Queer as Tachi – Chapter 97
When the gang at Yugi’s had finally stuffed themselves just about enough, Yugi ducked into the kitchen and triumphantly returned with a chocolate cake for dessert, which was received with a number of wide-eyed stares, sighs of delight, and good-natured ribbing about it not being strawberry-related for once. The latter comment earned Tristan an adorable pout from his friend. “I don’t always go for strawberry,” Yugi insisted. “I happen to rather like chocolate a lot, too. So, that’s what I chose this time.”
“You have to admit, though,” Duke put in, in his boyfriend’s defense, “it’s been a while since you picked chocolate over strawberry.”
“I can’t help it if I have a favorite,” Yugi sniffed. “When it’s your party, you get to pick.”
“Oh, believe me, I will,” Duke snickered. “Which reminds me – I know Joey and the others aren’t here to have their say in it, but what do you think of doing something for the seijinshiki? After all, everyone except Mai came of age this past year. We ought to have the party to end all parties.”
“Yeah, I was kind of thinking about that myself,” Yugi admitted. “I think we should.”
“I’m up for it,” Tristan agreed. “Just make sure to pick a night when we can all get off work or school.”
“That’s becoming harder than it used to be,” Yugi said in chagrin as he took a knife to the chocolate-on-chocolate cake. “But I think we can do it. It’s what, the second Monday in January? That’s far enough ahead that we can all clear our schedules, right?” He lifted a clever smile to his grandfather at the end of the table. “Can I work the morning shift that day, Grandpa?”
Grandpa Muto chuckled. “Sure, Yugi. But that means I won’t get to party with you.”
“Aw, sorry Grandpa. But somebody has to run the shop – and I can’t party either if that’s me.” Yugi giggled and resumed cutting the cake, dishing out large slabs of chocolate decadence for each of his friends. No one turned it down. Though the boys had eaten their fill of the hearty meal, they had enough room left for such a dessert, and appropriately swooned over it. At last, they all sat back and nursed their drinks or nipped crumbs and flakes of chocolate from the edges of the cake that was left, talking enthusiastically of the food and other such deep subjects. Grandpa Muto eventually pushed himself to his feet and declared that he was going to start the cleanup, choosing to handle it himself so Yugi could spend time with his friends. He waved off any offer to help, saying he needed the exercise to work off all that food and cake. Yugi nearly got up to help anyway, but got the glare that he knew too well signaling that he should relax and let his grandfather take care of it. Though he felt a little sheepish just sitting there while his grandfather carried dishes into the kitchen, he sat back and sighed in satisfaction. “Well,” he said with some finality, “another holiday dinner completely erased from the table.”
“That was good,” Tristan groaned with some delight. “You can cook me a fancy dinner anytime, Mr. Muto.”
Grandpa Muto smirked at him as he loaded his arms with more plates. “You’re welcome, Tristan. But all I’m going to give out is my recipes.”
“I might want to have a look at your book,” Marik said before he could depart the room. “That was all so very good.”
“Well, then! Maybe before you leave, I’ll let you do that.” Grandpa winked and disappeared.
“We’re not getting kicked out yet, are we?” Duke whined. “I’m too full to move.”
“No way,” Yugi giggled. “I want you guys to stay as long as you can. We don’t get to hang out all together much anymore, everybody’s been so busy. I want to sit around and play games and stuff, as long as you guys want.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Marik said. “I’m all for it. Maybe another cup of tea, first…”
Yugi got up and overcame his grandfather’s insistence that he could handle it all himself, going to the kitchen to refresh everyone’s drinks before settling back down to chat around the mostly-empty table. “Well, it’s been that time of year,” Duke was saying. “You guys in school had exams, most of the rest of us work in retail. Tristan’s just about the only one who didn’t see anything different at work just because it was a holiday.”
“Even so,” Marik said, “taking the time out despite being busy to spend time with each other was what got me through. And Ryo was very sweet to me.” He favored his boyfriend with a cute smile, which was reflected back to him.
“You can’t really go wrong with that,” Yugi teased them both. “At least the school term is over, and you have a little breathing room before the next one starts.”
“Indeed,” Bakura agreed with him. “But it’s kind of got me thinking. Perhaps next term I’ll take it easier on myself. Not burden myself with so many classes, so I can have some free time.”
Everyone, including Marik, turned surprised and interested eyes to him. “Really, Bakura?” Yugi pressed. “I think that sounds like a great idea. But you’re in a tough year, aren’t you?”
“The year is only as tough as I choose to make it, by the classes I take,” Ryo reasoned. “I concentrated so hard on catching up, to make up for starting a year late, but that was probably tougher than the classes I’m entering now. I would really like to be able to have some time to myself for once.” His cheeks flushed faintly. “If for no other reason, than to spend my evenings with Marik.”
Marik sweetly smiled his acceptance of the idea. Duke leaned on the table. “Can you afford to do that? It won’t affect your fast-track to getting out of school or anything?”
Ryo shrugged. “Well, yes, if that was what I still wanted. I haven’t decided for sure, yet, what I want to do. I know how important it is that I keep up my studies, but…I would rather have less homework. I’m starting to see that there are more important things in life.”
“No argument here,” Tristan grinned.
“That seems like a rather big decision to make,” Yugi mused. “You’ve always been a better student than any of us, and I thought you liked anthropology.”
Bakura’s gaze lowered to the tabletop in front of him. “Well, you see…there aren’t many career choices for an anthropologist, outside of academic research. I’ve been wondering, based on the kinds of experiences I’ve had over the past couple of years, whether I want to stay in the academic community for the rest of my life.”
The eyes on him turned sympathetic and curious. Marik leaned closer to him, sliding a hand over the one in Bakura’s lap to hold and caress it. “But you’ve spent so much time building up your academics to this point. What else would you do, if you suddenly changed direction?”
“That’s the problem…I don’t really know.” Ryo sighed heavily.
