kittensinboxes | To Be Endlessly Cold Within [Rivalshipping, Vampire AU]

To Be Endlessly Cold Within [Rivalshipping, Vampire AU]

It had taken some time to get used to living a new life as a vampire. For someone who actively decried the supernatural, it wasn't easy to admit that he'd been overcome by some creature of the night in anything outside of a nightmare.

But he had ended up like this nearly half a year ago, waking up hospitalized with what looked like some kind of lesions at the joint of his neck and shoulder. From that point, it was only a matter of time before he shifted to his new reality. Trying to suppress it out of sheer force of will had only worked out so long, and deflecting his thirst onto a natural human cause had nearly ended in him attacking his brother. That was the last straw.

That was when Seto Kaiba gave in and took the first drink.

He had to, of course, curate his inner circle slightly--tell the ones most important to him what exactly his new life would entail. Mokuba...well, while he hadn't fully intuited it, had been concerned about his brother ever since the hospital stay. How could he not be? Seto had gradually lost color, energy, and most concerningly, weight since he'd been discharged. He barely ate and looked discomforted when he did, and drank liquids constantly. Honestly, figuring out Seto's needs had been jarring, but ultimately relieving.

Isono was the only other person who knew. He was the one responsible for acquiring blood for his boss, and he did so admirably. Kaiba never fed from the vein, no matter what. Even when his jaw ached around others, and his fangs itched in his skull, he'd instead bite down on something else. He kept a solid rubber ball in his desk for such occasions, and it didn't feel right, but at least with his bagged alternatives, he was doing alright.

Isono and Mokuba had floated the idea to him of perhaps feeding on small animals, and while the thought of it had made his fangs stretch past his lower lip and made his stomach twist as if he'd been starving for all his life...he declined. He didn't need it. There were other things to attend to.

And so he never really regained his weight despite a regular diet of blood.

But at least the company was running smoothly. Seto fought the urge to take a fully nocturnal sleep schedule, and instead positioned himself between worlds. He'd come into work around midnight, well before the sun rose, and leave once it had set. Work meetings were scheduled past dusk. Probably the most expensive alteration needed was to slowly have his office windows altered with UV blocking, the tinting of which could be controlled automatically with a single remote. He mostly kept the tinting at a lower level, so he could still enjoy the sun's brightness without harming himself.

His acclimations weren't perfect. Sometimes he ended up burning himself. Sometimes, the hunger was triggered by proximity to his employees...but for the most part, Kaiba had fallen into a holding pattern. Not yet fully healthy by vampire standards, but also not withering away.

Today, Kaiba was to be participating briefly in orientation for a very small handful of new hires. Isono would bring them up, to show them who they would be working for and have Kaiba offer a few words as he often did while he judged the merit of the hires individually. He always thought it unnecessary, but what he thought, and what was actually done? Those were two different things.

The first two hires went through their orientation interview without incident. Kaiba wasn't terribly impressed, but they'd do as entry to mid-level workers. Nothing really extraordinary to be brought to the the table.

He taps the logo on his lapel.

"Isono. Bring in the last candidate, and then prepare lunch," he ordered.

"Yes, Master Seto!"

The third candidate...they better be worth something.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The new worker will find that his boss is not a patient man.

Kaiba had waited long enough for him to exit his office, but with thirty minutes left to spare, his patience had run out. Annoyedly, he raised a display up from his bracer, using the system to pinpoint Yuugi.

...There. He's found the office where the man was working. Now...why was he working on something that he had no business working on? His tasking should be far less intensve, and yet here he was, working on a build that wasn't even his!

Kaiba hated to admit it, but the initiative was...intriguing. He didn't have many employees so interested in forging bonds and helping effectively.

Still. Thirty minutes til close, no one else should be here but himself, his brother, and Isono. He'll have to put a stop to it.

