Chapter Twenty-One:

Joey looked up at Yami from the bed. When he'd gotten home, Yami had told him about how he'd felt stress from Yugi. He'd tried contacting him, but reported that Yugi hadn't answered. Joey had been all set to head over, but Yami had cautioned him to wait, with obvious reluctance, stating that Yugi had felt upset, but not hurt.

Now it was clear that Yami had managed to hear back and Joey could see the tension in him. He sat up against the headboard.

"What?"

"Kaiba is home," Yami said.

"What? He wasn't supposed to come back until Sunday."

"Yes. Yugi says he came home early and that he has told him about the baby."

Joey gritted his teeth. "What'd he say?" He started to throw back the covers. "I'm going to go get him."

"No," Yami said, putting his hand on Joey's arm. "Aibou specifically told me not to."

Joey hesitated and looked back over his shoulder. "It doesn't sound like Kaiba was jumping for joy."

"No, I don't think he was." Yami looked torn. "I think he is taking this badly, as expected, and yet, I don't think he has asked Aibou to leave."

Joey slowly settled back into bed. "What does that mean?"

Yami shook his head. "Aibou didn't say. He has said goodnight and closed our link again."

Joey sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Damn it."

They had known this was going to happen, of course, but it didn't make it easier. Joey was itching to get up and take Yugi away from the manor and bring him home. He knew Yami felt the same. Being in that hostile environment couldn't be good for Yugi right now, but he had also told them not to come get him. Joey wanted to respect Yugi's wishes, but he didn't know how much of it was just his buddy clinging to a dying hope.

If that bastard Kaiba hurt Yugi while he was vulnerable like this, Joey would tear him apart.

"I guess keep an eye on him and we'll get him the minute we need to."

Yami only nodded distractedly. He remained sitting up in bed, looking into the middle distance, clearly lost in thought. Joey looked up at the ceiling, wishing that Yugi didn't have to go through this.

"This is my own damn fault," Joey said. "Touching that fucking statue."

"You couldn't have known."

"No, but I grabbed that damn thing out of the box like a kid in a toy store. Yugi knew better than that. You knew better than that. Yug' wouldn't be in this situation if I hadn't-"

"There's no point in blaming yourself, Joey," Yami said, turning to him and laying down beside him. "It is done."

Joey only shook his head. Why shouldn't he blame himself? He let his emotions rule him all the time. When was he going to fucking grow up? Or get smarter? He always went off without thinking and made things worse.

******

Yugi woke the next morning with extreme reluctance. Unlike normal, he rose to full consciousness slowly, as if he were throwing off the effects of a drug, as if his psyche was fighting it so that he didn't have to face Seto.

Yugi fully expected Seto to be gone; at work or somewhere, and instead, he was in bed with him. He was sitting up against the headboard, reading the newspaper and with a cup of coffee, but he was there. He glanced down as Yugi rolled over onto his back, and his expression was closed.

"Good morning," Yugi said hesitantly.

Seto rarely returned the sentiment and he didn't now. Instead, he simply stared at Yugi silently as if waiting for more, but Yugi didn't know what to say. At last, it was Seto who broke the silence.

"All right. You want to keep it. You have some big plan to make this work and you're not cursed. Is that right?"

"Please don't call her an it," Yugi said wearily. He rubbed his bump while looking somewhere in the vicinity of his toes. "She's our daughter, Seto. No, I'm not cursed, yes, I want to keep her, yes, we have a plan of sorts." Yugi sat up, having to rotate a bit more around the nexus of his swelling abdomen than normal, and threw his legs over the edge of the bed. "I'm going to move back home. Then you won't have to deal with any of this."

"What makes you think I don't want to deal with it?"

Yugi glared over his shoulder, feeling his touchy temper spike. "Why? Because I know you. This is magic that you can't control in your face again. Something you never could accept. I didn't even tell you I was pregnant until I absolutely had to because I know you and I knew how you'd be and I was right!"

Seto's lack of expression didn't change. "You knew I'd be an asshole and want nothing to do with this."

"Right."

Seto looked at him silently for a moment. "I told you before, Yugi, do whatever you want. I told you what I wanted and I don't say it just to spare your feelings, not even yours. But assume whatever you want to assume. Except take a moment to remember that you've known about this for five months, or whatever, while I learned fucking last night."

