Queer as Tachi – Chapter 80
Morning dawned clear and crisp after the full moon, and the sun shining down through the skylight washed over the half-dressed bodies of two lovers in full slumber. That is, until something deep in Yami’s senses woke him. It wasn’t a sound, or a touch, or movement of his partner beside him, yet he still drew himself awake and blinked hazily, trying to understand what had caused it. A glance at Yugi gave him the answer: the young one was crying in his sleep. Not openly, he didn’t make a sound, but tears leaked from under his closed eyelids and ran down his face in parallel lines. Alarmed, Yami pushed himself up on one elbow and leaned over his lover, shaking him gently to wake him. “Yugi? Yugi!” he whispered. “Wake up! It’s all right, it’s just me. Yugi…”
Yugi took a shuddering breath and opened his eyes, blinking back the tears in them with some surprise. His head turned toward the soft, deep voice calling him. “Yami…?”
“Yugi…” Yami reached and stroked tender fingertips along his partner’s cheek, brushing away the tears. “What’s the matter? Are you all right?”
Yugi laid still for a moment, sniffling and breathing and trying to remember where he was or what was happening. At last, he lifted a hand and rubbed at his eyes. “I…I was dreaming. I had a dream…about my mom…”
“Ohh…” The pharaoh’s violet eyes saddened in sympathy. He continued to gently stroke Yugi’s cheeks in comfort, while Yugi sniffled back the tears and sobered up. “What kind of a dream? Can you tell me about it?”
Yugi settled back in the blankets with a sigh, perfectly content with letting his partner lavish him with attention. “It’s already kind of fading,” he murmured, “but…it wasn’t just a normal dream. You know, where people you know or used to know pop up and play a role for no reason. It was like…” A little furrow appeared in his brow as he struggled to remember it, or perhaps block the emotions that accompanied the memory, lest they set him off again. “…like I was standing there in front of her…I was trying to tell her about you, or ask her about you. But she just kept nodding and smiling and not saying anything – it was like she couldn’t understand what I was saying. You know, like when a three-year-old tries to talk to you but none of the sounds coming out of their mouth resemble words, all you can do is just nod and pretend you understand. It was so frustrating…but at the same time…” He swallowed hard. “All I could think about was how much I missed her, and how badly I wanted to tell her about you. It was all happy and sad at the same time…” He reached up and wiped his cheeks in embarrassment, so his partner switched to combing his fingers through his drooping bangs instead. “I didn’t even realize I was crying.”
Yami made a soft noise of regret. “And I’m not bonded with your mind at the moment, so I can’t share your feelings,” he said.
“It’s okay.” Yugi rolled towards him, slinking arms around his neck and hugging himself into his lover’s body. “You’re here with me, so you can hold me and keep me company. That’s every bit as good.”
“I will.” Yami sank back down into the bedding and curled his arms around Yugi, taking a moment to move the Puzzle out of the way before wrapping him up and holding him close. Yugi slumped against him and nestled his head on his partner’s shoulder, so that his warm breath could be felt on Yami’s neck. It made the pharaoh chuckle. “So. Is there any pressing reason I should be thinking about getting out of bed?”
Yugi murmured a negative response. “I don’t want to get up just yet.”
“Then, we don’t have to.” Yami hugged him more tightly. “We can stay just like this.”
“Mm…good.” A few minutes of comfortable silence lapsed, until Yugi’s head twitched just a little and he added, “We don’t really have to go anywhere until tonight.”
“Until we’re supposed to meet Alastair for dinner,” Yami remembered. The thought brought a grin to his face. “And Kaiba. I’m very much looking forward to this.”
“We just have to remember to be nice to Kaiba this time,” Yugi mumbled into his neck. “From the way Alastair described it, I bet Kaiba really views this as an imposition and won’t be in a good mood.”
“Is he ever?” Yami said dryly, and then chuckled again. “I’m sorry. I take that back. I’ve always thought of Kaiba as a complex man, with much more going on behind the mask he always presents to us. Times like this prove that I’m not far off the mark.”
“I’ve got a million questions,” Yugi said, “but I’ll do my best not to bother him about them. We’ll just go and have a good time, and chat some more with Alastair about what he’s been doing with himself.”
Yami closed his eyes and quietly savored the pleasure of being able to lie there with Yugi and stroke his hands across his young lover’s back. The moment was so perfect as to make him wish it would never end – neither cold nor hot, the blankets soft against his skin, Yugi’s body perfectly molded to his, the familiar weight of his arms around his neck, the touch of lips against his neck and throat. After a time, the pharaoh murmured, “What shall we do with the rest of our day, then?”
Yugi snuggled against him. “I don’t care,” he replied. “As long as I’m with you.”
Touched, Yami smiled to himself and gave his love a little squeeze. He felt the same, and was pleased to find that even without their minds bonded as normal, they still shared the same thoughts. It bothered him a little that he had not been able to rescue Yugi from his sad dream from within, but it was one of those things that he realized came from taking his existence for granted. Everyone else on the planet had to consider being in the same bed and able to hug and talk upon waking the epitome of “being there for my partner.” Only he and Yugi could lay claim to an even closer bond, and the pharaoh silently lectured himself for feeling any sort of guilt for being outside the Puzzle at that moment of need. It gave him a lot to think about, but he shelved it for now and resolved to ponder it later, when he was back inside the Puzzle and could let his mind roam at will. Right now, he was free, and ought to be enjoying every embodied minute.
