grope at Kaiba's pants, his fingers numbed by urgency until he was finally able to undo the button and slide down the zipper. The sound was unnaturally loud and mechanical amidst the softer, human noises that had filled the room until this point, and Yugi understood with a sick, joyous sort of dread that he knew exactly what he was doing.

It was wrong, wrong, ah, but it felt so right, his heart thudding so hard he could hear it in his ears, Yugi curled his hand around the other boy and stroked firmly. Kaiba trembled, and he felt the brunet's cock swell in his fist. Kaiba broke the kiss to suck his fingers briefly while he ripped off the slighter male's shorts and boxers and Yugi gasped, his brow furrowed in discomfort, as he suddenly slid two long fingers into him, pumping them in and out of him none-too-gently.

The violet-eyed boy panted, pushing the other's slacks down his hips a little--damn it, why wouldn't he just take them off--and glanced down nervously at Kaiba's thick length in his hand. Then Kaiba's fingers hit his prostate, and Yugi cried out, his legs wrapping themselves around the back of the brunet's thighs and his hips jerking forward reflexively. Kaiba removed his fingers, pulled Yugi's hand from him, his muscles quivering as he held himself poised over the slighter young man and he spat into his own palm, lubricating himself with his saliva and entered Yugi abruptly with a single thrust.

The multi-color haired youth cried out raggedly, his nails digging into Kaiba's shoulders as he fought against his body's natural instinct to tense up at the intrusion. He squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to cry in front of Kaiba, even though it was the bastard's fault it hurt so bad, he was so damn impatient.

After pausing only a second, the CEO began pumping into him and Yugi clenched his jaw against the pain, trying not to imagine himself being split in half as he willed his body to adjust. It took several moments, but the pain eventually receded and ebbed, and Yugi was able to pull his nails from Kaiba's shoulders, breathing rapidly and shallowly as mind-numbing pleasure quickly replaced the discomfort. Yugi soon started moving with the other male, raising his hips to meet Kaiba's thrusts, and his earlier agony was completely forgotten as he lost himself in the sensation of the brunet plunging in and out of him, ohh... Anzu wasn't--no, no, don't think about it, feels too good, ah, don't stop, don't--

Groaning at the feel of the other boy's inner muscles so snug around him, Kaiba leaned in to seek out Yugi's mouth yet again, kissing him savagely, and the slighter youth's mouth melded with his fiercely. Yugi strained against Kaiba as he continued to pound into the willing little body beneath him, the boy's moans and soft cries near constant now as he slid an arm under Yugi's to grip the top of his shoulder, the other hand encouraging Yugi's hips faster, harder, positioning him to strike deeper each time. The violet-eyed young man writhed, one arm slung over Kaiba's back, urging him along--so close--as he reached down to stroke himself frantically. Lungs burning, they were finally forced apart to gasp for air, and Kaiba bowed his head over his smaller lover, what hair wasn't stuck to his skin hanging in his eyes, sweat dripping down his temples to his chin, to splatter onto Yugi's chest.

The brunet gritted his teeth, fighting off his own climax as he drove into Yugi forcefully, oh, he'd been waiting so long, his body quaking with the sustained effort. Yugi rocked his hips into each thrust, thrashing beneath Kaiba as his movements became increasingly erratic, and then Kaiba's hand left Yugi's hip to close over his own on his erection and the slighter male suddenly went rigid, his eyes flying open and his head falling back as his orgasm hit him. His body convulsed violently around the blue-eyed billionaire, a sob of ecstasy ripped from his throat, and whatever threads of Kaiba's restraint were left snapped at the sound. He buried himself deep with a final thrust of his hips, releasing his seed with a sharp, ragged exhalation.

Yugi went limp beneath the taller boy with a long, shuddery sigh. His arm loosened around Kaiba's shoulders as his eyes slid closed. After a moment the brunet pulled out, only to collapse atop him with an exhausted groan. Yugi grunted as the larger male's full weight came down on top of him and wormed his other arm out from between them to wrap it around Kaiba's back. Kaiba's arm was still trapped under Yugi's back, where he'd gripped the top of his shoulder hard enough to leave bruises, but he made no move to extract it, and shifted wordlessly to rest his head against the boy's opposite shoulder.

