Queer as Tachi – Chapter 79
Even though he really had no need to get up as early as the Kaiba brothers, Alastair managed to wake himself up enough to get somewhat dressed and come downstairs with them, to see them off for the day. He received assurances that anything he wanted would be provided by the house staff, even transportation if he wished, but he casually declined and said that if he chose to go out, he could do so under his own power. Kaiba shrugged it off and let him have his way, for it didn’t put him out. Mokuba gave their houseguest an interested look. “So, what are you going to do with yourself all day?” he wondered innocently. “Just lounge around? Take a vacation?”
“I sure deserve one,” Alastair snorted. “Actually, I thought I’d call on Yugi, say hello. What you told me about him yesterday has me kind of curious.”
“You need his number?” Kaiba idly wondered over his shoulder as he made sure his laptop was secured in his briefcase.
“Nah, I’ll just drop by the game shop. I remember where it is, more or less.” He made a point of giving Kaiba a kind look. “Thanks, though.”
Kaiba nodded curtly. “Mokuba, let’s go.”
“’Kay. Bye, Alastair – see you when I get home from school,” the younger Kaiba promised.
Amused, Alastair gave him a little wave, and then caught a glance from his elder brother. Seto gave him a vague sort of smile before turning on his heel and striding out after Mokuba to the car waiting to take them to school and work, relatively speaking. The sight made Alastair smile back before turning to see about a late breakfast before making his trip across town.
Yugi was on duty in the shop that morning, having chosen to get up early and take the first shift so that he could be available to hang out with Joey that evening. His best friend was supposed to be doing homework now that his university career had pitched him headlong into the toughest classes, but he chose to make some time for Yugi instead, since the full moon was coming up shortly and they had already discovered that no one was going to be available to make plans with the embodied pharaoh. That suited Yami just fine, even though he did like going out with friends as much as Yugi. He felt he needed to make up for the difficulty they experienced the prior full moon, anyway. The culmination of these decisions about who was to hang out with whom on which day put Yugi behind the counter of the game shop at the perfect time to receive a visitor as unexpected as Alastair. He was actually doing inventory, counting card packs and marking them off on a clipboard, when the door jingled and a dark figure swept impressively inside. Yugi lifted his head and then stared. Alastair closed the door behind him and flashed a shy smile. “Yugi…just who I wanted to see.”
Yugi blinked. “Alastair…”
“Surprise,” the foreigner offered.
“I’ll say.” Yugi set down the clipboard and came around the end of the counter. “Of all the people to just walk through my door…wow. What’s up? You’re back in town?”
“Yeah…” Alastair swept aside the edges of his charcoal-gray coat and tucked his hands in his pockets, looking around. “Nice place you got here. You know, I didn’t really stop to have a look the last time I was here.”
“Oh…yeah,” Yugi said with an awkward smile. “Last time” was in the middle of the night when he, Valon, and Raphael broke in and stole the Egyptian god cards. “Well, it’s good to see you again. How are you doing?”
“Oh…not too bad, I guess.”
“What brings you here?”
Alastair shrugged, trying to be casual about it. “Well, I was just kind of…ah, screw it. I’m not going to play around.” He fixed Yugi with a direct stare. “Kaiba told me about the pharaoh, that he’s…real, or something, now. I was curious about it, I wanted to see what he meant or maybe find out more about it from you.”
Yugi’s violet eyes widened considerably. “Kaiba told you?”
“Well…Mokuba did,” Alastair admitted with a grin. “But Kaiba knows about it, I got that much out of him.”
Yugi laughed. “Yeah, I was going to say! Kaiba telling anybody about Yami…well, that would never happen, and you and I both know it.” He cocked his head curiously. “So, you are here to see Kaiba again? I kind of assumed it might have had something to do with that, but…”
“Yeah…though there’s more to it.” Yugi gestured for him to come in, as he leaned back against the counter and appeared to relax and listen, so Alastair stepped closer and casually gave him an abbreviated version of how he got to Japan and why. Yugi listened in fascination, and responded with appropriate levels of shock and sympathy over the danger Alastair had been in. At the end of it, the young foreigner shrugged. “So here I am. I’ve got a few days before my job interview, so I’m just hanging out at Kaiba’s until then.”
“Wow,” Yugi exclaimed. “That’s incredible, Alastair. I had no idea.” A glint of a smile came into his eyes. “How is Kaiba taking it?”
Alastair laughed. “Well, he hasn’t dumped me out on the curb yet.”
Yugi smiled hopefully. “Do you think…you and he…? I mean, it’s not my business, but…” He looked away shyly. “I know you have some history. I tried asking him about it, last month when I was at KaibaCorp helping him out with something, but he wouldn’t tell me much about you.”