With the technical start to autumn just a few days away, the natural progression of yearly events left Yugi and Yami without anyone else to hang out with, but a perfect day in which to do nothing. Joey and Bakura had class, Mai and Duke were working as usual, and even though Marik was now in town living a regular life and Tristan was out of a job, neither of them were available that particular day. Yugi mentioned possibly taking some time out one of those days when he had a morning free and going to spend time with Tristan, to keep his spirits up during the long, unpleasant task of searching for a new job. The lovers made it an idle sort of day, lounging about the house and taking care of a few errands or chores to surprise Grandpa Muto, before they had to think about getting dressed to go out. They were meeting the other pair at a more casual establishment relatively near Yugi’s neighborhood, so they could walk there in a short amount of time, but the prospect of entertaining Seto Kaiba made Yugi unconsciously nervous, leaving him picking through his wardrobe with a growl of frustration that he didn’t have anything proper to wear. His usual style would probably not go over well. It took Yami pouncing on him from behind and lovingly reminding him that they were going out with Alastair, not Kaiba, and shouldn’t put any undue pressure on themselves or their friends, for Yugi to chuckle and relax and pick out his red shirt and black leather pants. Such an outfit had his partner’s full approval, and that was all Yugi needed.
As soon as Kaiba returned home from the office, he had just enough time to drop off his briefcase and change before dismissing the drivers for the night and taking the keys to his sports car. Alastair had wisely made plans for a little later in the evening, since Kaiba tended to work late and come home after most people were already at dinner. He was surprised to see Kaiba home at a decent hour, but by the time they got in the car and drove down to the quaint neighborhood on the other side of town, they had more than made up for it and were simply on time. Kaiba, to his credit, was not in a sour mood at all. He had managed to convince himself that this wasn’t going to turn out badly, and the prospect of having a nice, relaxing drink appealed to him considerably more than seeing Yugi or doing the date thing. Whatever place the others had picked for this meeting, he hoped it would be the kind of place where he could get himself a decent beer. He parked around a corner in a secluded alley spot where would-be bad seeds wouldn’t see the fancy car, and then he and Alastair were walking together to the restaurant, close enough for their elbows to brush against each other but otherwise not showing the least hint of connection. Alastair wore a flirty smile to go with the skin-tight blue shirt he had donned, but he seemed to be behaving himself so far. He stepped ahead and pulled open the door for Kaiba, and right there in the foyer were Yugi and Yami, waiting for them. Alastair couldn’t help the double-take that naturally drew his eye to the pharaoh’s slightly-taller figure, but he covered it with a startled sort of laugh. “Well! Guess I don’t need to ask if we were going to have to wait for you to show up.”
“Hey! We just got here ourselves,” Yugi put in. “I already got them to get us a table, we can go right in.”
The hostess nodded at them, so the foursome let her lead the way. Neither a blue-collar yakitori-ya or ramen shop nor an upscale eatery, the place Yugi had suggested was somewhere in between, casual enough but still conducive to sitting down at a corner table and keeping to themselves. Before they even sat down Kaiba had requested a drink, as well as separate checks. He slid into a chair while Alastair paused and faced the identical pair. “So,” he began, “this is him, huh? Pharaoh…”
Yami nodded once. “We never had the pleasure of speaking face to face before, Alastair.”
“No, I had other important missions to attend to.” He glanced briefly at Kaiba, who appeared to be ignoring them. “It’s nice to meet you, under much better circumstances as this.”
Yami smiled vaguely. “I was listening when you spoke to Yugi of atoning for your mistakes. If you wanted my personal assurance that I don’t hold anything against you for what happened, then you have it. It does my heart good to see the change in you, and I should like to move forward with our lives.”
Alastair smiled back. “Good. That’s all I really wanted, except to say ‘I’m sorry’ to your face.”
“I accept.” Yami held out a hand in invitation. “Shall we have a seat and get some dinner, then?”
They all took seats, then, Yugi and Yami opposite Alastair and Kaiba, and talked enthusiastically of food for a short time until they had all ordered. Yugi turned to Kaiba and asked brightly, “So, how is Legendary Heroes coming along?”
Kaiba eyed him briefly before giving a placid answer. “Fine, more or less. I had to push everything back to next year, because it’s going to take time to rework the game engine and flesh it all out, but…I think it will be worth it.”
“You aren’t having to do everything yourself, are you?” Yugi wondered.
Kaiba made a face, but shook his head. “As long as I have the framework designed, my programmers are able to fill in the blanks by doing all the basic grunt-work themselves. They know how to follow orders, at least they have that going for them.” He nodded aloofly toward Yugi. “The design artists liked what you said. They’ve been keeping up with me, for once.”
“Well, that’s good,” Yugi said, as Kaiba took his bottle to him and had a sip. “I was thinking about it today, because a flyer came into the shop from one of the companies who’ll be at the Tokyo Game Expo next month. We already got the mailing for that – but I haven’t decided whether I’m going to go, yet. I would imagine, with all that work that has to be done the game won’t be anywhere near ready in time…”
“You underestimate me as usual, Yugi,” Kaiba said with a smug smile. “In addition to the overall work I’ll be doing, my goal is to have a single level demo ready for the game expo. I intend to break the news about Legendary Heroes there, and I’m going to do it in a big way.”
“Cool!” Yugi gushed. “Well, then. Maybe I’ll think about going, again. I wasn’t sure I wanted to take the time out for it, but that would be worth seeing.” He sat back and grinned. “So, is that enough to qualify this as a business dinner?”
Taken aback briefly, Kaiba just rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
“I told you,” Alastair snickered. “You’re in the clear. Tokyo Game Expo?” he added with a raised eyebrow across the table at Yugi.
“Oh yeah!” Talk diverted for
a while to the gaming event in
Once the food came and they were all happily enjoying their meals, Yami leaned casually on the table and focused on Alastair. “May I ask you something?”
Alastair raised an eyebrow as he sat sucking on the ends of his chopsticks. “Yeah, sure,” he said when his mouth was no longer full. “What is it?”
“You said you’ve been exchanging emails with Valon,” the pharaoh noted. “What about Raphael? Have you heard from him since you all went your separate ways?”
Alastair’s gray eyes clouded. “No,” he replied. “I didn’t even see him after he went after you and I went after Kaiba the last time. I woke up in the hospital, they told me Kaiba brought me there…” He glanced briefly at his companion, but Kaiba was engrossed in his food. “…and I fled. I knew Dartz was done for, or I wouldn’t have regained my soul, and that meant somebody might be after me for being on his side. I just ran and never looked back.” He shook his head. “I haven’t really looked around for Raphael, but no, I haven’t heard anything about him.”