He makes his way to the office, and the only warning Yuugi gets is a sharp rap to the door, before Kaiba lets himself in. This time he's ready. He's breathing very shallowly through his mouth, rather than his nose, and he's already fed enough during his lunch to prevent the desire to bite.

"Mutou Yuugi," he lets the name roll off his tongue as he makes his approach. He stops a fair distance away however, when the scent starts to creep up into his olfactory system anyway. Sweet and enticing. Unbearable.

Again, he feels as if his throat's been raked bloody with a steel brush, and his heart seems to beat only with Yuugi's. A heart long cold and dead and immobile, it's not really beating, but Yuugi's blood thumping in his temples makes it feel like it is.

"Finish what you're doing," he says, and again he looks uncomfortable and his voice sounds strained, but it's not to the degree that it had been the first time. "Finish and get ready to leave. All employees should be out of the building by 6:45."

There. He managed to get his words out, mostly, before his throat began to seize up again. He swallowed hard, trying to offset the spasms that threatened to take hold. It didn't help much.

But he's trying to maintain control, and it shows on his face how hard that is, regrettably.

Yuugi had just finished submitting another change for another coworker's problem when he heard the rap at the door.

That didn't prepare him for... him.

Look, he'd done a pretty good job in getting those eyes out of his head and that voice out of his ears. It didn't matter that nobody had ever affected him like this before, playing over and over like a song that would not go away.

Something intriguing. Tempting.

But gods, hearing that voice just made it come rushing back.

His hand stilled on the mouse, his cheeks darkened as blood rushed to his face, and--

Nnnngh.

Why did he look so uncomfortable? It wasn't like earlier, and yet...

Did he not like him?

But if that was the case, why talk to him personally about something like this?

It didn't add up!

"O-oh! Good evening, Mr. Kaiba."

Keep it cool. It's fine.

"Sorry. I just wanted to submit a few changes for the team before heading out. I just finished."

"I saw that," he managed to get out. "Don't make a habit of...doing everyone's work for them. I hired them for a reason."

There. Almost sounds normal, he's making this work. Control. He has to remain in control. He has to breathe--

--no. Damn it. Breathing deeply was a bad idea, it's like he's inhaling Yuugi's blood without actually tasting it, the sweet aroma hits and makes his jaw hurt. It's not an ache, it's actual pain as it clenches so hard he can barely tolerate it.

He looks away, the frustration visible on his features. Plausible deniability...he could just be mad about Yuugi being taken advantage of on his first day. That's all.

Why...why does he feel so empty? He'd drank more than his fair share today, should have been as full as an engorged tick at this point! But he still hungered, for this man and this man only.

"Nngh...Mutou, I came in here for a different reason," he hisses. The effort of speaking...it was almost too much. All he can think about is how much he'd love to flash-step to that desk, pull the new guy's head to the side, and bury his aching, wanting fangs in that flesh so that he could feel the rush of life trickling down his throat, swelling him back to full strength, making him feel human again!

"What my brother is trying to say is--he's sorry for the way he acted when he met you."

That voice! Kaiba turns to the source, and finds Mokuba leaning in the doorway, arms crossed. He focuses on him, not as a source of food, but as a source of self-centering. He didn't want to bite his brother. He didn't feel he urge to drain him dry. He didn't want to show him the monster clamoring to get out.

It's enough to make his jaw loosen, and his throat to stop twitching. But only just.

"Come on, bro. It's okay, just let it out."

Seto can't look at Yuugi for long. He'll have to make this quick. Once he feels composed enough, he faces the other man and inclines his head in the only bow he intends to give.

"My apologies. I'm feeling under the weather today," he says, and there's a twist in his guts, like someone's wringing any nutrition he may have derived from his meal straight out of him. Empty. So empty. Hollowed out.

He keeps his cool and continues. "You've done good work so far. I expect that to continue."

Yuugi wanted to tilt his head.

Why?

Why did that voice burrow deep into his chest, ringing inside him over and over and over and over--

Breathe. Just breathe. It was okay; this man was apologizing for being weird and even trying to be polite, the least he could do was...

