The Moonlight

The moonlight… Shines down interstellar beams… And the groove tonight… Is something more than you’ve ever seen… The pale orb of the moon glittering softly overhead sent gentle streamers writhing and coiling down to Earth. Silvery beams of moonlight stole silently over the skyscrapers of downtown Domino City, encirling the buildings in their chilly, beautiful embrace. It was strange, he thought distantly, how the youth of Domino kept the heart of the city alive at all hours; even now, close to four in the morning, he could swear the soft, pounding beats of bass and the lilting sounds of instruments wove easily through the alleys and streets. The clubs of the city were Domino’s lifeblood in the early morning hours, proof that large cities never actually completely slept, and he suspected that if the clubs were ever silent in the mornings that the walls of several nearby buildings would collapse, lacking the soundwaves to keep them standing. The stars and planets taking shape… A stolen kiss has come too late! Of course, Kaiba Seto, CEO of the prestigous Kaiba Corporations, was not one to go out clubbing, not only for the damage to his reputation as the Ice Prince of Duel Monsters but also for the collapse of his image of ‘the perfect poker face of business’. The club was new and, as modish clubs tended to be, hot and popular with the young adults of Domino. Thinking back on it now, Kaiba couldn’t quite recall the name of the club, only that it had something to do with moonlight and love – something silly and sappy and altogether unecessary. It didn’t quite matter either way, for it was not the club that had so stricken Japan’s wealthiest batchelor. In fact, Kaiba had not wanted to go to the club at all, but a business associate was treating his oldest son to a party at the club in honor of that same son’s twenty-first birthday, and Kaiba had been invited; there was a hint that a large order of duel disks might be placed if the icy-eyed CEO came. A reluctant Kaiba had stepped into the heart of Domino and attended that club for the sake of business; he had not expected what he’d gotten instead. In the moonlight Carry on, keep romancing! Carry on, carry on dancing! In the moonlight Carry on, keep romancing Carry on, carry on dancing In retrospect, he should have known that such a break in routine would spell disaster for him. It was no secret to Kaiba that every glamorous woman that had ever tried to ensnare him—and his wealth—in her faux French manicured nails had failed quite dramatically; Kaiba was not in the marrying business right now. He decided, then, that his reputation for staying away from women

would protect him now, and that surely this one time to a club could not hurt; for such a new place, there was bound to be at least one good bartender. Kaiba could hold his liquor well; he wasn’t an alchohol addict, and he only drank on occasion, but that hard-won control and a liking for the harder drinks when he did indulge meant that he could drink and remain sober. With that in mind, as he lounged at the bar on the outskirts of the newly-adulted little snot’s group of puerille friends, he wasn’t quite paying attention to the barkeeper; he only knew that a voice sounded by his ear. “What can I get for you tonight?” The voice was almost childish, midrange on the speech octaves, but somehow Kaiba knew without looking that it was a male who’d adressed him. He didn’t even turn to the other when he spoke, his tone cold and aloof, as it always was. “Tokyo Iced Tea, light on the midori, heavy on the vodka,” he answered casually, naming a variation of the ‘Long Island Iced Tea’, a favorite drink of some Americans, among others. He didn’t watch as the drink was mixed with all the flash and pomp that clubs were often known for, just as he ignored the sounds of applause. In fact, he only turned when a small hand made a career of splaying over his broad shoulder and the sound of a glass being slid on the counter behind him cut the undertone of the music; had he not been listening for that soft scraping, Kaiba would have missed it. The drink he wanted, but the bartender’s hand had to go – being touched was high on the list of taboo when it came to dealing with Kaiba Seto. Reflexes as sharp as ever, his hand lifted and caught the fingers of the hand on his shoulder. It was then that he turned, his gaze frosty, his lips parted to flay the man alive by a sharp tongue for daring to place a hand on him The words died in his throat. People often said that the first encounter with one’s true love would never be forgotten, and that for a minute time was absolutely still. Kaiba, who loathed any reference to the supernatural, physics-defying crap that people spouted, would have wholeheartedly denied any such experience, but at that moment everything else was driven from his mind. At first, when Kaiba realized what had happened and later pondered why he had fallen at first sight for this youth, he would have thought that it was the eyes. Those eyes were deep and full of emotion: light, warmth, and kindness pooled in the depths of this young man’s deep purple gaze. It was such a rare sight to see truly kind people in the world now that Kaiba felt himself reeling from the shock. There were gentle people, of course, and the celebrities that did fundraising and charity work for their image, but Kaiba knew immediately that this young man truly cared about others… And it all became clear from a simple glimpse into those amethyst depths. You’re never safe till you see the dawn… And if the clock strikes... Past midnight then the hope is gone… To move under…