“Ah. That’s all right.” Yami shrugged to put him at ease. “I was merely curious. We parted on good terms, all things considered. As long as he chose the same path as you and Valon have.”
Alastair poked at his sushi, which he was enjoying very much. “I haven’t really thought about it. Keeping myself alive has been pretty much priority one.” He turned his attention back to Yugi. “If I do hear anything, I’ll pass it along.”
They diverted to other, more lighthearted topics after that, like what to do for
fun around Domino and how Yami adjusted to life on the outside. They were careful not to mention anything involving
magic rituals and Millennium Items too loudly, if anyone was passing near their table, but
all the other patrons in the restaurant seemed to want their own privacy just as well, and
a pleasant hubbub of activity around them kept anyone from overhearing anything they
weren’t listening for. Kaiba mostly sat
and listened while Alastair and Yugi dominated the conversation, with Yami interjecting
comments now and again, though they never talked around him.
He may not have been actively participating, but he was there, and anyone who
glanced his way found his blue eyes attentive even when he seemed to be simply nursing his
beer and thinking to himself. After a while
and a couple of drinks, though, even Kaiba began to chuckle at the occasional joke,
particularly when Yugi teased Alastair about just how much he appeared to be enjoying his
sushi. “I can’t help it, it’s
really good!” Alastair exclaimed. He
heard Kaiba’s subtle laugh and glanced his way. “Shut
up. You can’t get this in
“How were you introduced to it, then?” Yugi wondered.
“Living in
Yugi and Yami shared a wary glance, and then both looked at him. “You do know that Mai lives here in Domino, right?” Yugi asked cautiously.
Gray eyes widened. “What…?”
“She is engaged to be married, to Joey Katsuya. Our friend,” Yami explained.
Alastair’s jaw nearly hit the table. An instant later, he rounded on Kaiba. “You didn’t say anything about that!”
Kaiba blinked at him and then shrugged, though it was tough to tell if he was being smug or sincere. “I thought it was common knowledge.”
Alastair covered his eyes with a hand and sighed in exasperation, but then began to laugh. “No kidding,” he remarked after a moment. “Looks like everybody’s congregating here, more or less. Well, good for her.” He smiled warmly. “No wonder Valon never mentioned it, I know how he felt about her. Engaged, though? Boy, that’s a change from what she used to say about Katsuya.”
“It’s a very long story,” Yami said. “Perhaps they would be the best ones to tell it.”
“Yeah. I’ll have to look them up, too. You’ll have to give me their number.”
It was agreed upon, that Yugi would make sure to give Alastair Joey’s number so he could reconnect with Mai. Their acquaintance had been brief, but significant, considering what brought them together and why, so Alastair felt the need to at least catch up, if nothing else. It would be easier for Yugi, as well, for he had been wondering all day how he was going to tell his friends that another former enemy had found his way to Domino and might make his presence permanent. Though, from the way Kaiba eyed his partner over the concept of speaking to Joey, the other two guessed that there was going to be a talk or argument before any phone calls could be made. Alastair laughed it off and then hitched his chair back. “All right. I’ll be right back. If the waitress comes by, no, I don’t need any more tea,” he added as he got up.
Yami noticed Kaiba’s eyes surreptitiously shift to the side, as if to watch Alastair stride away from the table toward the restroom. The pharaoh smiled very slightly and leaned on the table so he could lower his voice to a more confidential level. “It seems to me that you and Alastair are getting along quite well, Kaiba. It’s a pleasure to see.”
Kaiba’s head turned sharply to stare at him. “What?”
Yami chuckled. “There’s no need to get defensive. I’m paying you a compliment.”
“Yeah, you guys do kind of seem right for each other,” Yugi put in. “I never really knew much about him, or what he was like, but now that I’ve spent some time getting to know him, Alastair is really cool. And he apparently really wants to be with you, so…it’s a good thing. I’m happy for you.”
Kaiba’s eyes narrowed in his direction. “I didn’t ask for your opinion on it.”
“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” Yugi smiled, unruffled by Kaiba’s usual sulking. “No matter how much you think you can get by in life being alone, you’re only human. Some part of you is always going to want to have someone else close to you, no matter how much you resist it. You may as well just go with it, because Alastair is a pretty good catch.”
“I’m not interested in talking about it,” Kaiba said curtly. “I’m here, that’s all you’re going to get out of me.”
Yami smiled as well. “Nevertheless,
know that you have our best wishes. For your
sake, I hope whatever you have lasts a long time.”
He shared a kind look with Yugi beside him; they were being good tonight, not
openly displaying their affections so as not to make Kaiba uncomfortable or call attention
to themselves in such a place. Yet, even
though they were all acting innocent and just being friendly, both the pharaoh and his
partner had noticed very subtle changes in Kaiba. The
fact that he was physically there on the double-date was the biggest shocker of them all,
though it also seemed significant to Yami that Kaiba was able to sit next to his lover in
public and not raise an eyebrow at the earlier discussion about the gay club district in
Alastair eased back into place and resumed his meal while across from him, Yugi gave his partner a hidden caress on the leg beneath the table where no one could see. “Well, you know, Alastair,” he began, deciding to use conversation to deflect attention from whatever he and Yami might be secretly up to, “if you do get this job in Tokyo, we’ll have to send you off properly. Like going out dancing, maybe.”
“Can’t wait, can you?” Alastair said with a grin. “I’d almost think you were hard-up for company, the way you keep going on about it, but you said yourself that you always end up going out with your whole little gang.”
“Well, most of the time,” Yugi admitted. “But of them, only Duke is anywhere near experienced. He knows the people at this club called Dream, he’s friends with the DJs. The rest of the group, well…” He gave Yami a cute little smile. “They do their best. But they’re not as into it as I am. I mean, Joey…”
Kaiba snorted loudly. “That has to be a sight to see. Like flailing monkeys, I’d guess.”
