The Road to Paradise

Rated: M

Chapter Nine: Red String of Fate

When Yami opened his eyes, a bouquet of bright, blooming red roses stared back.

The Pharaoh blinked his eyes once, twice, focusing on the crimson blossoms that sat beside his hospital bed in a crystal vase, a red ribbon tied around the neck. Behind the petals filtered in the dying sunlight of the late evening. He vaguely wondered what time it was. A crisp white card sat, perched just beneath the flowers.

Yami stared at them for a moment. He lifted his hand slowly, and that's when he noticed the hospital band wrapped around his wrist. He paused, looking at the name--Yugi Mutou. An IV drip was taped to his flesh, and his eyes followed the plastic tube momentarily before going back to his wrist. He huffed out a breath of air, before glancing to his other arm. It was wrapped in bandages, bruising peeking out from underneath them.

So he was in the hospital. The last he remembered was being with Kaiba, and his eyes drifted back to the roses.

...Doubtful.

Yami couldn't help but smile a little at that. He reached out, touching the card with his fingertips before picking it up fully, turning it in his hand. Yugi's name was written in embossed cursive. When he opened it…

"...This is a formal invitation to find the Road to Paradise…" Yami murmured aloud, wine-red eyes looking over the writing. The spokesperson, Sahar's name was signed in one corner. In the center of the bottom, however, with a great flourish…

"...Pegasus J. Crawford…" The duelist let out. He let out an irritated sigh, dropping the card onto the bed with him.

Yami looked up towards the ceiling. It was as he lay quiet… that he got the strangest feeling that someone was in the room with him. He looked to his right, and a thin curtain separated him from the rest of the room.

"..." Yami's right hand lifted shakily, still injured and aching, but his fingers managed to grasp hold of the curtain and he tugged it to the side, his face set into a glare to see whom was on the other side.

There in the other bed was Kaiba, soft dark brown bangs gently ghosting his pale skin, normally alert eyes closed gently. His expression was...serene. It was soft and gentle in ways that it never was when his covers were pulled all the way up over his chest though his arms were out on other side, placed directly next to his body. His arms were lightly bandaged, covering the many small scratches he had on his arms though they paled in comparison to Yami's one arm. The young CEO's wrists were tightly wrapped and that was the extent of the medical treatment that was visible. He too had a thin plastic tube running from one of his arms up to a small plastic bag dangling from a metal stand to the side of his bed.

Slowly Kaiba's chest rose and fell, his breathing was long and easy. His expression fluctuated, his head tilting a little further down so that his face was more readily visible to Yami.

Yami's fingers released the curtain slowly, and his bright eyes stared at the other teenager whom slept away in the hospital bed. He was surprised to see Kaiba alongside him; what other damage had he sustained? He had done such a good job carrying him, Yami hadn't known the other to be so badly hurt…

His brows furrowed in thought, but he allowed them to wander as he gazed upon the CEO's handsome face. He was close… but… and Yami's arm reached out. Kaiba's face was just out of reach, even when he painfully strained. Close but far away.

Ironic. As it usually was, would it always be?

Yami released a faint sigh. He didn't say anything, instead opting to watch Kaiba sleep, eyes resting lazily on the brunet.

A short while passed, the sun dipping ever lower behind the horizon. Eventually the brilliant colors of the sunset started to dim and the main sources of light came from the gentle hospital lights. Slowly Kaiba started to stir, his breathing picking up and his body starting to shift under the covers.

Finally Kaiba let out a long a gentle breath that fell short of being a groan. His eyes fluttered and he turned his head away from Yami. The brunet's dark eyes stared blankly at the sterile white ceiling of the hospital room. The CEO let out a short groan as he started to try and sit up, a pained expression playing over his fine features.

He reached up to run a hand over his face, but stopped when he felt the slight pull of the IV. He glared at the offending tube in his arm. He hated hospitals. It always seemed they found a reason to stick one of these things in him.

The CEO allowed himself to sink back into the pillows, his expression showing clear relief. He closed his eyes and lay there quietly for a moment before something started to nag at him. Slowly the tall youth opened his eyes and turned to look over to his left. His soft expression hardened. He hadn't expected to find a roommate. Instantly his eyes locked with Yami's, his dark orbs growing darker still.