“Well, you know Kaiba,” Alastair said dryly. “No surprises there. What do you want to know? I’m fine with spilling everything about my personal life.”
Yugi waved his hand. “Oh, no, it’s nothing like that. I just wondered…what kind of relationship he had with you. Whether it was…something.”
The red-haired man sighed impatiently. “That, I couldn’t tell you,” he said, “only because I don’t know, either. Nothing about him is easy to figure out, and he’ll never come right out and say it. But, it suffices to say…” He tilted his head and smirked. “…my whole reason for moving here is kind of wrapped up in him. It may not be the smartest thing in the world, but…” He lowered his gaze, looking sort of lost. “I don’t really have any other options. Now that my courier job is pretty much gone, I have nothing – no home, no roots, no reason to be anywhere. So, I guess I’m free to pick up and move anywhere I want for any reason, stupid or not.”
“I don’t think moving here to be close to Kaiba is a stupid reason,” Yugi said optimistically. “You already have something going on with him. That’s a start.”
Alastair grew shy and stepped away, wandering over to a shelf to run his fingers along the edges of the boxes lined up there to display their contents. “You really do have a pretty cool place, here,” he said distractedly, changing the subject. “What, you pitch in to help your grandfather?”
“Actually, half the store is mine,” Yugi said smartly. “When I turned twenty earlier this summer, I inherited part of it. Grandpa and I share equally in the work now – I’m going to take over the business from him someday.”
“Yeah?” Alastair glanced at him and smiled. “Nice deal.” His expression sobered again, but he didn’t turn away. This time, he squared his shoulders and faced Yugi directly. “Part of the reason I wanted to come down and see you was because I feel like I owe you an apology. I may not have done anything to you personally, apart from stealing the god cards, but I had a hand in everything else and I was on the wrong side. The others may have been the ones who hurt you and tried to destroy the pharaoh, but I was part of it, and for that…I feel a need to atone for what we did to you.”
A forlorn expression came into Yugi’s eyes. He shook his head slowly. “It’s not necessary, Alastair,” he said quietly. “You didn’t do anything to me. You’re only responsible for yourself, not for Dartz or any of the others. Did you know…? I saw Valon, last winter,” he added. “At the world tournament. He made it pretty far into the finals, but Joey knocked him out.”
“Yeah, I’ve been in touch with him,” Alastair nodded. “We’ve swapped emails. He told me about it.”
“Neither of you have any reason to make it up to me,” Yugi went on. “It’s enough to see that you’re seriously trying to change yourself and live a better life. Between what you did for me the last time we met, and now, it’s clear to me that you are. And that’s good. That’s all you need to do, is keep working towards a better life. Put all that stuff in the past behind you and move on.”
A faint smile lightened Alastair’s expression. “And what about the pharaoh? I don’t know much about him, but from what I gather, he may not be as quick to forgive as you are.”
“Do you want to talk to him?” Yugi wrapped his hands around the Puzzle, partly out of protectiveness, partly to feel the comfort of its presence. “He’s listening to all of this.”
Alastair stared in wonder. “Is what Mokuba said true? Can you get him out of the Puzzle, now?”
“Only once a month,” Yugi explained. “There’s a ritual…we can only perform it on the full moon, it gives him a body for one day. But he’s still with me every single day, all the time. He, uh…”
He began to blush, and Alastair noticed. He chuckled to put Yugi at ease. “Yeah, they told me about that part too. Mokuba said you two were sickeningly cute together.”
Yugi breathed a quick sigh of relief that he didn’t have to explain. “Yeah, well…it’s tough for a lot of people to understand.”
“No worries.” A grim light came into Alastair’s gray eyes. “Kaiba may still have his head up his ass, but I understand these things better than you might expect. For one thing, I spent half my life apprenticed to a powerful sorcerer who taught me to steal souls with a magic rock – to me, your situation isn’t the least bit weird. It actually makes perfect sense. And for another…” He lowered his gaze. “Well, the fact that I’ve been seeing Kaiba should say it all.”
It took Yugi a moment, but then he understood what Alastair was trying to get across. “Come to think of it, Mai said something once, way back,” he mused. “You’ve always been gay. Right?”
“Yeah…” Alastair glanced up with a hopeful expression that seemed to ask what he didn’t have the courage to form the words for.
“I don’t usually consider myself,” Yugi responded. “I’m not attracted to all other men, just Yami. But I don’t have a problem with it, either. When it comes to other people making a big deal about it, I don’t hide – I know what I am and I’m okay with it.”
