#screwtherules1

[x-heartofthecards-x]

@screwtherules

Seto fully winced as Yugi lashed out. But he didn’t make any further effort to end this interaction. He understood well enough at least that Yugi needed to let this out. He hadn’t really given Yugi a chance. It was just like he’d said— emoting was always hard for him. He didn’t deal with it well.

“I know that I should have talked to you. That I should have communicated how I was feeling and gave you the the space to do the same. But I did not,” he replied, more pathetically than he would have liked to admit. He tilted his head to look sadly at the boy. “I should have treated you better. And been honest with you.”

Sighing, the CEO took up a lean on his car and pocketed the phone. It was too late to have this conversation— both literally, now past midnight, and figuratively, it having been so long since they broke up. Lowering his head, Kaiba offered the boy a helpless shrug. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk to you. It was never that I didn’t care for you or… Or love you. I had feelings for you before I even knew who Atem was. I didn’t want to burden you with what I was feeling when you were going through so much, too.”

The CEO winced. He knew that didn’t sound any better. It didn’t make anything any better. And there was a high likelihood that he could never say or do anything that could fix the mess he had made. “Your anger is perfectly justified. I wasn’t a good partner. I know that and I’m sorry. But it was never because I didn’t want you.”

The response from the CEO earned a derisive snort from the smaller man who replied, "If all of that is what you need to tell yourself, that you didn't reach out because you didn't want to burden me, that you really cared and all that, fine. But… come on."

Yugi pushed his hair back as he continued with just a bit of exasperation, "You are Seto fucking Kaiba. There has never been a single thing that you have wanted that you have not gone after and gotten with gusto."

Which was true. There had never been an obstacle thrown in front of Seto Kaiba that Yugi had not seen him overcome. Things that would absolutely cripple other men. But Seto had never backed down from difficulty. He hadn't even let death separate him from the man he actually loved for long.

He gave a dramatic shrug and added as he turned back around and started heading out of the parking lot, definitely feeling like he would be getting to the bottom of every bottle in his apartment tonight, "You didn't even fight for us. If everything that you say now was true, this would have turned out differently."

[x-heartofthecards-x]

Things had not really gone the way that Yugi Mutou had imagined they would.

He had been prepared to go at life on his own the moment that he and the Pharaoh had begun their ceremonial duel. He thought he had the resolve to do it. He had kept it together as he watched his partner in life and in all things walk beyond that shimmering veil into something unknown— stepping into death with a thumbs up and without even a backward glance.

For a while, he managed.

He graduated school and had intended to become a game developer, like he had told his friends he would. He tried to do his best without the heavy and familiar weight of the puzzle around his neck and the comforting sound of his partner's voice echoing in his mind as a constant companion.

But things didn't work out that way.

His grandfather had gotten sick not long after his graduation. He had tried to keep the game shop afloat, but with the medical bills racking up and then with the additional cost of his funeral when the time came, Kame Games, and his home, had to be sold to cover the bill.

It was a little record shop now, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to go check it out.

He picked up odd jobs for a while and got a few cash prizes for tournaments here and there. It was enough to get him into a studio flat in the sketchier part of Domino City.

The prizes were not enough to keep on top of his bills, though. On top of that, the job market wasn't great for someone with his minimal life skills. After some time of futile job searching, he ended up biting the bullet, swallowing his pride, and he put in an application at KaibaCorp.

He got a position as a game tester. The pay wasn't bad and he got to spend most of his working days in a dark room, playing games and not having to make chit-chat with coworkers. He just had to take extensive notes to turn in before he left the office to spend his nights drinking alone in his apartment.

Which was about all he had the mental energy for.

Sometimes, he didn't even have the spoons for that. More than one shift had seen him sleeping on the job or nursing a hangover. As was the case that day, when he was doing both of those things— snoring loudly in his reclining gaming chair as his avatar on screen tapped its foot impatiently in its idle animation.

@screwtherules

[x-heartofthecards-x]

@screwtherules

Seto did not want Yugi to leave, did not want to watch the boy head up into that dingy apartment building with the broken windows in the worst part of town. But he would, just to make sure that Yugi made it in alright. For a brief moment as the King of Games slipped out of his car, he wondered if sending a security camera drone might be a good idea before swiftly shoving that back down— that would definitely be a breach of privacy and boundaries.