“In order to make it and stay at the front of the field, I can’t stop
with just one degree, I really ought to go on to graduate level and perhaps even get a
doctorate. But I don’t have the money to
do that.” He glanced briefly at his
boyfriend with a helpless smile. “Yes,
with Marik living with me now, it’s a lot easier to make ends meet and I have a
little spending money. It’s nice. But even if I were to start saving all of that
spare change now, by the time I graduate it still won’t be enough to continue my
education.” He frowned and flopped his
hands down on the table in front of him. “My
only hope is to take on an extra degree now, and make excellent grades in everything, as
well as secure a position with the graduate research department before I even finish
school. That would make me eligible for a
grant or a scholarship, perhaps even to a school in
Marik gave a soft sigh. “You really have been thinking about this, haven’t you?” he murmured.
Ryo nodded. “More than you know. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you about it…I wasn’t ready, yet. I’m still sort of…stewing over all of it.”
“It’s all right.” Marik rubbed his back encouragingly. “You should choose what you want, not what you think is ‘right’ or something. If that path in life isn’t going to keep you happy, I’m not going to hold you to it. And I’m not just saying that because I’d love more free time with you,” he added smartly. It made Ryo chuckle, just as he wanted.
Yugi smiled hopefully. “Well, maybe there’s something else out there for you. Like how…I’ve read that some advertising companies are hiring psychologists to help them figure out how to make their ads appeal to people. Maybe there’s some kind of equivalent in a different field where they could use your knowledge.”
Ryo gave him an exasperated smile. “I don’t know, Yugi. That’s a bit of a stretch. But I suppose it bears looking into.”
Yugi reached across the table and clasped his friend’s hand supportively. “You’re very smart, Bakura. You’ve always been, and I’ve always admired you for that. I’m sure there has to be something out there that would fit you, that could make use of how smart you are without actually being some stuffy anthropology research thing.”
“Yeah, look at Tristan,” Duke offered. “Back when we were all in school, he never even dreamed of doing something so out-there as working at a TV station, but he loves it now. He just needed to get out and take a chance.”
“It’s true,” Tristan nodded. “Take it from me. There’s a lot of choices out there in the world that you probably haven’t ever heard of.”
“You know I’ll help you in any way I can,” Marik said adoringly.
Ryo tilted his head and made a show of thinking, coyly. “Well, perhaps I could look around, and see what’s out there. But in the meantime…” He glanced to his partner. “I do think I’ve earned at least one semester with less schoolwork. Perhaps I’ll take this one easy, and by spring, I may have a better idea of where I want my future to lead.”
“Works for me.” Marik slung an arm around his shoulders and hugged him to his side. “I’m touched that you’re willing to back off on your schooling in order to keep some stability in our relationship. I don’t think that would be wrong for any reason.”
“What about your sister?” Tristan asked him. “Doesn’t she have connections in
“Tristan, that’s archeology, not anthropology,” Yugi groaned, while the others giggled.
Marik laughed, but then sat up in interest. “That’s
not such a bad idea,” he remarked. “I
could talk to Ishizu, she has credentials with the university in
“Live together in
“We’ll talk about it later,” Marik assured, smiling. “Something like that will take a lot more discussion, and I don’t think we should bring down the mood here tonight.”
“You’re not bringing down the mood,” Yugi assured. “We’re your friends, Bakura. We all want the best for you.”
Ryo waved his hand patiently. “It’s all right. I don’t have to make any decisions on the spot or anything. But that does give me a bit more to think about.” He showed his boyfriend his appreciation by snuggling against him, accepting the arms that came around him to hold him. “So, what about those games you were talking about, Yugi?”
“Oh, but there’s one thing to do before games,” Yugi chuckled. “Presents!”
He hopped up to fetch the small gifts that he had gotten for each of his friends. “Oh, I didn’t realize we were exchanging presents,” Ryo fretted. “I’m afraid I don’t have any to give out.”
“That’s okay,” Yugi assured him as he came back and sat down, scattering the small boxes and envelopes on the table. “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want people to feel obligated. I just felt like getting everybody something because I love all of you, and I wanted to.”
“Yeah, we brought a few things too,” Duke admitted while Tristan got up and disappeared down the front stairs to get something from a jacket pocket. “But we cheaped out – everything’s from both of us.”
“Aw, that’s so cute,” Yugi teased him.
“I heard that,” Tristan warned as he returned.
The gifts weren’t anything lavish, mostly cards and other little items, easing Bakura’s mind just enough. He would have liked to reciprocate, but as Yugi intended, there wasn’t a great feeling of obligation on account of the trinkets being so insignificant. It was merely Yugi’s chance to show all his friends that he cared, and to make himself happy by making them happy. There were a couple of extra ones for Marik, on account of his recent birthday, making him blush and have to shyly thank everybody for being so considerate of him. At least, as duelists, they all knew to appreciate cards from each other. Discussing them and where to place them in their respective decks steered the conversation to games again, providing the perfect segue to actually playing a few. Duke sat up and pulled something out of his back pocket. “Actually, I just got this in the other day,” he explained, setting a small box onto the table. “It’s a card game from the States that’s supposed to be good for parties. They’re trying to market it over here, see if it loses anything in the translation. I figured, hey – I got a party right here I can try it at.”
“Well, sure,” Yugi enthused. “Let’s give it a try. How do you play?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t really read the rules yet,” Duke grinned.
“Well, now is as good a time as any,” Marik figured, reaching to open the box, slide out the cards, and find the rules sheet.
“I hope it isn’t lame,” Duke said. “If it is…sorry, in advance.”
“If it’s not,” Yugi added, “let me know where you got it. Maybe we’ll try selling it here, too.”
Duke smirked. “Deal.”
By this time, Grandpa Muto had finished some of the dishes and cleanup in the kitchen, so he came out to the living room and sat to watch the boys lounge around the table and play card games all afternoon. Their youthful energy kept him young, or so he liked to say, and he considered it his pleasure to keep their hot drinks refilled and taunt them from his spectator seat while they tried to figure out the American card game. None of them had anywhere else to be, anyone else to see, they were free to spend the rest of the day at Yugi’s, nibbling on candy and playing games to their hearts’ content. So that was what they did.
