#aaaaa I'm late againnnnn

[ygo-is-gayer-than-i-remember]

Yugioctober Day 19: Yami/Shadow

(Prompt list)  (Read it here on Ao3!)

Summary: Yugi introduces his two favorite people to one another.

@shinayashipper THE SEASON 0 RIVAL-CENTRIC FLARE AU CONTINUES!!!

“Okay, so now you add that up and put it in one of these boxes.”  Yugi pointed at one of the slots on Kaiba’s mostly-empty character sheet from across the little concrete table.

After explaining that he couldn’t find anyone to play with him and his Grandpa while Anzu was out of town during the upcoming winter holidays, Kaiba had finally agreed to let Yugi teach him how to play Monster World so he could fill in temporarily.  Yugi was ecstatic that someone new was joining his campaign, especially since it happened to be Kaiba.  He secretly hoped Kaiba would stick around once Anzu came back, but one step at a time.

Kaiba marked the number down and picked up his handful of six-sided dice.  Yugi had brought some of the dice Kaiba had gotten him for them to use to make his character, something Kaiba was silently flattered by.  There were a few Yugi had liked the most that he kept separate from the others, but he had decided to keep those ones at home for fear of them getting lost or stolen.

“It’ll be fun getting to play together,” Yugi said, tapping his fingers on the table while Kaiba wrote down the sum of another roll.  “I’ve always wanted to try playing with different people, but no one ever seems interested.”

“That’s because most people are too stupid to understand this garbage.”

Over the course of their strange friendship, Yugi discovered himself to have become fluent in what Kaiba’s little brother, Mokuba, referred to as “Seto-Speak”.  This meant he could figure out when Kaiba was trying to give someone (usually him) a compliment.  For example, Kaiba’s last statement could easily be deemed a cynical remark about human intelligence and his superiority to the masses, but in Seto-Speak, it translated to, “I think you’re a smart person with complex interests.”  It wasn’t the most efficient or preferable way of communicating, but it was something Yugi was willing to learn in order to get closer to his new friend.

Do not allow him to call your interests “stupid”, aibou.

Yami was still learning Seto-Speak.

“Is the ghost talking to you?”

Yugi glanced up to see Kaiba eyeing him curiously.  He blushed.  “Um, yeah.  Sorry.”

Kaiba shrugged it off and rolled the dice again.  “Why doesn’t he just play with you?  You said he can hold things sometimes.”

“Grandpa and Anzu don’t know about Yami yet.”

“Yami?”

“Oh!  Sorry, his name is Yami.  He didn’t really have a name, so I chose one for him.”

Kaiba hummed thoughtfully, continuing his work in relative silence.  Yugi was fine with that, just explaining the different parts of the character sheet before they had to go to class again.  As they were about to go their separate ways, Yugi paused in front of Kaiba, his eyes glued to the tips of his shoes.

“Hey, uh...w-would you, um...like to come over to my place after school?  I can introduce you to my Grandpa, and you can finally meet Yami properly, if you want...”

Yami’s presence stirred restlessly within the Puzzle.

Kaiba stared back at him, eyes wide at the idea of being invited into Yugi’s home and getting to meet the spirit outside of a duel.  Slowly, he nodded, then turned to head to class before he could change his mind.

Yugi began in the opposite direction and heard Yami ask, Are you certain this is a good idea?  No one has seen me in my true form except you.

Kaiba’s seen you, Yugi argued.  After he scared off the guys that stole my old dice, he saw you in my shadow.

He only noticed my flinch, and I was still hiding.  That is different from truly seeing me.

I promise, I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t trust him.  He’s been really nice, and he got you your own set of dice, remember?  He knows more about you than pretty much anyone else we know!  They arrived at Yugi's next class right on time, the bell ringing mere seconds after Yugi took his seat.  Trust me, mou hitori no boku, everything will be fine.  And if anything goes wrong, I’ll be right here, just like you always are for me.

Affection and pride pulsed like a heartbeat across their link, and Yugi could feel Yami smiling from within the Puzzle.  Thank you, my light.  I shall try to make a good impression.