He wasn’t certain who started the conversation after that, though Kaiba mildly suspected that it was he who had casually invited the bartender to a drink when he got a break. The youth appeared rather surprised and, for a moment, Kaiba’s thought the young man might refuse, but then those impossibly purple eyes brightened and the young man nodded, slipping away to serve the other customers that were vying for his attention, his hair – that rich mix of crimson, obsidian, and gold – shining softly in the dim lighting, his pale skin highlighted under the tinted lights that occasionally flashed over the bar. Kaiba might have suspected that he was being ignored if not for the fact that his glass never seemed to be empty. He caught the tender’s eye once and lightly tapped the rim of his glass, a question in his indigo eyes; the youth smiled slightly and tapped the back pocket of his dark leather pants where a wallet might have been kept in an obvious it’s on me gesture. Kaiba felt an answering smile climb to his lips, and it wasn’t because of the free drinks. In the moonlight… Carry on, keep romancing Carry on, carry on dancing In the moonlight… Carry on, keep romancing Carry on, carry on dancing It was hard to say what had happened, what odd chain of events had led them to this. At first, that night in the very beginning, the two had only tried to talk. The young man, whom Kaiba was shocked to realize was nearly twenty-two, three years younger than Kaiba himself, gave his name as Mutou Yuugi, but even that much was difficult to hear over the pounding bass and loud chatter of the club. Violet and cobalt clashed across a small table for a moment, understanding flooding between the two. “My shift ends at six this morning…” Yuugi began, and Kaiba was amused to note that the bartender appeared rather nervous and unsure of himself. The CEO rose and sauntered – yes, sauntered – around the side of the table. He leaned over, his tall frame all the more intimidating like this, lips resting right next to Yuugi’s ear. “I’ll see you then, Yuugi,” he said, and stifled a smirk at the light flush that suffused the other’s cheeks. Yuugi mumbled a ‘see you then’ in reply and hastily slipped off the chair and moved across the room, unaware of the gazes that followed his path as he walked back to the bar, hips moving and head bobbing to the thrumming bass of the sinful song that was playing. It was nearly six-thirty that same morning before Yuugi had finally managed to draw away from the still-eager faces at the bar awaiting their turn; Kaiba ruthlessly smothered a scowl at the obvious attention Yuugi was receiving. And why would he not garner attention? Kaiba reasoned; Yuugi was skilled with mixing all types of drinks, put on a fascinating display, and he was attractive in a soft way. Even though he seemed so innocent, though, he flashed smiles at people

when they adressed him, said things that seemed to make his customers laugh, and kept even the people waiting happy. Yuugi saw Kaiba lounging at the end of the bar, watching him, and flashed the CEO a soft smile; all of Kaiba’s jealousy evaporated just like that. He even managed a tiny smile of his own. Finally, finally, Yuugi stepped out of the employee’s changing room. Kaiba’s eyebrow lifted of it’s own accord. Where the youth had been wearing black leather and various chains, now Yuugi wore blue denim jeans with a tight white button-up shirt, the top two buttons left undone, and a slightly-frayed denim jacked over it, left completely unbuttoned. Kaiba felt that violet gaze sweep over his navy suit and silver tie, noted the same sweet smile crossing the youth’s plush lips, and suddenly he didn’t care about his image at that moment. Yuugi had a car, he’d protested, a little white Honda, but Kaiba merely drew him over to the waiting limo parked outside and opened the door. Violet eyes made a half-hearted attempt for Kaiba to let Yuugi drive his own car and they could simply meet up, but it wasn’t a particularly stolid attempt, and he climbed into the limo without much urging; Kaiba followed quickly and let the driver shut the door. “Coffee and breakfast?” he asked Yuugi when they were situated; Yuugi grinned up at him from the adjacent seat. As he gave the driver instructions, Kaiba noticed that somehow the entire car lit up with that simple quirk of Yuugi’s lips in a way that no sunshine would ever be able to accomplish. “Thank you very much,” Yuugi said sweetly and then paused, his eyebrow lifting as he gazed at Kaiba in contemplation. “You know my name… What can I call you?” The question threw Kaiba for a proverbial loop; he was used to being recognized by everyone, and to have someone ask his name… It should have made him angry, but for some reason it was only a relief, because it meant that he wouldn’t have to conform to any images, and neither would he have to dispel any preconceived, illbegotten misconceptions. “Seto…you may call me Seto.” Yuugi smiled again, and Kaiba wondered if it would be silly of him to locate a pair of shades, if he would garner a surprised, perhaps strange, expression from the youth that so managed to brighten even the shadowed interior of his limo. “Seto-kun,” Yuugi said happily, the words fresh and sweet. Kaiba could not remember the last time any part of his name had not been tagged with -sama. Even his little brother Mokuba called him ‘niisama’. It was a pleasant change. They talked of various things over coffee and pancakes at a local diner; it was fairly easy for Kaiba to make sure that they got a corner table and that the tables around them stayed conspicuously empty for some time – money could certainly convince the servers to ensure them a little privacy. The subjects were wide and varied; Kaiba learned that Yuugi had a talent for Duel Monsters and a vast database of world history, especially when it came to ancient Egypt, which the violet-eyed youth resolutely refered to as ‘Khemet’.