Things were not going so well for Joey and Mai, at least on an emotional level. No actual fights broke out, but dinner remained a somewhat tense occasion that managed to wander into awkward moments now and then, from which the participants had to keep extracting themselves. Though he had been fairly silent and unobtrusive at the start, Mai’s father became the primary source of irritation over the course of dinner. Joey had guessed just from sizing him up visually at the moment of their meeting that he was the gruff, belligerent kind, and prepared himself not to give the man any reason to turn that abrasive personality on him, but as time went on, such a plan became impossible to execute. Mai’s mother seemed to be treating her daughter as if nothing had ever gone wrong, but her earnest desire to converse with everyone and find out as much as she could about Joey forced him to dredge up just the kind of information that Mr. Kujaku needed to form his opinion on his daughter’s fiancé. There wasn’t anything Joey could say about going to school, becoming a teacher, or being a top-ranked duelist who won grand prize money in tournaments that Mai’s father couldn’t somehow turn around and make out to be a complete waste of his life. Mai’s mother gave up and tried to direct more of her conversation to Mrs. Kawai, since her husband seemed not to want any part of their talk, but asking about her ex-husband was just the wrong thing to do. Mrs. Kawai fumbled out as polite an answer as she could to put an end to it right away, but it had already done the worst, leaving them all feeling that much more awkward – and Mrs. Kujaku with her foot in her mouth. Serenity decided after a while to just keep quiet and not give anyone a reason to say anything dumb to her, concentrating on her very delicious Italian meal instead. At least Mrs. Kujaku was excited enough about the wedding to make it her primary topic of conversation when all others got derailed. “Well, it isn’t as though I haven’t been to a Western-style wedding,” she said demurely to her daughter. “I’ve just never been the mother of the bride before! I’ll have to look into the etiquette of what to wear. Wouldn’t want to upstage you or anything,” she added with a chuckle.
Mai did her best not to roll her eyes. “I’m sure you’ll be fine, Mom. You can wear a nice dress or something more traditional – I’m not making any rules for anybody.”
“I suppose I’ll have to make sure my best kimono is clean and mended,” Joey’s mom quietly murmured to him with a smile.
The topic finally got Serenity’s attention. “Oo, what kind of dress do I get to wear, Mai?”
Mai favored her with a sweet smile. “Remind me when we get back home, I’ll show you pictures of the ones I’m looking at. I emailed them to Téa to get her opinion, too. You can help me decide.”
“Cool!” Serenity chirped.
“Oh, Mai, darling,” her mother interrupted, “you did get the list of people we’d like to invite…?”
“Yes, Mom, I got it a while ago,” Mai patiently assured her. “The invitations are already at the printer, they’re going to get mailed out after the first of the year.”
“Because your great-aunt will simply be crestfallen if she isn’t invited,” her mother prattled on. “She may not be able to make it in, she’s deathly afraid of the shinkansen after those derailments last year in the city, but it would be nice if she could know that she’s welcome…”
“It’s all taken care of,” Mai promised, not saying any more than that.
Mrs. Kawai turned to her son. “How are you handling all of this…craziness, Joey?”
“Me? Oh…it’s not so bad,” Joey shrugged, poking idly at his plate. Despite his reputation for an insatiable appetite and the stellar quality of the food, he had hardly eaten anything. “Mai’s taking care of most of it. Not that I don’t wanna help…it’s just, we both know I got a lot of studying to do, to keep my grades up.”
Mr. Kujaku eyed him down the table. “What, struggling your way through school?”
Joey straightened up and stared him right back. “Actually, sir,” he said with forced politeness, “it’s going just fine. Thing is…the better my grades at the end of next term, the better position I’ll be in to have my pick of student teaching jobs. I’d rather have my choice than be stuck with whatever everybody else passed over.”
Mr. Kujaku was not remotely placated. He rested his elbow on the table and picked up his wineglass as he further wondered, “And that’s all the more ambition you have, is it?”
Mai shot her father a withering glare, but didn’t know whether speaking up in Joey’s defense would help or hurt matters. Fortunately, Joey was ready with a comeback of his own. “It’s better than thinkin’ I’m all that and getting a rude awakening on graduation day. The job I got now is only supposed to get me through school, not be a career.”
Mai’s mother casually wondered, “How much do you make if you’ve cut back working for the sake of school?”
“Mother!” Mai glared across the table at her, fuming at her tactless question. “That’s not the kind of thing you just ask someone at dinner!”
“Well, I just want to make sure he’s not taking advantage of you, Mai,” her mother exclaimed, taken aback. “After all, if you’re shouldering the burden while he coasts through school…”
“Joey is not ‘coasting through school,’” Mai countered. “He’s working hard, and it just so happens that my job pays really well, so he can afford to spend more nights at home studying instead of being out on the night shift stocking warehouses. And for your information,” she added, belatedly addressing an issue that she had let slide earlier, “I really like my job! I’m a managing editor at the magazine, that’s not a small thing. I fly around the world on photoshoots and meet celebrities. It’s just right for me and I like it.”
Joey shot her a sneaky grin, glad to see her stick up for herself. Mai’s mother gaped and blinked, and then tried to smooth her ruffled feathers by resuming her meal. “You know I only want the best for you,” she said hurriedly. “That’s all. You’re my baby girl, Mai…I still want to look out for you.”
“And the best way you can do that is by trusting that I know what I want, and have a brain in my head to be able to get it my way,” Mai said firmly. “What Joey and I have chosen for our lives together has no bearing on you or your life, so just let me go my way. I’m really happy, for once in my life. Can’t I at least have that?”
The table fell silent for a moment. Serenity kept her head down and her fork moving. Joey caressed his fiancé’s knee under the table again. “It’s okay, Mai. You don’t have to prove nothin’ to nobody. I’m with ya.”
