kittensinboxes | Stars, In Your Multitudes [It's always Rival, lbr. Space Station Hours!]

Stars, In Your Multitudes [It's always Rival, lbr. Space Station Hours!]

It's been a good half a year since his trip to the afterlife, and all that it entailed. Kaiba's recovered from the loss by now, and business is back how it was.

Which meant, of course, that he dealt with irritations from time to time. Today was truly a shitshow, with a stubborn negotiator who tried to walk all over him on a business deal. Pity's to them that they're from out of town, because they learned very quickly that the young scion of Kaiba Corporation was not to be tread upon.

They both left without a deal, which would certainly put development on some of Kaiba's interests back by several stages, at least...unless he did the work himself. Which was not so easy these days, when he was mired in the politics of actually being the president of the company.

It's annoying.

It's boring!

Worse still, today's encounter had left him suffering under the influence of alcohol! And for what?! For a deal that had been rescinded?! What's the point of drinking if he doesn't even get a benefit out of it?

Aggravated, he taps his bracer perhaps a little too hard, and begins dictating a text.

Have you ever been to space

It is well past 9:30 on a weekday. That is a weird question to be asking of one Yuugi Mutou, isn't it?

Seto Kaiba doesn't give a good goddamn if it is. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO SPACE YUUGI?

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"You could be usin' them to stay sharp," Kaiba answers back blandly. In truth, he knows he'd be jealous of his inability to participate. It isn't as if he doesn't wholeheartedly devote himself to his work because he wants to, but even if he wants to do something else, the needs of his business have grown to be more important than the cards themselves.

It's not like he can just take a vacation, that'd be ridiculous. Everything with purpose, nothing frivolous.

Except...you know. This.

"Tch."

He prods at one of his screens in annoyance, and then lets out a sigh, before quietly murmuring:

"I miss the game."

"I could..." He agreed.

He could go, but he had other things to think about. He had the shop to look after, his grandfather to care for as he went up in years. He had his own game to think about, and the future that he was building for himself.

He didn't have time to play in the way he wanted, but...

He wanted to.

"And I...miss it, too."

I miss you.

"I've been busy, too. My game, the shop, and everything. Don't have as much time on my hands as I used to."

Kaiba thinks to himself, as he considers Yuugi's words, how he never walked with them during graduation. How it was Yuugi who gave the speech to their class, and not him.

Of course it would have been ridiculous. It didn't matter that he was the smartest one in their class and was tapped to give that speech himself, which he declined. It didn't matter that he was still a teenager. He didn't have time for the regular lifestyle of the high school student. His diploma was mailed to him.

Graduation day? He was elbows deep in negotiating a deal for upgraded circuitry for his Duel Disks.

Mokuba had been upset with him, of course. They had both always pushed each other to try and live a normal existence. Both had failed each other in those respects, but at the very least, Seto managed to keep Mokuba in school far longer than he kept himself.

Ugh. Why is he thinking of this now? It's never mattered! It wasn't important!

"Right..." he finally responds, too late though. Yuugi probably knows something's up. Damn it.

"We can play a game up there. In space. Almost there anyway, we should plan accordingly."

Schedules. Meeting. Planning. Nothing to chance. That's his way.

It did matter, though.

It mattered to Yuugi, though he never said it. It mattered to Yuugi that Seto wasn't there standing next to them at graduation, because he deserved to stand there, too. He deserved to make that final speech -- probably something about KaibaCorp, he'd joked, even as he tried not to let the disappointment show -- instead of Yuugi.

But he did his due diligence and gave the speech to the best of his ability, hoping that he'd at least see Kaiba once in the crowd, to hear him. To give him his silent approval (or even disdain) or something.

But...

He was clearly thinking about something. Was it work? What was it...?

He knew better than to ask, but he couldn't help but raise his eyebrow for a moment before schooling his face in his usual friendly smile.

"Yeah. Honestly...I can't wait to play with you. It's been too long."