A warm smile finally made its way onto Alastair’s youthful face. “You’re all right, Yugi,” he complimented. “Whatever happens, if I end up staying in Japan, I might want to hang out with you more. I could use a pal – because Kaiba sure isn’t much of one.”
Yugi grinned eagerly. “That would be fun! But if your job is in Tokyo…” He sighed enviously. “I bet that’s your kind of town.”
“Yeah, you could say that.” Alastair grinned back. “I’ve only actually been there once, but there’s some great clubs I want to check out when I get the chance. Maybe I’ll stick around after my interview and see the city.”
“It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there,” Yugi giggled. “I like it here. It’s just a little less…busy. And we have cool clubs, too – you like to dance?” His visitor nodded. “Cool! So do we! Just a couple weeks ago we were all out at…oh, I don’t remember the name of it. But it was a really great place. You should come out with us sometime.”
Alastair nodded to acknowledge the idea, and then tactfully changed the subject again. “So…Yami. Is that his name?”
“Well…” Yugi shyly stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “We don’t really know his name, he doesn’t remember anything about himself. Yami is just the name I took to calling him, at first, and it kind of stuck. It’s more personal than calling him ‘pharaoh’ all the time.”
“Ah, yeah. How long have you two been together? I mean…dating.”
“We were kinda together before we ever found out about the ritual,” Yugi mused, “so…three years? At least that long, maybe more.” He decided to flash his promise ring with a little grin. “It’s pretty serious, though.”
Alastair blinked. “Wow, I guess so.” He dropped his gaze contritely. “Hearing that…it makes me feel even worse that we tried so hard to take his soul and destroy him. Did he…?” He suddenly looked rather disturbed. “Were you two already together when…when Raphael…”
Yugi swallowed hard, trying to keep himself from looking away or tearing up at the memories flashing through his mind. He could sense the second soul inside him grow tense, almost trembling, as he thought the same things. “Kind of,” he replied. “We loved each other, but we hadn’t…gotten serious yet. We didn’t know we could, at the time.” He shook it off and grew resolute. “It’s okay, Alastair. Raphael may have hurt us, but he atoned for it. We forgave him a long time ago, and neither of us hold anything against you for what he did. Or for what Dartz did. From what it sounded like to me, you were just as much a victim of his as the rest of us.”
“Yeah,” Alastair said heavily. “I guess you could say that.” He focused on Yugi with a hopeful gaze. “You say the ritual only works on the full moons. That’s a couple of days away, isn’t it? Are you going to perform it, then?”
“Well, yeah…”
“Would you…” Alastair turned away with a frustrated sigh, second-guessing himself. “If you don’t have plans already, maybe…maybe the three of us could get together? I…” He glanced over his shoulder at Yugi. “I want to meet him in person, and clear everything up between us. As long as I have this opportunity. You may say you’ve forgiven and forgotten, but I need to do it. Just for myself. You understand?”
Yugi nodded. “Yeah, I do. All right. If it’ll make you feel better…sure.” He mustered a smile. “Yami and I hadn’t made plans, really. All of my friends are busy, I’m going out to spend time with Joey tonight instead. That means we’ll be free, if you want to go out.”
“I’d like that.” Alastair gave a small chuckle. “Too bad I can’t convince Kaiba to make it a double date. Neverminding that he doesn’t seem to be the dating type, I doubt he’d want to be seen in public with you.”
“Well, how do you know?” Yugi challenged with a grin. “Okay, so, Kaiba and I aren’t exactly friends in his estimation. But we are working together – I’m consulting for him on a project for KaibaCorp.”
“You know, he mentioned something like that.” Alastair folded his arms and stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Hm, maybe I should try to talk him into it. It could be fun. But at the very least, count me in – I want to meet the pharaoh. Er, Yami.”
“Sure.” Yugi swiftly ducked behind the counter to find something to write on so they could swap numbers. Since Alastair wasn’t sure what Kaiba would say to giving out the estate’s private number, he just wrote down his cell phone number. Yugi watched him do so with a curious thought running through his mind. As Alastair spoke once more of not having much hope that Kaiba could be conned into a double-date, or a date at all with him, Yugi fixed him with a warm, understanding look. “Don’t give up on him so soon,” he gently encouraged. “The more he’s tried to hide from people, like me, the more he’s accidentally revealed, so I know he’s had an unhappy sort of life up till now. He really needs someone whether he wants to admit it or not, and I’d guess you have the best chance. I saw the way he acted around you, after you saved us. I’ve never seen Kaiba be that…open, to anyone.”
