Seto Kaiba (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
firstrateduelist) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
kittensinboxes2024-11-22 12:34 am
firstrateduelist) wrote in kittensinboxes2024-11-22 12:34 am
I Ended Up Losing And It's All His Fault
Kaiba had gone to the afterlife. He'd finally achieved his dream, and in doing so, faced his eternal rival in combat.
It was never meant to be permanent, of course, but he hadn't neglected to consider the possibility that he might struggle to come back intact. Before launching across dimensions, Kaiba had set his affairs in order, although only Isono was privy to what that meant.
If he was gone for more than a month, his shares would be converted into Mokuba's name, thereby protecting the interests of Kaiba Corporation. At this point, Mokuba would be appointed interim Chief Executive Officer of KaibaCorp.
If he was gone for two, then Mokuba would formally inherit the business in its entirety, with Isono overseeing most functions from day to day with stricter clauses added to his work contract that would disallow him the chance or ability to destabilize Mokuba from his position, which would still be interim CEO for all public records.
From that point on, the changes were only reversible on paper if Seto returned within a year from the launch date. If not, Mokuba really would inherit the business as the true CEO. He'd meant it when he said he was leaving it all in his brother's hands. What else could you say when you intended to launch yourself at speed from your own space station, with no full guarantee that you wouldn't impact, rather than travel across dimensions?
It wasn't a smart idea from the start to do that, and although Kaiba had achieved his goal metaphysically, the reality was that he had, in fact, launched himself from a space station down to earth. The impact was real, and while the safety features of the pod offset a great deal of the damage, he didn't escape unscathed.
The wreckage was found half a day later, bored sixty feet into the ground. Kaiba had been pulled from it and immediately hospitalized for his injuries which ranged from mild bruising to broken bones, specifically his legs and one arm. His resting heart rate had settled at 130, which was...less than ideal, and needed to be treated.
For the next 3 months, he remained in the hospital in a private room paid for by Mokuba, away from prying eyes and off the general record so that he could heal from his injuries and reawaken healthy but still remain incognito. The former worked out, but waking up...well, Kaiba simply wouldn't. His brain activity was elevated, and his heart rate often spiked, but Mokuba, at least, knew what that meant. He'd pulled his brother from their Neural Network inches before a severe cardiac episode before.
If his vitals were behaving that way, then he got what he wanted--he got that final contact with Atem that he'd been denied due to fulfilling his own dream of spreading Kaiba Land all across the world.
What happened was anyone's guess.
But after three and a half months, Seto Kaiba finally opened his eyes, and the light made his head ache. His heart rate was finally at a level that didn't indicate atrial fibrillation, and although he was pale, thin, and exhausted, he'd finally made it back where he belonged.
He was back home--no. He was...back in a hospital. Why a hospital? Why wasn't he home? Surely, he couldn't have been gone for more than a week or so, right? The dimensional connection had been flimsy at best, and he'd had to spend his time with Atem as quickly as possible.
So why were his limbs heavy? They felt wrong. So much felt wrong, and his eyes wouldn't open all the way, but he can make out a blurry image if he just...forces them to move. Someone...?
"Mo...ku...ba?"
Ugh. No, even his voice sounds awful. The muscles of his throat feel stiff, his voice is hoarse from disuse, and he'd barely managed to say his brother's name, to see if it really was him, or...maybe someone else.
It was never meant to be permanent, of course, but he hadn't neglected to consider the possibility that he might struggle to come back intact. Before launching across dimensions, Kaiba had set his affairs in order, although only Isono was privy to what that meant.
If he was gone for more than a month, his shares would be converted into Mokuba's name, thereby protecting the interests of Kaiba Corporation. At this point, Mokuba would be appointed interim Chief Executive Officer of KaibaCorp.
If he was gone for two, then Mokuba would formally inherit the business in its entirety, with Isono overseeing most functions from day to day with stricter clauses added to his work contract that would disallow him the chance or ability to destabilize Mokuba from his position, which would still be interim CEO for all public records.