The only sounds were those of their labored breathing, and the ticking of a clock somewhere in the room. Over Kaiba's head, Yugi stared down at his hand that lay across the billionaire's back, smeared with his own fluids. His hand fisted. He turned his eyes unseeingly to the ceiling.

Once Kaiba's breathing had evened out and he was sure he was asleep, Yugi buried his face in the sweat-dampened mahogany locks, kissing the top of Kaiba's head, and cried.

~*~

A breeze from the half-open window ruffled Yugi's hair and caused his long bangs to flutter against his cheek. His eyelids twitched once; twice. Yugi's nose wrinkled and his eyes opened slowly. He lay very still for a long moment, turned toward the window and its view of the ocean. The body pressed to his back shifted, and Yugi's eyes slipped shut again.

His fingers touched the pillow beneath his head, then the mattress. Kaiba's bed. Had he carried them in here?

The billionaire's hand slid up his arm to grip Yugi's shoulder lightly and pull him back against his chest. The tri-color haired youth twisted around in Kaiba's arms, as the other boy let his hand wander down Yugi's thigh over cotton sheets. Darkness of Yugi smiled and grasped Kaiba's chin between first finger and thumb to turn his face aside. He pressed a kiss to the larger male's jaw.

Pulling the slender fingers from his chin, Kaiba brought them to his mouth and kissed the knuckles. He rolled atop the other young man with a smirk of his own, only to have sleepy violet eyes blink up at him, their owner caught unawares.

"Good morning," Kaiba murmured, his gaze flicking thoughtfully over the boy under him. Yugi, becoming aware of their position, blushed profusely.

"(Um, hi.)"

The brunet's smirk returned, and he leaned in to press his nose against Yugi's neck. "Feeling all right?" he asked in a tone which indicated he didn't particularly want to hear about it if Yugi wasn't. Kaiba's lips tickled, and the amethyst-eyed boy shirked from the stimulus.

"I'm-I'm pretty sure I'm okay," he stammered diffidently. He pushed cautiously at the billionaire's chest, but he didn't budge.

"I can check, if you want," Kaiba offered, his hand groping beneath the sheet.

"Ah!" Yugi batted his hands away, blushing again. Kaiba laughed at him and bent his head to kiss him when Yugi shied away. The young CEO stopped short with a frown.

"Doushita?" he demanded. "What is this? I thought we finally resolved things last night." Yugi sighed and averted his face to stare out the window toward the white sand of the beach.

"Kaiba-kun, nothing's `resolved.' You grabbed me and I grabbed back. It doesn't mean..." He swallowed dryly, his tongue seeming to stick to the roof of his mouth. "It doesn't mean I can just leave Anzu to be with you."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "So last night was just a pity fuck."

"No!" Yugi pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes in frustration. Why couldn't Kaiba understand?? "It was--You were right when you said I wouldn't be here if I didn't want it. But I have a wife, who--"

"What the hell, Yugi?" he shouted angrily, sitting up beside him. "Can't I ever get a fucking straight answer out of you? First you say you're happy with Mazaki, then you as much as tell me you never would have married her if I'd shown up at your bachelor party. You love her, but you let me take you to Hawaii and spend all day with you. You sleep with me, but you're not going to leave her? How am I supposed to take this? I'm not a fucking yo-yo."

"I know!" Yugi cried. "I didn't--!"

"Then drop this `yes, no, maybe so' bullshit and just tell me the truth! Tell me you're happy with that woman, and I'll get the hell out of your life. Tell me you want to be with me, but you're stuck in a messy situation and need some time to work things out, and I'll back off. But don't tell me you don't fucking know!"

Yugi flinched at the volume of the billionaire's voice, but found his own indignation rising. Kaiba had no idea what it was like; Kaiba still thought he could bend the world to his will on a whim.