“Yeah?” Alastair cocked his head in a sort of shrug. “I don’t know. He’s hard to read. But we’ve…had some talks, and while he won’t come out and say anything – at all – I get the same feeling. Like, he doesn’t want to actually say that he wants me around, but everything he does points in that direction.”
“You would know better than I would,” Yugi admitted. “And I don’t want you to feel like you have to tell me anything super-personal. What you and Kaiba have is between you two, I won’t be nosy.”
“Nah, it’s okay. Like I said…I don’t really have any friends. I don’t have anyone to talk to, and I’m finally close to the kind of relationship I’d want to talk about…”
He trailed off and looked away uncomfortably, but Yugi just leaned on the counter and smiled amicably. “Then I guess it’s a good thing you’re moving here where you can make some real friends.”
Laughing a little to himself, Alastair leaned on the opposite side of the counter from him. “I guess I can’t turn that down, can I? Well…it’s not like I’m expecting great things out of him. Kaiba isn’t going to break very easily, and I’m going to have to put up with a lot of crap if I want to stay close to him. And I do. I really do.” He shrugged idly and let his gaze wander to the display of rare single cards for purchase inside the glass case beneath his elbows. “I know he’s in a hard position. He’s the head of a huge multinational corporation, which means he’s sort of in the public eye. If rumors got around the business world that he was gay, whether it was true or not, he could see everything he’s worked for vanish right before his eyes. I don’t want to do that to him. But I’m in love with him, so I’ll be damned if I’m going to let that stand in my way.”
Yugi gave him a sympathetic look. “So, he can be with you, he just can’t admit it or go around being openly affectionate with you,” he realized. “That’s got to be hard.”
“It’s not like he’s openly affectionate regardless,” Alastair snorted. “I don’t think I’m missing out on anything.”
“But four guys going out to some yakitori-ya or tempura place won’t raise eyebrows,” Yugi pointed out with a gleeful grin. “It would be safe. Nobody has to know that it’s a date.”
Alastair grinned back. “I’ll remember to tell him that. No promises,” he added with an airy flip of his hair, “but I’ll do my best. Kaiba really does need to get out more. And I haven’t had decent, real sushi in years! That would really hit the spot.”
“It’s okay if you can’t convince him,” Yugi assured. “I wouldn’t expect him to want to be seen with me, either. And if Yami’s out of the Puzzle…he’ll be even less inclined. So, it’s okay. If he shows up with you, it’ll be a pleasant surprise.”
That made Alastair chuckle, a broad smile favoring his features. Before he could remark on the topic, though, his wandering glance noticed something in the case that made him straighten up with a start and stare harder down at it. “Wait a minute. Is that a Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys…?”
Yugi looked down to see what he was boggling over. “Oh, yeah,” he realized. “I actually put that in there, I got it in a booster pack the other day and, well, I already have one.”
Alastair gazed longingly at it, stroking his fingertips on the glass. “I’ve been looking for one,” he breathed. “It’s not as rare as my Gorlag, but it’s still a pretty rare Fire monster. It would go so well in my deck…”
“You want it?” Yugi slid his hand down the back of the counter in anticipation of having to open it and bring out the cards.
Alastair stood thinking about it for a moment, and then stood up straight, giving a firm nod. “You know what? Yeah. I’ve got a few bucks to blow, and you’re offering it for a really sweet price.”
“I know it’s worth more,” Yugi said as he opened the sliding door and took the card from its position on the top of the display, “but considering I essentially got it for free, I’m not going to try to rip anybody off. It’s yours for the taking.”
“Excellent!” Having had taken out some cash to use public transportation that morning, Alastair had enough in his pocket to pay for the card outright. Yugi had no problem taking it from him and ringing it up, and then sliding the card into a protective sleeve before handing it over. Alastair took another long, lingering look at it before tucking it into an inside pocket of his coat. “Now that’s what I call a lucky find. I’m glad I stopped by.”
“Glad to be of service,” Yugi said brightly.
Alastair took a step back. “I’ll be in touch, about going out. I’ll give you a call when plans are more definite.” He gave Yugi a sort of salute and turned on his heel, his coat floating impressively behind him as he headed for the door. “See ya.”
“Sure,” Yugi agreed. “See you later, Alastair!”
He stood there smiling until well after the door had closed, and then gave a contented little sigh. The voice from within practically snuck up on him, welling up out of his inner consciousness. “I’m glad to see you have no hard feelings toward Alastair,” the pharaoh’s spirit murmured. “I will be happy to give him my personal reassurance, if that is what he needs to move on with his life.”
“Alastair never wronged us personally,” Yugi pointed out, having no problem speaking aloud in the deserted game shop. “And he’s done so much already to prove that he’s a different man than he was when he was working for Dartz. He seems really nice.” He glanced aside as he sensed the spirit hover into view beside him. “I know it still makes you edgy to think about that time, though.”