From that point on, the changes were only reversible on paper if Seto returned within a year from the launch date. If not, Mokuba really would inherit the business as the true CEO. He'd meant it when he said he was leaving it all in his brother's hands. What else could you say when you intended to launch yourself at speed from your own space station, with no full guarantee that you wouldn't impact, rather than travel across dimensions?
It wasn't a smart idea from the start to do that, and although Kaiba had achieved his goal metaphysically, the reality was that he had, in fact, launched himself from a space station down to earth. The impact was real, and while the safety features of the pod offset a great deal of the damage, he didn't escape unscathed.
The wreckage was found half a day later, bored sixty feet into the ground. Kaiba had been pulled from it and immediately hospitalized for his injuries which ranged from mild bruising to broken bones, specifically his legs and one arm. His resting heart rate had settled at 130, which was...less than ideal, and needed to be treated.
For the next 3 months, he remained in the hospital in a private room paid for by Mokuba, away from prying eyes and off the general record so that he could heal from his injuries and reawaken healthy but still remain incognito. The former worked out, but waking up...well, Kaiba simply wouldn't. His brain activity was elevated, and his heart rate often spiked, but Mokuba, at least, knew what that meant. He'd pulled his brother from their Neural Network inches before a severe cardiac episode before.
If his vitals were behaving that way, then he got what he wanted--he got that final contact with Atem that he'd been denied due to fulfilling his own dream of spreading Kaiba Land all across the world.
What happened was anyone's guess.
But after three and a half months, Seto Kaiba finally opened his eyes, and the light made his head ache. His heart rate was finally at a level that didn't indicate atrial fibrillation, and although he was pale, thin, and exhausted, he'd finally made it back where he belonged.
He was back home--no. He was...back in a hospital. Why a hospital? Why wasn't he home? Surely, he couldn't have been gone for more than a week or so, right? The dimensional connection had been flimsy at best, and he'd had to spend his time with Atem as quickly as possible.
So why were his limbs heavy? They felt wrong. So much felt wrong, and his eyes wouldn't open all the way, but he can make out a blurry image if he just...forces them to move. Someone...?
"Mo...ku...ba?"
Ugh. No, even his voice sounds awful. The muscles of his throat feel stiff, his voice is hoarse from disuse, and he'd barely managed to say his brother's name, to see if it really was him, or...maybe someone else.
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At least he got where Yuugi was coming from. But then...since when had it been so hard for him, like this? Had Yuugi been hiding parts of himself away all this time? Just because...?
Because they only wanted to protect him. And they thought they were doing it, too.
That's what's got his blood pressure up now. To be seen as something else than what you are, to change yourself in order to get by, and assist the others around you?
(he's standing at a door, hand in hand with his brother, and there's another hand. rough, unforgiving, clenched around his so hard it hurts
he's solving equations, complex problems far out of the scope of his age, he's exhausted, his hands are bleeding
he tries to wrap the cuts himself, to hide them. hide away hide the blood hide the pain because there's his brother, smiling smiling always smiling)
"Don't do that. Don't ever be anything but who you are," Kaiba hisses between gritted teeth. "You have no idea how fortunate you are, to be able to live a life that's truthful. Don't sully it with lies any longer, do you understand me?!"
He rolls onto his side, not caring how it hurts, not giving a damn that the fixators jolt and cause his legs to ache because it doesn't matter!! He has to get right in Yuugi's face when he says it, to drive the point home.
"TELL ME NOW, THAT YOU'LL BE YOURSELF, YUUGI! I WON'T ALLOW ANYTHING ELSE!!"
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Was that how Kaiba really saw things...? He saw Yuugi's hiding the pain and keeping everyone safe as lying. Dishonesty. It was like hiding another part of him under a mask, maybe, smiling to keep everyone else happy.
No, he didn't want to talk about himself. He just wanted to know where it hurt.
It hurt. It hurt--
Every word, every pained grimace, the grit of teeth -- each one stabbed at Yuugi's chest with a freezing pick and left chills and heat in their wake. He didn't know whether to curl up, double over, cry, or--
--No, there was only one option. Only one. Only one.
