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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Kaiba's never known anything so sublime. The blood, it came and came, rushing down his throat like magma, burning him from the inside out, but in a way that has him groan as he's thoroughly filled in turn.

He can't stop...he can't, not so long as the flow practically drowns him. He'd keep drinking too, until he'd drained Yuugi dry, or something stood between them. He'd never, not once in his life, felt as if he might finally be so full that he couldn't bear to take anymore.

Pegasus continues to watch, not yet ready to intervene. But with this situation...he'll certainly have to.

The pink -- the pink that was so constant on his cheeks since he first got bitten -- has finally faded, as though his skin finally managed to be a normal color. It looked strange now though, after having been on him for so long.

Considering the circumstances, it was almost as though that flush of life was always a bit too...intense. Like Yuugi was a bit full.

He sagged in Kaiba's grip, more and more languid as he continued to feed.

"Thank...you..." He mumbled. "Not...full anymore...C'n...c'n stop..."

Not that he was in much of his right mind. His eyes were blank and his body moved on autopilot. Yuugi Mutou long ago checked out, leaving his body and its needs to remain.

Everything felt perfect. All of it...it was as he had said before, in his stupor--paradise.

For the first time since he'd been turned, Kaiba's jaw slackens, and he pulls away on command, because the truth was that he couldn't take another drop from Yuugi even if he wanted to. The warmth of the sun flows in his body, and so fresh off a feed, his skin actually looks like that of a living person. He's flushed, bright and wanting, and the final instinct he heeded was to run his tongue along the bites, letting his saliva seal the wounds.

Then, all of a sudden, he sits back, his expression completely blanked. He may as well be a doll with the strings cut. The only thing that he managed to keep hold of was Yuugi, pulling him closer to his chest like a beloved prize.

Pegasus settles a hand in Kaiba's hair, stroking through the strands with a familiar fondness. Kaiba, of course, gives no reaction. It's like he isn't home anymore.

"Well, well. Aren't you a perfect little wellspring, Yuugi boy?" he says with a hum as he walks towards the toilet Yuugi had previously been retching into. He flushes it, to clear the evidence, then takes a knee before the young man.

"Kaiba boy is a greedy one too, to match. He took all he wanted, and you know--he's never had such an indulgent meal as that! Even if I left him to his own devices, he'd never be able to get you out of here. He's riding high, you've filled him completely! And..."

Pegasus takes that moment to run a thumb across Kaiba's cheek, prompting him to shift forward. Filled completely indeed, Yuugi would be able to feel the pressure of something pressing against him. Something unmistakable.

"I'll tell you a secret: Vampires can only feel physical arousal if they're well-fed. Good thing feeding goes hand in hand with good feelings, right~? Would you let him have you like that, completely? I'm so curious, because I could feel that little green monster at the back of your mind, Yuugi boy! That monster called jealousy."

Conscious Yuugi Mutou knew nothing of these feelings, of course. He just wanted to protect his friend, to make sure his chastity was safe and that Mr. Pegasus wasn't doing anything untoward! Honest!

But deep down in that lonely heart, that green monster dwelled.

"Yes." He whispered it like a shameful secret, even as his blank eyes stared up at Pegasus with no visible emotion.

"I care about him a lot," he murmured. "And he's beautiful. Nobody's ever touched me like that, and I'd love it if he did."

It was a good thing that he was fresh from being fed on and Pegasus had a...way with people, because you couldn't get those thoughts out of Yuugi with a crowbar otherwise.

"I'm so lonely."

"You've only just met him. You don't know anything about him."

The affect slips slightly. Now Pegasus puts a hand to Yuugi's chin, tilting his head up. Look into his eye, little Yuugi. Look into the eternity contained within, and see if you can find the end of it.

"He's beautiful, I grant you. Beautiful in his pain, his suffering, his loneliness. But you're mistaken, if you think he's the kind of person who would want to touch you.

I've seen his thoughts. Everything is a means to an end. 'We're not friends, I owe a debt'. How unkind, really. And yet he wouldn't kill you. The strength in his heart is immeasurable. You're the only thing that unravels him.

You," Pegasus continues, and this time he leans in close to Yuugi's ear, whispering it as if its a secret, "are the one who could take everything from him. His company. His brother. All he's worked for. Because inevitably, you'll get him caught."

