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

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..."

"I'm sorry."

The words came out without hesitation, even as Yuugi's stomach churned at the rest of the vampire's words.

He was the only one Mr. Kaiba wanted to eat.

Why?

What was it about him that drew the vampire in like a moth to a bug zapper?

And...

Yuugi couldn't resist the allure of... ah yes, just remind him that he was hard and wanting without any control over his body. Even now, with his body in the bed and his hands balled in the blankets, wanted to fall back. Go pliant.

Tilt his head.

"That...won't be an issue. I will not be any trouble for you."

Hands in the blanket.

Breathe.

"I don't want to lose control of myself that way again. Even... being in the same room like this, I..."

"...I could bite you. Just on the wrist."

He says it without thinking, drawing closer still, until he's at the foot of the bed. This close, Yuugi can probably see him breathing hard, even though he had no need to do so. Not that Yuugi probably knew that.

"Then, maybe..."

Kaiba tries to move onto the bed, attracted like a starving wolf to its meal...then he jerks back. Not by choice. There's a flash as the light in the room reflects against a wire pulled taut around his waist.

So he'd prepared for this moment, in case he couldn't control himself. And that was the only reason why Mokuba had let him so close to Yuugi. He could see the wire as soon as Seto walked past him. But now, he's not playing into Seto's nonsense. Instead, he takes hold of the wire and pulls, hard. It's enough to make his brother take a step back, then turn to glare at him--can you even glare with a blindfold?

It sure feels like that's what's happening.

"Bro, get out of here. Please. You're acting stupid. You both are. But when you act stupid, people can get hurt. Is that what you want? You want to kill a guy in your own house, just because you can't control yourself?"

Mokuba knows what he's doing--Seto jerks back from him, and takes a few steps back from the bed at that.

"I'm fine," he insists sharply, but Mokuba only shakes his head before responding.

"No, you're not. You just asked this guy if you could bite his wrist! For months you've been fighting me on the idea of even eating a rabbit, or a dog, or anything at all live that could help deal with this! Now you want to bite him?"

Kaiba grits his teeth, swallowing so hard it's audible. He turns towards Yuugi...then abandons the idea of any response here, since no matter what he said, his brother was right.

He wasn't acting rationally.

He had to leave...

"...For you own good, and mine, you should leave quickly, Mutou."

This time it doesn't sound nearly as scathing, and Kaiba finally decides to leave.

As Seto Kaiba walked away, a gentle pounding rose in Yuugi's head, intensifying with each step he took away from him.

It was him.

He was the source of his headaches.

Why, though? Why was this--

Yuugi let out a breath he didn't know he was holding before relaxing against the pillow. It was like laying a cushion against an open wound, but...

"...In ten minutes I'll head home."

He needed to get out.

Now.

And maybe sleep off this nightmare in his own bed.

The next week or so...Kaiba keeps to himself. Even his normal employees don't see much of him, and that's for good reason. He's pointedly avoiding Yuugi at all costs, trying to get back to his normal life.

...It doesn't work out exactly how he wants it to, because at the end of the day, his normal meals aren't satisfying, and he's frustrated by the inability to sate the hunger Yuugi had awakened in him. He was already thin as it was, and he can't afford to grow any weaker than he'd gotten after being turned.

He's not entirely sure if there are other vampires in Domino, and presenting as anything but a strong face was a terrible idea, both for business, and on the offhand chance that his sire lived nearby.

It was really a miserable week though, he thinks to himself as he answers emails and drinks warm blood from a mug. At least Isono and Mokuba were accommodating his needs as best they could. he had to remind himself to give Isono a raise at this point...

Yuugi had also kept to himself.

...Well, okay, about as well as a socially focused friendly guy with an active social life should. He was a really friendly guy, all things considered, and it had been fun getting to know him as he coordinated his routes around the building with Mokuba.

Ccordinated avoidance. Not exactly on Mokuba's bucket list, but it was better than seeing the poor guy nearly get eaten. Yuugi was on the same page as Seto, which was helpful. There was no Bella Swan level stalking or weird fixations: Yuugi and Seto were two people trying to function the best they could.

Yuugi was a really nice guy with two cats, a huge collection of games, and an impeccable work ethic.

Mokuba had come in to deliver a paper report from one of the departments, but he seemed...distracted.

Almost concerned as he tapped at his phone.

Seto's gaze flicks up as Mokuba enters, and...to be quite frank, the Kaiba-sense between the brothers does go both ways. So even before Mokuba's close enough to turn in the report...

"What's the matter?"