Yugi bit his tongue against immediately apologizing. Seto was right, but this was too important for him to be the timid doormat again. He narrowed his eyes at Seto and looked at him hard. "Are you telling me there's even a chance that you'd just accept this and go along with it?"

"Yes."

Astounded, hating himself for that and for still being suspicious, Yugi only stared at him.

"It's almost ten, Yugi," Seto said. "I've been up approximately four hours thinking about this. I know you're not lying to me. I know magic exists. I know you're not mistaken, since I saw the sonogram. So, I know the situation is real and that you didn't go and do it on purpose. I know you want to keep it-her-and that you won't be talked out of that. And I know you want me to be a part of this. Right?"

"Of course I do."

Seto looked across the room. "Then give me the benefit of the doubt and let me try."

Yugi felt choked up again and he started to hug Seto before hesitating. Seto looked at him, then slowly wrapped one arm around him. Yugi then threw his arms around his neck and buried his face in the crook of his neck and shoulder, feeling so relieved and happy. This wasn't going to be easy, not for both of them, but the fact that Seto wanted to try was amazing. And he felt even more terribly guilty.

"I'm sorry I misjudged you," Yugi said muffedly.

Seto snorted. And didn't try to reassure him.

Yugi just sat there hugging him for a long moment, simply enjoying that he was back. Their separation had been hard even without all the worry, and he just felt right again being in the manor in Seto's arms. He nuzzled even closer and breathed in deeply, smelling the faint remnants of Seto's cologne and whatever subtle fragrance the maid used to wash the laundry.

"So, are you going to take care of that before you go to breakfast?" Seto asked.

Yugi started to lift his head, then froze as he realized what Seto was talking about. His increased hormones were making themselves known again, his body throbbing, the morning wood he sometimes still woke up with not having faded this time.

Yugi drew back, blushing despite the fact Seto was well aware of every inch of him from head to toe. "I'm…going to go take a shower."

What he really wanted to do was push Seto down and climb aboard, but he had a feeling his new situation would be too weird for him right now, and he wasn't really surprised when Seto didn't protest. Not that Yugi gave him much choice. He was getting harder by the second now that he was aware of it and wanted some relief. He rushed into the bathroom before his lost his senses.

Still, he only made perfunctory work of it once in the shower and washed up before heading back into the bedroom. To his surprise, Seto was still in bed, though he appeared to be reading something on his phone. He closed whatever it was as Yugi came out and downed the rest of what was probably cold coffee.

"Um, Seto, what do you want to tell Mokuba?"

Seto faulted slightly with the coffee cup still to his mouth, but set it down calmly. "You haven't told him?"

"No, I didn't want to, not before I told you. I haven't told Mom and Grandpa yet either. Yami and Joey only know because I went to Yami for help and Joey was there."

Seto frowned slightly. "I'm not sure," he said finally.

Yugi nodded. He didn't exactly blame Seto. It was weird, there was no way around it. He still didn't know how he'd tell his family, though he guessed pretty much the same way he'd told Seto. The problem was getting up the nerve to.

"Let me think about it," Seto said as he threw back the covers and climbed out of bed.

Yugi only nodded again and got dressed. He was hungry now that the lust was temporarily sated and he didn't wait for Seto before heading down to the dining hall. It was early enough on a Saturday that Mokuba would still be in bed. Yugi wasn't even sure if he knew his brother was home yet or not.

The cook immediately got Yugi some oatmeal, yogurt, and milk at his request before she started making a big breakfast for her returned boss. Yugi ate the oatmeal and yogurt before Seto had even come downstairs, and he didn't shy away from helping himself to brown rice, salmon, pickles, scrambled eggs and bacon. As usual, Seto's diet was more internationally varied than many Japanese households and Yugi was always happy to enjoy that perk.

"You're eating better," Seto said as he joined him at the table.

"Done with the morning sickness," Yugi said quietly as he continued to eat.

Mokuba joined them when they were almost done. His lack of surprise at Seto's presence meant he had seen him before Yugi, and he was still so sleepy that he barely said anything, which meant Yugi certainly didn't have to spring his news over breakfast.