Yami's eyes widened a touch when he and Kaiba's met… but where Kaiba's eyes darkened, his own softened.

"...You're awake," He stated quietly. "...Are you feeling all right?"

Though Kaiba's eyes were dark and giving Yami a rather hard pointed look, exhaustion was buried deep within them. His expression seemed a little more forced than normal, like he didn't have the energy to keep the challenging stare and hard lines he normally had. "I'm fine," he finally responded, turning his head to look back up at the ceiling. A subtle weariness was hinted in the general tone of his words.

"Hm." Yami hummed at the back of his throat, his eyes still lingering on the CEO. Even though Kaiba had turned his gaze…

He was still in the room.

He couldn't escape.

"...Forgive me for pushing you so hard," Yami suddenly continued moments later. "I just wanted to be sure you were out of the way. From the light."

Kaiba's jaw tensed. What Yami didn't know was that the word's "thank you" were clinging to the back of the brunet's throat. Instead, the CEO's lips were drawn into a thin line as he muttered, "Whatever." He closed his eyes almost regretting the words as soon as they escaped.

Yami was quiet for a moment.

"Was I heavy?"

Now the CEO flat-out looked to the opposite wall from Yami. Now that they were talking he was angry though he wasn't sure exactly why. Then again maybe angry wasn't the right word. Upset? Regardless he wasn't happy with what Yami had pulled. Unable to choose a verbal response, Kaiba simply shook his head trusting that Yami was still watching him. He could feel the other's gaze anyway.

Yami released a huff of air from his nostrils. He looked away from Kaiba, up to the ceiling as well in thought. His arm was hurting. The smell of latex and alcohol filled the air. The last thing he had smelled was blood and Kaiba's scent.

His wine-red eyes lowered, lashes obscuring his vision.

"...We need to talk," He finally said.

Kaiba let out a long slow breath, his eyes clenching shut ever so slightly. Slowly he opened them to stare at the wall once more. Those hadn't been words he wanted to hear but they were the truth. But...just how capable were they at talking things out? It never seemed to work.

"Then talk", Kaiba finally responded, keeping his face turned away, his words tired and surprisingly gentle. He didn't want Yami to see how drawn his features were.

Yami was quiet for a moment. This talk was long overdue. There were so many thoughts swirling around that the other wasn't sure what to think, or what to say. What if what he said sounded foolish? He wanted to be sure the right words came out. Was that even possible?

When the spirit finally thought he had what he wanted to say, the door to the room opened. Yami jumped a touch in bed, looking over to see the doctor walking in with one of his assistants. He smiled briefly to the two, looking down at his clipboard.

"Mutou-san, Kaiba-san… good to see you both awake," the doctor stated, heading over to Kaiba's bedside as he was closer to the door.

Kaiba looked up at the doctor briefly, taking a deep breath that made his side ache. Settling his gaze back on the ceiling he bluntly stated, "I would like to sign out now."

"You've suffered multiple lacerations, Mr. Kaiba, and are potentially dealing with internal bruising and damage, as well as fatigue." The doctor gave his young patient a look, before turning to the records on his clipboard. "I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere for a couple of more days."

To say Kaiba was not pleased with the answer was a severe understatement. He didn't have the time to be confined to bed rest in some hospital. Perhaps it wouldn't seem so detrimental if they would let him work from his bed but somehow he knew that wasn't going to happen. He gave the doctor a long hard look, his eyes cold and silently demanding another answer. When none came, the CEO gracefully looked away. He wasn't about to do battle with a doctor. Patients never win in those fights.

"Fine," the tall youth conceded. Not wanting to waste any time he simply added, "Is there anything I can get for the pain? I can't even sit up."

"We're already on that," The doctor stated, nodding to his nurse. The nurse was already at Kaiba's side, injecting a needle into a valve in the IV. "You'll be feeling better in no time."

Yami watched with morbid fascination. It wasn't often he was in a hospital, well, with him being the patient, rather. The doctor waited until the nurse was finished before moving onto Yami.

"Mr. Mutou, glad to see you awake. You have a rather loud and loyal band of friends downstairs," He stated, and Yami smiled weakly.