Yugi didn’t deny it. “Besides, it’s something you and I have in common. Something we’d all be able to do with you, before you move on.”
“Sure, I’d be up for it,” Alastair said with a casual nod. “I’ve partied in many of the best clubs in Germany and other parts of Europe, not to mention L.A., but if you’ve got anything reasonably cool here, I’m all for it.” He glanced aside at his partner and rolled his eyes a little. “We all know Kaiba would never do it. I guess I have to get my kicks with you guys instead.”
“There’s a few cool places here,” Yugi said brightly. “Dream is our favorite, but they’re opening later tonight because they’re doing one of their all-night dance-till-dawn parties. Which we usually enjoy if it happens to be on a full moon,” he added flippantly with a glance at Yami, “but it’s tonight, and the ritual ends at midnight. We’d barely get started before Yami had to go.”
“Damn,” Alastair remarked. “That’s okay. It would be fun to go out right now, tonight, but I don’t think we can.” Another derisive glance to the man beside him. “Kaiba’s had a couple beers too many, so he can’t drive us home, meaning I have to drive. And we all know he wouldn’t want to be dragged against his will to a dance club just so I can get out for a bit.”
“Ah, yeah, I guess you’re right,” Yugi sighed. “I wouldn’t want you to get stuck with an unwilling passenger. He wouldn’t have anything to do except sit in the car while we went dancing.”
Kaiba eyed first him, then Alastair, with a disconcerted frown. “I never said anything about going out after dinner.”
“You see? Can’t take him anywhere,” Alastair said with a thumb gestured at his partner. “It’s all right, Yugi. Some other time. When I don’t have to worry about taking him home. It may not be on a full moon, so I’ll miss out on your boyfriend’s company…” He grinned lazily in the pharaoh’s general direction. “But if you two can suffer with that, so can I.”
“It’s not a problem,” Yami said with a cool smile. “I’m with Yugi all the time, I can watch over him. I trust you not to make a move on him.”
“Of course not,” Alastair laughed. “Even if I don’t have someone of my own breathing down my neck and glaring at every guy I talk to. Which I won’t, I’ll leave him home. He won’t want to come anyway.”
“Excuse me,” Kaiba said with a glare. “I’m sitting right here.”
“Are you sure you can’t send him on his way and come out with us?” Yami wondered. “The three of us could go out.”
“Not after he’s had a couple beers, no.”
“Ah, right.” Yami glanced very briefly at Kaiba to see just how worked up he was getting. “It really is too bad he can’t be convinced to try it out. We’re not doing anything else tonight, it would be the perfect time to go out dancing.”
“Just my luck,” Alastair sighed, lowering his gaze to the nearly-empty tea cup in his hand. “I had to fall for such a stick in the mud. I haven’t really been out to a club in a while, I’ve been on too many jobs to stop and have some free time. The more you keep talking about it, the more I want to go. But no.” He tilted his head to indicate Kaiba. “I’m stuck with Mr. Antisocial for the night. Really, it’s okay, Yugi. We’ll do it another night.”
Kaiba suddenly shoved back his chair and stood up in the middle of them, glaring down at all three of them. “Fine, you want to go? Let’s go,” he demanded. “I’m not going to sit here and be insulted by the bunch of you. You’re talking about me as if I’m some kind of dead weight you can’t bother to be saddled with. Well, fine. You want to go out? I’ll go out. That way you can get off any way you like,” he added specifically to Alastair, “and not worry about me spoiling your fun.”
Alastair stared at him, hardly daring to believe it. “What, seriously?” he stammered. “You’ll go out dancing?”
“It’s better than sitting here while the three of you discuss me as if I’m not even here,” Kaiba growled. He pointed forcefully at Alastair. “And you are not driving my car. I’ll waste a couple of hours watching you three make fools of yourselves until I’m in the shape to drive. So there.” He finished off whatever was left in the bottle in front of him and turned to find the waitress to bring them their checks.
Alastair turned a boggled look on Yugi, who only winked surreptitiously and leaned in to whisper, “See? All it takes to get him to do something is to phrase it in the form of a challenge.” He grinned widely. “Kaiba never backs down from a challenge.” Alastair snickered in response, but then they both straightened up and pretended nothing had passed between them, for it was time to pay up and get out of there.
Dream may not have been open until late, but there were other clubs much closer to the restaurant that were, and one caught Yugi’s eye. It was an established place, but one he’d only passed by without trying out before. It featured general club dancing for a mixed crowd, nothing terribly cutting-edge or outrageous and not a single whiff of gay club atmosphere. Couples of all kinds were mingling on or around the dance floor, they noticed as they came in, and the place was big enough that they could remain completely anonymous in the crowd. That suited Kaiba just fine, for he was still trying to keep a low profile, even moreso now that he had been dragged to the last place on earth he would have chosen to be in. He rationalized it as being a way to kill time until he could drive, for even though he could handle his drink, two was two too many to be driving and he certainly didn’t want to give Alastair the satisfaction of having to drive him home. And not just because he didn’t allow anyone else to get behind the wheel of his car. He didn’t stand out at all among that particular crowd, mostly made up of cute, young, middle-class couples having a night on the town, as he was dressed down in sedate dark pants and a black button-down shirt. No one would have recognized him for the prominent figure he was. But the other three could only claim victory in getting Kaiba to set foot inside a dance club, he wasn’t going to indulge their little challenge any further than that. He stood beside a small table at the edge of the dance floor with a soda in hand to watch Alastair, Yugi, and Yami do their thing, though naturally his eyes were on Alastair the whole time.