--Sit on the man's lap, quiet and subservient as he kissed up his neck, tonguing the jugular with an approving growl--

Not.

That.

What.

Did they notice his hands tremble slightly? Did they notice his cheeks darken and his head tilt a centimeter to the right?

"Thank you..." He breathed, "For letting me know. And... being so courteous to me."

Airy. His voice was so airy, what--

"I hope you rest well and feel better soon, Mr. Kaiba."

The only thing Kaiba noticed was the incline of Yuugi's head. That centimeter may as well have been a foot, for how it drew him in. His fangs were dipping past his lower lip, enough that he had to part his lips again to try and tuck them out of sight.

A soft, breathy exhale rushes past his lips, the ghost of a groan.

This man was like a lure, baited specifically for Seto Kaiba.

They both seem to miss each other's affected states for what they were. Even Kaiba didn't see the rush of blood to Yuugi's face for what it was. He can only think about what it'd feel like on his tongue.

Mokuba, however, isn't part of this. He can see how his brother's reacting, and how the new hire's reacting, and his immediate move is to reach out and take Seto's hand, squeezing hard. Come back, don't walk that path.

They'll definitely discuss this later, but until then, he has to get Seto out of here.

He... he had to get home.

He had to get home, had to lie down and stick his head in a pillow and scream into it as loud as he could to stop thinking about his aching neck and hot cheeks and tight pants--

Wait.

What.

Tight--

Ooooh no. Nonononono, nope, nope, nope nope--

Yuugi's hand shook as he shut down his computer, but as he did so--

The chair fell out from under him, and he sprawled out on the ground with a cry of surprise. Neck extended, cheeks flushed--

If anyone did any proper study, they might come to the conclusion that vampires were apex predators. Kaiba knew he was an apex predator, but he kept himself firmly under control at most times, despite it.

He didn't give into his prey drive, like some common animal. There was no reason. He was sentient and civilized, thanks.

But Yuugi's scent compels him. His little actions inflame him.

He didn't even realize he was half-hard yet, all he felt was Mokuba's hand squeezing his--yes. He has to get out of here. He can. It'll be fine

Until Yuugi falls out of his chair and hits the ground, like a tripped zebra on the savanna, legs useless, and looking extremely pathetic, if Kaiba's honest with himself.

His entire body tenses, and Mokuba considers letting him go out of fear...but he wants to try and bring Seto around, to stop him from doing something they'd all regret.

"Seto, please don't!" he calls out as he feels his brother prepare to wrench free. "Why are you doing this?"

Kaiba takes several steps forward, dragging his little brother along as he bares his fangs. His eyes flicker from blue to red as his instincts urge him on. He has to...or he might die. He's sure of it.

It was only a few moments, and yet-- that was all it took.

Yuugi's eyes fluttered open, he looked up...

Fangs.

Red eyes.

Fangs.

Red eyes branding him as they penetrate his body with their intense gaze. His eyes dimmed and his body went slack, muscles worthless and lips parted even as his higher functions screamed in the back of his head.

This was ridiculous. He had to move! What was he doing?! He had to move, had to run, maybe move away and change his name and--

Fangs.

He'd seen them before, but in movies or television shows! Nothing real.

Seto Kaiba stalked closer, but Yuugi sat up.

On his knees.

Closed his eyes.

Tilted his head obediently, like someone was telling him to do it. Demanding, insisting, moving his body--

Oh hell. Mokuba's in over his head, he's not even remotely stopping his brother at this point. The only saving grace is that Seto's moving very slow, trying to fight his instincts and not succeeding. He keeps moving close to Yuugi, until he's close enough to kneel next to him and brush a cool, slender thumb across Yuugi's cheek.

Warm...he's so warm that Kaiba finds himself jealous. He misses being warm. He misses the feeling of circulating blood in his veins, the pulse and heartbeat of the living.

He covets that, the sensation he can never feel again. Stolen...