Kaiba also found, to his surprise, that Yuugi was an artist who dabbled in a bit of everything, from painting and sculpting to jewelry design and interior décor and other creative things in between. After some gentle coaxing from Kaiba, a blushing Yuugi also gave him one of his newly composed poems to read over. It was a little darker than Kaiba might have suspected, coming from Yuugi; the poem spoke of lovers torn asunder by the conformities of human beings and the disdain of anything alternative by the general public. Kaiba glanced at Yuugi, who blushed deeper, looked away, and murmured that the poem was based on less tolerant countries and wasn’t finished yet. In essence, it meant that the lovers were forced to keep their relationship from others or risk being shunned – even the citizens of Japan, known to be more tolerant and open to such relationships, would not turn a blind eye. Homophobes did not simply cease to exist simply because they changed countries. Yuugi learned a little about Kaiba, too, though the CEO was careful to omit any reference to his infamy. He dabbled a little in Duel Monsters too, Kaiba explained to a pleasantly surprised Yuugi. Kaiba wasn’t an artist like Yuugi, but he did love to cook and read, and he even admitted to having a talent for baking. When Yuugi asked what genre he read for pleasure Kaiba thought the youth would be startled when he replied that he read fiction, but Yuugi only gave him a serene smile and said “Somehow, Seto-kun, I knew that’s what you’d say.” Such a smile was infectious – Seto was swiftly learning that being around Yuugi was like being in eternal, warming sunshine. The slightly older man was unsure if he deserved such warmth but he welcomed it either way. Move… Closer… It had been weeks by now; Kaiba visited Yuugi at the club as often as he could, which ranged from once or twice a week to nearly every day. He expected Yuugi to suspect, braced himself for the open inquiries, but Yuugi only greeted him with a smile; he never questioned what it was that Kaiba did to make his schedule so erratic. Weeks turned into months and neither lost interest in the other. It was nice to just sit with each other for those early morning hours and talk, partaking in coffee for Kaiba and breakfast and hot chocolate for Yuugi. It should not have surprised Kaiba when he came home one morning and Mokuba was sitting at the kitchen table, awake, appearing infuriatingly smug, and wearing an ‘I-know-something-youhaven’t-told-me-and-you’d-better-tell-me-now’ expression. Kaiba sighed; Mokuba could be irritably perceptive sometimes. That particular expression was Mokuba’s way of telling Kaiba to ‘spill or else I’ll find out and you won’t like how’. Kaiba debated for a moment the merits of keeping it a secret but a futher glance into the younger Kaiba’s storm-clored eyes had him quickly dismissing the idea as a bad one and, only slightly reluctantly, Seto spilled.

Surprisingly, Mokuba was not disgusted by Kaiba’s feelings or what he had been doing the past three-and-a-half months; his younger brother fully supported Kaiba in all of his endeavors and told him, bluntly, something that made even Kaiba’s head spin. “You better made a move on him, niisama, before someone else does. ‘Cuz if you lose him through your own silliness” not even Mokuba dared to call Kaiba Seto stupid – silly was as far as he would go “then I won’t be able to sympathize with you.” Kaiba stared at Mokuba for several minutes after that, and then he smiled and tousled his brother’s long black locks. “I’ll remember that, Mokuba.” Kaiba asked Yuugi if he had a day off the next time they met. False dawn had highlighted the horizon outside of their usual café, throwing the streets of Domino into a pearly, luminescent relief. Yuugi blinked at Kaiba over the rim of his cup of hot chocolate. “Actually, I have the day after tomorrow off,” he replied. Kaiba quickly accesed his mental calendar; the day after tomorrow put Yuugi’s day off on a Sunday. He asked if Yuugi had plans, to which the youth replied with a slight twinkle of humor to his amethyst eyes, “sleep in?” Kaiba chuckled softly, something he only ever seemed to do with Mokuba in the past, and now with Yuugi. “Can you keep that day open? I’d like to take you out somewhere.” Yuugi appeared curious, and he immediately began to pester Kaiba for details, but the CEO would say only that it was a surprise. Yuugi grinned good-naturedly and drained his hot chocolate. Kaiba wasn’t able to see Yuugi until the day of their date; some idiot at the office had messed up yet another important project. “This wasn’t that hard,” he remarked offhandedly, but the employee currently under Kaiba’s icy stare knew better than to take the comment lightly; it was a relief when those sapphire hues shifted to the laptop open on the CEO’s desk. “I asked you to secure the presentation for Monday morning and go over it for errors. I asked for you to then burn a copy of the power point onto a CD. How does one end up erasing the entire presentation irreversably?” The man stuttered something out, but Kaiba was not in the mood. “Only someone incompetent could have managed it. You will redo the presentation flawlessly and then carry out my original instructions. I expect it finished by Monday, as I will be out of the office on Sunday. If I find it completed to my satisfaction, you might not find yourself on an indefinitely extended vacation without pay. Now get out.” Kaiba rubbed his temples with a sigh after the employee left. Really, how did he put up with these people? Deep down Kaiba knew that it had been an accident, that not everyone was perfect, but he also knew that if he showed any favor to anyone, his image would be marred. He refused to acknowledge how his relationship with Yuugi would affect his image; if people thought it would make him soft, they had quite another thing coming indeed.