"I'm sure," The spirit replied. It wasn't that he was unhappy that his friends had come, but… at the moment, he had no desire to see them. Going back to sleep sounded good. And eating. Eating something and then sleeping sounded amazing. The doctor flipped to another paper on his clipboard.

"Mr. Kaiba was very insistent that someone saw to you immediately," The older man replied, and one could easily hear the smile in his tone. Yami's eyes slid away from the doctor and over to Kaiba as the health care specialist continued speaking, "You had gone into severe shock, but it's good that you're awake. How is your arm?"

Yami looked back to the doctor.

"...It hurts," he admitted. "...I can lift it, though."

"You took damage below the elbow; your upper arm is good but I wouldn't suggest bending your elbow too much." The doctor wrote something down as the nurse began to gently inspect Yami's arm. "You'll need to eat something soon, if you think you can stay up a bit longer. I'd like to return your blood sugar levels to normal as quickly as possible, or you could suffer a relapse."

Yami looked a little alarmed at the words. The doctor glanced to him, and he let out a small chuckle.

"Don't worry. We'll see to feeding you before that can happen. As long as you remain calm, you should be fine." The nurse injected another needle and syringe into Yami's IV, and after clean up, he began to head out of the room. "I'm sure Mr. Kaiba will keep a good eye on you, considering how determined he's been so far!

"I'll be back to check on you both." And with that, the doctor and nurse exited the room, chattering about obtaining food for the two of them immediately. The door closed solidly behind them.

"Don't read anything into it," Kaiba stated bluntly, but softly, as soon as the door closed, his eyes falling shut. He had honestly been concerned but did the other really need to know that?

If Yami said anything in response Kaiba didn't hear it. Quietly he drifted off to sleep due to his own pure exhaustion.

Kaiba sucked in a startled breath as he shot up from against the soft hospital pillows, the breath falling just shy of a shout. His heart was thundering in his chest and his blood was coursing through his veins as if he had been running, and for a moment the brunet thought he should be. His sides screamed in protest at the sudden jerky movement.

Cold sweat clung to his icy skin, the light hospital gown sticking to him uncomfortably, the light sheets feeling no better than lead weights over Kaiba's legs. The CEO squeezed his eyes shut willing his heart to slow, a slender hand clutching at the hospital garment over his chest.

Uneasily, Kaiba opened his eyes and took in the darkness of the room, his skin still crawling from the nightmare he could both remember and not recall at the same time. At least he could remember the feelings it all brought on but he couldn't recall anything specific.

The noise had Yami stirring, his eyes opening to see Kaiba up and awake. Even in the dark, the moon pouring through the window shined a light over Kaiba's wide cobalt eyes, and he could see the brunet's face clearly.

The pharaoh sat up a touch.

"...Kaiba," he called out to him quietly, not wanting to startle him more.

The tall youth squeezed his eyes shut, wrapping his arms around himself, focusing on the burn in his sides. He had forgotten he had a roommate. Then again he was still remembering he was at the hospital and not in his home. Though the thought of not being alone was a little comforting, but at the same time...to be seen like this?

Kaiba eased himself back, taking in a hissing breath as his sides twitched in pain and discomfort. So much for that pain killer. It must have already worn off which meant he had slept through its affects. That or perhaps the doctor had really just given him something to knock him out.

Taking in long shaky breaths Kaiba fought to regain himself. Maybe Yami would just lay back down, roll over, and forget about this if he stayed quiet enough. He hadn't wanted anyone to know about the nightmares.

There was silence for a moment, but the shuffling of blankets seemed to echo loudly in the room. There was a creaking of metal, and soon, the slap of flesh against tile as Yami's feet padded against the floor, the boy slipping out of bed. Even though the doctor said not to bend his arm, he grasped hold of his IV and its stand. His uninjured arm tugged down his hospital gown as he moved over, pushing past the curtain and over to Kaiba's bed.

Yami didn't say a word as he walked carefully to Kaiba's bedside. He was still a little woozy, dizzy from just waking up and the toll of his injury, but in the end the small duelist bumped into Kaiba's bed with his knees. He looked over Kaiba's face, then proceeded to push back the covers.