Mai let out a huge sigh and nodded, glancing at him. “Thanks, Joey.” She leaned over to kiss him, aware that it was in front of everybody and wanting it that way. “I can always count on you, can’t I?”
“’Course you can,” he said with a confident grin. “That’s what I’m here for.”
Another short silence lapsed, until Joey’s mother saved them with a pleasantly well-timed query for her son. “Joey…how are your friends doing? Yugi, and Tristan? I only met them once but they seemed like such nice boys. I know Serenity has been in touch with them, especially Téa,” she added with a smile for her shy daughter.
Joey nodded and smiled. “They’re doin’ all right. Yugi co-owns the game shop with his grandpa, now. Tristan’s got a new job at the TV station here in town. I told you they’re gonna stand up with me in the wedding, right?”
His mom nodded back. “Yes, that’s why I asked about them. It will be nice to see them again.”
“They’re all together today having their own party,” Joey added with a wistful pout. “I miss ‘em, but family was more important this time. ‘Sides, I went and saw Yugi last night. We hung out, swapped presents. All the fun stuff.”
“Are these more of your…duelist friends?” Mai’s father wondered, mostly to her.
Mai lowered her gaze shyly. “Joey’s friends are my friends, Dad. They’re the best friends I’ve ever had – the only real friends I’ve ever had. It’s because of them, as much as Joey, that I decided to settle down here.”
“I suppose we’ll meet them at your wedding,” Mr. Kujaku snorted into his wineglass.
Joey glanced at Mai once more, noting how anything her father said to her brought her back to a closed-off, intimidated mood, her usual fire of independence nearly snuffed out. All he could do right now, for the sake of civility in public, was give her hand a squeeze for support. As much as he wanted to stand up to the man, and call him out on the way he was treating everybody, not just Mai, he wasn’t stupid. This wasn’t the time or the place, and it would jeopardize all their wedding plans for which Mai’s parents were paying. At least he was only getting sniped at verbally, Mr. Kujaku wasn’t ready to pounce on him in public just yet. There was only so much Joey could take, though, and he silently hoped to himself that Mai’s father would not push him to the breaking point here, today, on what was supposed to be a family day. He contented himself with the assurance that the man had probably had too much to drink and was only acting out, and quietly grumbled to himself about making sure that didn’t happen at the wedding in May. For the sake of everyone he cared about at that table, Joey chose to be the better man, and quietly endured the tension to the best of his ability.
Dinner at the Kaiba estate was just as fabulous as anywhere else that day, leaving the brothers and their guest pleased and satisfied as they retired to the sitting room to finally exchange those gifts they had left piled on the table near the fireplace. To Seto’s chagrin, Alastair had gotten Mokuba a cool new video game that his brother had refused to buy unless he kept his marks up in school. Mokuba cackled in triumph, that he had been able to worm the game out of his brother’s boyfriend instead, though one look at his partner’s face made Alastair wonder if he had overstepped his bounds. He decided to attempt to placate Kaiba with his gift, and sat back languidly to watch his lover’s face as he pried open the box and lifted out a gorgeous black silk robe. Kaiba seldom registered strong emotions, even surprise, but there was definitely a curious and interested flicker in his blue eyes. Alastair shrugged. “It was about time I made up for the bathrobe I kind of accidentally stole from you when I moved into my own flat. The one you gave me got mixed up in my things, and I keep meaning to give it back, but…” He began to smile slyly. “I think this one’s better, personally.”
Kaiba sat for a moment and fingered the soft, slinky fabric, checking the label – pure silk, after all. “It’s nice,” he murmured.
“Oo, fancy,” Mokuba teased him. “You’ll definitely look as rich as you are, walking around the house on weekends in that.”
Kaiba fixed his little brother with a quelling look. “Just give him your gift, already.”
Alastair chuckled as Kaiba set the box aside and Mokuba hopped up to hand over the gift he had personally picked out for Alastair. “I hope they’re the right size,” he warned.
Wondering already, Alastair tore off the paper (obviously wrapped at a department store, it was too nice for Mokuba to have done it) and found himself the recipient of a new pair of warm leather driving gloves for riding his bike in the winter. It was definitely a thoughtful gift, one he could use, for he had only one pair and it wasn’t suited for cold weather. He thanked the younger brother profusely for it, even as his partner rose from beside him and disappeared for a moment. He and Mokuba were still talking about riding motorcycles in adverse weather when Kaiba returned, prowling silently around the corner of the couch and sitting back down in his place, but perched on the edge of the seat rather than relaxing back. It made Alastair glance curiously toward him, and he found the young CEO looking uncharacteristically nervous. At least, as nervous as Kaiba could ever look; he seemed simply as stoic and solemn as usual, but for the way he kept his blue eyes averted and his hands clasped on his knee. Before Alastair could ask, he spoke up. “I didn’t get you anything practical,” he complained, his voice low. “I just…don’t want you to get too excited. It’s not meant to be as significant as it might look, it’s not like I’m making any kind of…promises to you, but…it does mean something to me.”
A slight smile curved the corner of Alastair’s mouth. “Come on. Stop being so cryptic and let’s have it. I’ll reserve my judgement.”
Kaiba closed his eyes and breathed a short sigh, and finally opened his hands to reveal a somewhat large jewelry box, the size that would hold perhaps a watch or an expensive necklace. Alastair’s brow twitched in surprise, but he took the box and opened it gently, waiting to see what it was before reacting. Inside lay a gold-edged Duel Monsters card…no, a card locket, just like the ones Seto and Mokuba both wore, with a loop at the top for a braided leather cord and a gilded clasp holding it shut. Astonished, Alastair picked it up and pressed the clasp to open the locket, where he discovered a rather recent photo of the Kaiba brothers, Seto looking as stern and superior as always, Mokuba grinning. He couldn’t help but be amazed and touched, no matter what Kaiba had said – this gift did indeed have meaning. “Seto,” he breathed, caressing the edge of the locket with his thumb. “I don’t believe this…”
“And look what else!” Mokuba enthused. Alastair glanced up; the younger Kaiba pulled his locket from under his shirt and opened it to show that he had added a photo of Alastair to his locket along with the one of Seto – none other than the photo taken on his cell phone beside the pool back in September. Alastair stared, and then glanced sharply to see Kaiba, beside him, also holding out his locket, also bearing a photo of Alastair tucked inside. “See?” Mokuba continued. “It’s kind of our way of saying you’re part of our family, now.”