"How the hell am I supposed to know yet whether I'm happy or not when I've only been married three weeks??" he objected irritably, everything he'd kept bottled up so long suddenly rushing out of him like water from a dam. "I was only actually with her for two weeks before she had to go back to school in New York, and since that, all it's been so far is worrying!" His voice was getting louder and louder, he knew he was shouting, but he couldn't stop now if he'd wanted to. He started ticking off on his fingers. "I've had to worry about graduation, worry about graduate school, worry about traveling papers and moving to an entire other continent, and on top of all that, I have another person in my head who wants my time and attention just as much as everyone else, even though he'd never actually come out and say it; who isn't adjusting very well to the idea of marriage, and who--just like me--can't go one goddamn day without thinking about you!" A sob wrenched itself from Yugi's throat and he covered his face with his hands, humiliated. "I was supposed to be able to forget about you, to give up the stupid, childish fantasy that would never happen, and learn to grow up!"

Kaiba was unswayed by his tears, watching him with a shuttered expression. "Did you want to outgrow the pharaoh in that necklace of yours, too?" he asked, his voice hard. "Because I can tell you right now, that's where you're heading with this marriage of yours." Large hands gripped Yugi's wrists tightly and pulled them away from his face, he didn't want to look at Kaiba, but he was making him. "How long do you think Anzu's going to be satisfied with a husband who would rather retreat to another personality in his head for company? If you have kids, how is she gonna explain that one to them? And don't think it's going to get any easier for you--you'll have to worry about your job, the bills, more mouths to feed, a mortgage... Do you honestly think there's any room in all that for the 3,000 year old spirit of some dead Egyptian?"

Yugi looked as if he'd been slapped. "That's not...I'd never..."

"Never is a long time, Yugi."

"Get off of me."

"If you're going to be mad at me for telling the truth--"

"Get off!" Yugi shoved the brunet away from him with a sudden burst of strength and moved off the bed, casting about the floor in search of his clothes, a pair of boxers, something. Kaiba reached across the mattress and grasped his wrist, tugging the smaller boy back against him, beneath him. Yugi fought him, thrashing under the billionaire's weight as he struggled to free himself.

"Will you stop--ow! Goddamnit..." One of Yugi's hands had struck across his nose, and Kaiba saw stars. Wrestling Yugi's arms to the mattress with a scowl, he leaned in and kissed him, hard. The multi-color haired youth stiffened, then tried to bite him; Kaiba was ready for it and pulled away. Yugi growled and he kissed him again.

With a last, defiant jerk against the much larger body holding him down, Yugi reluctantly fell still under the persuasion of Kaiba's mouth, and when the blue-eyed boy's tongue slipped inside a few seconds later, he met it with his own, rather than with teeth.

Kaiba shifted his weight to an elbow, slanting his mouth over Yugi's, and Yugi's arms wrapped around his back to hold him in place. Running a hand through that wild hair to cradle the base of his skull, Kaiba pulled the other male closer, the force of his kisses bruising on tender skin. Yugi's mouth worked against his fervidly and the lanky brunet lowered himself to lay flush against the smaller body, earning a soft groan and fresh nail marks in his shoulders. Kaiba moved in to kiss him again, but Yugi turned his face aside.

"How would a relationship with you be any different?" he asked sadly, not really expecting an answer.

The brunet stared silently down at his profile for a moment. "I'm not her, Yugi. I can take care of you," he asserted, "both of you. I'm not going to try to interfere with whatever you and mou hitori no Yugi have going on between you two. I'm not going to make you feel guilty. I'm not going to play favorites."

"I already feel guilty when I'm with you."

Kaiba clenched his jaw, and his eyes flashed. "That's because you know I'm right. There is nothing that woman can give you that I can't give you, a hundred times better!"

"Kaiba-kun." Yugi reached up to hold the brunet's face in his hands. "It's not about `giving stuff.' It's about... It's about being there when I need you. It's about being able to talk to you and have you tell me what you're thinking or what you're feeling, instead of changing the subject. It's about you trusting me, and really wanting to be with me."

