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.

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Huh...what a weird guy.

The guy was tall, though more on the lankier side than particularly built. His hair was long and well-coiffed, his suit was made from what looked to be impeccable tailoring -- not that Yuugi knew much about that kind of thing -- and his entire attitude was very polite.

Unfamiliar, but polite.

"Oh!" Yuugi said, "Thank you. I'll only be just a minute."

He didn't want to take too long, after all; thankfully he always knew what kind of snacks he wanted...

...

Except today.

He was craving something a bit heavier in protein today.

Beef Jerky it was.

"Take your time!" the man said, giving a little wave of the hand. He stands there, hands behind his back and noting which snack Yuugi chose. Beef jerky, huh? What an oddly un-Japanese choice! Or at least, he thinks so.

"Careful with that, it's pretty high in sodium! Easy to get dehydrated...but it's pretty good. So I would overall give your choice a high score!"

And so saying, once the machine's free, he also buys some jerky for himself. Instead of one pack however, he purchases two.

"Thank you for the idea. Something about this reminds me of home, if I'm honest," he says with a hum. The way he talks, it's airy and drawn out. Very noticeably so. But not really impolite, at least.

"Oh, thank you! Don't worry, though. I have plenty of water at my desk to counteract it."

He had to; the last thing he wanted was to collapse because he wasn't taking care of himself again. Mokuba would have his hide.

Though wait. The things that guy said...

"Of home?"

Oh, right, he was probably a foreigner. He definitely looked like one; he'd never seen a Japanese guy dress like that (outside of extremely ostentatious prosecutors, anyway, but they were outliers and should not be counted) before.

"Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking?"

A few steps to the right, just enough to give the foreigner room to get to the machine.

"America! I'm visiting for business, actually," the man responds, very clearly not offended at Yuugi's curiosity. "If you don't mind me saying...you must be a new face around here. I don't believe I've seen you around before. Then again, Kaiba Corporation is a big company, always growing!"

He almost looks jealous about it, putting a hand to his head in a showy expression of frustration. Woe is he, the man from across the sea with a business that may or may not be less successful than KaibaCorp.

"Nothing wrong with growth though. That just makes my investment stronger~"

Oh...

An American, visiting for business...Didn't Mokuba say something about an American? Someone named Pegasu--

Yes! This had to be Pegasus. He was certainly a lot different than what Yuugi was expecting. When he thought of American businessmen -- and the creator of his favorite card game -- he certainly didn't think of a man who looked like...this.

"Oh, that's quite a trip, then. I hope you're enjoying your time in Japan, sir."

Aha. Yep, this was definitely happening. Kaiba's business partner that got him sick on Omakase was definitely talking to him right now.

"And um. My name is Yuugi. Yuugi Mutou; I'm a new hire for the game development division. It's always been my dream to work here, and I'm really happy to be able to contribute to KaibaCorp's continued success."

"I often do, in fact. I enjoy the rich culture here, and the organization of everything. Ever person has their place, and that includes you, doesn't it?"

And at that, Pegasus smiles, a smile that reaches his eyes in a most playful manner.

"My apologies. I was playing a bit coy, and that's rude. My name is Pegasus Crawford, and it's very nice to finally meet you, in the flesh! Kaiba boy is quite taken with your work ethic. And surely if he brought it up at all, it may as well be singing praises!"

Not a lie, in fact. Kaiba did appreciate Yuugi's work ethic, and he had brought it up with a little prodding.

Every person has their place.

What did he mean by tha--

Nope, it was time to blush. Blush, and blush a lot! Because just the idea of Kaiba singing his praises was enough to warm his cheeks and send his heart fluttering. How long had it been since he'd wrung his hands like a schoolboy? Probably high school, right? Middle school?

(Kaiba Boy? Does Kaiba actually like being called that? Why was he letting an investor just call him things like that?)

"Oh! Ah. It's...a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Crawford. And...I. I'm glad Mr. Kaiba enjoys my work. It's an honor to work for him, after all."