The moment they heard music as they stepped through the doors, Alastair realized just how long it had been since he had gone out and had some fun – not to mention, how long it had been since said fun involved going out with companions. Bright-eyed Yugi and the calm, sensual pharaoh were ideal friends for a night like this, drawing him in with their smiles and enthusiasm for the music and plunging with him onto the dance floor. The loud, pounding techno had all of them under its spell in no time, and they spent a good while grooving together as a trio, grinning and playing and occasionally casting curious glances back at Kaiba at the edge of the floor. They knew he wouldn’t join him, but they had to check up on him now and again to make sure he didn’t seem to be about to either ditch them there or storm out onto the floor to drag Alastair away in a huff. Fortunately, he showed no sign of either as he stood leaning on the table, wearing his usual blank, inscrutable expression. Alastair made sure to give him a few flirty smiles over his shoulder, but apart from that, decided not to worry about him and just cut loose. He was finally getting his chance to play, like any normal young man meeting new people and exploring the local nightlife, and Kaiba’s brooding wasn’t going to weigh him down. Besides, Yugi and Yami were a lot of fun, whether they were innocently bouncing to the music or captivated by each other and giving a show of their own. Among such a crowd, it was very easy for Alastair to relax and be himself.
Kaiba silently watched from the shadows, one elbow on the table and his chin resting on his knuckles. He would have liked to be anywhere in the world but in that club, he hated the music and couldn’t stand crowds, but…somehow, Alastair had him completely entranced. There wasn’t anything bad to say about the way he moved, the sexy sway of his hips and smooth glide of his slender torso, as if his body was physically mapping out the sonic landscape of the music itself. In fact, it was really turning Kaiba on. His stare could have burned holes through anyone who dared to get in the way of his view, though the three dancers were in close enough range that they remained within sight the entire time. He managed not to say anything grouchy about the head-pounding music when the boys all took a break and came back over by him, to stand around and have something to drink, though he eyed Alastair with the usual smug distaste as he sidled up and leaned on the table beside him. Yugi had gone to purchase a couple of bottles of water, which he brought over and passed around, one for Alastair and one for him and Yami to share. “This isn’t a bad place,” he said approvingly as the pharaoh tipped back his head and drank long from the bottle. “I had my doubts, but I’m having fun.”
“Yeah, it works,” Alastair agreed, sipping more demurely. “You guys weren’t kidding. You’re really into this stuff.”
“Well you know,” Yugi said modestly. “It sounded like fun, so I gave it a try once, and…here we are.”
Their friend laughed. “And I never would have figured a pharaoh for a little raver boy.”
Yami smiled mysteriously. “Perhaps if I remembered what it was like to be a pharaoh, things might be different.”
“Yeah, I suppose.” Alastair leaned both elbows on the table so he could lean in and speak to them without shouting. “So it’s true? You have all this power and don’t remember a thing about how to use it?”
Yami shook his head slowly. “It hasn’t been an issue, so far,” he noted. “Whether or not I remember my past life hasn’t affected my ability to duel, and to win. As some here could attest,” he added with a significant look toward Kaiba.
“And as long as we’re together,” Yugi added brightly, “I don’t see that changing, ever.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Kaiba grumbled. “I don’t care if it’s one or both of you, I’m going to knock you out of your top spot one of these days. Don’t get comfortable where you are.”
“Throw another tournament and we’ll see who’s comfortable,” the pharaoh said with a daring smirk.
Kaiba sniffed arrogantly and looked away, lifting his glass to his lips. Yugi and Alastair both snickered, until the former perked up suddenly – the music had just changed, and a different song was mixing in. Yugi practically squealed to hear it. “Oo! Come on, we have to go back out for this one! I love this song!”
Yami had no chance to even consider disagreeing, for his young love grabbed him by the arm and began to drag him away from the table. Not that he wanted to protest, he recognized the song as well. “Coming?” he asked Alastair as he was being pulled away.
“In a second,” Alastair said with an aloof nod, waggling the plastic bottle in his fingers. “I want to finish this first.”
Yami nodded, and then he and Yugi were gone, swallowed up by the crowds of dancing youth. Alastair chuckled at their exuberance but made no move to join them just yet, content with standing beside Kaiba even though neither of them looked at each other or spoke for a while. At last, when there was just a mouthful of water left in his bottle, Alastair set it down and straightened up, glancing at his companion with a cool smile. “I would ask if you wanted to join me, but I’m pretty sure the answer is still no.”
“Congratulations,” Kaiba muttered. “You got the hint.”
“Aw. Embarrassed because you can’t dance?” Alastair teased. The remark earned him a glare, which he only found even funnier. “Don’t worry. I’m sure there are worse clods out on the dance floor already. It’s not really that hard to do…” He glanced aside and favored Kaiba with a sensual sort of smirk, narrowing his gray eyes. “…especially with a good teacher available.”
Kaiba held his gaze, but warily. “I’ll pass,” he said curtly.
“You sure?” Alastair continued to smirk. “Because I’d teach you if you ever wanted to. If you ever felt like loosening up and being a normal human being for a bit.” Without being asked or given permission, he took a few steps to the side and slinked up behind Kaiba, sneaking his hand around the taller man’s waist and letting it rest on his hip, just below his belt. Kaiba stiffened and straightened up instantly, but he was trapped between the table and Alastair with a hand in a very suggestive place. Alastair rested his body against Kaiba’s, tilting his head to be able to murmur in his partner’s ear. “Believe me, it isn’t hard. I bet even you could pick it up. Unless you really have no ability to relax – because that’s the first step.” His arm tightened a little, as he hugged himself into Kaiba, and rested his chin on Kaiba’s shoulder. The warm breath on the back of his neck awakened a little shiver deep inside Kaiba, though the rest of him was still tensed from surprise and discomfort. He didn’t want to do anything that would reveal himself or his relationship in public, but his body liked the close connection a little too much. Then, Alastair began to sway very gently, and pulled Kaiba’s hips back into his with that one hand on his waistline. “Come on. All you have to do is copy my movement. Do what I do. It’s the simplest thing in the world. I bet you like it.”