Yuugi shivered, and his eyes stared up, into his eye. Into that beautiful galaxy of neverending eternity--

"No," He whispered back, lilting and soft, "I saw him. He played a game with me, he talks to me like a friend. He doesn't have friends because he isolates himself...but I played a game with him. I talked to him."

Perhaps you can see the memories flit in Yuugi's thoughts, Pegasus?

The two of them on Yuugi's bed, intensely playing Liar's Dice like old friends.

A younger Yuugi sitting on the couch with his grandfather, watching Kaiba duel with the intensity of a champion.

Yuugi trying to wear the equivalent of Kaiba's ridiculous affect, except he wore his jacket like a cape as he stepped into the dueling ring.

"He doesn't...know how to have friends. Even if I'm a means to an end, I don't mind, if it makes him happy. I want to protect him and keep him safe, and I'd...I'd never let him get caught. Not now, not ever."

A sniff.

A single sniff as tears fall from his eyes and down his cheeks.

It looks like his inner feelings go quite deep, don't they.

It's as easy as reading a book. Pegasus pores over those memories, considering them, then lets out a soft chuckle.

"Being a means to an end...isn't the same thing as making someone happy. You should remember that. Or that's what I would say, if I thought you ought to remember this at all.

How unfortunate, hm?"

Yuugi's feelings run ridiculously deep. The reason he wanted to work for Kaiba, and why it was a dream? Sure, it was to bring the joy of games, a lofty and laudable goal. But it seems he also admired the man from afar, and aspired to...what? To succeed? Maybe to grow closer?

"You want him to love you, don't you? Why not see what that's like?"

Yuugi's dream? Now that's the childish one. But Pegasus understands it, and he even gives Yuugi some of what he wants. It's as simple as whispering a suggestion in Seto's mind, because he could do that. He had the power to do that to Seto, and Seto only.

Yuugi Mutou is as dear to you as a lover. You've waited so long for him, your heart has known no other.

And with that, Kaiba's grip around Yuugi tightens, slotting them closer together. One leg gently crosses with Yuugi's, as if to somehow pull him closer, and Kaiba breathes a gentle, unusually warm breath across the other man's ear.

"You're beautiful," he whispers reverently. "You're mine..."

And he sounds as if he means it, more than he could mean anything at all.

Yuugi gasped, leaning back into Seto's touch with the kind of sigh that could only come from a lover with his desires fulfilled. His fingers trailed back into the other man's soft, soft hair.

"Yours," Yuugi whimpered, "Only yours."

If he was in his right mind, he would have been horrified. How dare someone use his emotions to play with both him and Seto like toys like this?!

They were not dolls for Pegasus to play with as he pleased.

(They were, though. They were under his thrall and Yuugi was none the wiser to any of this. Not his desires, and most definitely not what was happening in this bathroom.)

But all he could feel was fulfillment in this embrace, in Seto's words.

Someone he respected and admired so much thought he was beautiful. Thought he was worth it. Touched and held him close and coveted him with the kind of warmth he'd always yearned for--

"I've waited so long," Seto says, and there's such open emotion in his voice that it should have been the reddest of flags. "For someone who could be at my side, as an equal. It's you, isn't it?"

And then he plants a gentle kiss at the side of Yuugi's neck. There's nothing hungering for his blood in that, it's just...hunger to touch. Hunger to be with him.

And that's when Pegasus leans in close, and he smiles as he stares into Yuugi's eyes.

"It's cruel, to take this memory. But it's not real anyway, and it's not yours. Seto Kaiba is mine."

Pegasus presses their foreheads together, and Yuugi will likely feel something blinding and white. The light of removal, followed by the darkness of unconsciousness.

Whatever happens in between is a blur, for the both of them. Yuugi's rendered unconscious, and Pegasus is left alone with Kaiba, to correct what needed correcting, and to make sure he left in the same state he'd entered. Sure, it required a little bit of work, but...in the end, the story was easily crafted.

Kaiba had nearly lost consciousness, tired as he was, clearly suffering from a bit too much caffeine, but Yuugi had been worse off. Hungry, tired, and crashing from too much coffee--of course he was ready to drop. As a final courtesy to the Kaibas and to the company, Pegasus drives them all to the hospital, where Yuugi can be properly cared for, while the brothers join him simply out of...well, for Mokuba it's legitimate concern, and for Seto, it's duty, isn't it? He owes Yuugi.