Though seriously, he looked like a schoolboy with a crush instead of talking about his boss.

Much professional.

So composed.

Kaiba allows it because the investor owns Industrial Illusions, and distributes the game that had gotten him through a great deal of hardship. Pegasus knows that just as well as he does, and it's what binds their companies together.

Yuugi might not understand the breadth of it, and that's fine. Pegasus won't stop calling him "Kaiba boy" though. Just an odd little parlance, a mixture of English and Japanese that doesn't quite translate well, but then, there's more than just that in the way he speaks. English words are mixed in here and there, and Yuugi can probably parse them!

So Pegasus won't alter his speaking pattern. In fact, he holds a hand out to shake, hoping that Yuugi would take it as warmly as it was offered.

My, but his heart sings for the elder Kaiba, doesn't it? How intriguing! No one blushes like that for nothing!

"I think you'll be one of his finest acquisitions," Pegasus says kindly. "And speaking of him, it's time for my meeting! Would you like to join us? I know you must have a lot of work to do, but I'm sure you wouldn't mind indulging me, just a little? I would love to tell him of how courteous you were!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline, Mr. Crawford, sir."

Yeeeaaaaaah, going to the office and joining them for a meeting? A private meeting? An investor meeting? Yeah, Yuugi was going to not do that.

Besides, he had work to do. Daily Standup was probably soon, and...nnngh. Sprint planning was after that. He needed to be there for that since he was assisting the design department and actually presenting some points for that meeting.

"I told my team I'd only be gone for a few minutes. I have to get back for a few important meetings. It was wonderful to meet you, though."

He bowed low before taking a few steps back.

"Have a great day, sir."

He spun on his heel and already started walking back. He was already taking too much time; he had to be at his desk a few minutes ago, what was he thinking?!

"Awwww, too bad!

Maybe next time~ It was very good to meet you, Yuugi boy!"

Pegasus gives a little wave, then heads on out himself.

And yes, Yuugi, he's going to start calling you that as well.

For now, they part ways, and for the next few hours, things are quiet. There's peace in the building, though if Yuugi regales his team with what had happened, they'd definitely tell him he was nuts to decline anything of Pegasus, because if anything at all jeopardized the working relationship beteween I2 and KaibaCorp, then Kaiba himself wouldn't be pleased about it!

He's taken action against those who haven't toed the line with Pegasus before. Just be careful, is the warning.

Sometime near the end of the day, Kaiba has had his discussions with Pegasus, and while he's free to roam the building and make a nuisance of himself as he's wont to do, he's Mokuba's responsibility for the last hour or so.

Kaiba himself looks...well, the kindest way to put it would be bedraggled. He'd already lost sleep over his actions from the night prior, and whatever had happened in the office seems to have caused him more undue stress. Why else would his hair be even slightly mussed, his tie loosened and jacket missing? Why would he look so much more tired than he should?

It's happenstance that he ends up on Yuugi's floor, really. It's just that the coffee machine here is the least terrible, really. And he needs some damn coffee.

"Ridiculous," he mutters as he pours himself a half-cup. "Who brings beef jerky to a meeting?"

The coffee machine was less terrible because Yuugi kept replacing it with a fresh batch every few hours; no burnt coffee for him, no sir.

Though...

Nnnngh, he'd declined Pegasus's suggestion because it wasn't appropriate to drag employees into investment meetings, and he had a lot of work to do.

But... well, that might have been a bad idea.

Great. His stomach felt sour.

Yuugi tried not to think about it; if he did something wrong, he'd be quick to hear about it, right...?

Except.

Uh.

It was hard to think about it when there was Seto Kaiba at the coffee machine. And he looked awful.

"Mr. Kaiba...?" He stepped in next to him, bag of trail mix in his hand.

Of course it's Yuugi. He could smell him as he approached. Ugh. Come on, he doesn't need this right now. It's easier to control his urges since he'd fed off of the man, but even now, he's made uncomfortable at the proximity.