“Yours is a little smaller than ours,” Kaiba said quietly, snapping his locket shut and tucking it back under his sweater. “I know you don’t like wearing anything so large and flashy, so I took that into consideration. Not to mention, yours isn’t a key card to important KaibaCorp secrets like ours are – it’s just jewelry.” He kept his gaze lowered, focusing on the locket resting in Alastair’s palm instead of on him. “Twelve-carat gold with a ceramic inlay, for the card design. Nothing cheap.”
Still gazing at the picture inside his locket, Alastair gave a long sigh. How many times was his heart going to do that weird clenching thing in his chest today? “Thank you,” he said softly, closing the locket with a small click and clasping it in both hands, holding it to his chest for a moment. “I don’t care what you say, I know what it means. I’ll wear it with pride, Seto.” He lifted his gaze and smiled warmly at Kaiba, who was eyeing him warily just in case he was about to face rejection. “Thanks.”
A slight blush rose to color Seto’s cheeks as he looked away again. The gift was his way of saying what he felt without having to actually say the words, but it had left him hoping that the message was not too ambiguous. Seeing Alastair take the locket and actually put it on, right then and there, assured him that everything had gone as planned. The three of them chatted for a short time, but eventually, Mokuba declared that he wanted to go upstairs and try out his new video game. “Besides,” he added as he collected the empty gift boxes and set them aside, “I know you guys want your space for a little bit. You don’t need me sitting here staring at you the whole time.”
“All right,” Alastair chuckled, “but don’t stay up there all night. You should be here with your family.”
“I know.” Mokuba grinned and bounced away, leaving the other two alone with each other.
Alastair relaxed back into the couch and looked down to settle the new card locket just right against his cable sweater, liking the gleam of the room’s warm light on the gold. Kaiba remained where he was, an arm’s length away, his gaze turned absently toward the windows on either side of the fireplace growing indigo with the rush of twilight and then darkness beyond. Neither of them broke the silence for a few minutes, leaving Alastair with nothing to do except stare at the flickers of gas-powered flame between the fake logs in the fireplace. At last, Seto spoke heavily. “Why is it, after how many months we’ve been together, suddenly I can’t find the words to say?”
A light chuckle hummed in his partner’s throat. “Too much sentiment all at once.” He reached up and touched the locket resting on his chest. “It’s nice, though. I appreciate it.”
Kaiba sat back a little and rested his arm on the back of the couch, opening himself up in invitation but saying nothing further. Alastair glanced at him, and then sidled closer, turning towards him. They were finally close enough to share what both desired, but it still took a moment or two for them to work up the courage to lean in and seek each other’s kiss. Kaiba felt the soft brush of fingertips on his cheek, and opened his eyes just enough to see Alastair reaching for him, to admire his glistening, wet lips for a moment before descending in for more. They only kissed for a short time, though, and then Alastair pushed himself up and shifted around so he could lean against Seto, falling into the arms which came around him and held him. They both sat in silence for a very long time, both staring into the fire, their hands finding convenient spots on knees or shoulders or the backs of hands to caress idly. As time drew on, Kaiba pulled Alastair even closer, wrapping him in his arms, seeking warmth and comfort in him as much as he might have been doing the same in return. He rested his chin on Alastair’s shoulder, and closed his eyes with a contented sigh when he felt lips gently brush his cheek. The moment, mood, and setting reminded him so much of their trip to Hokkaido – not the wild, passionate parts, but the quiet parts, the parts that had him speaking and behaving somewhat outside his usual pattern. He made no excuses to himself, he was at the point where he could accept things that were happening to him simply because they were, and some part of him wanted them. He wanted to sit there forever with Alastair’s familiar weight against him, breathing in his scent and perhaps even falling asleep together with him, but a part of him still twitched in nervousness. The locket was a deeply personal gift, the kind he wasn’t quite ready to give, and yet he had, using it as a way to tell Alastair what words failed to. That tiny shiver of discomfort kept Kaiba from fully enjoying where he was, and even drove him to nudge Alastair so he could get up. Alastair remained seated, just watching, as Kaiba got to his feet and meandered towards the fireplace, going to lean one elbow on the mantel. The gentle voice behind him made him close his eyes, ashamed at his sensitivity. “Too much sentiment?” Alastair wondered.
“It isn’t…” Kaiba heaved a sigh, not sure what he wanted to say. “I’m not sentimental by nature, you know that,” he tried again. “But…some things just need to be said.”
Alastair pushed himself off the couch and stepped over to join him by the fire. “You’re also not the type to waste words, or gestures. Nothing you do is wasted energy.” He set his hand on Kaiba’s back. “It doesn’t matter if it’s sentimental. You’re allowed to do it once in a while.” He smirked as his partner turned to look at him. “I won’t tell anyone you have a soft side.”
Kaiba turned fully to him, and placed his hands on Alastair’s waist. “It’s just…I can’t get rid of you. You’re in my life, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change anytime soon. It’s time I accepted that.”
“It feels good to be accepted.” Alastair stepped closer, leaning his head on his partner’s shoulder and closing his eyes in contentment as the arms curled even tighter around him. He put his arms around Seto’s shoulders and clung to him for a long while, as they both sank into each other and allowed themselves the guilty pleasure of cuddling that their respective personalities would not own up to in more sober moments. It was a nice position to be in, with the room silent around them and darkness falling quickly outside, leaving the room soaked in romance thanks to the flickering half-light of the fire. To be certain, both young men were only holding back the riot of confusing thoughts and emotions each was privately pondering, so as not to ruin the mood by bringing up anything deep worth talking about. Yet, the restlessness of his mind made Kaiba sigh, which in turn made Alastair lift his head, chuckling a little at the abrupt heave of the body against which he rested. “Everything okay?” he casually wondered.