"You don't have anything to apologize for. You are owed the chance to say the things you need to say. I didn't give you that," he replied, giving Yugi a little nod as he started the car back up. It was going to be an incredibly long night for the CEO; he was sure he was going to spend most of it trying to find some way to offer Yugi support that wouldn't be inappropriate or overstepping. "The likelihood is high that we will see each other again, what with you working in my favourite department. Forty-second is, objectively, the best floor. Aside from mine. Take care of yourself, Yugi. You know how to find me if you need me."

Of course, Seto had no plans of going into the office to work for the next few days. He could work at his home office just fine at the manor. In any case, he needed to get Yugi out of his direct line of sight at this point before he continued to get emotional. "Have a good night."

"Goodnight, Seto," Yugi replied before closing the car door and turning to head into the building. He honestly probably should have had Seto dropped him off a couple blocks down the road. The incredibly fancy and expensive car definitely was drawing attention. But he just tried to keep his head down as he began climbing the stairs.

When he got inside the apartment and flicked on the light, he hoped that would be a good enough signal to the other that he had made it inside alright. He didn't have it in him to look out the window to see. All he could manage was navigating around old takeaway bags and bottles to pluck a half full plastic bottle of vodka from his counter, which he took with him to collapse on the couch.

He got about a third of the way through what was left in the bottle before he actually started to feel any better. Once the warmth of the cheap liquor settled in, he found himself following a backlog of text messages. There weren't all that many. The bulk of them were from the week of their break-up. After that there were only birthday and Christmas messages, besides one message in which Seto had asked if they could talk, which was from just after he had been hired at KaibaCorp.

He let out a sigh and decided that he was not ready yet for the voicemails, which had to be painful to listen to, based on the timestamps that they were almost all from the night of their break-up. He tossed the phone to the side and as he finished his drink, he wondered if he should have just kept his distance.

[x-heartofthecards-x]

@screwtherules

“You don’t have to apologize,” Seto replied with a sigh as he slid into the driver’s seat. It was second nature for him to reach out, selecting all of Yugi’s favourite settings on the centre console: heated seats on low, a bit of air, his favourite radio station just loud enough to be heard under their voices as they talked. He even went as far as twisting in his seat to hunt for the Kuriboh car blanket, a huff leaving his lips when he realized that he had taken it out and boxed it with the rest of Yugi and Atem’s things, shoved in the far back of one of his many closets.

The CEO cleared his throat when he caught himself and realized what he was doing, twisting back around to start up the vehicle and pull out if the parking lot. As he did he continued, “Just… Don’t apologize. You’re owed the space to have your feelings and say what you need to about this. Us. I didn’t give that to you then, the least I can do is give that to you now.”

Another sigh. Seto slipped one hand into his breast pocket of his jacket, tugging out thin-framed glasses that he didn’t wear often, but consistently while driving at night. As he slipped them on and turned onto the street he asked, voice softening significantly, “And— forgive me for asking. Personal question, don’t feel obligated to answer. Or answer honestly. But are you alright? Is your health keeping well? Falling asleep at work seems unlike you.”

He didn’t dare mention the fact that he thought Yugi looked ill, looked tired and worn down. That would just be rude. But the implication was enough, he hoped, to be seen as the honest concern it was and not another fight.

Yugi watched as Seto put on his settings in the car, a little amazed that the man still had both his and Atem's preferences programmed in (Mokuba also had a setting, and there was one more for when the man was flying solo). His own setting was comforting and familiar and so much different than the blaring music and heat turned all the way up that was the Pharaoh's preference.

While he hadn't said anything, Yugi knew undoubtedly that Seto turned to look for his blanket. He was unsurprised when it wasn't actually in the car. It was just a habit from the old days.

The little duelist leaned back in the seat, not bothering with his belt as he put his feet up on the dash in front of him. He only glanced at the taller man for a moment before looking forward once more to tap his address into the GPS on the console of the car. As the system took his input he replied, "No, not really."

He had no intentions of getting into the nitty gritty of his rapidly spiraling mental health. But Seto wasn't an idiot and could clearly see that he was in a bad space. He respected Seto too much to lie to his face about it.

He leaned back to look out the window as he said, "I have certainly been better. It has been particularly rough lately. I'll make sure I don't fall asleep at work again. I know that it was inappropriate. I just couldn't sleep last night and my sleep aid didn't help. It just left me tired today."

[x-heartofthecards-x]

@screwtherules

If Seto were the man he used to be, a jab like that may have had him lashing out and shooting an insult to Yugi in kind. But as it was, he knew that he deserved it. He’d heard those words more than once, during their breakup, or at least something along those lines. It had his chest tightening painfully and knocking the air out of his lungs.