Despite feeling jittery from the coffee he'd had, he was surprisingly rejuvenated. Maybe Yuugi's blood was finally doing him a favor.

Mokuba has definitely been shooting him sideways glances though, because actually, from the outside, Seto looks pretty much like he did before ending up turned. Clothes no longer hung loosely, supported by his broad shoulders and strong arms, and even his facial features were more filled out. He looked altogether less angular and sickly.

It's got Mokubaa little concerned, but...if Seto's doing better, that's good right?

They don't speak--they don't have time. Seto's working off a laptop, and Mokuba's using his phone to arrange things while they keep Yuugi company in his room, and wait for him to wake up.

Yuugi shifted in the bed as consciousness washed over him.

Flushed cheeks practically glowed in the light of the hospital room, spiked hair down and fanning over the pillow as he shifted under the blankets.

...

This wasn't his room.

First of all: his arm hurt. It was like there was something mildly sharp in it, stabbing him continuously, almost like--

"Nnnn..."

An IV. There was an IV in his right arm with plenty of tape, as though it had been adjusted multiple times. There was minor swelling around the site, so it was possible that it needed to be changed again.

"Wha..."

Slowly, Yuugi sat up, and he brushed errant strands of hair out of his face. His hair usually spiked up on its own with minimal assistance, but there were days when it would hang down like this.

What happened...?

"Ah! Yuugi, you're up!"

Mokuba is of course the first one up, moving to Yuugi's side and beginning to fuss.

"How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

Kaiba continues typing, for the most part, but he does give a sidelong glance at Yuugi. Is that some concern, or...?

"It's about time."

Yikes, maybe not.

The look Mokuba sent Seto's way could have withered lesser men. Seriously...

Yuugi seemed okay, if not a little tired.

"No, I'm..."

Yuugi smiled sheepishly before wincing just a bit.

"... okay. My arm just hurts a little."

He paused.

"Sorry about all this."

All this being... what, exactly?

"About collapsing in a coffee shop because of overwork due to completing tasks that were beyond the scope of your expectations? Oh no. How terrible of you."

This time, he does close his laptop, before setting it aside and getting to his feet. He moves to Yuugi's side, but doesn't immediately look at him. Instead, he looks at the medical readouts first.

"Your medical expenses will be compensated. You were technically on company time," he adds, with far less sarcasm than his initial response. "I can call a doctor to check on you if you would like. I don't imagine you want to be here all night."

This...is Kaiba being nice.

Overwork...? Was that what happened? He couldn't remember a thing, and he wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

(Good. It was good.)

But he did end up doing a lot without eating enough. He probably should have eaten more at work, or had bigger breakfasts. If he was going to be feeding his boss, then he needed to at least have his body in good condi--

--

Wait.

Did Kaiba...always look like that? The healthy glow, the filled out skin, the fullness of his muscles.

"Ah...that would be nice. Thank...thank you."

Staying in a hospital felt like it would be a bad idea. He wasn't sure why, though.

Kaiba nods, finally shifting his gaze to Yuugi, to get a better look. He...doesn't look as terrible as Kaiba would have expected from a man who collapsed in a coffee shop. This should go fine.

Something though, something catches in his mind, and he frowns, brows furrowing. Something feels different, and he could have sworn...

No.

No, it's nothing. He clears his throat quietly, then turns away.

"Understood. I'll take care of it."

He walks to the door, ready to summon a nurse or a doctor to attend to Yuugi...but then he pauses.

"I invite you to my home for the night. Consider it."

And then he's gone, before Yuugi can say anything at all. He'll expect an answer when he gets back, but even saying those words was as difficult as assembling a prototype for which you have no point of reference, and he needs space, thanks.

Something in Yuugi's heart burst into a kaleidoscope of color.

It wasn't the fact that Kaiba offered to compensate, because in truth, that could have been due to his sense of honor. Same with his own dedication to him getting the utmost care.

The last part, though.

That...

That was...

"Mokuba, did...did you hear that?!" Yuugi grinned as soon as Kaiba was out of the room (though probably not out of earshot, because Vampire hearing). "I think we're starting to become friends!"