"I promise!" He said, "I'll be honest. I won't...hide myself anymore."
His hands reached out, gripped Kaiba's shoulders. He had to touch him, roll him over, make sure he was okay, calm him down, do something, something...!!
And yet, his eyes were so steady. His voice only hinting at the concern that threatened to spill out like water.
"...So long as you're honest with me, too. I only want to see your true, unhindered self."
His voice didn't waver.
It was so gentle.
It hurt, it hurt, it hurt--
"I won't...allow anything else."
--
Seto...
Mokuba knew he hid so much. Put so much on his shoulders. And yet...
He wanted to run in, but he knew that if he did, Seto would clam up again. He always had to be the dependable big brother, show that things were fine, even if he knew they weren't.
He had to wait.
Just a little longer...
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"Shut up! It's not about me! It's about YOU! YOU CAN LIVE A LIFE, IDIOT! You could have lived a life this whole time, and had friends!"
He lets Yuugi push him back, to fix his positioning so that his legs aren't searing, so the angle of his movements no longer cause the fixator screws to twist in his skin. But he still bites back, all snapping teeth and growling and posturing like the downed beast he is.
"You can't...make me do anything! Nothing you do will change the trajectory of my life!! You can't stop...the inertia of my existence just because you think you can make a deal about it!
So just stop! For once, don't tie yourself...to someone else because you have to make them feel better!"
Kaiba winces, his eyes squinting shut. It's not just because he's glowering at Yuugi, he's struggling again, the same elevated emotions putting him at a disadvantage mentally.
It hurts.
He wants it to stop hurting, he wants his chest to stop aching, his head to stop throbbing--
--and so he hits the button, to take the pain from him, to free him from the burden for just a moment. But before it fully hits, Kaiba butts his forehead with Yuugi's, glaring into those infuriating violet eyes. Before the unsteadiness takes his mind to a faraway place, he wonders spitefully at how much he'd love a Yuugi that fought against him like they fought while dueling, a Yuugi that asserts himself. Not a Yuugi that has to bargain just to put off his pain.
"You...fool..."
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Bit by bit it cut at the walls he built around himself that he used to protect his friends, chopping down bricks and slicing cement so deep that it could barely hold.
Chip.
Chip.
Piece by piece, bit by bit...
Kaiba...I always knew you were lonely. In a lot of ways...we're similar, aren't we?
"No, you're the idiot."
Yuugi said, low and soft.
(Fond.)
"Nothing can stay still forever, just like Absolute Zero can't exist outside controlled conditions.
"This isn't about making you feel better. It's about being your rival."
Your friend.
Your...
"What kind of rival would I be, if I didn't meet you head-on and be my most authentic self? And what kind of rival would you be if you didn't meet me head-on as your true, most honest self?"
Rivals.
Yeah.
Rivals had to be equals in every way, didn't they? He felt this about Kaiba but not about anyone else, so that's what this had to be.
"So I challenge you to come at me. As yourself. To prove to me that you're an immovable object that can't be affected by momentum."
The momentum that Yuugi already brought into his life.
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The audacity of Yuugi, to use their rivalry against him--
--it's what he wanted. To be pushed against. To feel as if he's in an ebb and flow, and to have his anger answered to! Kaiba's head is already starting to swim, but he's not entirely gone yet. He's there, enough to hiss out his words, then, with some level of spite, but a higher level of answering enthusiasm, he finds himself compelled to crush their lips together.
Inelegant. Forceful.
New.
Exciting.
A challenge was laid in that kiss, though it won't last in his favor. He's already cooling off, vision blurring, within seconds of making contact.
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Small hands gripped his face, his cheeks, pushing plush lips to Kaiba's as a challenge answered. A clumsy, inexperienced mouth moved against his with a sharp intake of breath as Yuugi kissed him...
Kissed.
They were kissing.
Yuugi kissed as a riposte, a promise, a challenge, a proposal, a dedication to feelings unsaid but unneeded.
I care about you.
I like you.
My friend.
My Rival.
The one I want standing in front of me on the other end of the arena.
The one I want to walk beside me.