He had done that. And the fact that he didn’t tell Yugi or bring the boy with him during his excursion into the afterlife only to lose a goddamn duel against the Pharaoh— that made it even worse. But he didn’t do it for Yugi or for Atem or for their relationship. It was just something he needed to do. He needed that closure that Atem never gave either of them. But he should have told Yugi how he was feeling at least. Explained the situation. Communicated his needs. But he did none of those things.

It had been a difficult situation to explain to his therapist, that was for sure. But the amount of money he was paying her meant that he could be as open as he wanted.

With a heavy sigh, Kaiba stopped by his car at the passenger side and tugged his phone from his pocket. He offered Yugi a weak smile and replied, “I see now that this was a bad idea. You are still angry with me— deservedly so. Let me call you a car. The driver will stop for coffee for you, paid, and will make sure you get home safely. And if you need anything, for the shop or your grandfather, you know where to find me.”

Yugi rolled his eyes at the sigh and pushed off of the car as Setobpulled out his phone. He shoved a hand in his pocket as he said, "No, man. I'm over it. I don't need a car. I'll walk."

The shorter man had fully begun walking off, but only got a few steps before he turned and said, "But if I was mad, it would be justified. Because who fucking does that, Seto? I mean, after Atem left you totally withdrew from me when I needed you most. Then you just up and killed yourself. You didn't even give me a heads-up or leave me a note about your experimental, completely unsafe interdimensional vacation plans. I had no way of knowing if you were going to come back. You were just gone and I didn't matter."

Yugi let out a scoff and added, "And also, if I was still mad, how would I have worked through any of this to not be mad when your knee-jerk reaction is calling me a car to get me decidedly the fuck away from you because it is a mistake to talk to me when I'm emoting. This is why I haven't talked to you. Because you don't actually want to talk to me."

He took a step back and added with his fist clenching in his pocket, "But it was never actually me you wanted to talk to, so I shouldn't be surprised. Anyway, thanks for the wake-up call, boss."

[x-heartofthecards-x]

@screwtherules

In contrast, Seto completely deflated when all of his potential offers to help were turned down. He had initially opened his mouth to interrupt try and argue, but the words were stopped before he could utter a word. He watched Yugi unblock his number and immediately he felt embarrassed and stupid.

Of course Yugi had blocked his number. He hadn’t even thought it was in the realm of possibility— he thought that Yugi was just ignoring him. That all those calls and voicemails and texts didn’t even get to him. He hoped, now, that the boy would just delete them without reading or listening to them.

“Ah. I, ah… Thought you changed your number,” Seto replied, straightening up and flicking his eyes back up to the building. “But… Alright. Just, please. Promise me that if you get into trouble, or if you need anything, you will call me. And… Yeah. I will do the same. Or, memes, I guess.”

The man sighed and brought his hands up to rub the back of his neck, clicking his tongue in thought as he did his best to settle his nerves and soothe out not just the tension, but hopefully the rest of his tumultuous emotions. “Thank you for letting me drive you home. And talking to me.”

Yugi could only shrug as Seto commented that he had thought his number had changed. He didn’t have any guilt surrounding blocking the man. They had broken up and he had needed the space. But there was absolutely zero chance that he would not be reading every message and listening to the voice mails that came through. Of course, he would do that later. 

As he straightened up, he replied, “No, it is the same number.” The shorter man let out a sigh and added, “I will. Or, at least, I will try to reach out.”

As he opened the door and stepped out of the car, Yugi leaned down enough to look in and say, “Thank you for the ride, Seto. Again, I’m sorry for fighting with you tonight. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime.”

[x-heartofthecards-x]

@screwtherules

Seto was thankful for the moments of silence and for Yugi’s voice finding a softer timbre than he’d had before. Even the attempt at humour was enough to keep the man from going into a full-blown panic attack. It helped his shoulders to deflate, his expression settling, frustration and anger slipping away to reveal the worry that lay beneath. He shook his head and pulled up onto the curb outside the apartment building.

“And your best is always incredible. It’s you. There’s nothing you could do that wouldn’t be incredible. And I know that you are managing and that you are fully and completely capable of improving things on your own. But I could help you manage better. Let me do something for you, anything,” he said, putting the car in park but keeping the doors locked. Yugi could still get out, of course. He wasn’t about to trap the boy or something psychotic like that.

“Is there anything you’d accept from me? No strings. At least, no strings that you don’t want. I could rent you an apartment. Buy the game shop back. In your name, of course. Give you the deed. A lump sum to do with what you want and need. A security detail or a raise or groceries delivered every week. If you don’t want me to spend any money on you, that’s fine, I don’t have to. Just… Christ, Yugi. Let me do something. You can’t live here.”