Still, if the employee managed to fix the error appropriately, Seto would be a little more lenient to him. Perhaps a minor demotion would make the man think next time to ask someone if he was unsure of what he was doing – Seto had only one or two employees that were the take-charge types, the kinds who would either do it themselves or, if they were busy, would grab someone else and teach them quickly. That way if it happened again, more than one person knew how to take care of the issue. Passion… Yuugi was startled when Kaiba arrived at his small apartment. It wasn’t that Kaiba had come to the door, or that he’d known where Yuugi lived; Yuugi gave Kaiba that information weeks ago, and respected Kaiba’s privacy when he did not give his adress in return. What surprised Yuugi was that Kaiba, nearly always dressed in either a suit or black dress pants and shirt with his billowing white coat, was dressed casually today in a plain white T-shirt, black jeans and casual black shoes. He smiled at Yuugi’s reaction and noted with some pleasure that Yuugi had also dressed casually, albeit a bit more dressy, in blue jeans with a button-up shortsleeved shirt. It was even tucked in. “You can untuck your shirt; we’re going someplace a bit special today.” Yuugi obeyed, mystified, and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt as he usually did, the glint of the silver clasp on his collar becoming visible once more. Despite his curiosity, the single time Kaiba had asked about that collar Yuugi’s gaze had gone shuttered and cold and his answers had been vague and unsatisfying at best. Realizing that it was a sensitive topic, Seto had let it drop, though he nearly always glanced at it in curiosity. Perhaps one day Yuugi would tell him what about that collar was so important. As Kaiba led Yuugi away, he was startled once more to find that Kaiba had not arrived in a limo. Instead Kaiba opened the passenger door of a sleek black hybrid car with a slight smile. “You’re so full of surprises, Seto-kun,” Yuugi murmured, but he was happy that Kaiba would give up the comfort of a limo for the…well…comfort of this hybrid. Black leather and an amazing sound system had Yuugi’s eyes wider than ever and only made Kaiba chuckle. Yuugi loved the sound of Kaiba’s laugh. It was warm and rich, like hot chocolate, and a treasure that Yuugi felt certain Kaiba didn’t freely give out. Kaiba’s surprise, as it turned out, was a visit to a private beach. Kaiba taught Yuugi how to parasail and Yuugi, to Kaiba’s surprise, taught Kaiba how to scuba dive in the clear lagoon when he found Kaiba had scuba gear and only a vague idea of how to use it. When Kaiba asked Yuugi where he’d learned all of this, a hint of a shadow slid into Yuugi’s purple eyes. “My grandfather taught me before he died. He was an archeologist, but one time he and one of his colleagues were researching the lost continent of Atlantis, and they went scuba diving for fun off the coast of Greece, so he taught me how to do it when he came back… He died a month and a half later of a heart attack...” That was possibly one of the saddest things Yuugi had ever said,

and it shocked Kaiba. Yuugi must have sensed it, because he blinked and shook water from his hair as they climbed back aboard the white boat, its blue sails billowing softly in the balmy sea breeze. “I love my grandpa, and I miss him a lot, but I’m not sad,” Yuugi said, smiling the smile that made Kaiba forget everything else. “I know that he was a good man and that when he is reborn, it’ll be in a good life.” Kaiba smiled then; his Yuugi truly was a beautiful person, both inside and out. Silence stretched between the two as Kaiba gently urged the boat back towards the shore. Sunset found Yuugi sitting on the beach a few yards from Kaiba’s beachfront house, his violet gaze slightly unfocused as he stared out over the water. As Kaiba approached the figure sitting on the beach, he was suddenly struck by how forlorn and lonely Yuugi looked in that one moment. An emotion suddenly surged through his heart so powerfully that it nearly knocked him flat; Kaiba recognized it instantly. He’d felt small rivulets of that same emotion coursing through him for some time now, and Kaiba had long since identified the emotion that robbed his breath as love. Silently he moved up behind Yuugi and knelt behind the spiky-haired youth. Yuugi jumped slightly when arms draped lightly around his neck to clasp loosely in front of his bare chest; both men wore unbuttoned shirts and spare shorts that Kaiba had thoughtfully brought along with them. Yuugi turned slightly in the light hold, his gaze meeting Kaiba’s. “Seto-kun?” he inquired softly. Kaiba sighed and let him go, instead moving to sit beside Yuugi. Stronger… “I’ve been meaning to tell you something for some time now, Yuugi,” Kaiba began. He didn’t want to look at Yuugi now; he felt that he’d lose his nerve if he saw Yuugi’s face, if he saw that heavenly expression cloud with rejection. But a pair of small hands had slipped under his chin, and his blue gaze was brought to Yuugi’s violet stare, and Yuugi had shifted to kneel in front of him…their eyes locked… Kaiba had never imagined a kiss could be so alluring; he’d never thought Yuugi could taste so sweet. Yuugi was like chocolate; heady and rich in flavor and oh so addicting, and neither had even parted their lips yet. Yuugi began to draw back, and his gaze was downcast, his cheeks tinged in red—Kaiba’s muddled mind couldn’t comprehend why Yuugi had pulled away. “Yuugi?” he asked gently, but Yuugi began to talk before Kaiba could. “I’m really sorry, Seto-kun; I shouldn’t have done that… I took something from your words that wasn’t there and—” “Yuugi?” “—I should have asked you first, I mean obviously you’re straight and I don’t know how someone like you could—”