"Christ, Yugi, what do you think the last two days have been about?" Kaiba demanded, his anger rising. "Do you think I did all this for my health?"

"No! I know you didn't, but--you're acting like it's a competition," the smaller male tried to explain wearily. "This isn't just another game for you to be the best at. There are people's feelings at stake here. I made a promise." Kaiba's gaze hardened, and he pulled Yugi's hands from his face.

"You once told me a promise made for the wrong reasons is the worst kind of promise you can make, do you remember that?"

Yugi bit his lip and glanced away. He remembered. It had been at Jounouchi-kun's birthday party a few years ago, Kaiba hadn't wanted to come but Mokuba was coming and dragged him along. Kaiba had isolated himself from the rest of the group on the couch as soon as he arrived, and by the time Yugi was able to approach him, the billionaire had been more than a little drunk.

Kaiba wasn't a happy drunk by any means, but had begrudgingly allowed Yugi to sit beside him. Yugi had tried to make small talk and eventually they got around to the fact that Mokuba had practically forced his brother to come. He'd tried to make a joke about it, but the subject of his younger sibling seemed to make the brunet even more morose. Kaiba had bitterly muttered something about Mokuba turning out alright, despite his less-than-adequate parenting skills and failed promises. That was when Yugi had told him none-too-delicately that he was a horrible drunk, and an idiot for bemoaning the desperate, ill-conceived plans of his ten year-old self gone awry. Maybe it was the alcohol, but after staring at him in disbelief for nearly a full minute, Kaiba had actually laughed.

He had been so sure Kaiba was going to kiss him then; his own smile had faltered and his heart was pounding so hard he could hear it over that awful music Shizuka liked and even over Jounouchi's yells as he tried to change the station... Then Anzu had shown up with a piece of cake for him. Kaiba had reverted back to silent sullenness so quickly, Yugi would never believe the CEO had been almost enjoying himself the moment before if he hadn't seen it for himself. Anzu had offered Kaiba a piece as well, but the other male declined impolitely and removed himself to the other side of the room. Yugi had been so mad at Anzu for that...until he realized he was being stupid, Kaiba wasn't going to kiss him, and if the larger teen hadn't left he would have just embarrassed himself by making the wrong assumptions.

Kaiba seemed to be reading his mind. "I wasn't going to kiss you," he said. "I was drunk."

The multi-color haired boy felt his cheeks heat. He'd been right, he'd have likely humiliated himself that night, looking for what wasn't there--

"If Mazaki hadn't shown up, I'd have probably thrown you down on that sofa and tried to fuck you through my clothes." He smirked faintly. "That would've taught that mediocre guy to invite me to his parties."

Yugi wasn't quite sure what to say to that. "If you liked me enough to want to sleep with me all the way back then, why didn't you say anything until three days ago??" he finally spluttered crossly. Kaiba snorted.

"It wasn't about `liking you,' Yugi. I was attracted to you and I was..." He trailed off.

"You were what?"

"Look, it doesn't matter because it was years ago," Kaiba snapped. "I'm talking about right now, and you still haven't answered my question. I told you how it would be different with me instead of Anzu, now you tell me, am I wasting my time here, yes or no?"

Yugi's eyes fixed on a point somewhere past Kaiba's shoulder. He could end this. All he had to do was say the words. It was the right thing to do. The only thing.

"...I'm sorry, Kaiba-kun."

He felt the billionaire move off of him, heard the rustle of the sheets as he climbed out of bed and pulled on his pants. When Kaiba spoke, his voice was devoid of emotion.

"Pack your things. We're leaving in an hour. I'm sure the Blue Eyes jet will be fixed by the time we get to the airfield."

The brunet opened the door to the in-suite bathroom and Yugi wanted to say something, anything, couldn't Kaiba understand that there was a difference between the things you wanted to do and the things you had to do??

The door slammed.

Yugi buried his face in his hands.

~*~

The lanky brunet stripped from his pants and dropped them unceremoniously into the hamper. Naked, he strode to the shower stall and turned on the taps with a deft flick of his wrist. He held a hand under the spray for a moment and, apparently finding the temperature acceptable, stepped inside.