"Uh...yeah, I heard," Mokuba says, and not for the first time tonight, he looks nonplussed. It's been a very weird day, and a stressful one at that. But if the capstone is Seto inviting Yuugi to their house, for god knows what reason...then he can't be mad.

Seto's actions always have him wondering, sometimes for the worst. But this? This is fine, actually.

"I don't know about 'friends' in the same way you and I are friends, but maybe it's progress!"

Orrrrrr...maybe he still feels responsible for Yuugi. Dragging him to the coffee shop was Pegasus's idea, but Seto had gone along with it, hadn't he? He did that a lot, and maybe Yuugi was right to investigate what they were doing in the bathroom.

All Mokuba knew was that shortly after going back there, Seto and Pegasus had come out with an unconscious Yuugi. Seto didn't...really look as if he was all there, he seemed like he was in a daze, but he'd explained it honestly to Mokuba, in a way he never would with anyone else.

He was exhausted, worn out. Just finding that out was enough to have Mokuba write the next workday off for both of them, and call out sick to school. He hated to do that, because he knew it worried Seto, but he'd rather run the company for a day than let his brother and his new friend work themselves to death (or undeath, as the case may be).

"It'll be cool to have you over though--I can show you around!"

"I hope so," Yuugi said softly, "I really do."

What were his feelings concerning Kaiba, anyway? He was strong, interesting, and even funny when he wanted to be. He was an inspiring presence that made him want to better himself, be stronger, be better than he was the day before.

He was an inspiration, and Yuugi liked being close to him.

He wanted...to be his friend. He wanted to be someone he could talk to and relate to.

...

He wanted to see him happy. Was that...strange? He didn't feel this way about his other friends, but it definitely was friendship. Or perhaps yearning for it.

His eyes lit up at Mokuba, though.

"Yeah! I'm looking forward to it."

"Well, make sure you tell Seto yes then. We can all play games together, it'll be a good night!" Mokuba added, with more excitement than he usually had. He is, after all, still just a kid. Not so young a kid as to be this excited about things like sleepovers, but...there's something about it, that maybe Yuugi would read for what it is.

Neither of the Kaibas got to be kids very much during their lives. Seto, of course, had afforded Mokuba as much opportunity as he could, and continues to do so. It's why Mokuba's still enrolled in school, while his position as VP was partially figure-headed.

He's the prince of a kingdom, so to speak, with his responsibilities stewarded by others. His brother, Isono...whichever seemed most appropriate.

Mokuba has schoolfriends. But as weird as it was, Yuugi was a little easier to connect to.

Before he can say anything else, the two of them are interrupted.

"I heard you."

Stiff. Cold.

Definitely Seto. Along with a doctor who would be checking over Yuugi and making a determination. Both individuals step into the room, and suddenly it's less about discussing their plans, and more about asking questions, taking vitals, and making a determination as to whether Yuugi was going to be discharged.

Kaiba sincerely hopes this goes quickly. He's tired of being out, and there's a frenetic impatience in the way he stands there, arms crossed and fingers drumming against his arms. He's...god, he's fidgeting. Mokuba can tell. Too much coffee, not metabolizing fast enough. He's hiding it pretty well, but a brother knows.

Good think you don't have a heart rate to be raised, bro, he thinks to himself wryly. Then you'd be in here too.

Yuugi didn't quite know the circumstances, but he knew that any child who was the VP of a company -- with an older brother who inherited a corporation at such a young age -- could not have had a normal childhood, or normal friendships.

Mokuba probably didn't have many people come over, especially since his brother was so...himself.

Closed off.

Alone.

Him against the world, it seemed.

It was sad...sad, but understandable. Considering his position...

"Mr. Mutou has a high RBC count," the doctor said as the nurse pulled out Yuugi's IV, "We did other tests to check for an underlying cause, but none of the screenings came back with anything to worry about, which is strange."

Wait. Screenings?

They did tests on him while he was out? How long was he out, anyway?

"His RBC, Platelets, hemoglobin, and WBC counts are all high in equal measures; it's almost as though he's producing more blood than normal."

...What?

"But he's also very dehydrated, and has low iron, despite his other levels. I'm going to prescribe some Iron supplements. I'll give some samples on your way out so he can start taking them right away."

Producing more blood than normal?