“Yuugi.” “—like someone like me, I mean, it’s completely absurd. There’s obviously no way that you, sexy and desirable, could want me, small and pale and—” “Yuugi!” Yuugi stopped talking. It might have been the sharper, louder way Kaiba said his name; it might have been the painful constricting of his chest that made speech difficult. It might have been that Yuugi had babbled out everything and simply run out of words to allow out of his mought, or that tears had begun to slide down his cheeks. Or it might have been that Kaiba had drawn him closer and locked their lips again, effectively shutting the younger man up. That Kaiba caught Yuugi with his mouth open meant that he could deepen the kiss, and he wasted no time. This time the chocolate flavor was even stronger; Kaiba was nearly faint from the sensual pleasure sliding through his veins. Kissing Yuugi was…it was almost like Kaiba was drowning, but drowning didn’t make him want to breathe water and never surface again like kissing Yuugi did. The sensations…a sea of feelings swirled into a huge wall of water; it crashed down over Kaiba and, feeling a rather urgent need for air, he reluctantly broke the kiss. If Kaiba was out of breath he didn’t realize it, because he’d looked at Yuugi’s face, and Yuugi’s eyes were closed, sooty lashes splayed over his cheeks. His lips were plump and moist, kissbruised and parted slightly. Kaiba leaned forward again and brushed his lips once more over Yuugi’s, but he didn’t kiss him hard again. Yuugi slowly opened his eyes. Sapphire lightly caressed amethyst in a gentle gaze; Yuugi’s eyes were bright with the tears he had unknowingly begun to shed, but he was no longer crying. There was something lurking in the depths of those violet orbs, something that Kaiba knew very well; it was the same emotion he saw in the mirror when he thought of Yuugi. It was love – it was the equivalent of what Seto knew lurked in his eyes, too, and the sheer power of that emotion made Yuugi truly shine in his vision. Kaiba groaned softly and leaned forward, closing the distance between them once again. There’s a magic only two can tell… In the dark night Ultra violet is a wicked spell At any other time Kaiba might have had no trouble scooping up the youth bridal style and carrying him back to the beach house. He probably would not have had any trouble passing through the bathroom and, in a moment of brief lucidity, grabbing a small bottle of hand lotion from the counter; neither would he have had issues getting the door that connected the bathroom to his bedroom open.

At any other time, Kaiba would not have attempted to do all of this while cradling Yuugi close to his chest, their lips firmly locked as Kaiba mapped out every dip, line, and curve of Yuugi’s mouth, thoroughly devouring that taste of chocolate and the faint hint of spice from their seafood dinner – seafood from the Pacific Islands was often extremely spicy. Kaiba dropped the bottle on the nightstand carelessly, only paying it enough attention to be sure it didn’t fall off, and then his thoughts went right back to the youth in his arms. They tumbled onto the bed and Kaiba pinned Yuugi down; it was only then that they broke the kiss, and both appeared rather surprised that they’d made it to the bedroom. There was a pause in which Kaiba looked down at Yuugi, asking with his eyes if this was okay, and Yuugi looked back up at Kaiba and simply smiled. There were no words needed at that moment, and then Kaiba lowered himself again. He teased Yuugi, grazing his lips over Yuugi’s, but the focus of the kiss was the corner of his younger lover’s lips, and then Kaiba’s lips trailed across Yuugi’s cheek until they found his ear. Kaiba’s tongue flicked out, tracing the upper curve of his ear, and then he fastened teeth and lips over the fleshy lobe of Yuugi’s ear. The sound that the young bartender made was a pure, heavenly sound to Kaiba’s ears, a cross between a soft mewl of surprise and a breathy moan. Kaiba tasted lingering traces of salt on his lover’s skin; even after a shower the scent and taste of the sea lingered on Yuugi, but under the salt Kaiba could taste the pure essence that was strictly Yuugi and nothing else. His skin was soft, pale from the long hourse he worked indoors, and as though his occupation had rubbed off on Yuugi’s flesh, Kaiba felt as though he could get drunk off of Yuugi’s flavor. He kissed his way down the smooth column of Yuugi’s neck, his long fingers already trailing over Yuugi’s chest. It was a simple task to smooth the unfastened shirt away from the younger’s chest, and Yuugi easily slipped his arms out of the sleeves; the shirt was tossed casually to the floor and just as calmly dismissed. Kaiba paused only long enough for Yuugi to push the shirt Kaiba still wore off his shoulders and pull it completely away – it joined Yuugi’s shirt on the floor – and then his lips found the juncture of Yuugi’s neck and shoulder and his right hand grazed one of the sensitive nubs on Yuugi’s vaguely-defined chest. His reward was another of those beautiful sounds that Yuugi made, and Kaiba filed the knowledge that Yuugi’s nipples were sensitive away for later use. Kaiba’s lips drifted again, following the path of Yuugi’s collarbone, and tracing down the center of his chest. His right hand brushed that same nipple again, more insistently, and Yuugi mewled; if a simple touch seemed to elicit such a reaction from Yuugi… Yuugi breathed softly, shallowly, his fingers roaming the soft sheets that lay under him as Kaiba teased him with lips and fingers. Pleasure spread in gentle ripples from everywhere Kaiba touched, and warm breath feathered over his neglected nipple… Yuugi arched cleanly off the bed, his fingers burying in Kaiba’s soft chestnut locks as Kaiba fastened his lips around Yuugi’s nipple and suckled. Kaiba felt a smile muffled against Yuugi’s chest at the way Yuugi reacted.