"At least it'll be a proper challenge," Kaiba agrees, before letting out a hum of approval. He can see the ground station now, and so he reaches to the controls.

"I'm taking over again. The landing might not be as smooth as I'd like."

His head's a bit fuzzy, but he's still more than capable of landing. Just watch. There's a shudder as he cuts the autopilot and tries to even out the flight under his control. That's definitely not frightening at all, he's sure!

Noooope. Not frightening in the least!

See, this is normal! Look at Yuugi's hands, turning white on the armrests as he leans back in the seat, eyes jammed shut!

That is the face of a man who is definitely fine and not nervous at all.

Nice.

Isn't Yuugi supposed to have faith in people? Seriously...but Kaiba ignores him, because he's too busy landing a jet, and he doesn't have time to worry about a coward's fears.

Anyone should know by now that Seto Kaiba will not harm his prized jet. Case in point, despite the turbulence, his landing isn't much more terrible than landing a plane in shitty weather. Sure, it's a bit jolting...but also, he could have done worse.

At least they're on the ground again. Right?

"There. Now get out," he says plainly, opening the cockpit to let Yuugi do just that.

They're now located on the ground station island that leads to his space station, which yes. Has a tube leading to space. How is that possible? Because Kaiba.

Look, don't blame him. He's been on a private jet flown by the most simultaneously icy and bombastic man he's ever met a grand total of a few times in his life, and when the man's drunk you couldn't help but be nervous, all right?!

With a hard swallow, Yuugi started to climb out of the jet.

Deep breath.

Okay.

...

He was just going to go to space! With Seto Kaiba! In that giant elevator!

...

Great, Yuugi nearly fell out of the plane. Wonderful clumsy landing; cats would be envious.

It might be of some consolation that even though Kaiba lithely exits his own seat with a quick jump, it's not one of his most gossamer landings as one foot slides out slightly, causing him to very nearly take a knee.

"Tch."

He straightens up quickly, then leads the way towards the station door. His pathing is a little bit, uh.

It's not...straight. Seriously, he should not have been driving a jet.

The fact that he had been able to? And get them here safely?

Strangely impressive.

(Of course it was, he wasn't in the jet anymore--)

Terrifying, but impressive.

Yuugi scurried behind him, making sure to keep a bit of space so he didn't crowd him so far in. Would this be okay, being in confined space with a guy who was this drunk?

Yeah. Should be fine.

Would be fine.

Yup.

Oh, if he thinks that's bad, just wait until he sees how they get to space in the first place, because here's the kicker--there's only one seat.

One.

Kaiba approaches the door, slaps his hand on the biometric scanner, and then reveals this very truth to Yuugi. Even more audaciously, he takes a seat in the chair at the center of the room and stares at Yuugi expectantly.

"Come on. Let's get this over with," he says flatly. "And try not to vomit in the chamber. You said you wanted to go t'space, right?"

Kaiba...what the fuck?

....

There was only one chair.

There was only one chair. Was he crazy?! Did he...Did he really expect Yuugi to just...sit on his lap? What if things got awkward? What if Kaiba got really into it and ended up poking him in the butt without him being able to move?

What if Kaiba hated it and threw him off while they were going up the space elevator with literally only one chair?

What if...

"You want me." He said after a moment. "To sit in your lap."

You know. Just making sure he's seeing this correctly.

Kaiba lets out an annoyed sigh.

"I'm not lettin' you run my very expensive space elevator alone, no matter if the trip is short or long, so I'll tolerate you here--"

And at that, he spreads his legs wider, so as to give Yuugi ample room away from between them as possible, which is, in his opinion, VERY FAIR, because look at All That Space.

"--for as long as it takes to get up there. Is this not satisfactory for you? Sometimes, Yuugi, sacrifice must be made."

"A-ah, no, that's. That's perfectly reasonable."

It wasn't. But it definitely was from Kaiba's drunk perspective. Besides, there was plenty of space, so if he sat on the edge of his knees, he'd be fine!

Yeah!

Look at him, sitting obediently on the edge of his legs to give Seto more room. So he wouldn't be sitting ass-to-crotch in a way that was drastically inappropriate, given their position?

Yeah.

Definitely.

Nope. That's not going to work.

Kaiba's left hand snakes forward suddenly, flattening against Yuugi's abdomen and pulling him closer in between his legs. It's not incredibly obscene, and he's a little too tipsy to connect any dots, but they are pressed more closely together. This would be more than a little jarring otherwise.

Besides, he can't risk Yuugi sliding off the chair under the strain of the G-forces generated by this chair.

"Stay put," he orders, "brace yourself, and don't scream."

That's about as much warning as Yuugi will get, before he engages the elevator. Yuugi will probably feel as Kaiba's entire body tenses, moments before the elevator takes off, not unlike a rocket. Even braced, the gravitational force exerted upon them by the launch is enough to make Seto Kaiba himself flinch.

And that's going to go on for a few minutes at best. This is the price to pay to go to space. Well, at the very least, Kaiba's holding Yuugi steady, right?

Yuugi's mind completely blanked as that arm wrapped around his waist.

He was already feeling weird in his pants from the friggin' plane ride, and now this?! How did the ATCs deal with him when he was flying without dying of horny in the process?!

How did anyone in his vicinity survive without dying of horny?!

His arm

Was around

His waist

It was around his waist he was pulling him in they were butt to crotch this was so inappropriate but holy shit he was ordering him to brace himself he was ordering him holy shit he could order him to do anything if his mouth was close to his ear like that holy shit holy shit holy shit--

And then it pushed Yuugi against his chest like they were in some kind of tight embrace and he couldn't help but squeak against him.

The squeak would have made Kaiba raise his eyebrow if he didn't have several Gs exerted upon him. It's fine, he was more than capable of dealing with it. That's what his physique was for, otherwise traveling to his space station would be far less tolerable.

Even if...the upward motion was kind of messing with his equilibrium a little more than he'd have liked. Being drunk was already doing enough of that, he didn't need any extra stress.

And for a handful of minutes, that's basically what he got.

At least Yuugi wasn't shouting, or complaining about how Kaiba's arm was curled around him like a damn vise as they ascended.

Normally, the sight of the earth leaving his sight was impressive. Today however, Kaiba has decided to close his eyes against the view, in order to prevent his insides from doing party tricks. Maybe...this wasn't a good idea? But no, Kaiba has nothing but good ideas, clearly.

And he'll go on thinking that even after the chair's velocity begins to slow, and then...

...fuck.

As soon as the chair starts to come to a stop, he begins to float upwards, and that's not right. Had the gravity stabilization gone haywire? Oh, he doesn't need this right now, he needs anything but this!

"Brace yourself," he repeats grouchily, not letting Yuugi go and instead using his free arm to brace against the ceiling, then push back down.

You know what?

He was never going to listen to a drunk Seto Kaiba ever again. He was going to trust his instincts and sober the man up with a 2x4 if necessary.

Yes sirree, a good clonk on the head was a better idea than--

-- being crushed into Seto Kaiba's chest and crotch at several Gs how was this his life.

Until.

They were floating.

Floating???

And then Kaiba held him to his body and he felt like he was going to fly away and--!!

Yuugi really isn't offering much in the way of reactions here. Good. Kaiba's in no mood to babysit his feelings about this matter. Then again, he's equally unhappy with the fact that his space station, which had been left mostly alone since his sojourn to the afterlife, was falling into disrepair.

He'll have to visit it more often, it seems.

"Alright you," he says curtly, releasing his grip on Yuugi slightly. "We are goin' to have to do this the hard way. Can you change positions? I need you to..."

Ugh. UGH! This is stupid and embarrassing and--

"...Switch to my back, and put your arms around my shoulders. I can fix this."

He just needs his limbs free so he can propel himself through zero gravity. You know, as one does from day to day.

... if he wasn't about to float away, he would have laughed at the way Kaiba addressed him.

Was he a rival or a naughty cat?

(...bad line of thinking)

"What's wrong with it?" Yuugi asked, even as he swallowed and let go to--

-- miss grabbing Kaiba's shoulder and start floating past him, oops.

Rival? Naughty cat? Nope, just an idiot, as far as Kaiba's concerned.

He immediately reaches out when he catches Yuugi's miss in his peripheral, his fingers curling around the smaller man's upper forearm and tugging him in close as carefully as possible. No movements can be wasted--if he loses contact with either the floor or ceiling in a way that leaves him unable to reach either, then there'll be no way to regain momentum.

That's what zero gravity means.

Having Yuugi means they can launch and create their own thrust to prevent that, but not if they're separated.

"Stay. Close," Kaiba hisses. "I don't want to end up stuck and dying just because you have butterfingers."

He lets out an irate sigh, helping Yuugi to better position himself.

"I don't know what's wrong with it yet. Probably lack of maintenance. I haven't been up here in...a while."

He hasn't needed to be here. He didn't have to try anything else as of yet.

"Yessir," Yuugi said, grabbing on to his shoulders with a firm grip.

Though.

A while.

Define 'a while', sir, because that could be anything. That could be a week to a few years, and if this place had been a few years in disrepair...

...

Not even a drunk Kaiba would send someone where he didn't properly maintain it... at least for that long.

...

Right?

Once Yuugi's secure, Kaiba positions himself carefully, then pushes off with an appreciable upward incline, which made sure that he'd make it down the main hallway quite a ways before reaching the roof, at which point he reaches a hand up, slows the ascent, and then just as he had on the ground, pushes off at a decline.

It's purposeful. Always enough strength to get him from point A to point B, lest he screw them both over.

"You didn't sign up for this part, I understand. Whatever's wrong with the station...'s probably just a setting I have to tweak. My creations are supposed to be self-sufficient."

Just a bit more...they're almost to the doorway, and then he can run diagnostics at the main terminal. In the meantime, Yuugi has quite a splendid view of the stars, since the hallway they're traversing doesn't have viewing ports, exactly: no, they're full length panel windows. It really does feel like they're floating through the expanse that way.

"S'okay," Yuugi said, "Can't say I'm really complaining too much, anyway. Not with this view."

Because, seriously: look at it.

Look at the stars dancing amongst the inky blackness of space. Look at the stars as they watched them, two men alone in an elevator and floating in the expanse, even if separated by thick walls and large windows.

Maybe they themselves were stars, in their own way.

Yuugi was never quite confident in his own light, but Seto Kaiba was a universe of his own. Sun, stars, planets -- he had them all, in multitudes. All Yuugi could do was watch as he showed the world the beauty and majesty of his light.

...

That wasn't weird to think, was it?

Yeah, no. Not weird at all. That was a perfectly normal thing to think about his rival, shut the fuck up.

"Hm," is Kaiba's only response as he finally reaches the doorway. Of course the view is amazing. He wouldn't build something that he didn't feel comfortable in, not for the amount of money it cost to make a damned space elevator.

But...it is a good view, yes.

Once he's through the door, Kaiba propels himself towards the panel and without much indication of what he was doing, starts tapping away.

"I recommend you hold on tightly. There's not going to be much warning when the gravity reinitializes," he says distractedly, still focusing on what he's doing.

Yuugi will indeed have about twenty seconds before Kaiba finally does figure it out and the weight of the earth is synthetically placed upon them, forcing Kaiba to catch himself on one knee and nearly topple over onto the console.

...If he wasn't tipsy that probably would have gone differently.

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Stars, In Your Multitudes [It's always Rival, lbr. Space Station Hours!]

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