-----------------------

Yugi hopped out of the back of Kaiba’s black town car, beaming up at the sign hanging above the door of the game shop.  Kaiba followed him and exchanged a few words with the chauffeur--Isono--before the car drove off.  Yugi had been excited to get to ride home from school in such a fancy car.  He was always used to walking and dodging bullies or running to the bus stop through the rain and snow.  He’d offered to walk with Kaiba, but Kaiba was adamant that taking the car was the better option.

“Grandpa!  I’m home!  And I brought a friend!”  Yugi grabbed Kaiba’s hand and pulled him into the shop, oblivious to the bright blush on the other’s face.

Yugi’s Grandpa grinned at them from behind the counter.  “Welcome home, my boy!  And you must be this Kaiba person Yugi’s told me so much about.”

“Yes--” Kaiba’s voice broke off with a squeak, and he removed his hand from Yugi’s to rid himself of the distraction.  He cleared his throat and gave the old man a courteous bow.  “Yes, I am.  It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Muto.”

“Ah, none of that now!  You can call me Grandpa, everyone does!”  Grandpa laughed at the strange face Kaiba made at his requested title.  He came around the counter, put a hand on each of their shoulders--or, well, a hand on Yugi’s shoulder and a hand on Kaiba’s back, being too short to reach his shoulder--and ushered them to the stairs that led to the main house.  “You two run along and have fun, I’ll be up in a couple hours when the store closes.”

Already bounding up the stairs, Yugi called back, “Thanks, Grandpa!  Let me know if you need help with anything!”

Yugi hurried Kaiba up to his room along with some snacks and drinks from the kitchen.  Kaiba shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot in the doorway.  He wasn’t exactly sure what to do.  He’d never been invited over to someone’s house like this before, and it was clear to Yugi he felt out of place.  Yugi being Yugi, he decided to do everything in his power to make Kaiba feel at ease: he showed him his card collection since they both met through Duel Monsters, he offered him snacks, they played video games, and he took some time to go over Kaiba’s character sheet from earlier that day.  It took a little time, but eventually, Kaiba was able to relax and enjoy himself.

“Hey, Kaiba?”

Kaiba looked up from the cards in his hand and met Yugi’s gaze from the other side of the empty game mats they were using for the newly-begun duel.

“Would you...want to meet Yami now?” Yugi asked.  “He’s usually the one who takes over during duels, so…”

“You mean you haven’t been the one dueling me this whole time?”

Yugi rubbed the back of his neck.  “Well, yes and no.  He does most of the talking, but I do most of the strategizing.  We built our deck together though.  It’s all a team effort.”

“Hmph.”  Kaiba set his cards face down in front of him and crossed his arms, classic Seto-Speak for, “I’m interested in what you have to say/show me.”

Focusing in on the Puzzle, Yugi called out to Yami through their bond.

Yes?  What is it, my light?

Kaiba’s ready to meet you!  Yugi felt Yami’s anxiety in the back of his mind, a feeling that was extremely rare from Yami’s side.  It’s okay, mou hitori no boku, he’s going to love you!

If you are sure...should I take control or appear in my own form?

Do your own, that way he gets to see you and me together.

But I am unable to speak aloud in that form.

That’s okay, I can tell him what you’re saying!

Very well…

Wisps of shadow seeped through the cracks of the Puzzle and began to collect and form something vaguely Yugi-shaped.  Yami’s golden eyes opened (with the exception of the one on his forehead) and locked onto Kaiba, who was gawking in disbelief.  Yami curled in on himself, now feeling quite vulnerable under Kaiba’s gaze.  He didn’t want this to be a repeat of the incident with Yugi’s teacher.  He raised a shadowy hand and waved at Kaiba.  Kaiba waved back.

“So, uh…”  Kaiba glanced over at Yugi, who gave him a thumbs-up.  “Yami, is it?”

Yami nodded.

“Can he not talk?”

“Not like this,” Yugi explained.  “But it’s okay!  He can talk to me and I can tell you what he’s saying.”