“Ah!” the younger gasped out when Kaiba nipped the flesh between his lips, and Yuugi moaned softly when Kaiba soothed the light bite with his tongue. He was floating on a sea of sensation, his thoughts in a hazy muddle. Kaiba drew away from his chest and blew softly on Yuugi’s wet skin; the youth shivered slightly and Kaiba slid his lips across Yuugi’s chest to focus upon the other nipple, the first now handled by a smooth hand. Yuugi’s chest rose and fell with his short breaths, but this didn’t seem to bother Kaiba unduly. His attention on Kaiba’s lips, Yuugi’s thoughts neglected Kaiba’s hand until the CEO’s fingers danced lightly along the waistband of Yuugi’s shorts. Violet eyes fell half-closed; Yuugi’s small hands slid through Kaiba’s hair now, but when Kaiba would have slid Yuugi’s shorts off, Yuugi stopped Kaiba by covering his hand with his own. Kaiba stopped, his gaze lifting questioningly, but Yuugi merely smiled, sat up, and pushed Kaiba down in turn. Kaiba blinked, startled for a moment, but the smile on Yuugi’s lips quickly assured the CEO that his seme position was not being usurped; Yuugi merely wanted to explore, too. For several minutes, though, Yuugi simply stared down at Kaiba, his eyes scanning the older’s well-defined chest, the slight muscle on his long arms… Soft chesnut hair, piercing blue eyes… “You’re so beautiful, Seto-kun,” he said at length. The words absolutely floored Kaiba; he had never been refered to as beautiful. Handsome, perhaps. Desirable, definitely, but beautiful? It was a decisively unmanly term, but coming from Yuugi and his curious violet eyes… Kaiba Seto felt complimented beyond measure. He lifted an arm, long fingers lightly cupping Yuugi’s cheek and drawing that unnaturally purple eyes up to his desire-darkened cobalt stare. “Looked in a mirror lately?” he rumbled softly, and noted with some amusement that the blush rapidly suffusing Yuugi’s cheeks flooded his face, ran down his throat, and spread over his pale chest to taper off at his navel. Kaiba had never seen anyone blush so much. Yuugi smiled, though, and leaned down over Kaiba, brushing an open-mouthed kiss over his rich lover’s lips. “I prefer this view,” the youth purred back softly, nuzzling his nose in the hollow of Kaiba’s throat and feeling the reverberations of a chuckle vibrating down his throat. Yuugi pressed kisses everywhere he could, from underneath Kaiba’s jaw, down his throat, until he could linger on Kaiba’s collarbone as the older had done to Yuugi. He found as he continued downward that Kaiba was much more controlled in his feelings, for Yuugi earned scant sighs of pleasure despite his best efforts, and Kaiba wasn’t as sensitive around his nipples as Yuugi. He trailed his tongue down further, dipping it into the other’s belly button, as his hands felt for the waistband to Kaiba’s shorts and gently eased them down, over his thighs, past his knees, and finally completely off. Kaiba was completely bare, completely aroused and, to Yuugi, completely edible. Hands on his shoulders brought Yuugi’s gaze upward. “Yuugi,” Kaiba murmured, his passion-thickened voice making Yuugi shiver pleasantly. “You… I don’t want you to feel forced…” Yuugi let his hand drift over the stiff shaft jutting proudly from a nest of brown curls, and Kaiba gasped, his words cut off. Yuugi grinned up at him.

“I know,” he replied. “And I want to all the more because I know,” he added. It was the only warning Kaiba was given before slick lips descended over his painful arousal, followed by the heated cavern of Yuugi’s mouth. Kaiba’s head dropped back into the pillows and his long fingers drove deeply into Yuugi’s ridiculous, tri-colored hair, a groan torn from his lips and throat. “Yuugi,” he purred again, and said individual peered upward. Kaiba’s head was pressed into the pillows. Yuugi’s firm grip on his hips prevented him thrusting up into the delicious heat of Yuugi’s mouth, so Kaiba had settled for letting his back arch, lips parting, his grip on Yuugi’s hair tightening in a way though only aroused the youth further. Yuugi reveled in the sound of his name, moaned out from Kaiba’s lips, and then he turned his attention back to the swollen flesh in his mouth. Yuugi had never done this before, true, but the wanton way Kaiba was splayed over the bed, the tight grip Kaiba had on his hair, it all made Yuugi want to do this right, and his sexual knowledge was not as limited as everyone seemed to think – working in a bar, overhearing people’s comment, had certainly given him plenty to think on in the past. He took the plunge, driving his lips further down onto Kaiba, fingers pressed around the base of Kaiba’s shaft. It was slow going, having to stop and adjust every few centimeters, but Yuugi swirled his tongue over the hot flesh, knowing Kaiba liked this by the gasped out “Oh fuck!” Kaiba managed. Yuugi had never heard Kaiba voice such an explicit oath before, but it didn’t matter, because he had managed to go a little further now, and his nose was just barely brushing those brown curls, and he suckled lightly, heard Kaiba groan his name, and was just…there, and he had managed the entire thing. He was completely still for a moment, adjusting again, and then he pulled back, sucking and teasing the flesh caught between his lips – Kaiba’s words had long since become incoherent – and then he moved back down, his fingers sliding round to cup and feather over Kaiba’s balls. Kaiba stiffened and relaxed by turns, so Yuugi pulled out a little, prepared himself…and hummed gently around Kaiba. It was enough to send the other over the edge. Kaiba came with a cry, and Yuugi thought his name might have been mixed in that cry somewhere. Even trying his best, still some of the creamy fluid escaped his lips and dribbled down his chin, but he sucked and held and swallowed and waited until Kaiba had gone limp. Yuugi sat up slowly, his gaze thoughtful as he scrutinized the sated, chestnut-haired man. The taste, he decided, was different, but not unpleasant. There was a hint of bitterness, but mostly it was a little salty and slick on his lips and tongue. Yuugi felt eyes on him, though, and he looked up Kaiba’s body slowly until he met that blue gaze. It was as though time had suddenly stood still for the two of them as they gazed into another’s eyes, but Yuugi shifted and was reminded of his own predicament. Kaiba, slowly returning from his euphoria, noticed this. Kaiba managed to sit up, and he leaned against the headboard of the bed. His long arms reached out and around Yuugi and he drew the youth closer until Yuugi sat between Kaiba’s spread legs, his back to the CEO’s chest, and then Yuugi half turned, rising up to his knees, and Kaiba captured his lips over the youth’s shoulder.