The man turned his head to look at Yugi properly, one hand coming up to brush through his hair from bangs to crown. “I am trying very hard to not be in complete distress at the thought of you living like this. You deserve… To live like a goddamn king. This? I hate this. And I know that is selfish, and I know that is making this about me and not you. I just don’t know what else to do here.”

The way that Kaiba began to spiral, practically begging him to accept his help was partially endearing, but also so tiring. While he had clearly tried to butter him up with that string of compliments, it was clear that Seto didn't approve and definitely looked down on the life that he was able to secure for himself.

The offers were gracious. Generous. Kind. They were all of the things that Yugi knew that Seto Kaiba could be once a person had managed to chip their way through the man's emotional walls which might as well be made of steel, which he had definitely done.

He looked to the CEO and let out a soft sigh as he said, "I can't ask you for anything, Seto. What you are offering is really sweet and I get it. But it isn't your problem. But what I can do—"

The smaller man shifted to tug his phone out of his pocket, swiping his thumb across the cracked screen before navigating down to his contacts. He opened up his list of blocked contacts and tilted his phone just enough for Seto to be able to see him unblocking the man's contact (at which point a backlog of about half a dozen messages began chiming through).

Yugi didn't check any of these, simply turning off the screen and slipping the device back into his pocket as he said, "If I need a rescue, I'll send a signal. And if you need a rescue, you can send one too. Or like… really good memes, or whatever."

[x-heartofthecards-x]

@screwtherules

“I don’t have to do anything. I’m Seto fucking Kaiba,” the man replied, his knuckles whitening in his grip on the steering wheel as they came closer to the area of town the boy lived in. Quite far from the old shop. He could already spot people dealing on the corners.

“I do worry. I am worried. You look like hell, you live in the seediest part of Domino, you haven’t had a chance to grieve your grandfather because you’ve been so stressed about money— don’t argue, I can see it on your face. You’re pale. You applied for a shitty entry level job at my company that you are overqualified for and it is only because I managed to catch your resume that you’re in game testing and not on janitorial.”

At this point, Seto knew he was ranting. But at this point, he couldn’t seem to stop himself. Once again.

So much for poise and self-control. Dignity. But in a way he figured that Yugi might actually appreciate it, rather than his generally cold and unfeeling self. Especially the self he was just prior to the breakup.

He could feel his voice growing louder, more strained, the more he spoke. It was like a damn freight train and at a certain point there was no hope of stopping it before it crashed. “You deserve better than this. Whatever you think you’re punishing yourself for, or just trying to keep your head above water— I can help. I am happy to help. Whether that means you never want to see me again or not. God damn it, Yugi, I can’t take you home and drop you off in a place like this. Christ. Half the windows are busted out.”

The way that Seto's voice raised in pitch and passion had Yugi's brow rising upward. It was not typical for Seto to lose his cool. Not like this, at least. In over the top near villain dialoguing, sure. But not in this protective kind of anger.

It had been a very long time since he had seen the man get heated. Even when they were breaking up. Sure, the man had been sad and had, definitely, begged him not to go. But this passion had definitely been long gone back then. It was nice to see.

Yugi let his feet slip off of the dashboard to drop down in front of him. He glanced back out the window toward his building as it came into view and he said with the slightest hints of humour, "It isn't that bad, Seto. I mean, only one of my windows is busted. It is pretty high up, so it is hard to hit with rocks or stray bullets."

The shorter man looked up at his companion, his ex boyfriend, and he let out a sigh. Really, he knew that Seto was right in a lot of ways. He knew that he needed help and that the worry was justified. He tapped his fingers across knees as he said, "I haven't had many problems here, really. I do know that I look like hell and it isn't a great area. But I am doing the best I can. This is what I can manage."

[x-heartofthecards-x]

@screwtherules

The CEO flicked his eyes to the GPS to ensure he was following the correct route— he hated listening to his devices narrate at him and direct him. He listened to it enough in his labs that he didn’t also need to listen to it in his spare time. But that also meant he could see what area of town Yugi lived in before even getting to the area.

Immediately he felt his stomach twist uncomfortably, worry building up in his chest. It was a dangerous part of town— not really by any fault of anyone that lived there. Affordable housing was becoming more and more difficult to come by with rent on the rise, and with poverty came addiction, and crime often followed. Whether people believed it or not, he wasn’t heartless. He felt for those people. He had been in a very similar situation when he was a boy. It was why he put so much money into building affordable housing across Japan.