Yami nodded again.  We may continue with the duel while we speak, if you wish.

Yugi relayed Yami’s offer, and Kaiba picked his cards back up.  “Well, I guess we should start with the basics.  How exactly did you get to be like...this?”  Kaiba gestured at Yami’s misty form.

Yami hunched his shoulders, and Yugi winced on his behalf.  “Uh, sorry, I forgot to mention, Yami doesn’t really remember much about his past.  It’s a bit of a sore subject.”

Kaiba just hummed and set a monster in defense mode.  “Can I ask why he used his ghost powers to send a bunch of people to the ER?”

Those were souls filled with malice, greed, and hatred, who gained pleasure from seeing others suffer by their hands.  I do not allow such mindless cruelty to go unpunished.

Kaiba barked out a laugh once Yugi repeated the message.  “I’ve done plenty of cruel things in my life.  Why haven’t you tried to steal my soul or whatever it is you do?”

Because your soul is not wicked, only confused.  It would be wrong to punish you in your search for meaning, and I do not yet understand my magic well enough to handle such specialized circumstances.

A few turns passed as Kaiba processed the open reading of his soul.  For a moment, Yami worried that he had been too invasive, that perhaps he should have given a simpler answer.

“Thank you.”  Yami was startled by the sound of Kaiba’s muttered response.  “That’s...thank you.”

Yami gave a slow nod, and they focused on the game.

Yugi picked up the conversation from there, acting as a bridge between the two as they warmed up to each other.  They even began teasing each other like they would during a normal duel, only this time, Kaiba came up with different jabs for both of his opponents.  Yami would give Yugi advice on how to respond, along with snarky remarks of his own, but some of the effect was lost because of how much Yugi was laughing.  The duel finished in a draw, and a moment later, Kaiba’s phone chimed.  He frowned down at the screen.

“Isono’s here to pick me up.”

“We’ll walk you down!”

After collecting their things, they headed down the stairs and outside to the curb where the car was waiting, Grandpa bidding Kaiba a good night on the way.  Yami had tucked himself safely into Yugi’s shadow so he wouldn’t be seen.

Yugi smiled up at his friend.  “I had a lot of fun today, we should hang out again sometime!”

Kaiba returned the smile, though his was softer, almost shy.  It was a strange expression for one so often leaning towards the extremes of stoic or intense.  “It was alright.  I’m a busy man, so I make no promises.”  Yugi’s internal Seto-Speak dictionary translated that to, “I also had fun, and I would like to do it again when I have time.”  Kaiba turned to the door Isono was holding open for him, hesitating.  He looked like he was fighting a war in his own head.

“Kaiba?  Are you--?”

Yugi was suddenly cut off by Kaiba leaning down, planting a quick kiss on his cheek, and practically sprinting into the back of the car.  He stood there, mouth agape, as the car pulled away and disappeared around the corner.  The heat in his face rivaled that at the surface of the Sun, and he didn’t think he could move his legs even if he tried.

Aibou?

Yami’s voice snapped Yugi back into the moment.  A huge grin split his face nearly in half.  He was smiling so hard it almost hurt, but he couldn’t possibly have cared less.  He cheered and danced around like an excited child, flapping his hands at the same rate as his racing heartbeat.  Yami ended up along for the ride as Yugi ran a lap around the game shop, his arms stretched out to his sides as if he was flying.

Yami could feel a slight tingle where Kaiba’s shadow had kissed Yugi’s.  It felt almost as if he had been kissing both of them.  Maybe he was.  Maybe Yami could ask him about it.  He had the freedom to do so now.  It felt nice being able to connect with someone else in a new way.

Reveling in Yugi’s joy, a hand on his cheek, Yami wondered if maybe he was lucky enough to have found two beautiful lights to brighten his world.

#aaaaa I'm late againnnnn #i'm doing my best ;u; #yugi muto #atem #seto kaiba #flareshipping #rivalshipping #prideshipping #puzzleshipping #sugoroku muto #solomon muto #mokuba kaiba #anzu mazaki #tea gardner #writing #my writing #yugioctober #yugioctober 2021