That being said, he casts Yuugi a sidelong glance with tired eyes. Eyes with dark circles that betrayed a need to sleep today off.

"So, you decided it was a good idea to shunt him off on me and me alone, did you?" he asks sharply. "Bold of you."

Then, he brings the coffee to his lips and drinks, eyes slipping shut as he lets the warmth of it slip down his throat like medicine.

"...You should do it more often. It's funny when he doesn't get his way about things like that. But...if he asks you again, you'll have to appease him, I suppose. There's a thin line between pouting and actual displeasure with that one."

Tired as he is...he's smirking.

"So...we're having coffee before he sets out. You can't get out of that one."

Does Kaiba need more coffee? Probably not. Does he want it? Hmm, not really, not past what he's drinking here. Is he going to tell Pegasus no?

Absolutely not, that's conceding. Seto Kaiba doesn't lose.

All right, that was definitely not what he was expecting.

(Even when he was tired, that smirk looked good on him.)

Yuugi hid his surprise behind his own cup of coffee; ahhhh, it was still good. All it needed was a little sweet creamer and it was perfect.

"I had meetings," Yuugi said into his cup, "My team was counting on me."

Another sip.

From the outside looking in, this was a surreal sight: Seto Kaiba talking casually with an employee by the coffee machine. No yelling, no tension.

Friends.

(Maybe.)

Another long, long sip.

"What time does he want us to be there?"

So this was... happening, he supposed. The capricious American wanted Yuugi and Kaiba to join him for coffee. In the middle of the day.

(He knew better than to pry into why Kaiba looked so tired. He'd just let Mokuba know via text when he got out of eyeshot.)

Well...

He drank more caffeine in college. He'd be fine.

"After work," Kaiba says, before taking another sip. He leans with his back against the counter, one leg crossed over the other. It's very casual...but his eyes are like daggers if they meet with any curious glances. "He's very interested in you, and I'm not entirely pleased with that."

Yuugi's done good work in his very short time with the company. Kaiba's not looking to lose him, and...anyway, he's not sure if he can go back to his normal life without the man in it. Not because he cared, but because of his blood.

The blood thrumming in his ears, begging to be tasted.

"Would you come to the office with me?" he asks coolly. "I need to go over something with you."

There's nothing on the docket about that. There's nothing at all backing up Kaiba's claim that he needs to see Yuugi. So...it's not work-related. But he better pretend it is.

"Interested, huh...?"

Yuugi downed the rest of his coffee in one long gulp. It was still warm, but the heat felt good against his dry throat, even as it made his chest squeeze slightly.

"I have no interest in leaving, if that's what you're worried about, " he said.

But the rest of what he said...

He had something to go over? Really?

"Oh! Uh. Sure! Lead the way."

What could he want to talk to him about...?

Sometimes, Kaiba feels, it's not really up to the person Pegasus is interested in. Something always happens, one way or the other. But of course, he doesn't say that. He just lets out a "Hn" into his cup as he sips, then he starts leading Yuugi to the elevator.

"How is your work going?"

Not that he can't see, but Mokuba had told him before that asking was far more polite than the alternative.

Yuugi's eyes brightened.

"Oh, it's going great! We planned out our next three sprints today; the CMA team wants me to handle prototyping the next few downloadable arenas this sprint, and I already have so many ideas for how we can kick things up a notch and give the players something both familiar and fresh."

CMA: Capsule Monsters Arena. It was Mokuba's baby, based on Capsule Monsters Chess but redesigned for the KC VR engine and compatible headsets.

Yuugi played it a lot before he was onboarded, and found it extremely addictive. He needed to play with Mokuba sometime...

He followed Kaiba to the elevator with a spring in his step and an easy smile.

"Good. Mokuba will be pleased."

Kaiba taps the elevator button, rolling the information around in his mind. That was Mokuba's brainchild, of course Yuugi was helping him with it. Truth be told, it inspires the barest drop of warmth in Seto Kaiba's cold dead heart whenever his brother has something go right for him. He works hard for what he achieves, after all.