Kaiba highly doubted it, but there was no resisting the slow sway of Alastair’s hips against his. He had to move along with it or look even more foolish for having a young man gyrating against his rigid figure. The hand slid to center, pressing firmly on his abdomen to keep him in contact while Alastair began to move a little more forcefully, though still not as wildly as he had been while on the dance floor by himself. It was just enough for Kaiba to be able to keep up with, though he remained stiff and kept up a constant stream of internal ranting over being suckered into doing this and looking like some kind of idiot. But Alastair didn’t laugh at him. He remained quiet, calm, his slender body describing the sweep and pulse of the music and carrying Kaiba’s along with it. His hand gradually slid upward, pressing against Kaiba’s chest instead, as he molded their bodies together and let his breath tickle the back of Kaiba’s neck. To his surprise, it appeared there was a deeply suppressed sense of rhythm somewhere inside Kaiba, though it was having a hard time coming out thanks to his more powerful sense of modesty and personal discomfort with the public display. He was getting the hang of it, but there was only one way to break through his steely defense and get him to relax. Alastair let go of him and slowly peeled away, leaving his awkward partner yearning for the contact of their bodies, only to grab him by the arm and drag him away from the table. Kaiba immediately put on his customary scowl. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Alastair didn’t answer, only smiling with thinly-veiled desire as he pulled Kaiba just to the edge of the dance floor, out from behind the table and his comfort zone. There, he turned him around and slinked up to him again, facing him this time. “Just like I taught you,” he murmured, his shoulders already beginning to sway to the music. “I’ll match you.”
Kaiba became even more self-conscious out there in the open, without the safety of the table and the dark corner to protect his identity, but his partner’s proximity and the erotic undertone of the music were quickly reminding him of just how much he had been enjoying watching Alastair dance. He understood, now, what some of the draw was: it was like sex. A lot like sex. He still hated the noise and the crowd and being so exposed, being in public where someone might see him and catch him with Alastair, or worse, being shown up by the scores of dancers around him who excelled in an arena he had never tried to enter before. But his partner was right, there wasn’t much to it, at least not to enjoy the most basic of movement and the contact with Alastair’s very desirable body. For his part, a light of keen interest came into Alastair’s eyes as he realized Kaiba was not backing away, tearing himself out of his grasp, or otherwise retaliating for being drawn out of hiding and forced to play along. He was, amazingly, sort of trying. But he kept his head down and his eyes shyly averted, even though he was beginning to match Alastair’s movement. Pleased with himself over the small victory, Alastair leaned in close and murmured just loud enough to be heard over the music, “You’re so hot. I bet you have no idea how much this is turning me on.”
Kaiba gasped and then growled at being caught so unawares. “What,” he muttered, “you’re not content with just dancing? You had to force me into it?”
Alastair chuckled to himself. “I didn’t have to apply much force.” He took a hold of Kaiba’s shirt in both hands and pulled him closer, aggressively pushing their dance up another level with a twitch of his hips that his partner had to accept or else cause them both a bump and a bruise. “Come on,” he breathed, leaning in dangerously close. “I know you can do it. Just let yourself go.” He then chuckled darkly, and nodded in another direction. “Look at Yugi and the pharaoh. Look at the way they’re totally into each other, nothing else in the world matters.”
Against his better judgement, Kaiba glanced aside. Yugi and Yami were some distance away but in clear sight, dancing even more closely than Alastair was to him right now. They were completely lost in each other, cares cast off and dinner companions forgotten as they enjoyed one another, dancing like the rest of the world didn’t exist around them. Their eyes were locked on each other, their identical faces wearing the same indulgent, captivated smile, their bodies writhing in an irresistible tandem. Anyone else but Kaiba himself would have called them beautiful together, but even he had to admit that they looked like what they were doing was the greatest thing in the world. Then, he heard Alastair’s murmur in his ear again. “You see? They know how to let go. That’s when it’s really good…” The music conveniently quieted then, for a breakdown in the middle of the song, giving Alastair the moment he needed to speak. “Just let go for a minute, the world will still be there when you get back. There’s nothing you need to be doing, nowhere else you need to be, except right here, right now. Forget Seto Kaiba – you’re just a hot young man out on the town with his lover…in a dance club…having his shirt unbuttoned…” For he was doing it right at that moment, opening Kaiba’s shirt enough to expose the card locket resting on his chest and the sinewy muscles beneath. “…and you should just go with it.”
The music was beginning to swell to a crescendo, manipulating the emotions of anyone trying to dance to it, including Kaiba. As much as he wanted to argue, to brush off Alastair’s silly suggestion and slap away the hand tugging his shirt open, all protest died on his lips. Was it possible for him to forget being Seto Kaiba for one minute? He closed his eyes just as Alastair’s hips came back into contact with his and a hand slid around his waist to the small of his back, and the music exploded. Its primal tug hypnotized Seto, and he found himself absently deciding to not think about it, at least temporarily. As long as his concentration remained on the sexy body in full contact with his, swaying and writhing to the beat and pulling him along for the ride, he didn’t have to think about the rest. And for now, that was fine with him.
About then, Yami happened to glance idly aside and noticed that Kaiba had left the table – that he was actually at the edge of the dance floor and rather wrapped up with Alastair. He wore a moody expression, head down, eyes closed, but the rest of him was definitely making an attempt to match his partner step for step. It amused Yami, and he nudged his lover to have a look for himself. Yugi glanced and then grinned, and the two of them chuckled together for a moment before sharing a cute smile and suddenly dropping out of the dance. They wove their way through the crowd to where Alastair and Kaiba lurked and walked up to them, startling Kaiba and making Alastair grin selfishly. “Hey,” Yugi said to greet them. “I think Yami and I are going to call it a night. We don’t have a lot of time before midnight, and there’s a few things we want to do before then, so…we should be getting home.”
Kaiba stood looking blank and a little awkward, not sure how to react after being caught sort-of dancing by Yugi of all people. He had gone completely still and just blinked at them, his shoulder turned away to hide the fact that his shirt was gapping open more than before. Alastair took over for him, smiling and leaning over to talk to the pair while keeping one arm wrapped around Kaiba’s waist. “Sure, I don’t blame you,” he said. “I had a lot of fun tonight, thanks. It was good to meet you,” he added specifically to Yami.
The pharaoh nodded, smiling warmly. “Yes, I’m glad we had this chance.”
“We’ll have to do it again sometime,” Alastair added. “I promise.” He pointed at Yugi.
“If I get that job in
“Sure!” Yugi beamed. “Good luck tomorrow. Do your best. I hope you get what you want.”
“Thanks.”
Both Yugi and Yami glanced up at Kaiba, but he was still paralyzed by confusion and in no shape to respond, so they just smiled at him and then waved a last farewell to Alastair as they turned and passed through the crowd, sliding their arms around each other. Once they had disappeared, Alastair turned to his partner. “You want to leave, too?”
Kaiba darted a quick glance to the darkness which had engulfed the other pair. It was hard to see much beyond the swirling lights of the dance floor. “Give it a few more minutes,” he said in a low tone. “Just to be sure they’re gone.”
Alastair laughed to himself. “All right, if you insist.” He sidled up to his companion again, but the spell had been broken and Kaiba barely twitched. Yet, he kept his head lowered and close enough to Alastair’s to give him a heated look, which was returned with a daring smile. They knew what they wanted, and given a few minutes to let Yugi and Yami get far enough away so as not to run into them again, they would set off in pursuit of their desires. When he had decided it was enough, Kaiba initiated the step, simply turning and walking off through the club. Alastair glanced to make sure they hadn’t left anything at the table, but only empty drink containers remained, so he breezed off after his partner, half a step behind. On their way out the door, there was a young man in a mesh top standing in the way handing out flyers. Kaiba blatantly ignored him, but Alastair accepted when a flyer was thrust into his hand. “What’s this?” he asked reflexively.
“There’s a new club opening up next month,” the boy eagerly
explained. “
Alastair slowly began to grin. “If I’m in town, sure. You got it.” He sharply creased the paper and tucked it in a back pocket before continuing on, noting that Kaiba had paused in the doorway to glare over his shoulder at his tardy companion. Alastair decided not to share the contents of the flyer with him.
Once they passed through the small crowd gathered at the door of the club, loitering to either get in or say goodnight to friends before leaving, the streets beyond were deserted. It would take a short walk to get back to where Kaiba had parked the car, and Alastair strode comfortably at his side with a self-satisfied smile on his lips. A block away, he suddenly felt a hand on his ass and glanced, startled, to find Kaiba smirking to himself with some inner thought. The hand fairly swept Alastair around the corner into the alley, which was dark with shadow thanks to a tree blocking the nearest streetlight. The car sat quietly waiting for them, undisturbed. Alastair naturally went to the passenger side, but Kaiba followed him, and after deactivating the alarm, took him by the arm and turned him around. Though briefly confused, Alastair willingly relaxed and leaned back against the car door as Seto moved in to kiss him, finally ready to show his appreciation for the show inside the club the only way he knew how. It was a fierce, hungry kiss, full of unrestrained passion, the kind of kiss that left them both gasping for air but not enough to want to stop. The longer they kissed, the harder Kaiba pressed, until he had pushed Alastair fully back against the car door and pinned him down with hands on his arms. Alastair did not resist, though he moaned desperately against the mouth savaging his and fought to match the blistering pace Kaiba was setting. At last, the lips broke away from his only to descend on his neck instead, ravaging his throat and making him gasp out loud before biting his lip to keep from making too much noise. They were, after all, still in public, even if the neighborhood was dead and the car was parked in a shadowed alley. Then, Kaiba let go of one arm and slid his hand up under his companion’s shirt, and Alastair had to react. He pushed against Kaiba’s chest to no avail. “What are you doing?” he hissed. “Are you crazy?”
Kaiba’s immediate answer was to push him back again, leaning his weight against Alastair to keep him pinned to the car. His hand lowered to grab at the waistband of Alastair’s tight jeans. “Did you think all that teasing you were doing wasn’t having any effect?” he growled throatily.
Alastair breathed heavily. “I hoped it would,” he admitted, “but…this is a little unexpected.” He pushed himself up enough to meet his partner, nipping eagerly at the lips just barely out of his reach. Now that he had regained some of his composure, he could seduce right back. “We should get home as fast as we can,” he murmured in a low, breathy tone. “Let’s see what this sweet car can do.”
“Why wait?” Kaiba smirked at the startled stare his response evoked. He tugged Alastair off the car and held him securely by the wrist while he reached to open the door, and then directed him to take a seat. No sooner had Alastair lowered himself onto the seat with his legs still outside the car and Kaiba was on top of him, attacking his lips again while he held him trapped. Kaiba was still standing outside, and only leaning in, but his hands found good places to grip Alastair and hold him down, to prevent him from escaping or protesting. Not to be outdone, Alastair fought back, kissing ferociously and straining to keep from being thrown onto his back across both front seats. The struggle was all part of the foreplay, for as much as he resisted, Alastair wanted it just as much as Seto and was starting to take interest in the concept of doing it right there, right now. Kaiba finally rested a knee on the edge of the seat to bring himself as far into the car as he needed, and Alastair felt himself lurch as a hand snuck around behind him and found the lever to recline the seat, jerking it so the seat fell all the way back in one snap. They broke off the kiss again and stared at each other, as if to confirm that they were both in agreement to proceed, and then Kaiba placed a hand on his partner’s shoulder and gently turned him around so his forward side would be facing the reclined seat. Alastair willingly made the turn, but sat there for a moment with his weight on his hands, gazing over his shoulder at Kaiba. The darkness around them made it difficult to read his expression or gleaming eyes. Kaiba simply slid his hand down to his partner’s ass, and sneakily retrieved his wallet from his back pocket. He flipped it open and smirked to himself at what he found. “I figured you’d have one,” he murmured in evil glee as he fished out the condom packet and stuck the wallet back in place.