The vision of Yami looked away from him. “It was a very painful time for me. I was forced to look at myself and see the darkness within, to face my failings and know that I have the power in me to hurt you. Seeing Alastair isn’t a problem, but bringing up that past…”
“It’s okay, Yami.” Yugi’s voice dropped to a whisper. “You’re putting too much of the blame on yourself. I was there, remember? I know what happened to you. It wasn’t your fault. You were nothing short of possessed…” He reached a hand out toward his vision of the pharaoh. “And we’ve been over this. We’ve talked it all out and you know I love you and forgive you. Can you put it past, too? Just like Alastair and Valon are trying to do?”
Yami heaved a long sigh and finally turned toward him, the darkness easing out of his eyes. He reached back as if to put a hand in Yugi’s, even though he was not in a form to touch at the moment. “You’re right. I shouldn’t dwell on it. I will do my best, my love.”
Yugi smiled his gratitude. The vision vanished, but the spirit remained attentive so they could chat until the next customer might walk in. Yugi stared absently at the door as he thought. “That’s two out of three. I wonder whatever happened to Raphael?” His eyes clouded as he considered the possibilities. “I hope he went on to rebuild his life, too. He was already in better shape than those two when he left us. But he just…disappeared.”
“We can ask Alastair, when we see him again,” the pharaoh mused. “But it may be that he doesn’t know, either. It would be nice to know.” His spirit grew heavy with his thoughts. “As painful as it was, what he did to us, his path to redemption was equally painful for him. That he saved my life, and made it possible for us to go in and face Dartz…I thanked him then, but I should like to say it again.”
Hearing the tone of his inner voice, Yugi wanted nothing more than to run into the Puzzle and put his arms around his lover, to comfort and reassure him. Now, however, was not the time, unfortunately. “I guess, we’ll just have to be content with the next best thing,” he said wisely. “Being friends with Alastair.” The door began to open, then, and Yugi closed his mouth before the chime could even ring to announce a customer’s presence. It would all have to wait, for he had a job to do.
Alastair would have to wait until both Kaiba brothers were home before he could gauge Seto’s mood and decide whether he would be open to being needled about the possibility of going out with Yugi and his partner. He had a million reasons why it was a good idea, but all Kaiba would have to say was “No, I don’t want to” and that would be that. Fortunately, it seemed as they all sat down to dinner that evening that Kaiba’s mood was favorable. All that work he had gotten done on his Legendary Heroes project the past couple of days had made it easy for him to go back to the office and get things rolling, making for a day with a few less headaches than usual. Alastair let him eat in silence and concentrated on chatting with Mokuba instead, since the younger Kaiba was far more personable and always open to telling stories about his school day or opining on far less weighty matters like a new band he heard or some girl in his class who said some stupid thing. It gave Seto the space he desired to just eat and relax, to sip at a fine wine over dinner and forget the rest of the world for that short while. As he sat at the head of the table with the conversation going back and forth in front of him, he glanced at Alastair and observed him for a moment. He wore a lazy grin as he listened to Mokuba’s latest anecdote, prodding him on with an occasional laugh or exclamation. Kaiba had noticed it the day before as well, out by the pool. Alastair treated Mokuba like his own little brother, and seemed to genuinely care for him. Kaiba watched him for any sign of faking it, but he could find none. From the way he showed outrage at the tale of a teacher making it hard for Mokuba to pass his classes, it appeared he would clearly join Seto in protecting his younger brother from the cruelties of life. It was the final test, for only someone who could honestly care about Mokuba as much as Seto did could be allowed to get close to him. That person would be the perfect companion for Kaiba, and as much as he hated to admit it to himself, Alastair had that special something. Then again, it had only been a couple of days – he still had a long way to go to prove himself. As he sat there watching, casually raising his glass to his lips, Kaiba thought to himself that if Alastair would be willing to protect Mokuba with his life and everything he had in the world, then it would be right. But that kind of trust and devotion didn’t awaken after two days of slouching around the Kaiba estate, so he would have to wait and see.
Conscious of the eyes on him, Alastair cast an aloof smile toward Kaiba and went on listening to Mokuba’s diatribe about his teacher. At the end of it, Mokuba just sighed and slumped back in his chair. “It doesn’t really matter, as long as I pass my entrance exams he can’t do a thing about it.”
“And that’s coming up this year, is it?” Alastair wondered, taking a sip of his tea. “Good luck, kid. I hear they’re tough stuff.”
Mokuba peered at him with a bit of a grin. “You didn’t even go to school, did you?”