Kaiba just wants the best for him, that's all.

Once the elevator finally dings on their floor, he walks in quietly, tapping on the button for the top floor--his office--and then pressing his thumb on the biometric pad.

(yeah no one's allowed in his office without clearance, what of it?)

"You're pretty energetic for someone who can't have gotten that much sleep."

"Yeah. I've been sending him regular updates; I want to try to play a few games with him with the prototypes when they're ready so that I can see what he thinks..."

Ah. Haha.

Oh.

Right.

Yuugi scratched his head, but he at least looked a little sheepish.

"...Coffee?"

He chuckled.

"Nah, I'm just used to it. I turned in projects on less sleep in college."

And hung over. But that was entirely his friends' fault and his inability to say no, even before major exams.

"That seems to be counterproductive. However, I wouldn't know. My schooling was...not formal."

It was so informal that his adoptive father decided to throw in cool things like collars and riding crops and cigar burns, but Kaiba doesn't talk about that because it's no one's business, he'd learned a great deal, and he'd settled his hatred by now. The past is in the past.

Hm. They still have a few floors to go. Kaiba sighs, unable to put this off any longer without it seeming awkward.

"I didn't call you to my office for anything work related," he says plainly. "I called you to my office because I need something from you. And I don't want you to make it weird."

...Why does he feel like just saying that has already made it weird?

...Because just saying that did make it weird.

Yuugi didn't know Seto well, but he knew him well enough to where 'making it weird' was the last thing he ever wanted to do.

Still, he had to raise an eyebrow.

"Uh...okay? Sure."

What would Seto want him to come to his office for, anyway? Definitely not a game -- not during work hours -- and he wouldn't be so secretive about something like that.

Was he...?

"Are you...hungry?"

Testing the waters. Seeing if he, uh. Meant what he was suspecting he meant.

Kaiba turns away, glancing at nothing on the other end of the elevator, just so that he doesn't have to look Yuugi in the eye. Maybe it'll make him look like some tortured soul, rather than awkward, like he felt. And fortunately, hungry as he is, there's nowhere near enough blood to make him flush.

"Correct."

That's it. Acknowledgement. What else does Yuugi want?

"Okay. I might have to rest a little bit afterwards."

What, did you expect Yuugi to 'be weird' about it, Kaiba?

So what if his heart was racing at the thought, or that his breath picked up slightly? Those were physical reactions that had nothing to do with his even voice and the way he carried himself.

Edited 2024-12-18 04:29 (UTC)

"That's fine. We'll have time before close. I apologize for any inconvenience this might cause to your work day."

God he sounded so stiff about it. Even he wanted to cringe, but...he couldn't bring himself to act any other way. This was hard for him, to admit he needed something of such high value from someone else, with very little to offer in return, and it not being business related.

The elevator dings. They've reached their destination. Kaiba is the first out, striding with purpose over to his desk. He's not stressed, or nervous. He's not.

What he is though, is having a hard time dealing with Yuugi's proximity. He's been doing fairly well since being on Yuugi's work floor, but now that there wasn't anyone around but the two of them, he looks fidgety as he moves to his desk.

Things don't...quite look right. Everything's where it belongs, except Kaiba's suit jacket, which is draped halfway across his desk. Odd, since he has his trench hanging from a coat rack. He's not really the disorganized type.

There's...something on the sleeve of the jacket too. A smear of dark red across the cuff.

Kaiba doesn't seem to take notice, other than to eventually pick up the jacket and hang it on the rack as well.

"We'll do this differently," he finally says, quiet as a mouse, as if it's a secret. As if he hadn't already disabled the cameras.

Something... seems off.

It isn't just that Kaiba is uncharacteristically stiff; it isn't just that the room seems a bit disorganized...

There was red on his jacket, by the cuff.

That didn't look right...

It was like he wiped something red off him with his sleeve, but Kaiba would never. He was too high strung, too fastidious for that.

Yuugi's eyes lingered on the coat rack a moment. What was that...?

"Uh... what did you have in mind?"

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