Everything, everything was poured into just those moments, that connection of lips on lips.
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Kaiba's eyes roll shut slowly, and with what strength he has left, he laces his fingers in Yuugi's hair, touches it again, because it feels nice and comforting. He pulls Yuugi with him onto the bed, selfishly, until the man's atop him, but he doesn't care.
"Don't...stop."
It's not an order. It's an airy, far off request muttered against Yuugi's warm, comforting lips.
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Yuugi adjusted himself and his weight so that none of it would be on Kaiba's legs. He straddled him, practically on hands and knees, and yet kissed him like it brought air into his lungs.
"I don't..." he murmured, "...ever want to stop."
This...
He'd thought of this, sometimes. Selfishly, when he was sitting in his room or at Kaiba's bedside. They were idle thoughts tossed aside as intrusive or strange despite how they made his cheeks burn.
He never realized just how right it was.
His fingers threaded in Seto's hair, gently massaging his scalp with a lover's touch.
--
Mokuba Kaiba opened the door just a crack, silently, just enough to see the two men on the bed before shutting it in turn.
Time to hold up the nurses to give these two a little privacy.
He could always say he got held up. It wouldn't technically be a lie, after all...
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"Good," he adds softly. There's a tinge of fondness in his voice, even as his fingers fall away from Yuugi's hair. The fingers threading in his own unkempt mop make his arms prickle and break out in goosebumps. It feels good. He's never let himself feel this.
No one's hands have ever touched him like this, and he's practically swimming in the sensation as he fights his own urge to slip into unconsciousness.
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He'd never sounded like this before. Even with his own natural ease and gentleness, the dreamy tone was new.
The intimacy was new.
(Exciting.)
He rumbled from his chest between indulgent kisses, fingers still moving.
Still caressing.
"I'll be here when you wake up," He whispered, "And we can do this again. I promise."
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But inevitably, he's the one that quits chasing Yuugi. His eyes slip shut, and his breathing evens out. He's still at the edge of sleep without quite giving in, floating in a sea of calm.
"So that's why...people like doing that...so much."
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He can't help it: he leans forward and presses his lips -- so gently -- on his Rival (?)'s forehead.
"You're... the only one I've... done this with.
It's... nice."
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Yuugi's lips shouldn't feel so nice on his skin. They probably shouldn't feel so nice when pressed to his lips either, but here Kaiba was, enjoying the contact and wishing they were still doing the thing.
"Don't tell Mokuba," he whispers. "If...he's still outside."
(Brother pls he already saw you)
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This was... nice.
No, more than nice. Perfect. Everything he could have wanted, and yet he never thought that he'd know how those lips felt against his.
Thin, but sweet. Better than Burger World's hand-dipped strawberry milkshake.
"It's our secret," Yuugi promised. "I won't say a thing."
Not that he knew Mokuba saw them, but... you know.
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Seto no.
"And I know you can keep a secret. You kept your hurt from your friends. From me."
Seto pls.
"If I'd have been there...y'wouldn't have been hurt."
Oh my god.
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Was it normal to feel this happy to hear Seto Kaiba talk like this? To hear that he...
Cared?
That he wanted to... what? Protect him? Keep him from being hurt?
Gods, Yuugi couldn't stop smiling.
"Are you saying you... would have protected me?"
Another kiss, nice and soft, on Seto's lips.
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"Haven't I...protected you enough for you to know...?"
He's protected Yuugi. He's protected Yuugi's friends. The last time they'd been in battle side-by-side, he had given his existence up so Yuugi could win against Aigami. Had he not...then it would have been a permanent sacrifice.
"...Didn't that matter to you?"
He hadn't meant to say what he did...but it spilled out anyway.
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Because Seto always has protected him, hasn't he? Always, always, always.
"Against Aigami, I... was so scared that I'd lose you for good. I was scared of losing everyone, but you... you hit me harder than anyone else. I didn't know why back then."
He did now. He was so stupid, how could he have missed it? How could he have missed all of this?
"I do now, though. And...I never did quite thank you properly for that, did I?"