“I had the best private tutoring a guy could ask for,” Alastair demurred, though his smile now seemed forced. “By the time most people my age were taking their entrance exams and going to high school, I was already piloting jets and traveling around the world.” He took on a smug look. “Guess how many languages I speak.”
“Uhh…” Mokuba frowned at him as he thought. “Well, you know Japanese and English…”
“More than that.”
“I don’t know! Um…four?”
“Close. It’s five.” Alastair raised a hand and counted off on his fingers. “English, Japanese, German, and the two main languages from my native country. And a few choice phrases in a couple other languages, but not enough to count,” he added with a smirk.
Mokuba grinned mischievously. “So you can swear in other languages?”
“Pretty much.”
“Oo! Teach me some native swear words!”
“Mokuba!” Kaiba interrupted sternly.
“Hey, in my school, swearing at somebody in a different language makes you look smart,” Mokuba said defensively. “And not English, that doesn’t count.” He picked up his glass and muttered into it. “Get real, Seto. I’m fifteen now, if you think I don’t know plenty of swear words already, you’re living in a dream world.” His brother heard him, but only glared in response, not wanting to get into a discussion.
Aware of the elder Kaiba’s visible disapproval, Alastair just shrugged. “How about I teach you how to tell somebody to shut up in other languages? That’s more useful than a swear word.”
“I’ll go with that!”
“Will you stop corrupting my little brother?” Kaiba seethed at Alastair.
“Relax, Kaiba,” his partner assured him. “I won’t get him into trouble. Besides, weren’t we just saying that he needs to learn things outside of school in order to get ahead? Hmm? You want him to pass his entrance exams, don’t you?”
“Knowing how to tell someone to shut up in German isn’t going to help him pass any exams,” Kaiba said dryly. Something crossed his mind, then, making him look pensively in another direction. “Although now that you mention it, I am running out of creative things to call the idiots in the programming department…”
“That reminds me…” Mokuba turned to his big brother with a completely serious look. “What’s an aphrodisiac?”
Seto peered suspiciously at him. “Where did you hear about aphrodisiacs?”
“Somewhere,” Mokuba replied evasively. “What is it?”
“Never you mind.”
“Why?”
“You’re not old enough to need to know,” Kaiba snorted.
Mokuba immediately turned his attention across the table. “Alastair, come on. Tell me. What’s an aphrodisiac?”
Alastair’s eyes widened, and he glanced to Kaiba first, as he could already feel the heated look being directed at him. “You say a word,” Seto threatened, “and I will kill you and bury your body in the back yard under the rose bushes.”
Alastair grinned innocently. “I think that’s something your brother should talk to you about, Mokuba,” he chose to say in a light voice. “As long as he’s already told you the facts of life, that is…”
“Yes, I know all about the facts of life,” Mokuba sighed, exasperated. “So it has something to do with sex?”
“That’s enough of this conversation,” Kaiba broke in.
Alastair picked up his cup and made to drink the last, but muttered, “I don’t know why you don’t just look it up…”
Mokuba grinned evilly and also lifted his glass to cover it up. Kaiba eyed them both one after the other, but let it slide. “If you’re so concerned about your teacher,” he said darkly, “then maybe you ought to go up a little early and actually put some effort into your homework. If you don’t give him a reason to mock your work, then he won’t.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Mokuba slid his empty plate back and pushed his chair out. “If that’s your not-so-subtle way of saying ‘beat it so I can be with Alastair,’ I got the message. Have fun!” He grinned at Alastair before tucking his hands in his pockets and making his way casually out of the dining room.
Alastair laughed to himself over his empty tea cup and then sat back, taking a deep breath and sighing it out happily. “Good answer. He better not be old enough to need to know what an aphrodisiac is.” He gave Kaiba an amused look. “Where the hell did he hear about it?”
“I have a sneaking suspicion he may have picked it up from one of Yugi’s friends,” Kaiba muttered. “The list of people my little brother is not allowed to hang out with may be growing.”
“Speaking of Yugi…” Alastair set his empty cup down and turned his attention fully to his companion. “I went to see him today.”
Kaiba appeared to find his wine glass more interesting. “So?”
“So, I’m going to go out with him.” Alastair raised his eyes in challenge, knowing instantly that he had chosen his words correctly – Kaiba misinterpreted and glared at him in alarm. He smirked back. “And the pharaoh. In a couple days, when he’s out of the Puzzle. I want to meet this famous pharaoh for myself and see if everything’s true.” He laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them. “You’re welcome to come along, if you don’t trust me not to flirt with either of them.”