Kaiba frowns, which makes it look very much as if he's glaring at Yuugi. Why in the hell would he be producing more blood than usual? Kaiba hadn't fed on him since...well, since much earlier in the day, and he hadn't taken that much. Just enough to take the edge off his thirst.

More to the point, Yuugi shouldn't have more blood than usual, he should have less, right?

There's something that feels...wrong. Uncomfortable. He can't quite pinpoint where that feeling's coming from...

But he shakes it off, because it isn't important. What's important is getting out of this hospital. It's aggravating to be here, and he's endured it more than long enough! There's too much going on, too many scents, too much blood, and he's too keyed up right now. He's pretty sure if he doesn't get out of this place, out of his work clothes, and at least on a goddamn sofa, he's going to forcibly eject out of his own skin.

"Fine. I'll ensure that he's properly hydrated. Get him discharged already so I can leave."

Don't know why they didn't do that in the first place, he thinks to himself dourly, still drumming his fingers incessantly.

And yes, he sure did basically say "discharge Yuugi Mutou so I don't have to be here anymore."

Mokuba gets it. He can tell why his brother's acting that way, but he's still not amused by it. Not in the least. What if he just left Seto's laptop here? Would he learn anything if Mokuba did?

Probably not...

Get him discharged so I can leave.

Nnngh, wasn't that like a big kick in the chest. He knew that Kaiba was the kind of person who said things coarsely, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

And really, wasn't Yuugi imposing already? He wanted to stop imposing, and maybe if he got discharged faster...

The doctor sighed.

"With all due respect, if you don't want to be here, Mr. Kaiba, you can easily step outside. Mr. Mutou won't be any longer than fifteen minutes, and I'm sure you aren't intending to wheel him out yourself."

Look, it was late and the doctor was low on patience. They were used to people like Kaiba, coming in with plenty of swagger and money to burn, but not enough tact.

He was the one who brought Mr. Mutou in, but they refused to let their patient deal with someone who was acting like a nine-year-old when they weren't the ones in the hospital bed.

"No, it's okay! I...would like to get this done as quickly as possible," Yuugi said. "I...I don't feel very comfortable in hospitals, either."

He shuffled in the bed, hands in his lap and eyes closed.

He wasn't lying, or trying to mindlessly defend Mr. Kaiba. He was speaking honestly.

Kaiba looks as if he's about ready to pop off, but Mokuba actually takes action this time. In addition to cutting in front of his brother to act as mediator, he takes no small amount of pleasure in driving his heel into Seto's foot.

It doesn't hurt as much as it would have when he was alive, but it still makes the older of the siblings grit his teeth and glare at the back of his brother's head. Noted. Definitely...fucking noted. But also damn it?!

"It's okay, take all the time you need! My brother's just tired, he can wait."

Seto, in fact, is the opposite of tired, but that doesn't matter. He's drumming his fingers, and glaring at every square inch of the room that's not occupied with a person, and not adding anything else to the conversation past:

"Be thorough."

There, happy?

"N-no, I..."

The last time he was in a hospital for any amount of time was when his grandfather passed away. He could still smell the antiseptic. He could still...

He could still hear the whirr of the respirator.

The sound of the nurses speaking gently to him as he--

Yuugi's hands tightened on the blankets.

He wasn't ready to come back to a place like this. His shoulders tensed, his fists balled tight, and he stared down, down, refused to look up, couldn't look up, didn't want to look at anything--

"I..." He whispered. "Give me my papers, please. I'd like to leave."

Don't breathe heavily. Come on, it's fine. It's been years, it's fine, he's past this...

The doctor watched him for a moment, before nodding quickly and leaving the room.

If one watches the heart monitor he's still connected to, his heartrate was starting to rise.

Quickly.

Kaiba's a vampire. He doesn't need to watch the monitor to hear Yuugi's heart dancing a quicker tempo in his ears. Focusing on it is helping to drown out the rest, but for some reason, he's perturbed by it.

Vampires have the predatory ability to smell changes in the blood, to tell how their prey was feeling. Maybe, they even preferred certain profiles of emotion in the blood.

Kaiba, the one who had denied himself until this man came into his life, could read the book written in Yuugi's blood, and it discomforts him.

"If you don't calm down, they may change their minds about keeping you here," he says quietly. "Breathe."

He says it commandingly, despite his low tone.

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