Blue eyes glanced his way, betraying some of Kaiba’s inner turmoil in their shimmering depths. His expression remained stoic, neither cracking a smile nor frowning over a problem. “I was thinking…”
“I guessed that much.”
The pensive gaze did not waver. “I’ve always cared, you know.”
Alastair blinked. “Uh…what?”
“Since the beginning.” Kaiba eased away just enough for them to stand facing each other, to confront each other if need be. But his eyes assured his partner that this wasn’t the start of another confrontation. “Not…this past spring. I mean the first time we squared off.” His brow furrowed slightly. “I wouldn’t have offered my help if I didn’t care.”
Alastair held his gaze for a long moment, puzzling out this revelation. At last, he breathed a firm sigh. “You know…I think I always knew that,” he murmured. “Some part of me did. Maybe that’s why I came looking for you after all this time.” He shook his head slightly. “I remember you saying that, too. Even though my head was swimming, and I could hardly see straight, that stuck with me. I couldn’t fathom why you’d say you’d help me when I was doing my best to destroy both you and Mokuba.” He peered at his companion. “What would you have done, anyway? You didn’t believe what was going on so you wouldn’t have willingly given up your soul to me like I wanted…”
Kaiba lowered his eyes. “I don’t know,” he said quietly. “I don’t think there’s anything I could have done to help, even if you had accepted the offer.”
“Then why did you offer it?”
“Because I had to.” Kaiba bit back his response and tried again, more gently. “I wanted to. Does there have to be any better reason than that?”
“No,” Alastair agreed with another shake of his head. “It’s all right. You still ended up helping me anyway, whether you intended to or not.” He closed his eyes and leaned in close, but stopped short of actually kissing Seto. “I have a new life, after all, it just took me a little longer to get to it.”
The faintest smile came into Kaiba’s eyes, and he bent his head to bestow the kiss that was waiting for him. They stopped there, though, preferring to fall against each other once more and simultaneously sigh as if coming to perfect agreement on the conversation which abruptly ended.
Kaiba heard the shuffle of slippers and lifted his head, finding Mokuba creeping into the sitting room as stealthily as he could. Seeing as he was caught, the younger Kaiba brother relaxed and made his way over as casually as he could, smiling when both heads turned to regard him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said. “I just thought…Alastair was right. I don’t want to hide out all alone in my room all night when you’re down here. It’s not right.”
“I don’t think you’re interrupting,” Alastair said kindly, though he didn’t extract himself from Seto’s arms just because Mokuba had shown up. “We’re not doing anything outrageous.”
“I know. I peeked before I came in, just in case.” Mokuba grinned unashamedly. “You said this was supposed to be a family holiday; so, here I am. I wanna be with my family. I can play video games anytime. It’s really cool, though,” he added for Alastair’s benefit. “Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
“And…I’m sorry about before,” Mokuba went on. “For making you talk about your family when you didn’t want to. I didn’t mean to make you upset.”
“It’s not that I didn’t want to…” Alastair glanced at Kaiba, stepping back to withdraw himself just a little, so they weren’t wrapped up so tightly. “It’s just…the memories are a little more painful on days like this. I don’t know if you can understand completely…”
Mokuba looked down at his hands as he sagged into the chair near the fireplace. “I don’t really remember my parents very well – I was really little when they died. All I have is what Seto’s told me about them, whatever he remembers. I guess it’s not quite the same as you.”
“You don’t have anything of theirs, do you?” Alastair asked keenly, of both of them. “Me neither. All I have left of my family is my brother’s Dyna Dude toy. I had my mother’s cameo, but…I gave it to Michael shortly before he was killed. It’s totally gone now.” He glanced at Seto again and nodded toward their clasped hands. “I hope…I can take this as a sign that I’ve been forgiven for ever blaming you for their deaths…”
Kaiba also glanced down; he had captured Alastair to keep him from edging too far away by entwining their hands over the course of Mokuba’s prologue. “In order to forgive anything, I’d have to take offense at it first,” he murmured quietly. Gray eyes widened in his direction, but he provided no further comment than that.
“It’s okay, Alastair,” Mokuba assured him. “You were kinda under Dartz’s control, then. I don’t hold anything against you.”
The red-haired young man smiled at him. “You’re a good kid, Mokuba.”
“Your family…” Kaiba spoke in a low, apprehensive tone. “Did you ever find out the truth about what happened to them?”
“Hm?” Alastair frowned curiously at him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean…who actually killed them.” Kaiba’s brow twitched with a dark look. “You don’t know?”
“Well…” Alastair gazed at him, perplexed, though he started to get the feeling that he was being steeled for something unpleasant. “Seto…what’s this about…?”
“Oh man,” Mokuba groaned worriedly. “Nobody told you?”
“Told me what?” Alastair let go of Kaiba’s hand. “What’s going on here, guys?”
The brothers shared a disturbed look, and then Mokuba sighed sadly. “We heard it all ourselves. When my brother and Yugi…I mean, the pharaoh…faced Dartz himself. Raphael came in out of nowhere and challenged him too, and just to get him back, Dartz told him, in front of all of us, what he did to get you guys into his power. We were all there – not just Seto and the pharaoh, but me, Tristan, and Téa too. We heard it straight from Dartz.”
A wary light came into Alastair’s gray eyes, turning them stormy. “What did you hear?”
Mokuba shrank away from him a little. “He said that…well, that he was the one who called up the storm that destroyed Raphael’s family. And that he actually framed Valon when he was only nine to get him into a life of crime. He did everything himself to get you guys to want to follow him.”