But the thought of Yugi living in a place like that with nobody there to support him? Not his grandfather, not Atem, not Seto himself. He could see Joey getting on fine in a place like that. The boy was scrappy, the mutt he was. But Yugi often had a difficult time getting himself out of tricky situations.

Seto swallowed thickly and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He didn’t vocalize his worry, or the panic he was feeling. Yugi could take care of himself, and he was sure that Yugi didn’t want to hear him fretting over him after so long.

“Yugi, I am really not bothered about you falling asleep at your desk. I don’t think you’re shirking responsibilities or purposely being negligent. It sounds like you were tired and needed the rest. You aren’t going to be written up or fired for that,” he said, turning onto the freeway and keeping his eyes focused firmly forward. “I am sorry to hear that you’re not doing very well. Is there anything I can do to help? Do you need money?”

As soon as he said it, he regretted it. Seto knew that Yugi was likely to take offence. He didn’t mean it to be, he just didn’t know what else he could possibly do or offer. “Or just someone to talk to. I’m around.”

Yugi's arms crossed over his chest, his features turning into a bit of a pout as he replied in a voice that was not offended, but certainly sounded a bit like a kid being chastised, "No, I don't need money."

Of course, he did need money. His bank account was consistently going negative between pay cheques and he had already had to take out several payday loans that he was trying and failing to get on top of. He might be doing better if he wasn't spending as much money on booze as he was, but it was the only thing that helped him sleep.

He let his forehead press against the cool, tinted glass of the window and said, "I'm doing okay. I'm… coping."

The tiny duelist let the comment hang there for a few moments before he breathed a heavy sigh and continued, "The shop was about to go bankrupt so I sold it while it still had some value. Pretty much everything had to pay for Grandpa's funeral, plus it turns out he was pretty shit at taxes. Which is fine, like, I took care of it. It has just been really stressful cleaning up after him instead of being able to grieve him. The more stressful it gets, the harder it is to be alone inside my head. It has just been a lot."

With a final glance at Seto, he finished, "You really don't have to worry about it though. Like, I'm managing for the most part."

[x-heartofthecards-x]

@screwtherules

Seto’s shoulders slumped as Yugi turned to face him again, looking so tired and so small. It broke his heart to see just how deflated he had become, how bitter and jaded. Like every beautiful little spark the boy had was just gone. It wasn’t the Yugi he knew. And he could tell just how strongly he still cared for the boy— there wasn’t an ounce of him that reveled in this ‘win’, not an ounce of him that didn’t want to help bring some of that spark and joy back. Some of the light that used to brighten those wide, brilliant violet eyes.

But what he liked was that Yugi was at least willing to pick a fight. It meant he still cared enough about what happened between them, with Atem, to argue. It meant there was at some small part of the boy that wanted to repair things. And that, in turn, meant that perhaps Seto had a chance to try and to mend it. To prove that he had put in the work, was continuing to do so. To show that he was making an effort and could commit to being a better partner, even if in the end Yugi didn’t want to get back together.

At the very least, maybe he could help Yugi get into a comfortable spot.

“Don't— don’t go,” Seto replied. He took a step forward and shoved his hands deep in his pockets just for somewhere to put them. “I did not mean to make you feel like I do not want to listen to you or speak with you, or try to get closure with you at least. Because I do. I don’t think your feelings are just some shit, Yugi. At least let me drive you home. It is late and it is not safe.”

At the offer, Yugi initially glanced down the street in the direction of his apartment. It was a pretty long walk. He'd probably not actually get there until nearly two in the morning. He looked back to Seto and gave a shrug.

There was honestly a part of him that didn't want Seto to know where he lived. Not because he was worried about him in any sense, but rather because he did not want to see the look of judgement on his face when they pulled up to his incredibly sketchy apartment building, which had more than one window broken out and had a general vibe that a person could be mugged at any moment in the area.

With a little sigh, he nodded and began heading toward the car, which was going to be like a blaring neon sign asking for him to get robbed. He doubted that a car this nice had ever driven on his street.

As he tugged open the passenger door and climbed in, he said, "I know you didn't mean any of that. I am just tired, Seto. I'm sorry."

[x-heartofthecards-x]

@screwtherules

“I did fight for you, didn’t I?” Seto asked, pushing off of the car to follow a handful of steps behind Yugi, still allowing some space between them. “I begged you not to leave. I’d have happily given up everything I have for you to have stayed. I’m sorry that I didn’t fight, but I had no fight left in me. He took it all. You know that. He took all of your fight, too.”