Alastair gave a soft chuckle. “Always prepared,” he said. “I don’t have any lube on me, though.”
With one knee still resting on the seat, Kaiba stretched back and popped open the glove compartment – there was a travel-sized bottle of hand lotion hiding inside. Alastair gave his acceptance to the arrangement with a twitch of an eyebrow, turning back to face his lover again. With the packet still tucked between two fingers, Kaiba cupped Alastair’s cheek and leaned in to kiss him hard, daringly sweeping his tongue through his mouth. A hand clenched on the loose collar of his half-buttoned shirt, making him growl eagerly deep in his throat and clutch at Alastair’s cheek harder in response. Then, the hand moved lower, hooking a couple of fingers into his belt and tugging. He dropped his own hand to Alastair’s shoulder, and then further down, snaking up under his shirt again and pushing it upward. Alastair gleefully kissed him and arched his body to accept the touch roaming up under his shirt, seeking out a nipple to tweak. His moans and soft sighs in between every kiss were driving Seto even deeper into the depths of need, making him react more aggressively, groping beneath his companion’s shirt and insinuating himself as the dominant one, pushing, taking, demanding. Then, Alastair bit his lower lip, hard, and deliberately. Kaiba gasped hard, tasted his lip to be sure the provocative bite hadn’t drawn blood, and instantly reacted. He grabbed Alastair’s shoulder again and turned him, shoving him down onto his chest on the reclined seat. Alastair barely had time to brace himself on his elbows when he felt hands groping at his belt, unfastening it and tugging down his jeans as much as possible. All he could do was fold a knee under him and try to stretch out, one foot still planted on the gravelly ground outside the open car door. He gripped the seat as he heard the jingle of the large KC belt buckle, then a zipper, and a growling sigh. A knee fell onto the corner of the seat next to him, and a hand firmly cupped his ass, pulling him into position. Preparation was swift and rather purposeful, but both men were so worked up that they didn’t mind – it had to be over fast or they’d lose the ferocity of their mutual arousal. Alastair closed his eyes as a hand thudded onto the reclined back of the seat, next to his arm, expecting to be instantly and powerfully violated, but the moistened fingers that had prepared him went first, probing inside him with quick, short strokes. He lost control of his voice and let out a gasping cry, at which Kaiba stopped and leaned in close. “Watch it!” he hissed. “Do you want somebody to find us?”
“Sorry,” Alastair panted. “Won’t happen again. But don’t stop. God…don’t stop…”
Kaiba had no intention of doing so, but he withdrew his fingers and shifted himself up to be able to take the next step. Like Alastair, he was braced on one knee with the other foot on the ground outside, and doing his best not to accidentally kick the gear shift if things got too rough. His whole body covered Alastair’s, but for one hand which enthusiastically groped his partner, backside and forward, delighting in the feel of the erection jutting out from his hastily-dropped jeans. Alastair stretched himself out and lowered his chest to the seat, curling his arms under his head and gripping tightly to the edges of the headrest as Kaiba positioned him, and then himself, and pushed inside. Alastair clamped his mouth shut to stop himself from making any sort of noise, but for the moans in his throat which could be muffled by the perfect acoustic interior of the expensive sports car. Kaiba leaned low over him and held onto his shoulder, bracing his other hand on the seat beneath them before beginning to thrust. His body molded to the slender one beneath him exactly as it had in the dance club, and the plunge of his hips rather resembled his earlier attempts at dancing. The two of them fell nearly silent but for long, heavy breaths, coming almost in unison, as Kaiba pushed forward and back, in and out, abandoning himself to the motion and the ripples of pleasure brought by the friction of his cock inside Alastair. Alastair’s back flexed, and his head tipped up, glancing back just enough to let Kaiba see his profile, his lips parted for panting breath, his eyes closed, a look of pure ecstasy on his face. It prompted Seto to quicken his pace, to shorten his thrust, and to wrap his arm around beneath Alastair’s chest to hold tightly to him and keep him in place to be fucked good and hard. Alastair let out a hard gasp as he felt himself being pulled into Kaiba, and pushed back, rocking back into the cock plunged deep into him. Both were moving faster, breathing harder, driving each other to the brink. It wasn’t long after that Kaiba suddenly trembled, and the arm around his partner’s chest stiffened, yanking him back hard. Desperate and eager, Alastair tilted his hips up, seeking more – he hadn’t come yet, even though Kaiba obviously had. The arm clenched around him picked him up from the seat just enough, and Seto’s other hand slunk down to stroke him off the rest of the way. The combined sensations did their work, and finally, Alastair slumped onto hands and knees, his body shaking from the strain, his lover’s sheathed cock still buried in his ass. They had to get up and get out of there, dispose of the incriminating evidence and zip themselves up, screech away on high-performance tires, but Kaiba allowed them a minute or two for rest, in which his body remained curled around Alastair’s as if to discover just how well they matched each other.
Not far away, closed in his room in the upper part of the house, Yugi was also reaping the benefits of an evening’s playful dancing. He lay sprawled in his bed with his lover on top of him, rocking deep, doing their best not to wake Grandpa Muto down the hall with their enthusiasm. His arms lay over his head, his wrists lashed together with coils of purple satin rope. His wet lips glistened in the pearly moonlight falling down on them through the skylight, its full face playing witness to the culmination of the ritual its presence allowed them to conduct. Yami was in rare form, wild and excited and passionate and dominant, and the play-ropes were getting their best workout yet. Yugi opened his eyes hazily to look up at the face above him, so alike to his and yet so different, and shared a smile with the lover gazing back at him. No matter how they spent their day, or with who, all that mattered was getting to end it this way. Yugi picked up his bound hands and looped them around Yami’s neck, capturing him in turn, and they paused to grin at each other before picking up where they left off. Midnight hadn’t come yet, so they were going to take full advantage of every minute.