Knowing that he had been taunted, Kaiba just sniffed at the provocation. “Yugi wouldn’t look twice at you. He’s got eyes for that pharaoh alone. Wait’ll you see them, it’s positively disgusting.”
Alastair’s chuckle let him know that he was already aware of it. “I’m serious, though. You should come along.”
Seto frowned at him. “What, do you need a babysitter?”
“I was just thinking.” Alastair sat back and crossed his legs, making himself as sexy as possible while sitting at the dining table. “I don’t want to be a third wheel with the two of them, so I figured, why not bring my own partner? Two and two. Perfect balance.”
Kaiba closed his eyes. “I’m not going out with Yugi.”
“Why, because he’s Yugi?” Alastair’s grin showed that he had already countered every argument his partner might make. “You’re such a pansy!”
“What?” Kaiba nearly shot out of his chair in outrage.
“I’m asking you to sit at a table in a restaurant and have dinner with your rival, not bear his children.” Alastair practically laughed. “Going out with me, and them, is not going to scar your fragile psyche or anything. It’s not even going to accidentally make it look like you’re friends with him – heaven forbid.” His eyes narrowed keenly. “After all, if you talk just a little about your Legendary Heroes project with him, you can write it off as a business dinner.”
Kaiba growled at him. “What is it, then? What do you want from me?”
Alastair just gazed coolly at him. “I want you to go out with me. It seems to me, after all that sex, the two of us could stand to have at least one date,” he added petulantly.
“I don’t ‘date,’” Kaiba snapped. “Certainly not with Yugi along. Spending any kind of social time with him is not my idea of a great way to spend an evening.”
“Fine,” Alastair sighed. “I’ll go out with him alone. I’ll tell him that, as usual, you were too scared to want to be seen in public with him.”
Kaiba’s eyes widened at his audacity. “Scared? Me? You must be joking.”
“Then what’s your problem?” Alastair leaned toward him, beginning to glare back. “You sure look scared to me. He’s not going to hurt you. He’s not going to ask you to pay for all of us, either. You won’t be out any extra money, all you have to do is come along and keep me company and have a good dinner. If you’re scared of that, fine, I’ll call Yugi up and tell him to just expect me and no one else. I want to meet his partner, and get to know both of them because maybe they might be cool guys I can hang out with. If you’re too stuck up to come along and sit beside me, fine.” He straightened up and nudged his chair back so he could get up. “It’s no skin off my back. I’m not the one who looks like a jerk for not wanting to come along.”
Kaiba stared after him as he rose and made to leave. “I have no obligations to you. I’ve paid my debts. You have no reason to expect me to come tagging after you like a dog on a leash.”
“Of course not.” Alastair set his hand on the back of the chair and turned just enough to give Kaiba a cool, appraising look. “I just thought maybe you’d like to have a little fun for one night. Do like every other normal human being on the planet does, and go out for a drink and some dinner after work with a couple of guys. But I can see you’re not interested, in dinner, or in me.” He started off across the dining room for the door. “That’s all right. We didn’t expect you to want to come along. I just thought I’d make the offer instead of running out the door and telling you not to wait up for me.”
He left Kaiba sitting there in silence, but after a moment, a flash of anger curled Seto’s lips into a grimace. He threw down his napkin in fury and shoved himself back from the table, taking off in pursuit of Alastair. A challenge like that could not go unmet. Alastair was climbing the stairs, perhaps heading to the guest room, when Kaiba caught up to him. “If you think pissing me off is going to make me any more favorable toward going out with you, you’ve got another thing coming,” he accused.
Alastair paused halfway up the stairs and glanced down at him. The sarcastic taunt vanished from his face and voice as he beheld Kaiba scowling in anger from below. “I was expecting the knee-jerk reaction from you as soon as I mentioned Yugi’s name,” he said seriously. “I know he’s your rival and all, but that doesn’t mean you can’t sit down at a table with him and behave like a civilized adult for one night. He’s not the one asking you for this, I am. Yugi doesn’t care. I’m the one who wants you there, because I’d like to know what it’s like to have the person I care about enjoying a nice evening out with me. It’ll be the night before I go to Tokyo for that interview, I thought it would be good luck.”
“If you knew what I’d say,” Kaiba grumbled, “why did you bother asking me?”
“It was worth a shot.” Alastair glared at him with the same level of anger as he was being shown. “You’re taking something that millions of people do every day and turning it into a personal affront to your reputation. You need to fucking relax already.”
Being cursed at didn’t help Kaiba’s mood. “Why can’t you take ‘no’ for an answer? I just don’t feel like it, all right?”