Alastair stared at him in disbelief, until a light touch on his shoulder prefaced the rest and worst of the story, which Seto himself needed to tell. No one else had the right to do so. “Alastair,” he began heavily, “Dartz was personally responsible for killing your family. He framed Gozaburo and KaibaCorp for it so you would go after me. As much of a bastard as my stepfather was, he didn’t actually have anything to do with that war or the deaths of your mother and brother. Dartz did it himself.”
“What?” Alastair whirled to face him, his eyes already beginning to swim. “You can’t be serious!”
Kaiba bowed his head and closed his eyes, his composure remaining still. “I heard it with my own ears. He interrupted our duel just to fling that in our faces, as if we needed any further reason to hate him.”
Alastair spun away just as sharply, burying his face in his hands. Mokuba looked on in distress, but even he knew there was only one person who could soothe the young man right now. Kaiba stood as though paralyzed for a few moments, until he could tell by the trembling of his lover’s shoulders that he was crying. Understandably so; it was shattering news, which Alastair clearly had not heard from anyone else. Taking a step or two forward, Seto placed his hand gently on Alastair’s back, at which a shuddering sob broke through before Alastair could clamp down on it and try to swallow it. “Look,” Kaiba murmured, “I didn’t tell you this to hurt you. I only figured you had a right to know. The rest of us knew it. There’s no sense in getting angry now – it’s over. Yugi and his other half put an end to Dartz and the Oricalcos for good.” Alastair still only shuddered into his hands, keeping himself turned away. Kaiba used the hand on his back to guide him over to the couch so he could sit down lest he collapse in a most undignified manner on the floor. Once they had both sat down, Alastair broke down completely, curling up and wrapping his arms around himself. Seto hesitated a moment and then placed comforting hands on his shoulders, looking after him with a helpless expression. “There’s nothing you can do, now,” he said in a raw, resigned tone. “Dartz is gone. We took him down, and then somehow…I don’t know how…Yugi and the pharaoh took care of him once and for all. I wasn’t there. You’d have to ask him. But he’s gone, there’s no way you can get the retribution you deserve.”
“I know,” Alastair breathed, catching a sob in his throat and lifting a hand to brush tears from his eyelashes. “I’m not angry. I…I know there’s nothing I can do, it would serve no purpose to let myself be filled with rage. It’s just…I…” A few more tears ran down his cheeks, and he took a moment to regain his breath. “I wasted so much of my life! I willingly served the very man who killed my family, all because his veil of lies made me too blind to see what he was really doing. I never suspected…! He manipulated me from the very start, now you’re saying the whole reason he came to save me from that refugee camp was because he put me there in the first place? He…did this to me, he made me what I am…”
“What you were,” Kaiba reminded him sternly. “How many times over the past few months have you said something to me about being a new man, with a new life?” He rubbed Alastair’s shoulder very gently. “You aren’t his, anymore. You’re free. You don’t have to dwell on that past life.”
Alastair shook his head, more to himself than anything. He sat there for a few minutes more, his face turned away, until he was able to wipe his cheeks and sniffle back any remaining sobs. “I know,” he whispered. “But…I never had a chance to grieve, for real. I swore vengeance, and promised myself that once I had it, I would grieve for my family. But I’m never going to get it, now. All I can do is…finally let it out. I’ve been holding it inside far too long.”
Seto breathed a quiet sigh and said nothing, understanding his point all too well. The same pain which had turned him into a cold, distant man had been festering inside Alastair for years, rendered completely void by having his true revenge taken away from him without even realizing it. As uncomfortable as it might have been for Kaiba to watch, Alastair needed to cry. The longer they sat there in silence, the more Alastair’s thoughts wound around the shocking news and dredged up even more forgotten pain, dissolving him into tears all over again. He covered his face with his hands, even though hiding was pointless now, and wilted back against the hands on his shoulders. Not knowing what else to do, Kaiba edged close enough to curl one arm around him, offering just a little more support. Across the room, Mokuba shifted uncomfortably in his chair, wishing he had something to say to make his friend feel better. At last, he spoke up timidly, trying not to shatter the silence too abruptly. “It’s okay, Alastair. You have me and Seto to be your family, now.”
Alastair’s hands fell into his lap, and he tilted his head up to forcefully swallow his tears. “That’s right,” he murmured when he was able to. “I’m not alone…anymore…”
“You belong here,” Kaiba said in that same low, weighted tone that he had been using all night, as if the gravity was pulling it down to its deepest register. “I never thought there was anyone in this world who would have the same care for Mokuba as I do. Only someone who could make him their own brother could be allowed anywhere near me.” He flinched at the sentiment that crossed his mind just then, but decided to swallow his pride and say it. “One of the things that endears you to me is that you care about Mokuba as if he were your own little brother – and spoil him worse than I do. That makes you family, in my book. I wouldn’t trust him with anyone else except you.”
Alastair blinked back his remaining tears and glanced over his shoulder, offering his companion a weak smile. “I do consider him like my own brother. He’s even almost the same age apart from you as Michael and me.” He shifted his glance to Mokuba. “If he were alive, he’d be…I guess…sixteen or seventeen. I think you would have gotten along.”
Mokuba smiled awkwardly. “I wish I could have met him. But if you need a little brother to pick on and spoil, I’m happy to fill the role.” He mustered an impish grin for him. “Less picking, more spoiling, I think.”
The chuckled welled up out of Alastair before he could even think about it. He felt Seto’s hand on his shoulder squeeze in reassurance, and reached up to lay his hand over it. “You were right to tell me,” he said softly. “That was something…I needed to know. Thank you. As long as you’re not ashamed of my reaction.”
Kaiba barely shook his head. “If it shocked me when I heard it, I could only imagine what it would do to you.”
“I’m kind of glad I wasn’t there to hear it straight from Dartz,” his partner said ruefully. “I don’t know what I would have done to him. Or tried to do, and probably got my soul blasted into oblivion for it.”
“Like Raphael did,” Mokuba grumbled. “Good thing Seto and the others are stronger, and saved everybody in the end.”