Kaiba stopped in his tracks, a line settling in his lips as his jaw set in place. His dentist was going to ream him for grinding his teeth again. But how was it fair for Yugi to say that he didn’t make an effort? He’d screwed up, yes. Maybe he didn’t try hard enough. He got the way he always did— cold, calculating, quiet, absent.

“And I’ve seen you pull yourself out of every shitty situation you’ve gotten yourself into with a smile on your face and a determination not to let it destroy you. But this time it did. Yugi, have you seen yourself? At least I’ve had enough self-awareness to know how badly I fucked us up and went to fucking therapy for it.”

Once his mouth was moving, finally letting out everything he’d wanted to say for the last two years, he couldn’t get himself to stop. Even knowing that he’d regret it, that he would would once again be the villain in the story of Yugi Mutou, King of Games.

“You made it pretty damn clear when you left that you didn’t want to hear from me. And I get it, that’s fair, I deserved it. We got toxic and shitty because we couldn’t deal with Atem deciding out of the blue that he was done here. Especially me. And then I lost you, too, because I pushed you away when you needed me. So no. I didn’t reach out, Mutou. I didn’t think you’d want me to. But you don’t get to tell me who I love and who I don’t.”

The shorter man stopped, lifting a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in a gesture that was pretty typical for the man with whom he was currently arguing. He let out a sigh, but otherwise remained quiet as Seto said his piece. After springing this argument on him, Yugi at least owed him that. 

But that did not make it pleasant to listen to. He still felt far too sober and too tired to be having this conversation. He doubted that it would make it much better though. No matter what, this situation sucked. 

It sucked because he honestly understood. Sure, there was a lot of what Seto did that was shitty. But he could absolutely understand why things had played out the way they had. He couldn’t blame him for going after Atem. If he had the ability to do the same, he likely would have too. In fact, he knew that he would have. Not because he didn’t love Seto, but because it was Atem. 

He straightened up as Kaiba finished speaking and finally turned to look at him, all of his anger deflated, leaving him looking even smaller and more pathetic than he had before as he said, “Fine, Kaiba. I won’t tell you what you feel. My experience isn’t your experience.”

He put his hands in his pockets and heavily sighed, “I’m sorry for picking a fight. I am too tired to stay mad. I am just going to go home. I will try to make sure you don’t have to deal with this shit again.”

[x-heartofthecards-x]

@screwtherules

Seto’s brow furrowed when he saw Mutou pull out that pack of smokes. He didn’t recall Yugi ever having smoked, or really had any vice aside from trying to make friends with every single person he met, good or bad. It seemed odd and out of character. Jarring, even.

But it wasn’t his place to judge. And he couldn’t even say with any amount of certainty that he even knew Yugi anymore. So he kept his mouth shut.

Until, of course, Mutou mentioned his grandfather and the game shop, causing Seto to turn his head and look down at the boy as they walked into the parking lot toward his reserved parking space. After a moment he paused, reached out, hesitated, and dropped his hand away before making contact. No— physical touch would be too much for him, not to mention inappropriate.

“My condolences about your grandfather, Yugi. He was a very good man. And the shop, too…” Seto trailed off briefly, caught in thought.

Mutou had sold the shop. Lost his grandfather. Was working at KaibaCorp. He must have been having financial difficulties. Seto couldn’t help but wonder if he should purchase the shop, keep that in his back pocket for… Something? Or perhaps it would be too selfish to do so. Maybe he could buy the shop under Yugi’s name anonymously? No— that wouldn’t work. Yugi would know right away who had bought it and, at this point, would be likely to assume he’d bought the game shop as some kind of trick to win him over again. There wasn’t an easy way to return the shop to the boy as a simple gesture of goodwill.

As they began walking again he continued, “How long ago did he pass, and where is he buried, if you don’t mind my asking? I would like to pay my respects. He was very kind to me. When I stopped acting like an absolute prick.”

It would have been fair for Seto to say that he didn't know him. The truth of it was that he hardly even knew himself anymore. All of his passions had seemed to wither and die inside him. His every waking moment felt like simply going through the motions and these days he just felt hollow. He was constantly looking for some indulgence to fill that void.

He knew where Seto's parking spot was and did not have to be guided toward it, which meant that he was unaware of the way the other man had reached out as he walked in front of him.

But as the CEO began to speak, Yugi shrugged, glancing over his shoulder as he said, "Thanks. I mean, it is fine. People die, that's life."

A rather nihilist view for the once perpetually optimistic duelist, but time hadn't been kind and he had grown bitter.