Alastair sighed at him. “Ordinarily,
I’d let you have your way, if it was something you felt that strongly about, but for
crying out loud, it’s just dinner. With friends. The
more you protest, the more scared you look of being caught having a social life. It’s insane.” He frowned deeply.
“I know you’re not a typical guy, but I didn’t realize doing
something normal like going out was such a bother to you.”
Kaiba held his gaze for a long time, and finally muttered, “Does it matter
that much to you?”
“As a matter of fact, it does.” Alastair stared firmly back. “I know it’s a new concept to you and all, but sometimes, if you care about somebody, you might feel like doing something with him once in a while. Just to let him know you’re not totally using him.”
Seto’s blue eyes narrowed. “Just because you said you love me, you think I’m going to suddenly feel like I ought to be doing all those fluffy boyfriend things like Yugi and his friends do? Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I don’t.”
“No, I just want you to give social interaction a try. If not for my sake, then for your own. Go out with me and my new friends. It isn’t the end of the world, just dinner.” He came back down the steps, pausing at the bottom. Kaiba remained where he was, still a few feet away, but close enough that they didn’t have to yell at each other anymore. Accordingly, Alastair’s voice softened. “If it’s a matter of not wanting to be seen with a romantic partner in public, don’t worry. I know what kind of situation you’re in. I remember how much you freaked out that someone at KaibaCorp might find out. We don’t have to be like Yugi and his boyfriend. They can do all the cutesy stuff, I’m not asking you for that. I would simply like to spend time with you in a casual setting.”
Kaiba listened, and then shook his head. “It has nothing to do with not wanting to be seen in public with you…”
“Even so. I’m not an idiot.” He backed down very slightly, lowering his head. “It’s your call. I’m done trying to convince you.”
Seto peered at him. “I’m not going to call it a double date, or a date at all. But if you want it so badly, fine. Dinner. That’s it. You make all the arrangements, I’ll just show up.”
Alastair’s eyebrows raised slightly. “How about you drive?”
“Fine.”
“It’s a deal, then.” Alastair came around the post at the bottom of the stairs and right up to Kaiba, meeting his eyes for a moment before leaning in to kiss him. Kaiba wasn’t feeling so generous, but the soft brush of lips against his melted his stern resolve. After another kiss or two, Alastair leaned back and smiled. “See? You make one little concession, and I’m captive to your will. Play nice, and I will too.”
Seto lowered his voice to a murmur. “I thought we weren’t going to play games with each other.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Alastair said with a shake of his head. “We’ve crossed a line, Seto, and there’s no going back. We’re at that point where…this is going to take effort. Unless you intend to throw me out and tell me you never want to see me again.” His eyes darkened. “That’s your only other option.”
Alastair’s close proximity was an aphrodisiac unto itself, making Kaiba want nothing more than to pin him against the nearest wall and ravage his lips until they were both breathless. He settled for leaning in close and resting his hands on Alastair’s arms, letting his eyes drift shut. “Anything of value takes effort to achieve,” he mumbled as if lecturing on business policy. “I didn’t think it would be this hard, though.”
“We’ll take it slow.” Alastair lifted his head just enough to run his lips across Seto’s cheek. “As long as you’re aware that we do have to take it somewhere. It’s that, or say goodbye now, because I’m not going to put effort into it if you’re not.”
“No. I understand.” Kaiba gently stroked across Alastair’s bare arm with his thumb. “I’m no coward. I’m not going to back down from the challenge so quickly.”
“Call it whatever you have to, in order to justify it to yourself,” Alastair chuckled. “A challenge, a project, I don’t care. As long as it ends up with both of us happy.” He teased another kiss across his partner’s cheek and stepped back to gaze at him. “Did you have anything else planned for tonight, or…?”
Kaiba’s eyes darkened with the usual frown. “I have work to do.”
“All right.” Alastair released him and turned to go, but he was smiling now. “Don’t wear yourself out. I’m sure you’ll be at it for a while. If it so happens that I haven’t fallen asleep by the time you tear yourself away from your computer…” His smile intensified for just a moment, and then he turned away to go back up the stairs. “Poke your head in my room and say good night.”
Kaiba stood where he was, watching his partner climb the stairs, fully aware that Alastair’s pace and the sway of his hips was being deliberately choreographed for his pleasure. At last, he forced himself to turn away and go to the study, to hook up his laptop and finish the coding for the Legendary Heroes game engine that he had set himself the goal of completing. Usually, he had no problem immersing himself in his work and letting the night fly by, he rarely went to bed before two a.m. when occupied by such a project. But this time, he briefly thought to himself that it would be nice to finish early, and see what might be waiting for him in the guest room. He didn’t expect to, but it would still be on his mind.