Finished and stuffed, Yugi idly drank some water while he tried to decide what to do with his day. He didn't have classes, Grandpa was manning the Shop all day today, he'd just left his family, and while he could guess that Yami and Joey were dying to know what was going on, he didn't want to leave again so soon.

Not that Seto ever usually gave himself downtime, but when he did, he usually did things like fly his jet, read, or work on his hologram technology. Yugi himself didn't really consider that downtime, but for Seto it was. It appeared that was Seto's intention this morning, because after breakfast, he headed down to his high-tech workroom in what would normally be a basement in any other residence, but at the Kaiba Mansion consisted of the work room, infirmary, and a bomb shelter stronghold. Mokuba left to probably go play videogames.

Alone, Yugi decided to contact Yami while he headed upstairs to go read some more of his baby books.

/How are you feeling, Aibou?/ Yami asked, which of course Yugi knew meant how was Seto treating him.

/I think it's going to be okay./ Yugi outlined his conversations with Seto last night and this morning as he walked up the stairs. /At least he wants to try, right?/

/Yes, of course that's wonderful, Yugi,/ Yami said, and he sounded and felt sincere. /I'm glad./

/Me too. Now I just have to tell Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Mokuba, and all our friends./ Yugi paused at the top of the staircase and took a few deep breaths. Wow, he might not have put on too much extra weight yet, but it still was enough to make him feel a little winded climbing two flights of stairs on a full stomach. Of course, he'd also been taking it easy since learning he was high-risk pregnant, which meant a lot less exercise in the last couple of months than he was used to. /Maybe I can just gather them all together and drop that bomb on them all at once./

Yami chuckled. /However you wish to do it, Aibou./

Yugi entered the sitting room of the bedroom suite, retrieved the books from where they were in a drawer, and settled in an armchair. Truth be told, he didn't like reading the books. They didn't make him feel more secure. Instead, they only showed him all the weird things that happened during pregnancy, much, much more than he had ever thought happened. True, most of them were rare and temporary, but that didn't make it better. And some were permanent and dangerous. Still, he felt he had to read everything he could, even if the information could end up as useful for a magically-pregnant guy as a pogostick to a snake.

After he'd been reading a while, he realized he was hungry again. Or at least he was craving something. Putting the book down, he headed downstairs. The chef obligingly got him some anpan red bean buns, looking at him askance when he sprinkled salt on them. He ignored the weird look, knowing that a sweet-and-salty combination was likely to help his craving. A huge glass of orange juice completely his strange snack, and he trotted downstairs to see what Seto was up to.

He found him still in his workroom, sitting in front of a huge stainless steel table on which was an array of tools, mechanical and computer parts, and what looked to Yugi like an upside-down steel cereal bowl wearing a tiny hula hoop. Clearly, it was a hologram projector, for pouring out of a lens on the top was a 3D Blue Eyes White Dragon. It was moving, whipping its tail back and forth, looking from side to side with its pupil-less blue eyes, and flexing its wings like it was wanting to take off. Abruptly it opened its mouth, roared, and released its white lightning, which seemed to engulf Seto and made Yugi cry out in surprise.

Seto turned around, obviously unharmed.

"Sorry," Yugi said, hanging back by the door. "I wasn't expecting that."

"What do you think?"

Smiling at being asked his opinion, not that Seto hadn't done so before, Yugi approached and studied the Dragon, which was back to moving around in agitation, as if it was looking for an opponent. As he approached, he realized he could hear metallic scraping sounds, and it took only a moment to further realize it was coinciding with the Dragon's tail moving against the table. A click matched one foreclaw shifting position.

"Wow, how is it doing that?"

Seto looked at him with semi-patient waiting. Of course, Yugi had to clarify. Setting his orange juice and anpan down on a different worktable, Yugi moved closer and gestured to the Dragon, which he could hear breathing.

"The noises. It isn't just its roar anymore. It sounds like its actually on your table."

"The computer module incased in the projector has been implemented with hundreds of sound files and all around the base are motion sensors and cameras. The computer sees the Dragon's various body parts and surroundings, views their interactions, interprets the most logical sound a real encounter would make, then issues the sound through the four speakers you can see just below the projector ring. It also plays several continuous sound files based on logic, such as the breathing, and also plays sound files based on the Dragon's behavior, such as when it attacked me."