He kissed him, deeper, slower than the others. It was clumsy, but a lover's kiss if ever there was one.
As He pulled away, he whispered:
"Consider that a fraction of my gratitude, Seto Kaiba."
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Kaiba opens his eyes sluggishly, wanting to focus enough to press for that answer. Why did Yuugi even think that about him? Hadn't it been more important to save the world? It was always more important to save the world, objectively.
Subjectively...Kaiba resented both him and Atem for their burdens.
But he won't be able to say anything about that. Not before Yuugi's lips press to his, and then...Kaiba's sinking into a sea of warmth again, his eyes half-lidding as he lets out a soft hum of approval. It's the best response he's got for a good long while, because when Yuugi pulls away, the only evidence of a reaction is the dusting of color across Kaiba's cheeks.
It's almost...innocent.
Then, too long afterwards, he finally speaks.
"...More of that."
It's not a demand so much as a request, but even if Yuugi tries to give him what he wants...Seto will struggle to reciprocate, before actually falling the fuck to sleep.
Sorry Yuugi. He is not used to being on morphine. This man is gone.
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He leaned in, words feeling hard and heavy on his tongue. Barbed knots sat on the edge of each, and yet--
Honesty. Honesty.
He needed to be honest, gripping words and yanking them out of his chest by the root to come tumbling in the air, out in the open.
"...love you."
Did Seto even hear him?
Or were those words doomed to sit in dead air...?
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It was simply poor luck on Yuugi's part, of course. Nothing he did wrong.
--
Kaiba has an unfortunate trend towards nightmares when he sleeps. It doesn't always show on his face, and he's long since stopped being startled for the most part. But sometimes, it's as subtle as the sweat on his brow, the way he clings to the sheets.
Even his dreams were work, or reminders of important things baked into what should be restful.
He hasn't ever dreamed of something so pleasant he doesn't want to wake up. So...it's definitely interesting when he breathes out a gentle sigh, followed by an unintentional, but overly-fond murmur, a string of words that's unintelligible.
A couple of hours after he'd fallen asleep, Kaiba comes around. It's faster this time, at least. He hasn't opened his eyes yet...but he does speak groggily.
"I want to eat something. I want to drink something."
Good morning? Sure, whatever. Kaiba woke up and decided he wanted to do normal things already.
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He sat at Kaiba's bedside, softer than usual with sleep, hazy eyes watching him as though he was trying to translate what he was saying.
Mokuba was gone -- he'd been the one to wake Yuugi up, letting him know that he had to get to the office -- leaving just these two in the room for now.
He... wanted to eat.
He wanted to drink.
Right out of a coma.
Yuugi let out a little noise, rubbing his eyes.
"I'll... call the doctor," he mumbled with a yawn.
We'll do this again. I promise.
...before absent-mindedly kissing Kaiba on the forehead. As you do.
He didn't even think about it: he was already fumbling with the call button.
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He's uncertain if he liked that. But he's equally uncertain as to whether he cared all that much about it, which evens out his temperament, and keeps him blessedly silent for at least long enough that Yuugi can hit the call button.
Kaiba slowly sits up again. It's getting easier every time.
"Why are you still here?" he asks quietly, choosing not to comment on the kiss for the moment. Besides, it's a valid question. Doesn't Yuugi have things to do...?
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He yawned, sitting on his usual chair with a sheepish look.
"I, ah. Can work anywhere on my laptop. The hospital is quieter than the office."
Especially with the rumor mill flitting about. With Yuugi's sudden hiring, it was inevitable.
"I am mostly doing prototyping and engine study for Spherium right now, so I don't need on-site facilities to do my work just yet."
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He reaches behind him awkwardly, repositioning one of his pillows on his own, because he is not asking for help! Nope!
"I would like to see the prototype sometime. When you feel it's ready."
Kaiba's not sure why, but he feels terribly awkward around Yuugi like this. It's not as if he's ever shunted off the idea of being embarrassed about something he'd done, and moved on from it! Why would this be different?
(because you can still taste him)
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a safe for work thread? in this economy!?!?!
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