And now he would steal as well.

He moves forward, his lips parting wider, a hissing breath escaping him as he draws closer to Yuugi's neck.

They're both entranced.

Seto...he can't even hear Mokuba, or feel him pulling on his shoulders.

"SETO, PLEASE DON'T! SETO!! ISONO, HELP ME!!!"

He can see the veins on Yuugi's neck standing out, pulsing as they pumped blood so efficiently. It's amazing what Kaiba's eyes see, and he's sure he will never stop marveling at the sight. Not even when he seals his lips against the side of Yuugi's throat, and his fangs prick gently at the man's skin. Just enough to be felt.

But he hesitates. Nearly all of him is trembling with the want to pierce and taste the flood that would ensue.

Every part of him but his desire to live the life he'd made. The pride of how he had risen, made a life for his brother and himself.

The brother who's even trying to pull at his hair now, just to try and get him away from a too-pliant Yuugi.

Yuugi was floating.

Floating?

Maybe just out of his own body. His mind screamed, shouting and crying out as something deep and primal told him to stay still. His breath shuddered, arms wrapping around shoulders in an attempt to bring him closer.

Those teeth were a tease.

That prick.

He wanted it. Wanted the sting, wanted the pain--

"Nnn..."

He moaned. Gods he moaned in want and Yuugi wanted to die. Curl up in a ball and just melt into the floor.

Would this kill him?

Maybe.

It wouldn't right?

Was this how he was going to die: unable to stop himself as his hot boss bites his neck and sucks him dry like a capri sun?

Also Vampires were real.

They were real and Yuugi was working for one and he was going to be eaten.

"Please..." A voice, dull and entranced and wanting whispered, low enough for Seto to hear.

"Please...bite me."

This feels...wrong. Who begs to be bitten? It makes Kaiba pull back slightly, even though he doesn't want to. He does, but he doesn't.

He just wants...to taste...just a drop. A single drop. He can feel his mouth watering just at the prospect of it--

Mokuba gives a hard tug at the particularly sensitive hair at the nape of his neck, and Seto reels back, away from Yuugi. His blood red eyes immediately flicker back to blue, and not long after that, Isono's got him in a headlock. He's sure he hears him apologizing, The truth is that Seto could throw them both off and continue what he's doing if he so chose to do so.

But he doesn't want to hurt them. He doesn't want to hurt his brother most of all, so he lets Isono restrain him, albeit with some struggle out of instinct. He's running off of mostly instinct now, so it follows.

Yuugi Mutou...he wants to taste him. But as with most things Seto wants, he can't have that. Not if...not if he wants his life.

A life that's already been ruined, half-stolen.

All that for some blood from a man he'd only just met, who was offering it freely.

For a moment, light flashed in Yuugi's eyes.

Understanding.

Panic.

The look of a man who is standing in front of a speeding car with no way to move out of the way, even as he sees his death fast approaching. Or perhaps someone who had a veil lifted from his eyes and saw the situation he was in...

Before...

All of the light faded and his muscles went completely slack as he fell completely unconscious on the floor.

Yuugi being unconscious presents a massive problem, really. The fact that he's unconscious doesn't mean he's any less alluring to Kaiba, for whatever reason. That makes Kaiba want him more, in fact.

It's miserable. He feels as if he hasn't drank anything at all when he's around this guy, and he doesn't understand why. But seeing as he's no longer struggling, Isono releases him.

"We can't let him go home like this," he said flatly, brooking no argument. "Bring him to our home instead, and situate him in the furthest wing from me. Until we can properly educate him on the situation, he's not to be let out of the manor."

Isono and Mokuba glance at each other. This still feels like a stupid-ass idea coming from Seto, but it's true that they can't let Yuugi run free with such sensitive information. So...Yuugi is brought to the Kaiba Manor via car ride with Isono, while the Kaiba brothers take the scenic route.