Unlike when he'd been dealing with Yuugi, a total outsider, he was much less cold with his response. Actual concern does exist within the Seto.

Mokuba bit his lip, continuing to quickly type.

"It's Yuugi," he said, "He's out sick today."

Some more typing.

A grumble.

"And he isn't responding to any of my texts. I'm worried about him."

Oh. Right. Yuugi. Of course he's worrying about Yuugi, they'd ended up getting along after everything, and Seto would be lying if he admitted that didn't bother him. He's not the kind of guy that likes to share his brother, evidently. Or maybe he's still suspicious of Yuugi in general.

It could be both...couldn't it?

(he's jealous)

"If you're so worried, then I can send Isono to check on him," Seto offered blandly. "People are allowed to call out sick. Maybe it isn't so bad."

He's attempting to comfort his brother, and it's very awkward, because he's not as sympathetic as Mokuba. Thanks Gozaburo, you did a great job raising a monster.

Mokuba wasn't going to even dignify that with a response. Seriously, what use were words on his brother...

When he could just hand him his phone and show him:

It was a photo. Yuugi Mutou, visibly thinner with almost all the color drained from his face. His eyes were bright as ever, and his smile was a radiant little thing, but that could not hide the exhausted circles under them; the visible loss of weight; the drooping of his hair.

Wasn't it weird since he looked so healthy just a week before?

Mokuba had chosen the right move, as he so often did. The photo grabbed at Seto's attention, to the point that he brings the phone closer, really stares at the state of his new hire.

The vitality...it had all but gone from him. The only thing that looked the same was that smile, and those ridiculous, optimistic eyes of his. His skin was sallow, cheeks hollowed, eyes even more tired and darkened than Seto's own.

He looked terrible. Even Seto seems alarmed.

"Does he have a pre-existing condition we weren't aware of?"

It's a fair question, but Seto's kind of dancing around the point they'd come to when Yuugi had been convalescing in one of their guest rooms, which was that he'd admitted he felt better around the elder Kaiba.

Sure, it made Seto feel like garbage, and it sharpened the edge of his hunger like a knife, driven into his own abdomen until he nearly lost himself. But...if this was the result, then...then surely Mokuba expected him to invite Yuugi to the office, just for the proximity, didn't he?

He turns to Mokuba, holding out the phone and searching his sibling's face for some kind of thoughts on the matter.

"None. That was the first thing I checked; Yuugi's the kind of guy who will hide everything if he thinks it'll bother someone else."

Mokuba sighed and pinched his nose. This was a mess, and it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, literally! Yuugi was trusting as all hell, but he always saw the best in people.

He was the first with a kind word, he restocked the office coffee pot without complaint, and worried over everyone. There was no mask to slip: he was just like that.

They were...friends.

Yuugi was his friend.

But these two brought something out in each other that Mokuba wasn't willing to play with. He couldn't.

So he had to try alternate approaches...

"He is not coming to the office like that," he said. "If you lose control, you could kill him even easier than before."

What could he do...?

"But... he said he felt better around you..."

A pause.

"Seto, hypothetically... what would you do if I dropped some of your laundry off at his place and mixed it in with his stuff?"

Seto visibly flinched where he sat, his eyes widening.

"My--"

No way. No way. Just the thought of it made his skin prickle! Mokuba wants to take his clothes, and put it near Yuugi so that--so that somehow, he could try and benefit from it? By what, sniffing it?

He hates it. He despises it. It feels like a violation of his personal boundaries to do something like that, especially if he wasn't being straightforward with it.

"You're asking too much," he said, a note of alarm in his tone. "Mokuba...how can you even suggest it?"

It's not just a selfishness thing, it's a privacy thing! He doesn't want to!

But then...he can see the look on his brother's face as he refuses, and it makes him squirm too. His brother really did want him to help this nobody, because to him, Yuugi was a somebody, actually. He tried hard, he helped out, and he was kind to Mokuba, enough that they were friends.

"Nngh."

Seto's hands balled into fists on his desk. He actually looked as if he wanted to escape reality right then and there, which included actually flushing. That was always a tall order as a vampire, with no self-oxygenating blood to speak of. The only reason the color that sluggishly rises to his cheeks is lighter than a bruise is because he was in the middle of his lunch when Mokuba came in here.

"Don't...be secretive. If you're going to do it, then--then let him know. He'll find out anyway, our sizes are astronomically different"

He's a full head taller than Yuugi. His clothes would drown the man, at best.

"Just do it as soon as possible, before I change my mind, and don't give him any outfits I like!"

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject