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“There is no way Kaiba will agree to this, Yugi.”
Yugi snorted, but a grin pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Oh? And how do you know that, mighty pharaoh?” He eyed his other self appreciatively, leaning against the doorway to their bedroom.
Atem wrinkled his nose at his partner in mock annoyance as he finished straightening his vest. “I don’t think his mind even works that way,” he said.
“Fair point, but that’ll just make things all the more entertaining,” Yugi grinned outright. “Imagine the look on his face when we bring him to a restaurant and not a dueling arena.”
“I had this idea as a way of thanking him for all this,” Atem said dryly, “and you’re turning it into a prank.”
“Atem, he has a raging boner for you, even if he doesn’t know it himself.” Yugi snickered as his partner choked a little and turned rather red.
“That’s a very interesting way of putting it–”
Yugi stood as tall as he could, raising one arm and pointing the other dramatically. “DUEL ME, PHARAOH,” he intoned deeply, and had the immense satisfaction of seeing Atem’s face redden further. “I have JOURNEYED TO THE AFTERLIFE FOR YOU but it’s only to duel. Nothing else. Nope. Good thing I was able to come back; I kinda didn’t plan that part, but you-I MEAN THE DUEL-are worth it, so let’s go to the bedroo-I MEAN THE ARENA. SO I CAN DEFEAT YOU. IN BED.” He made sure to gesticulate as over-dramatically as he could manage.
Atem’s embarrassment cracked into mirth and he was laughing before Yugi even finished. “You need to work on your acting skills, aibou.”
“Listen, I’m the King of Games, not the King of Theatre.”
“All right, but even so,” Atem said, still looking thoroughly amused, “Kaiba’s always been extreme with these things.”
“Especially with you,” countered Yugi cheerfully.
“I’m rather surprised you’re okay with all this, honestly.”
Yugi shrugged. “You’re open to the idea, I’m open to the idea, so why not? Kaiba is probably all about you but I get first dibs so he just has to deal with me. Either way, it’ll be entertaining,” he grinned again. “I bet he’ll get a nosebleed the second he sees you dressed up like this.”
For the last few days, Atem had to borrow Yugi’s clothing, since regal pharaoh robes were not exactly common sights in modern-day Japan, and Yugi was only a tiny bit jealous of how phenomenal his other half looked. A dark sleeveless shirt sitting under a gray vest, and dark gray pants, set off his deep skin and multi-colored hair wonderfully well.
Especially when his cheeks reddened again, just a little. “You really don’t mind me wearing these?”
“Are you joking?” Yugi snorted. “You look fantastic, Atem. I have NO problem seeing you look so handsome at all.”
Atem’s expression had morphed from self-conscious surprise to warmth. “Look who’s talking,” he smiled, and it was that smile, the one that always made Yugi weak at the knees. “You look stunning yourself; that shirt really sets off your eyes.” Yugi felt himself blush to his ears, looking down at his light gray vest over a dark purple dress shirt and black pants. He knew he looked sharp, but…
“I don’t have your biceps, though,” he pointed out playfully.
“And if you notice, every shirt with sleeves you own doesn’t fit me because of that,” Atem countered lightly, flexing one arm a little for good measure.
“Ohhhhh, my fine pharaoh, NOBODY will be complaining about seeing those, least of all me. Or Kaiba, for that matter,” he added impishly. “Now come on, let’s go break his brain with this dinner date.”
Atem chuckled, taking Yugi’s arm in a show of mock formality. “He could very well decline, aibou, no matter what we say.” They headed down the stairs together.
“If he storms out of the restaurant, we still get a date together. Win-win situation, in my opinion.”
“Always looking on the bright side of things.” Atem nudged him playfully.
“You know it.”
As they walked outside, Yugi wrapped his arm around his partner’s shoulders. He did that a lot these days; being able to physically hold and touch his other self properly was equal parts bizarre and utterly amazing. Considering how quickly Atem responded, wrapping his arm around his waist in return, Yugi could tell he felt the same. Together, they waited for a cab to hail.
Yugi had to fight to keep a straight face as he walked up to the Kaiba mansion’s door, Atem trailing behind him. His partner’s earlier comment on his acting skills came to mind and he put more effort into it.
The front door was opened before they even reached the front stoop, however, and Mokuba popped his head out… and didn’t even attempt to conceal the grin on his face, which was not helpful. Yugi felt his mouth twitch briefly and the younger Kaiba’s grin spread wider as he noticed.
“Evening, Mokuba,” he said casually, hearing Atem echo his greeting. “Is Kaiba busy?”
“Probably, but that’s okay. Come on in,” Mokuba said cheerfully. “You two look nice,” he added, winking.
“Thank you,” Atem and Yugi said at the same time. They shot each other a wry smile.
“Think he’ll notice?” Yugi asked, and Mokuba snickered.
“Probably, but whether he’ll get why you’re dressed up is an entirely different story.” He stepped aside, and they entered the sumptuous foyer.
As they waited for Mokuba to close the door and lead them to wherever his brother was, Yugi noticed that Atem was tense, tugging almost absently at the hem of his vest.
“Hey,” he said quietly, and Atem’s hands stilled, his expression guarded. “You look awesome. This’ll all be okay, I promise.”
His partner blinked and took a slow breath. His shoulders visibly dropped and he smiled a little. “Thanks, aibou.”
“Right this way, gentlemen!” Mokuba bowed theatrically and gestured for them to follow him up the staircase to their left. They did so. “What place did you decide on?”
They had come to Mokuba the previous day for suggestions regarding his brother’s taste, and when Yugi mentioned the name of a moderately upscale place with a wide selection of foreign food, Mokuba smiled. “That’s a good one,” he nodded. “Don’t be surprised if he orders an American steak or something; he likes weird things like that.”
Both Yugi and Atem chuckled, and Mokuba led them towards his brother’s home office. Yugi noticed when he pulled out his smartphone and tapped the camera app.
So, apparently, had Atem. “Don’t record this,” he admonished, “that wouldn’t be fair.”
“Oh come on, how often do you think I get embarrassing dirt to use on him?”
“Probably a lot,” Yugi couldn’t help pointing out, though privately he was perfectly fine with the younger Kaiba capturing the moment.
“...Not as often as you’d think,” Mokuba pouted. “I’m not gonna post it anywhere, you know.”
Yugi caught Mokuba’s eye and winked, and the younger Kaiba schooled his face into an innocent smile.
Atem just sighed.
They reached the office door, which was closed, and Mokuba knocked… and promptly opened it without waiting for a response, stepping back to let Yugi and Atem lead the way. Kaiba was seated at his desk, as usual, looking almost casual in a black turtleneck, poring over a tablet in front of him that was displaying a miniature wireframe of a duel disk.
“Is this important, Mo–”
“Evening, Kaiba,” Yugi interrupted smoothly, managing to keep himself smiling politely.
“Hello,” Atem said, almost at the same time, and at their words, Kaiba’s head snapped up.
“Yugi,” he nodded crisply, looking only mildly surprised. “Pharaoh. This is unexpected.”
“Atem,” both Yugi and Atem corrected, glancing at each other again. Atem stepped forward so they were level with each other; his game face was on, though he smiled amiably.
“Right,” Kaiba said, and then his gaze focused directly on the former pharaoh. Yugi internally cheered as his eyes widened just a little. “...Right,” he said again, sounding a little breathy this time. “My apologies.” He actually cleared his throat a little.
Told you so, Yugi thought smugly, even though Atem could no longer hear him. “Well, Kaiba,” he said, attempting to sound casual and not at all amused, “We’d been thinking, it’s been a while–”
“Ah,” Kaiba cut him off briskly, nodding. “Well, it’s a bit of an unorthodox time, but head on down to the back yard and I’ll be there with my duel disk in just a moment.”
Yugi snorted and Kaiba looked at him in surprise. Yugi was trying too hard to hold back his laughter to speak, however, and just shook his head. Atem glanced at him, clearly recognized the trouble, and spoke instead. “We had the idea of… going somewhere else, actually. If you wouldn’t mind.” His tone was as poised as ever, but Yugi knew he was still nervous.
“Is that why you’re dressed like that?” Kaiba glanced at Yugi, but his gaze lingered on Atem. “KaibaLand’s Duel Dome doesn’t have a dress code, you know.”
Atem looked slightly flustered and Yugi was still struggling to keep his face straight. He’d figured Kaiba would be pretty oblivious, but it was ten times funnier in person than in his head. “I… yes, we know that,” Atem said uncomfortably, glancing at Yugi for help. “We didn’t exactly have that in mind, either.”
“Where would we possibly duel that requires formal wear?” Kaiba glowered at the pair of them.
Yugi burst out laughing; he couldn’t help it.
“What?!” Kaiba growled, glaring at him.
“We didn’t come here to duel you, Kaiba,” Yugi managed, successfully stopping his giggles with a deep breath. Before he could continue, however, Kaiba interrupted.
“Why the hell else would you have come here?” he demanded sharply, looking thoroughly annoyed now.
Yugi knew it was rude of him to laugh like that without giving a legitimate explanation, and bowed a slight apology. As he did so, Atem took a breath, visibly straightening a little. “We had the idea… well, I did, really… as a thank you and, well–”
“We’d like to take you to dinner,” Yugi interrupted, and Atem let out a breath, shooting him a look that was both irritated and relieved.
Kaiba looked incredibly perplexed and for a moment, he didn’t say anything. Then he frowned at Yugi but looked at Atem again as he asked, “You want to what?” in a very clipped, brittle tone.
Atem swallowed, and nodded, smiling a little. “We’d like to take you to dinner,” he said simply. “You’ve gone to a lot of trouble for me, after all, and it would be nice to just...relax and not have to worry about a game or destiny or… any of that kind of thing,” he finished, flushing a little.
Kaiba’s face was unreadable and he was silent for another moment. “...Well, all right,” he said, still sounding rather perplexed, “I’ll alert the kitchen staff that you’ll be–”
“We want to take you to a restaurant, Kaiba,” Atem said, before Yugi could do so. He finally seemed to be over his nerves, and was regarding their rival with some amusement now.
Told you so, Yugi thought again, but he was also very happy to see Atem relax. “We have a reservation already,” he said aloud, feeling his face get warm when Kaiba stared at him. He hurriedly checked his watch. “In about half an hour,” he added, a little sheepishly. “If you’d like to come.”
“They’re asking you on a DATE,” Mokuba stage-whispered from behind them, and Yugi jumped a little; he’d forgotten Mokuba was behind them… and when he turned to look over his shoulder, he saw the younger Kaiba laughing silently and holding up his phone. Recording. He gave Yugi a thumbs up when he saw his look.
Yugi turned back, suppressing a smirk, and saw Atem pinching the bridge of his nose in quiet frustration, his eyes closed. Kaiba, however, was glowering over Yugi’s shoulder at his brother, his cheeks just a little bit pink.
“Do not put words in their mouths, Mokuba; that’s not funny,” he snapped.
“He’s... not wrong, though,” Atem sighed, retracting his hand. He stood straight, looking at Yugi briefly, and at his encouraging nod, turned back to face their rival with a challenging stare. He placed a hand on his hip, and while Yugi was sure it was an unconscious gesture, it drew Kaiba’s gaze for a solid five seconds. It drew Yugi’s, too, if he was honest; his partner was entirely too good-looking for his own good.
“So,” Atem continued, sounding more confident now. “Would you care to join us for dinner, Kaiba? Or are you not interested?”
Kaiba blinked, and he stared at Atem, wide-eyed, and then at Yugi, who gave him his best encouraging smile. Kaiba seemed not to know how to respond to it, and turned his gaze back to Atem, who merely raised an eyebrow.
“...I’m interested,” Kaiba said quietly. “Or–rather, yes, I’ll–join you for dinner.” He looked rather uncomfortable, but took a breath. “Just...let me get a jacket.” He stood, looking slightly unsteady as he did so.
“We can duel afterwards if you’d like,” Yugi offered, “if we haven’t eaten too much.”
Kaiba smirked, seeming to settle into his usual self-confidence. “We’ll see,” he said simply, and moved past them.
“That means yes,” Mokuba interjected helpfully.
It was then that Kaiba finally saw him unobscured by Yugi, and he fixed a glower on his younger brother that would have had any of his subordinates trembling in fear. Mokuba, however, merely grinned.
“Have you been recording this?!” he snarled. “The entire time?!”
“Of course! My big brother’s finally going on a date; I gotta capture the moment!” His grin turned sneaky. “Aaaaaand make sure I have ammo on you next time you want to ground me.”
“MOKUBA.” Kaiba’s face had turned BRIGHT red now and he looked furious.
“Bye!” Mokuba dashed through the office door before any of them could react. They could hear his laughter echo down the hall as he ran off.
Kaiba ran a hand through his hair, groaning. Then he sighed and looked at them. Yugi tried very hard not to look guilty. “I’ll only be a moment; we can take one of my cars. Ask someone to have one brought around.”
“Awesome!” Yugi enthused, genuinely excited. Despite his assurances to his partner, he truly hadn’t been sure that Kaiba would agree to a three-way date.
“Thanks, Kaiba,” Atem smiled. “We’ll wait in the foyer for you, then?”
“Easiest choice, so yes,” Kaiba nodded and left the office, turning down the same hallway Mokuba had just raced through. Yugi, however, noticed a slight smile pulling at his mouth as he went.
And something else, too.
“He totally had a boner there,” he whispered to Atem as they headed down the staircase.
Atem actually tripped and would have gone flying if Yugi hadn’t grabbed his arm. “Aibou,” he hissed, once he’d steadied himself.
“He did!” Yugi managed to keep his tone low but smirked at his thoroughly flustered partner. “It’s totally the biceps. He’s a man after my own heart there.”
“Yugi…” Atem groaned, covering his eyes with his free hand and nearly missing another step. Yugi kept his hand under his arm.
“We can’t help it if you’re irresistibly handsome, you know.”
“I’m going to kick you down the stairs,” Atem glowered at him, but Yugi knew he didn’t mean it, and just laughed.
“You’re really cute when you’re this flustered.” He batted his eyes at his partner.
“Will you stop,” Atem hissed, but he looked a little amused now.
“Sorry,” Yugi pouted in false contriteness. They reached the bottom of the stairs and Yugi relinquished his hold on his partner.
“No you’re not,” the pharaoh countered, laughing a little. Then he smiled warmly. “You were right, though… he said yes.” He looked so genuinely relieved that Yugi couldn’t help but smile back.
“Yep. And you were right: his mind doesn’t work that way to such an extent that it took Mokuba and you stating the obvious for him to get it.”
“I suppose hints of a second date if this goes well would fly right over his head,” Atem mused.
Yugi nodded sagely. “For all his expert dueling strategies, he’s an amateur at real-life subtleties.”
Atem laughed, and a butler approached them. “Excuse me, sirs, but will you be needing a cab called?”
“Actually, we’re leaving with Kaiba in just a moment,” Yugi smiled politely. “Do you know who we should ask about getting a car brought around? He didn’t specify.”
The butler smiled kindly. “Any of us will do, Master Mutou,” he said. “I’ll call the chauffeur now.” He walked to a wall-mounted phone before Yugi could thank him.
He felt Atem grasp his hand and turned to him. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous,” he admitted.
“It’s natural,” Yugi squeezed his hand reassuringly. “You and I shared thoughts and a body for a while; we know each other inside and out. This is different.” He smirked slightly. “And you and I also understand basic hints and communication, which helps.”
Atem snorted but relaxed a bit. “Just remember, too,” Yugi said softly, “that no matter what happens, you’ll always have me.”
Atem leaned his weight into his shoulder just a little, letting his head touch Yugi’s. “And you always have me,” he sighed. “Thanks, aibou.”
Steps sounded on the staircase and they straightened as one, turning to see Kaiba coming down towards them, wearing a smart white suit over a dark blue shirt and his briefcase in tow. He looked sharp, and Yugi smiled appreciatively.
“All set,” Kaiba said crisply.
“You look nice,” Atem said, squeezing Yugi’s hand a little as though for comfort.
“Very nice,” Yugi agreed.
Kaiba stopped mid-step for a fraction of a second. “Thank you.” He cleared his throat. “I have disks in here for later, too.” He indicated his briefcase.
He headed to the door.
Yugi looked at Atem, and felt himself settle into the same focused excitement he felt at the start of a duel. He saw the same shift in his partner’s eyes, and they both smirked.
This was going to be fun.