Running home will help clear Seto's mind, and Mokuba didn't want to leave him alone. So, he insisted on a piggyback, which Seto was not entirely opposed to. It gave them time to talk, and it gave Isono time to prepare Yuugi a guest room in the manor at the complete opposite of Seto's room, as far from him as possible.

When next he wakes, he'll find himself in an incredibly large and comfortable bed, shoes and socks removed, but his clothing mostly intact so as not to invade his privacy overmuch.

And...Mokuba will be watching over him. Seto, on the other hand was in his room, having had more blood to take the edge off, and then passed out for his customarily short sleep schedule.

Edited (slight wording change) 2024-12-08 07:16 (UTC)

"Nnnnh..."

Headache. Muscle aches. Pain beyond words stinging in his head and behind his eyes and in his hands. The sun was too loud, the cushions were too soft, and all he wanted to do was hide under his covers and sleep for a year.

His thick Dark Magician themed blankets--

--That were not on him because he was not in his bed.

Even while still lying down, Yuugi squeaked in barely-hidden panic.

Where was he?! What happened?! Last he remembered, he was lying on the floor and Mr. Kaiba's teeth were on his throat...

Teeth.

Teeth!

That's right...that's right, he didn't bite him. He got held back by some large man and...the Vice President? Who was--

--Sitting in his room right now.

...

If he slowly, sloooowly relaxed and closed his eyes, would he be noticed? Or would he be able to go back to sleep and pretend this...this everything didn't happen?

Because Vampires? Real.

His boss? He not only was one, but Yuugi wanted to either fuck him, be drained by him, or both.

Fuck.

"Nice try, but I know you're awake."

The younger Kaiba isn't going to let Yuugi try and escape the problems inherent. Seto was still home, even though the sun was up. He was losing a day of work over this, and he'd be irritated if the reason for it wasn't addressed.

...This is the most that Seto's slept in a while as well, actually. Mokuba's happy about that. But more to the point:

"I hope you slept alright, Yuugi. We should, uh. Probably talk about some stuff though."

Some stuff...

Ngh...guess he wasn't getting out of this.

Yuugi sat up and yawned; at least he was using his first name, so it wasn't as though anything seemed...bad? Though the use of his name could mean something bad, too, he supposed...but the fact that he wasn't dead was...

Good?

He scratched his head.

"I slept...okay."

He winced, just a bit. Looks like someone has a headache.

"And by 'stuff'...you mean...the...uh."

He made a motion with his fingers over his mouth, shaped like fangs.

"...That?"

First name basis? That's just, y'know. Mokuba. He's the VP of the company, but he is still just a kid. If Yuugi clarified that he didn't like it, he'd probably accommodate, but until that point, he was focusing on the important things.

Like noticing that wince and deciding what to do about it. Seeing as he was a professional caretaker apparently--though mostly, the Kaiba brothers took care of each other more than others--he already had solutions on hand. Getting to his feet, he moved to a dresser located near the bed, but still out of reach to his guest, and reached for a bottle of water he'd left there, along with a couple of aspirin.

"Here, you might want this," he says, holding both out to Yuugi. "You took a fall in the office."

And as he says that...there's a brief flush to his face. So yeah, he was there when Seto tried to bite Yuugi, and saw everything in between. For better or worse...

"And yeah, that stuff. The stuff where my bro's a vampire, and you saw that, so we have to figure out how to go from here. And just so you know, he's never acted that way around anyone. Not once. So I have to know what happened there.

Did you do any of that on purpose?"

Mokuba doesn't think he did, but given the sharpness in his eye, a look that could very much rival his older brother, he's leaving no opportunity to be lied to. If Yuugi was more than he seemed, then they were in trouble. Not the kind of trouble where he thinks this is the one who had effectively killed his brother, at least he's hoping not.

But Seto's worked to be pretty much incognito. This could be trouble in the future, especially if other vampires--older vampires--were aware of the elder Kaiba's predicament.