He stopped at Seto's car, leaning on the back of it to finish his smoke and said, "He died a few months ago. And he isn't buried anywhere. I only had the means to have him cremated. So, he is in my living room."

And this was true. Unfortunately there was no kind of display, as he was still trying to save up money for a proper urn. But Seto didn't need to know that Solomon was still in the cardboard box and Ziplock bag he had been given to him in from the mortuary. Instead he replied, "He was kind to everyone. I am sure that you can just pay your respects cosmically or whatever."

As Yugi flicked his smoke he added with just a hint of resentment in his tone, "Or maybe you can just drop yourself from space in untested tech to go kill yourself and play a card game with him or some shit."

[x-heartofthecards-x]

@screwtherules

“I’m not concerned about it. I’m sure when it gets to quarterly review you’ll be just fine. Or have you had your quarterly yet? I forget when you were hired,” Seto replied, turning on his heel to begin walking toward the door, flicking the light out again on the way. The ceiling lights were motion-activated after seven at night anyway to lessen power use, and so the light in the hall turned on again when he stepped out. “I have no intention of telling your supervisor.”

He paused in the hall and glanced back at Yugi, continually shoving down the sadness he felt seeing the boy who was clearly not taking very good care of himself. It was difficult to see, and not just because of how long they’d spent apart. The truth was that there wasn’t an ounce of him that had stopped caring for Yugi. Even when Atem left. Especially when Atem left. He was just shit at showing his emotions when they weren’t fueled by anger— or, actually, a deep-seated need to protect, may that be himself or his brother— or fueled by his need to win. He’d treated Yugi poorly and deserved every sour word that had been slung his way through the breakup. And he had deserved the long months of silence.

Therapy was a hell of a drug.

Reminding himself of his therapist’s encouragement to make an active effort toward honesty he mused, “I won’t keep you late. Let me get you coffee and call a car to bring you home… But I have missed you. I… Should have reached out. But I thought you may not want to see me.”

Yugi sighed heavily as he stepped onto the elevator, a part of him already feeling a twinge of regret for agreeing. The last thing he wanted was to listen to Seto say that he missed him. Yugi was far too sober for that.

He leaned against the wall of the elevator and pulled a pack of smokes from his pocket as the door opened onto the ground floor. He flipped the top of the pack and pulled one out as he began walking toward the front doors and said, "It's fine that you didn't reach out. I have been busy. Selling the shop. Grandpa's funeral. Moving. Life."

Truthfully, he wouldn't have answered. Unless he was incredibly drunk or if the message happened to come through late at night when he felt particularly alone.

Either way, it wouldn't have been good.

The moment they were outside, he lit up his smoke and continued with a shrug, "I already had my first review. A few weeks ago. I guess that I did alright. I didn't get fired yet, at least."

[x-heartofthecards-x]

@screwtherules

Seto was immediately and acutely aware at Yugi’s shift in body language when he offered to go and get a coffee with him, rather than just catching up along the way to the KaibaCorp employee’s cafeteria. This, in turn, had Seto’s own body language shifting almost out of instinct leftover from thousands upon thousands of years ago. Closing off, shrinking, anything to not look a threat— a half step back, a slight slouch in the shoulders, making himself a tad smaller.

Yugi was almost certainly still angry at him, still aching from the way he’d treated the boy. It made sense after everything that happened. Everything that he’d done.

But by the Egyptian gods, did Seto miss him.

Clearing his throat, he gave a little shrug and gestured toward the door, beyond which was the elevator. Once he did so he straightened up, let his expression neutralize, shoved everything as far down as it would go. “I’d be happy to get a coffee with you. Or, something else, seeing as it’s so late. Its been a while. But if you’d rather not, I’d be happy enough to call you a car and make sure you get home safe.”

He had, generally, tried to avoid seeing Kaiba at all in the years since they had gone their separate ways. A part of it was because he wanted to hold onto his anger and hurt feelings around the whole thing. The feeling of being angry and having someone outside himself to direct it at was better than the self hatred and apathy that he normally felt.

There was definitely a part of him that wanted to just tell the man he could manage getting home on his own. But he had slept through the last train of the evening which meant he would be walking, which he didn't want to do, plus, he really could use some coffee.

Yugi let out a soft sigh and lifted a hand to rub at the back of his neck as he stepped out toward the elevator and replied, "It's fine. We can have coffee. But I shouldn't stay out late. I will need to work early to make up some time."

The shorter man glanced at the other and added, "Sorry about that, by the way. I don't make it a habit to fall asleep at work. I will try to make sure it doesn't happen again. It was pretty unprofessional."