"That's amazing," Yugi said, peering up at the Dragon. He was a little disconcerted to see it focus on him, turning its head like a lizard and staring at him intently with one eye. Clearly, the motion sensors and cameras were picking him up and the Dragon was responding to him. "It's almost like you have a real Blue Eyes."

"The playing of the sound files is still out of sync and sometimes it glitches trying to respond to more than one thing at a time." Seto walked around the table. The Dragon turned its head to track him…and a ghostly head remained focused on Yugi. Now it was a two-headed Blue Eyes, with one head semi-transparent and wavering.

"Well, its just trying to transform into an Ultimate."

Seto smirked at him from across the table and came back. The heads melded into one and the Dragon thumped its tail in what seemed like irritation. Now that Seto had pointed it out, Yugi did notice that the metallic thud was a few seconds behind the motion, but if Seto hadn't said anything, Yugi wouldn't have noticed. Still, Seto wanted it perfect and of course he should.

Yugi picked up his bowl of anpan and put one in his mouth. While he chewed, he studied the Dragon as Seto sat down and bent over his laptop. He was typing a mile a minute on what Yugi assumed was code. While he ate his bean ball and watched, the Dragon looked down at Seto and then swiped at him. Its foreclaw passed through him harmlessly and it growled. Then it ate his head.

"Why is it so mean?" Yugi asked.

"It's a Blue Eyes." Seto typed some more and the hologram vanished. "Would you prefer something nicer?"

Key Mace appeared, the fairy monster that had been named Earu inside the first virtual world the Big Five had trapped them all in. The fairy flitted around Yugi. When she giggled, the noise issued from the speakers in the projector rather than from over Yugi's head.

Yugi settled down in another one of the work chairs, eating another anpan. "What are you going to do with these new projectors?"

Earu vanished; the projector went dark, before it lit up again, this time with La Jinn. Yugi watched the smoke of the genie's lower half swirl impressively realistically. His golden lamp gleamed.

"These are what I was presenting at the first meeting of all the gaming companies," Seto said, still somehow typing away as he talked. "Once I finish working out the bugs, I'll be selling them to the other companies to use however they want. As for me, I suppose I'll put some in the Kaibalands, to add more atmosphere."

"Can you do movies on those?"

Seto glanced over. "Movies? Why?"

"I mean, instead of just one character on them, could you make them interact with each other with programmed stories or whatever? If you use Duel Monsters, I guess you'd need Pegasus' permission, but maybe you could make simple little stories for kids with them. You know, Scapegoats play tag or the Kuri-Brothers go on a Treasure Hunt."

Seto stared at him for a minute. "I suppose that would be an interesting added entertainment to Kaibaland," he said. "For the Daycare, perhaps."

La Jinn was replaced by Dark Magician. Yugi smiled up at the imposing monster, who was staring impassively back at him.

"Eventually, added facial recognition software will make them interact more personally with you," Seto said as he, too, watched the Dark Magician. "But that will be a ways down the line."

This explained why the Blue Eyes was so aggressive to its master.

"This is really amazing, Seto," Yugi said. "The stuff you can do."

Seto smiled, then stole Yugi's last anpan. As soon as he put it in his mouth, he made a face. "Why is it salty?"

"Oh, sorry. I put salt on them, because…um…cravings."

Seto stiffened slightly, then nodded. There was an awkward silence, which Yugi broke by clearing his throat and getting to his feet. "I'll let you finish up here."

Seto stared at him intently for a moment, but only said, "I'll see you at dinner."

Yugi took his dishes back to the kitchens, then headed upstairs again to take a bath. He told himself not to be upset with Seto's attitude. It was true that if Yugi wasn't pregnant, their reunion would have been a lot more friendly, but this was awkward and unwelcome for Seto and he was handling it far better than Yugi had expected. The real problem with Seto Kaiba, outside of wanting to control every aspect of his life, was that nothing was real to him unless he could experience it physically. The life inside Yugi held no interest for him because he only had Yugi's word that it was not something bad.

Hopefully, once the baby arrived, that would change.

tbc...

A/N: Reviews are always appreciated.