Kaiba found it shamefully easy to keep Yuugi distracted as he fumbled for the bottle of lotion on the dresser by the bed. He found it slightly more difficult to pop the cap on the bottle, for even he was becoming distracted by Yuugi’s lips and tongue, but he managed to squeeze a generous amount of the lightly scented cream into his palm. The kiss was broken when Yuugi breathed a shocked gasp of surprise, losing the support of his knees when Kaiba’s hand snuck over Yuugi’s hip to close around his weeping erection. Yuugi’s head pressed into Kaiba’s chest, tilted to the side, and Kaiba took the moment to lower his head and latch his teeth and lips to his younger lover’s shoulder. He suckled, drawing blood under the surface of Yuugi’s skin without puncturing his skin, and simultaneously pumped the shaft in his hand. Yuugi’s eyes closed, and he moaned, much more deeply than he had previously, his fingers clenched in the rumpled sheets around his thighs. Kaiba soothed the love bite– one that would likely turn a lovely shade of red-violet by morning – with his tongue and lips and squeezed Yuugi, who broke off a moan with a gasp, and then Kaiba settled into a firm, smooth rhythm. Yuugi’s moans and mewls turned to soft pants, his chest rising and falling in time with his sharp breaths. Yuugi’s hips lifted when Kaiba’s hand moved down, his thighs trembling. Kaiba found the sight of a wanton Yuugi pleasant and altogether arousing. Yuugi’s lips were still a little bruised from their kisses, and a thin sheet of Kaiba’s fluids still lingered on his plump lips. Thick lashes splayed over those rounded cheeks, and Yuugi’s lips were parted, his breath erratic; it made Kaiba hard almost instantly, and he fumbled for the bottle of lotion again. The brush of the first lotion-slathered finger to Yuugi’s entrance went unnoticed in the motions of Kaiba’s hand on his erection; the second caused a pause. Kaiba stilled his movements completely and Yuugi looked back at Kaiba. “Do you trust me?” the older murmured softly, catching Yuugi’s amethyst gaze. There was a pause, in which Kaiba was certain Yuugi gave serious thought to his question, and then Yuugi nodded. Kaiba easily guided Yuugi to his hands and knees, two fingers still slipped into Yuugi’s tight heat, the opposite hand encircling Yuugi’s arousal, and then Kaiba squeezed again and Yuugi’s head fell, silky black locks dragging on the bed covers. Kaiba squeezed more lotion out of the bottle, having to release Yuugi to do it, but soon enough his hand was back around Yuugi and another finger had joined the first two, and he moved them until they slid easily. Kaiba slipped his fingers deeper, and angled them, curving, searching… Yuugi cried out in shocked pleasure, his arms collapsing, unable to support his weight, and Kaiba smiled, the location memorized. He withdrew those fingers – Yuugi moaned forlornly at the loss despite the hand that still stroked and squeezed him – and picked up the lotion again, but this time Yuugi’s hands reached back, and Yuugi squeezed lotion into his palms, rubbed them together, and it was Yuugi’s small hands on his erection now, smoothing the lotion over his heated flesh. When he was coated sufficiently, Kaiba gently pushed Yuugi’s hands away and rose to his knees. His hands guided the entrance, and his tip slid in. Kaiba reached down, found

Yuugi’s hands resting by his head, his fingers clenched in the bedclothes, and Kaiba locked his fingers around Yuugi’s as he pressed in. Yuugi stretched to accommodate him, and Kaiba moved as slowly as he could stand to move, wary of the soft sounds of discomfort Yuugi made, of the tears he could see sliding down those plump cheeks. He sank in, inch by inch, until he was fully inside Yuugi’s tight heat. Kaiba waited, though it nearly killed him, as sparks climbed through his brain, nearly numbing his thoughts, but he could not – would not, refuse to – hurt Yuugi. In the end, it was Yuugi who moved first, tentatively, and Kaiba could hold back no longer. The stars and planets taking shape A stolen kiss has come to late It was eveything Kaiba had ever wanted, ever imagined, and so much more. The feelings were tight, intense, hot, and Kaiba wanted to pound into his lover, but he couldn’t…and then Yuugi shifted, and Kaiba’s vision went starry. He tightened his grip on Yuugi’s hands. “Yuugi,” he rumbled, a warning, but Yuugi merely wriggled slightly, making Kaiba groan. “Yuugi, you….driving me crazy…” “Then move,” Yuugi growled back, and Kaiba was startled for a moment, but no longer. He loved his little Yuugi, his soft body and sweet voice, but that rough edge to his voice was the hottest thing Kaiba had ever heard. He moved, Yuugi moaned, and then Kaiba rose further, his chest draped along Yuugi’s back. One hand left Yuugi’s, trailed teasingly down Yuugi’s chest, and rested once more on Yuugi’s arousal, gripped firmly. He shifted his hips, and then his control snapped. It was a rough pace, he knew, and he would have worried in the beginning, but Yuugi drove his hips back against Kaiba’s, and Kaiba moved his hand in time with his thrusts. Both young men panted with their exertions, and then Kaiba drove in at a slightly different angle and hit that spot deep within Yuugi. Yuugi yelled, his limit reached, the thrusts, Kaiba’s hand, that spot—it was all too much for him. He cried out parts of Kaiba’s name as he came, a syllable with each spurt, and Yuugi’s voice along with the fluids splashing over his hand drove Kaiba to completion in a way he had never felt before. In the moonlight Carry on, keep romancing Carry on, carry on dancing In the moonlight Carry on, keep romancing Carry on, carry on dancing The gentle slide as Kaiba slowly withdrew from Yuugi made both men shiver. Still lethargic from their release, it was all Kaiba could do to lay on his side and pull Yuugi against his chest, and it