Alastair glanced back at Kaiba, and faintly smirked. “I told you.”
Kaiba wasn’t so amused. His eyes remained dark. “I wasn’t strong enough.”
Mokuba looked away quickly; he didn’t like remembering that his brother had failed. Alastair shifted toward his lover and clasped his hand between both of his. “I know you were only going into battle for your company, you didn’t have anyone to rescue, but…you faced Dartz, and I’m pretty sure you did some good. And one of these days, you’re going to tell me exactly what happened when you stood toe to toe with the Leviathan, I don’t care how much you want to forget seeing all that freaky mystical crap.” He caressed the hand in his. “Your brother thinks you’re a hero, and so do I.”
Seto looked shyly away, and lowered his voice so much that Mokuba couldn’t hear what he said. “I fought for more than just my company.”
A bittersweet pain shot through Alastair’s heart. Had he been feeling stronger, he might have flung his arms around his stoic lover and done something embarrassing to him in front of his sibling, but all he could muster in that moment was a relieved smile. He brought the hand in his to his lips, turning it to press a sentimental kiss to the palm. It left Kaiba in the perfect position to stretch his fingertips and caress Alastair’s face in return. They held the pose for a few silent minutes, and then Alastair sat back to rub his eyes and break the spell. “I must look like a mess, now. I’m sorry…I didn’t expect it would end this way when you invited me over.”
“I know what would make it better,” Mokuba said decisively. “Dessert! We totally put it off way too long.”
“Fine,” his brother agreed. “Go and have it set up. Better yet…” He glanced over his shoulder as Mokuba paused on his way out the door. “Have them bring it in here.”
“You got it!” Beaming, Mokuba raced through the entryway to the hall and beyond.
Dessert and coffee were a fine way to put aside serious emotional topics and refresh themselves, even better when enjoyed in the quiet privacy of the sitting room before the fire, just the three of them. The pent-up pain that had been bothering Alastair all day whenever “family” was mentioned had finally been drained away, enough to let him speak openly of his younger brother who had meant so much to him, wanting to share as much as he could with Mokuba. Seto, he knew, shared his deepest feelings of family, fidelity, and protectiveness, since their positions were nearly the same, but he had not spoken at length of Michael since the first time they had faced each other across a dueling arena, preferring to keep the memory to himself and guard it jealously against those who wouldn’t understand. He was finally free to share, to let his new family become fellow guardians of his brother’s memory. Neither he nor the Kaiba brothers had parents or any other family at all, anymore, all they had was each other. The rest of the world was filled with strangers by comparison. Yet, to see them enjoying their evening, one would think they didn’t need anyone else.
After dessert and a long talk, things were winding down rather quickly. Eventually, Alastair decided to call it a night, though he mentioned it at least three times before any of them decided to actually get up off the couch and meander toward the door to say goodnight. In the back of his mind he considered that Seto might have wanted him to spend the night, but he wasn’t in the mood any longer and hadn’t brought anything to stay the night anyway. Mokuba sat on the stairs watching him locate his coat and talking about getting to wear his new gloves home, since it was probably pretty chilly out now, but it took a single wordless look from his elder brother to get him to wrap it up, wish Alastair goodnight and Merry Christmas one more time, and then make himself scarce so the other two could have their privacy. Alastair slipped on his coat, at which point Kaiba took him gently by the lapels and tugged to make sure the coat was wrapped snugly around him. “I don’t imagine you would want to stay,” he murmured. “After what I put you through.”
“It’s not that,” Alastair gently assured. “I just don’t feel right having sex on Christmas. Call me old-fashioned.” He managed a generous smirk for his lover. “Give me a call, we’ll make it another night this week.”
Kaiba nodded his acceptance of the idea. They were still no closer to getting Alastair out the door; he only fumbled with his gloves, but didn’t actually put them on. Kaiba’s hands slid down and came to rest on his partner’s waist instead, his gaze lowering to follow the movement. “I apologize for upsetting you,” he muttered awkwardly.
“Don’t,” Alastair responded. “It’s all right. I’m glad you told me.” He, too, dropped his gaze contritely. “I was already in kind of a dark mood. It’s not like you ruined an otherwise sunny day.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to Seto’s temple. “I’m sorry if I was distant all day, dwelling on my past and how pitiful I am not having my family around anymore.”
“I didn’t think that.” They both had their arms around each other’s waists, now, and stood close enough to trade a few short, testing kisses. There was only one light on in the hall, leaving them half in shadow where they stood by the door. Their holiday was coming to a conclusion, but they still couldn’t quite say goodbye. Kaiba blinked drowsily at the warm, soft feel of Alastair’s lips and the tip of his nose nuzzling against his neck, and he finally smiled a genuine smile. “It’s not too late,” he whispered. “You could stay for a little while.”
Alastair purred quietly under his breath. “Tempting,” he admitted, “but…I really should go. You gave me a lot to think about…and I think I want to do that alone.” He kissed his partner’s cheek again. “I mean it, though. Call me tomorrow. We’ll make plans.”
He received a nod of agreement, and glanced up in time to find Seto bowing his head for a deeper kiss. The way their lips met, so gently, so patiently, reawakened the pangs of longing in Alastair’s heart. He had never been kissed so tenderly, certainly not by Kaiba. The warm, sweet, prolonged kiss left him weak, so that when they parted at last, all he could do was breathe in astonishment. Kaiba cupped his cheek for a moment, gave him another smile, and stepped back to release him. “Drive safely,” he murmured. “I want you in one piece tomorrow.”
Smiling in return, Alastair nodded and turned away, swiftly tugging on his gloves and taking his motorcycle helmet from where it had sat beside the door all day. Kaiba stood aside to hold the door for him, and then closed it behind him with a quiet click. He stood there with his hand on the latch, head down, until he heard the motorcycle engine rev and then fade away into the night. Only then did he lock the door, flick off the light, and make his way up the stairs alone to wish his younger brother good night.