Kaiba reached for the shampoo and squeezed a small amount out into his hand before working it into his hair methodically. His eyes slid shut as he seemed to lose himself in the task, and nearly a full minute had passed when he tilted his head back under the spray. The water sluiced down his back and over his shoulders, pooling in the slight hollows of collarbone, navel, hip bones.

Picking up the bar of soap, Kaiba began mechanically to work a lather into his skin. His hands ran over his body leisurely, unconsciously, for several minutes, until a palm slid across his belly and the dried remnants of what a warm washcloth the previous night had missed. He paused.

Without opening his eyes, the billionaire brought his other hand to his shoulder. His fingers brushed over the four shallow, crescent-shaped cuts there, and a slow smirk made its way over his face.

Mou hitori no Yugi frowned. Abandoning his transparent form, he returned to the puzzle.

~*~

How long he sat there, staring off into space, Yugi couldn't be certain. He felt the sudden urge to just step back, out of himself, because surely this couldn't be his life. In his life, he was an aspiring veterinarian who had married his high school crush, a girl he was still convinced was out of his league; they had a bright future stretching out before them in America, the Land of Opportunity, and sure, he was host to an ancient Egyptian spirit who lived in a puzzle he wore around his neck, but honestly, who didn't hear voices in his head every now and then?

He was not this person who slept with aloof young billionaires whose names were known all over the world and whose products filled arcades and gaming shops as far as the eye could see. He was not this person who played the good husband over the phone and fucked his (second) best friend six thousand miles from home, while his wife waited patiently for him with the light on.

Somewhere, Yugi guessed, was a very distressed man wondering why he was suddenly sitting in a New York apartment in front of a biology textbook with no plans for that night other than to curl up on the couch with his wife and fall asleep in front of the television.

"Yugi."

He blinked and focused on Kaiba and the men in suits and sunglasses, even though it was early evening, remembering that he stood on the roof of a colossal Hotel Kaiba, having just disembarked from a private jet named after a man's favorite Magic and Wizards card. Yugi's sense of unreality increased.

"...Eh?"

Kaiba stood there, watching him expectantly, and it took Yugi only a moment to realize they were trying to usher him inside. Glancing to his right, he saw that one of Kaiba's people had his luggage. Yugi stepped toward the door and Kaiba turned on his heel, leading the way into the elevator another of his employees held open for them.

Yugi attempted once during the short ride to catch the brunet's eye, but found Kaiba staring straight ahead at the doors. He didn't bother trying to say anything, not with Kaiba's people hovering around...not that he knew what he would say, were he to open his mouth.

When the elevator slid open, Kaiba ordered Mutou-san's things to be put in a guest room, and sent his men scurrying with a chorus of "Hai, Seto-sama"s. By the time the two actually reached the door to Kaiba's penthouse, his employees were already hurrying back for further instruction. Kaiba dismissed them curtly and they went off to return to their posts, whatever those were. Yugi didn't see how anyone could live like this and not develop a superiority complex.

Once they were alone, Kaiba shrugged out of his coat and tossed it over the back of the sofa. "Are you hungry?" Kaiba suddenly asked as he toed off his shoes, and it seemed nearly deafening to Yugi, compared to the awkward silence that had hung over them all day. "You can call room service and have them bring something up," he continued, tugging his shirt tail free of his slacks. Yugi stared without really realizing he was doing it, and when Kaiba looked up abruptly with an unreadable expression, he averted his gaze and struggled not to blush.

\\ Aibou, \\ his other self murmured unexpectedly, \\ I think we should switch. There are a few things I'd like to discuss with Kaiba, and I know you must be very tired. Perhaps you should rest? \\

Yugi got the hint clearly enough. Yami wanted to talk to Kaiba--probably about him--and he wanted to do it alone. The smaller duelist bit the inside of his cheek. \ Just...please try to get along, mou hitori no boku? \ he pleaded. He still felt terrible about this morning. The last thing he'd ever wanted was to hurt Kaiba-kun like this. It had taken him so very long just to win the billionaire's friendship, and now...now that might have all been destroyed.