was all Yuugi could do to snuggle his back against Kaiba’s chest and lie there with his lover. They stayed like that, limbs entwined, regaining their breath, for nearly a quarter of an hour but then Kaiba’s thigh, pressed between Yuugi’s, shifted, and Yuugi started, his posterior just brushing against Kaiba… Moving on Moving all night Carry on, keep romancing Carry on, carry on dancing Together the two danced the dance of lovers, the moves as old as time; true, it might have initially been man and woman, but to Yuugi and Kaiba love knew no gender, and time knew no bounds. Time slowed to a halt with Kaiba’s gentle rocking inside Yuugi, and Yuugi’s lips slowly drove Kaiba to the edge. Moving on Moving all night Sleep did not come to either of them at all that night… But then, no one said they were unhappy. Carry on, keep romancing Carry on, carry on dancing… The sunset that day was beautiful, Yuugi mused, lying on his stomach on the beach, the sand kept at bay by a large beach towel. Yuugi loved the sea. He loved the fish and exotic creatures that dwelled in the salty blue waters of the lagoon. He loved the vibrant colors of the reefs – they had been one of his inspirations to take up photography. Yuugi looked to the side and smiled as his other inspiration and the favorite subject of his pictures sat beside him on the spacious beach blanket. Kaiba Seto hadn’t changed in twenty years but for perhaps a few silver streaks in his brunette locks – Yuugi didn’t tease him about the pigment-challenged strands his employees gave him…much. His violet gaze drifted over the lean, muscled chest and down his left arm until it lingered on the gold band encircling Seto’s ring finger, a small chain of sapphires embedded in the soft gold catching the sun’s dying rays. The ring was the very same one Yuugi had placed on his husband’s hand twenty years ago; he wore a matching ring on his own ring finger, the jewels of his being amethyst. “Like our eyes,” Yuugi had commented when Seto had placed the ring on his finger at the ceremony, his violet gaze shining with unshed tears. Seto, naturally, wore a black suit and Yuugi wore white, and while Yuugi readily admitted to being the ‘girl’ of the relationship, Seto never took advantage of him. Seto leaned down, his lips tracing over Yuugi’s bare back.

“I’d been wondering something for a while, love,” Seto remarked as his hands lightly smoothed the kinks in Yuugi’s back in a gentle massage. Yuugi rested his head on his arms, eyes half-closed in bliss. “Mmm?” he managed, the feel of Seto’s hands lightly lulling him into a daze. “…whatever happened to the two lovers in that first poem you showed me?” Yuugi smiled, eyes half lidded, and sat up, snuggling against Seto and shifting until his husband lifted his arms and allowed Yuugi into his lap, settling his arms around Yuugi’s chest and resting his chin on Yuugi’s shoulder; they often sat like that, comfortably tucked against one another. Carry on, keep romancing Carry on, carry on dancing… “He was an artist, a painter, a sculpture, The man was different as any could be. For, while the artist lived his own life, This man was compelled by others to be, As cold as ice and untouchable too, And though this man wished to be free, He was, he thought, doomed to solitude. Until the day the artist, the painter, Working a late job down in the city, Met this man who was trapped by others, And the artist found that maybe, could he? It was luck that a drink was ordered and easily made, And the artist managed, with some persuasion, To gather the attention of he who had locked away his heart, Who had sacrificed his feelings for the sake of others. It began so slow that the artist grew meeker, And began to question his own sanity. But slowly, and steadily, their bond grew deeper, And the artist realized that the change had commenced. His chance, he realized, had presented itself And he seized upon the feelings of the other, At first he’d thought he was mistaken, and babbled an apology. But a kiss silenced the tearful young artist, And then things simply escalated to new heights… And together the artist and business men spent, Many of their days and nearly all of their nights. One night, only months later, in full view of friends and family, The businessman dropped down to one knee and presented, A ring and a promise that together they would spend eternity

The artist was flustered, surprised, and silent. And at first the man worried the artist did not share his sentiment. But the artist was merely shocked for the moment, And soon his arms resided around his lover’s neck. "Yes!” he cried, the tears now flowing, And his lover swept him up and laughed and was merry, And on the twentieth of June, the summer of o’seven, they were married. Now the artist and his lover, Together live in a home by the sea. Where the businessman conducts his business from home, And the artist indulges in his passions of art, And his lover cooks and reads to his lover well and happily And never forget what happened to the two who were wed… Together they lived happily ever after quite sappily…