Even if he's putting up a very strong front, Seto hadn't fully recovered from the attack, and was still acclimating to a new life. He was still finding his footing in a new world and it didn't always go right: he couldn't eat too much normal food without making himself ill, he couldn't process alcohol as fast, not with non-circulating blood, and he was constantly tired for fighting the urge to be awake at night, as he should be. Not to mention, he refused to drink fresh blood. The former two affected personal meetings, and the latter two affected Seto's health in general.

Mokuba Kaiba was pretty good at sussing things like that out. The older he got, the better he became at identifying and working to mitigate variables like that, and after all, he learned from the best--his own brother.

Of course Mokuba had to ask that just as Yuugi was washing the pills down. Really, why would he expect anything less? This entire situation was custom fitted to make him feel out of his element--

He choked, breaking into a coughing fit as he tried not to spit all over the bed.

You know.

As you do.

"N-no!" He gagged, "No way! I don't think I've ever been that scared in my life!"

How else was a man supposed to react when he couldn't control himself?

"If he hadn't stopped himself, I would have just...!"

Let himself die?

Begged to die?

"Let him. I couldm't control myself, no matter how hard I tried to stop myself from doing... that."

"You really looked into it though...you asked him to bite you," Mokuba pressed. "Is that really all a lie?"

He has to be sure. He needs to judge whether Yuugi's going to be a problem to them or not. He won't risk his brother...and although they were better people than they'd started, Seto and Mokuba weren't untainted by their circumstances. They'd take any course necessary to protect each other. Any.

On the other hand, he does feel a little bad that he'd caught Yuugi by surprise like that, and made him choke on the water.

"My brother couldn't control himself either, you know...and it's way more dangerous if he can't."

Yuugi put his head into his hands and groaned with shame.

Gods.

He looked... into it?

And they saw?

"I couldn't stop myself. All I knew was that so long as he was there, my body wouldn't move the way I wanted. It was like something inside me was telling me to do those things. All I kept seeing was Mr. Kaiba's eyes, even when mine were closed."

His eyes.

His face.

His fingers touching his skin and his mouth tasti--

Haha, nope. Nope.

Not today, ~~Kaiba~~ Satan.

"Okay, okay, you don't have to talk about it anymore. Like I said, I saw it," Mokuba says, raising his hands to stop Yuugi from getting too far into the details. He doesn't want to relive that moment for two reasons.

One, he does not want to see his brother that into someone ever again, for CHASTITY REASONS! That is his brother, he doesn't need to see his bro doing that!

Two, it was terrifying not to be able to stop Seto for so long, to feel useless and unheard...

He opens his mouth to try and add anything of import, but before a single word leaves his lips--

"Yes, I thought of that too."

Oh shit.

Mokuba whirls, looking frightened as he follows the source of the voice, an unmistakable voice.

"S-Seto--" he stammers, and there his brother is, standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. It's defensive posture. His entire body is strung taut like a tightrope, but there's something different. Something...odd.

His eyes aren't visible.

His eyes have been covered by a thin strip of cloth, wound several times around his head and tied firmly at the back. He's still struggling with Yuugi's scent, it still claws his insides out, hollowing him and making his body react negatively...but he'll endure it, to see if it really was his eyes that had enthralled Yuugi. Or was it him being there?

There's nothing to worry about this time. He's thought of a contingency, in case they can't be parted.

"Bro, why are you doing this again?" Mokuba snaps. "It's not R&D at the company, you can't keep playing around like this!"

"But neither can I keep falling into the pit, unable to control myself," Seto responds softly, enough that it gives his little brother pause. "I need to understand this."

That voice.

Smooth, soft; it washed over him, caressing his skin and whispering sweet things to his mind. It promised wonderful things, if he only looked into those beautiful eyes. He just needed to look up, look up, look up--

Into cloth.

Even as Yuugi's breath quickened and his cheeks warmed, he didn't tense. His eyes didn't blank. He didn't fall apart like a broken toy onto the floor.

He could breathe.