\\ I will "get along," \\ Yami promised with a note to his mental voice that made Yugi wary. However, the spirit soon relented. \\ I do not wish to see Kaiba hurt, any more than you do, \\ he assured his host. \\ I will not twist the knife, or provide false hope. \\

\ Thank you, \ was Yugi's reply before he faded into dormancy within his soul room.

"--shi or American," Kaiba was saying.

Yami turned to face him. "I'm sorry?"

The brunet recognized the change almost instantly, and his eyes traveled up and down that small body of Yugi's which now undoubtedly housed the pharaoh's spirit. "I was asking what you'd like to eat. But maybe you'd prefer something Middle Eastern?" He raised an eyebrow, as if challenging the other to refute him.

The dark Yugi found this casual attitude at odds with what he knew had transpired that morning between his partner and Kaiba, but the young CEO was nothing if not a jealous sentinel of his emotions. And Yami had never yet been able to resist that look, coming from Kaiba. The corner of his mouth twitched upwards.

"Any suggestions?"

~*~

The slighter framed male's eyes closed and he tipped his head back, in a transport of ecstasy. "Mmm..." he moaned appreciatively, his voice husky with pleasure.

Kaiba shifted on his stool at the kitchen island as his cock twitched, and idly reflected that it was positively indecent, the way this man enjoyed his food.

"I take it, then, that you find your meal satisfactory?" Kaiba questioned wryly. He figured lamb-kabobs, American beer, and sliced apples with honey and brown sugar wasn't quite authentic Egyptian fare, but Yami certainly didn't seem to mind. And it probably beat raw fish, at any rate.

"Gods, yes. This is fantastic." The pharaoh sucked a thumb into his mouth to clean it of the juice that had leaked from his kabob. Kaiba just tried not to stare, and found himself largely unsuccessful.

"Shit, Yugi. You're making me envy a fucking shish-kabob."

The spirit set his grilled lamb back on his plate and eyed the brunet thoughtfully. "Perhaps, for clarity's sake, you should call me something other than `Yugi,'" he suggested. He figured it unnecessary to point out that it also seemed more than a little ridiculous for Kaiba to continue to address them by the same name when he could obviously tell the difference.

"Oh," Kaiba jeered, "and what do you suppose that be? Pharaoh? Your Majesty? My Lord?"

Kaiba's previous incarnation had indeed called him all of those things at one point, but Yami decided not to mention this. Instead, he gave the taller boy an annoyed look. "Atem will be fine, thank you."

Kaiba eyed him speculatively. "Atem? Was that your name before...back in Egypt?" He wasn't saying he believed all this "Pharaoh of the Gods" stuff, but he didn't see any harm in humoring the guy. And he supposed it was only fair that the Other Yugi want a name of his own after seven years. He'd heard most of Yugi's friends refer to him as Yami at one time or another, but "darkness" didn't seem like much of a name to Kaiba.

The spirit's gaze dropped to his plate and he picked up his bottle of Miller Genuine Draft. "Yes. I'm...pretty sure, anyway," he replied, and took a long swallow of his beer.

Shrugging, the billionaire took another sip of his own. "If that's what you want. Atem," he repeated, testing the name. Well, he supposed it wasn't any worse than "seahorse."

The smaller young man nodded, seemingly satisfied, then narrowed his eyes shrewdly. "What about you, Kaiba?"

Kaiba was unfazed. "What about me?"

"Are you..." Yami tried to think of a way to word it so he wouldn't be tactless, or break his promise to Yugi. He didn't think "You seem surprisingly civil for a guy who just got his heart ripped out" would be the right way to go about it. And it still didn't explain what he'd seen this morning as he watched Kaiba shower. He figured it was pointless to beat around the bush. Kaiba could be an extremely cunning man, and the pharaoh wanted to know if there was some other factor in play here, sooner rather than later. "Are you up to something?"