[x-heartofthecards-x]

@screwtherules

"You're not going back to work. It's almost midnight," came Seto's reply, eyebrow raised at the boy.

Truly, he looked like hell. Dark circles under his eyes, a bit more gaunt than Kaiba remembered, makeup smeared, and wild hair even more frazzled than usual with golden strands akimbo.

It would have been a good look if the boy didn't also look ill on top of it.

Many thoughts flashed through Seto's mind very rapidly, none of which he had any intention of voicing. The first was that he had legitimately missed Yugi. It had been so long since he'd seen the tiny duelist. He thought he was happy enough with the knowledge that Yugi was working here, but when stood just before him, clearly that wasn't the case. The second was that, had Yugi not looked sick, the flushed and messy sight of him, smeared eyeliner included, was an image that Seto was incredibly familiar with. The thought that immediately followed was that thank Christ Yugi worked down here, because I have just bought myself a first-class ticket to an HR violation, and a lawsuit to boot.

"We can get coffee, though," he added, hand slipping into the pockets of his deep blue slacks, head tilting slightly to the side. "It has been a while. The café will be closed now, so the only place with any coffee here is my office. But there's a twenty-four hour coffee shop down the street."

“Oh, I didn’t realize it had gotten so late,” Yugi replied, still in a half daze, glancing absently toward the clock.

At the offer to go get some coffee down the street, the shorter man glanced up at the other with his brow quirking curiously. It had been a long time since they had been alone together. Since just after Atem had left, when Yugi broke off their relationship.

Which, of course he broke it off. They were both grieving Atem, of course. But it had become abundantly clear to him that the Pharaoh had always been the only one in the relationship that Seto had actually had any interest in. Yugi had simply been part of it because Atem used his body. Of course Seto had denied this.

He had already been going through enough to deal with being the pity-fuck rebound for his own boyfriend. There wasn't enough therapy in the world to deal with that one.

Yugi clicked his tongue as he powered down his station and said, "You super don't have to get coffee with me at the coffee shop. I won't stop you. But don't feel obligated."

[x-heartofthecards-x]

@screwtherules

Things had gone quite similarly for Seto Kaiba. In the years since the Pharaoh left, he had thrown himself full-force into work. Which wasn’t altogether unusual— he had gotten through highschool as an early graduate on top of running KaibaCorp and got a degree at the university just for the sake of having it, and Mokuba was well on his way through a degree of his own (anyone who’d met the Kaiba brothers knew neither of them needed it).

Mokuba had taken over as head of security at Kaiba Corp, and Seto remained the CEO. But after highschool, after that final duel between Yugi and Atem, he hadn’t really seen hide nor hair of the tiny duelist. But he did manage to find his way into the afterlife at least long enough to lose a duel against the pharaoh.

It wasn’t enough. He came back empty handed. And another couple of years went by before he saw Yugi’s name once again. On a resume that shouldn’t have even found its way to his desk. Mokuba’s doing, certainly.

The damned fool had applied for an entry level position. That just wouldn’t do.

Seto sent the resume back to HR requesting they hire him as a game tester, which meant that he would be working at Seto’s own office.

For quite some time, he was able to keep from running into the boy. With his long, almost never-ending hours, he arrived long before the majority of the building and left long after. Which meant that it was quite a surprise when he made his way down the hall on the forty-sixth floor of the building and looked into the room to see Mutou face-down on his desk, fast asleep.

For a moment he hesitated. Considered continuing down the hall and sending security to wake the boy. But something pulled his feet into the room where he flicked on the light. “Wake up, Mutou. Generally it’s considered bad practice to sleep at work.”

Yugi jolted awake, groaning at the sudden brightness that had invaded his dark little sanctuary. It took him a few moment of bleary blinking for everything to come back into focus and to see that it was Seto Kaiba waking him up. This was a bit of a relief.

Seto was, of course, the big boss. But he was actually pretty sure that his direct supervisor would be more likely to fire him than the CEO would be. Seto was just far more likely to give him a bunch of shit for it. Which, he had to admit that he deserved this time.

The shorter man lifted a hand to rub at his eye as he bit back a yawn and replied, "Sorry, Kaiba. Definitely not a good look. I swear this isn't a regular occurrence."

As he dropped his hand he shifted to pause the game he was working on, saving the data and then adding as he stood and straightened up his wrinkled business casual outfit, "Had a bit of a rough night. I will go abuse the espresso machine and get back at it."

Yugi stretched his arms above his head and added, "It feels like it has been a kajillion years since I've seen you. You need a coffee? We could catch up on the way. "