There was air in his lungs, it was bearable, it was doable. He could breathe, he could breathe he could breathe!

And warmth fluttered in his chest.

(It wasn't because of his voice. It wasn't because of the reasons he thought they were)

"Th...thank you." He murmured. "Thank you, Mr. Kaiba. For...this. For stopping yourself. If you hadn't, I..."

He would have died, and he would have thanked him for the privilege.

"I'll do whatever I can to pay you back for this."

Was it normal to be grateful to a vampire who was standing in the doorway with his eyes covered? No, probably not. It wasn't normal to be in the presence of a vampire in general, they shouldn't even be real.

And yet there they were.

Creatures of the night who terrified children into their beds were not only real, but he knew one personally. He was in their home, and he was trying to stop himself from losing control.

Wait, hold on--

Idly, Yuugi touched his forehead.

"I had a headache when I woke up this morning, like I had a hangover. But...when Mr. Kaiba's in the room, I feel better. I don't feel sick."

Come to think of it, his stomach twisted and he felt a little nauseous when Mr. Kaiba was in his office and he was working that day, wasn't he? Like, after he saw him that initial time and then went back downstairs.

Yeah, because he sipped a ginger ale for at least a third of the afternoon before it went away. He thought it was nerves, but...!

"I felt sick after our first encounter, too, but not like this. I thought it was just nerves."

"If you expect me to linger around you just so that you feel better, then you're very mistaken," Kaiba says coldly, a frown pulling at his features. "Ever since I came into contact with you, I've had to raise my meal allotments. Packaged blood isn't that simple to get, and I have no resources to waste on whatever you're doing to me!"

He steps forward, facing Yuugi, but with his eyes covered, at least Yuugi isn't going to egg him on.

"I don't know how you're doing this, but I'm not spending time at my company within any kind of proximity to you. As soon as you're rested, you need to get out. Are we clear?"

He's fighting himself not to take a few more steps forward, and it's obvious in the way his nostrils flare, his fists clench, and much like in the office, his fangs are lengthening and his throat is working.

This is taking a toll on him, whether he can see Yuugi or not. He's not sure how much longer he can stop himself voluntarily.

"Why would I expect that?!" Yuugi shot back, "I've already burdened you enough! I was just telling you that because you said you wanted to learn about what's going on."

His fists clenched in the sheets, and his eyes stayed pointedly down. He couldn't look, couldn't look up.

He had to look down...

"I don't need you to coddle me, though. I'm a grown man; I can handle myself."

Was there a touch of bitterness in his voice?

An old wound opened, perhaps.

"Hah! A grown man who couldn't resist the allure of a predator. Don't worry, Mutou, I'm aware of how grown a man you are."

He saw everything, and he wasn't happy to remember it. Though for the most part, at least one person in the room knows that Kaiba's projecting.

His brother, caught in the middle of these fighting idiots, knew very well that neither of them were in any position to be dealing out harsh words to each other. But he also hadn't seen Seto behave this way, and found it a little bit frustrating.

"Guys...no matter what, you're going to have to work in the same building. Yuugi's already onboarded," he said, inclining his head towards the smaller man, "and you're the company president, Seto."

"That's very true. I could just fire him if I wanted to," Seto responds coldly, but even he knows he couldn't bear to do that. He'd seen Yuugi's work, and some of it was better than what some of his senior employees were doing. Besides...he doesn't want Yuugi to leave for other, uncontrollable reasons.

"You really shouldn't though, bro. You've seen his work ethic, just on day one. And it's not a good look, to fire someone on day one."

"Tch. The rest of what I said still stands! I can't work like this! I lost a day to it all, and...nngh!"

Seto puts a hand to his mouth and nose, covering them as if that might somehow hep him tolerate that aggravating scent. It's unbearable.

He moves two steps closer, itching to take the blindfold off, but refusing to allow himself to do it.

"I've never needed the blood of a living, breathing human like this before. It's ridiculous..."

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