The young business man met this accusation with a blank expression, his eyebrows lifting slightly in surprise, but otherwise, his face remained impassive. "What would make you ask that?" he wanted to know. "If you're referring to my attempts to persuade Yugi to leave Anzu, I think I've already proved--" Yami no Yugi waved a hand dismissively.

"No, I'm talking about..."

"Why I seem less than devastated in the wake of Yugi's rejection?" Kaiba guessed. He gave the ghost of the puzzle a somewhat self-deprecating smirk. "Not everyone wears his heart on his sleeve, Atem. Remember that." The brunet dragged a fingertip through the condensation that had collected on his beer bottle. "To tell the truth, I expected no less. Yugi is nauseatingly loyal, after all. That's something I both admire and despise him for at the same time." He caught Yami's gaze and it held. "I've done my part to plant seeds of doubt, and I suspect you've done yours." He arched a brow, and the pharaoh had the grace to look sheepish. "The rest is up to Yugi."

Yami was surprised. "That's uncharacteristically passive of you, Kaiba," he remarked. The billionaire's smirk hardened.

"Oh, I don't plan on leaving things where they are. Let Yugi go back to that woman. Let him see how little she really has to offer him. Let him try a life of mendacity. He'll realize soon enough what he wants." Kaiba leaned in closer to the small Egyptian and let his lips graze the boy's temple. The dark Yugi's eyelids threatened to close for a moment. "That boring, domestic kind of life is not meant for men like us." Kaiba's mouth found its way to the sensitive spot behind the multi-color haired boy's ear, and Yami shuddered. "There are some spirits that aren't meant to be chained."

Kaiba wasn't as surprised as he might have been when the pharaoh turned and grasped his face in his hands, brushing his lips against his. He traced the contours of Kaiba's face, his fingertips touching the bridge of the blue-eyed boy's nose, his cheekbones, his dark eyelashes. When Kaiba opened his eyes again, he found Yami gazing at him so intently, it was as if he were trying to burn his face into his memory.

"Kaiba, if we only have tonight..."

The brunet reached for him at the same time Darkness of Yugi threw his arms around his neck, drawing him down into a frenzied kiss. Fisting a hand in Kaiba's hair, Yami slid off his stool and into the other boy's lap, moaning when the young billionaire gripped his ass to hold him in place, and their mouths worked against one another fiercely.

"I don't want you having sex with that woman," Kaiba growled between wet, haphazard kisses. "I don't want her dirty hands on your body..."

With a groan, the spirit pressed himself flush against the larger male, pushing his tongue into Kaiba's open mouth. Kaiba used his grip on mou hitori no Yugi's hips as leverage to grind into the boy and was rewarded with a stifled gasp.

"I want to feel alive, Kaiba," he whispered mournfully as the other's lips traveled down his throat. "(Don't let me go.)"

"If it were up to me," the brunet assured him huskily, his mouth leaving a trail of fire in its wake, "I'd never let you out of my bed." His teeth closed over a nipple through the fabric of Yugi's shirt, and the pharaoh panted, his knees tightening around Kaiba's waist.

Letting his head fall back, the dark Yugi closed his eyes, concentrating on the way Kaiba's touch was like electricity down his spine. The way it felt to be in trapped in Kaiba's arms with that wicked mouth driving him wild, even fully clothed. The way Kaiba's breath in his ear was a hundred times more intimate than any of the awkward kisses he'd shared with Yugi's wife.

"Tell me what you want me to do to you, Atem," the blue-eyed CEO prompted shamelessly, dipping his fingers below the waistband of Yugi's jeans.

Yami leaned in to run his tongue over Kaiba's cheek. "Everything."

Kaiba laughed darkly. "Sou ka?" he murmured, his voice rough with desire. "That could take all night."

The corner of Yami no Yugi's mouth turned up in a smirk and he rocked his hips languidly, once. Kaiba inhaled sharply through his nose, and the pharaoh lowered his face until his lips hovered only centimeters from the young man's ear. "I'm counting on it."

~*~

Solitaire: Gah, I'm so embarrassed. I'm no good at this kind of thing. ::blushes:: Writing this chapter nearly killed me. Well, please let me know what you thought of it.