"I'm sitting here."

Kaiba moved to sit up hastily and grimaced, falling back against the pillows. Not that he wanted to be injured anywhere but his ribs? More inconvenient than a lot of other places. He let out an irritated huff as he ran a shaky hand over his sweat-covered forehead, damp bangs clinging to the cold skin. He didn't have the energy to argue but that didn't stop him from trying. "Go back to your own bed," he retaliated quietly.

"And let your…" Yami huffed as he shifted into the bed, "Night terrors or whatever you call them continue to wake me?" he shoved the IV to the side, and his injured arm came up, touching Kaiba's face. A clever move, on his part. Kaiba couldn't just haphazardly swat it away. Yami didn't say anything after the touch. His thumb just gently smoothed over Kaiba's cheek in a show of comforting the CEO.

For a split second Kaiba started to lean his face into the comforting touch but that second died quickly and he attempted to turn his face away. The touch brought on a rush of mixed feelings. His mind raced back to earlier when Yami had mentioned they needed to talk and for a second Kaiba's mind reeled at the thought. It was still true, they needed to talk, but it was almost too much mixed in with his currently recovering state. Fear and anxiety were not things Kaiba liked dealing with and right now that was the bulk of what he was facing on top of confusion and something else he couldn't name. All this uncertainty, he hated it.

Even though Kaiba turned his face away, Yami was tenacious. The smaller duelist moved his other hand up, and he turned Kaiba's face to him fully.

"What did you wake up to?" Yami asked. "...What did you see?" What had Kaiba dreamed about, something so startling that it had frightened the CEO?

Kaiba's features were pale and tight. "Why would you care?" he asked bitterly.

The words tumbled out of Yami's lips before he could stop them.

"Because-"

There were three, smaller words that followed. They were quiet, so soft that they could have been easily lost in the darkness of night. He hoped Kaiba hadn't heard them. After they fell from his lips… Yami fell silent.

Kaiba sat up abruptly, his lips pulling into a tight grimace, his eyes a little wide. Had he heard what he thought? Maybe he had misheard but… He swallowed hard, his mouth running dry. He wasn't sure what to say or how to respond. The barely audible words had been abrupt at best. At best it had felt like someone had just dropped a bomb on the CEO.

Part of Kaiba wanted to reach out, to touch Yami's arm or face, but another part of him wanted to shove Yami away. He started to reach out to Yami, his hand freezing before making contact with the smaller duelist, fingers curling away. He stayed that way for a few seconds, frozen out of uncertainty. "I don't know", he finally said, eyes falling to his lap along with his hands, "I don't remember what I saw."

The CEO had no idea how to respond so his brain had reset and gone to the next best thing. Answer what you were asked. "I," the tall youth struggled to find words. "Darkness and...I...just can't remember. Just the sensations linger...every time."

Yami's thumb continued to stroke Kaiba's face as he talked. The brunet hadn't shoved him away… he at least had that small comfort. He had seen the confusion in the other's eyes. Perhaps he believed he had misheard him. Yami wasn't even sure if the words successfully left his lips.

He was on too much medication for this.

"Kaiba," Yami said again, attempting to use the CEO's name as an anchor, hoping to bring him down slowly from wherever the dream had taken him, "It's all right. You're awake now." It was just a dream. His fingertips slid down Kaiba's cheeks, his uninjured hand resting on Kaiba's shoulder, being sure to avoid any injuries. His heart was pounding…

And the damn machine he was hooked to was giving it away. He tried speaking over it.

"If you're in pain, we can contact a nurse," Yami stated. Kaiba lightly shook his head no. But there was a pause afterwards. "...This afternoon, we never…

"...I still want to talk to you." Even if all Yami did was talk and Kaiba listen.

"I..." Kaiba paused, his mind trying to form a response, tilting his face away just a bit as he whispered coldly, "I know I'm awake". He was still back on the dream. Trapped in his own version of shock. His lips twitched as his expression was starting to shift.

"It's so cold. Always so cold", he finally whispered, his long-fingered hands gripping at the sleeves of the hospital garment. A few stray tears slipped from the CEO's dark eyes. Kaiba took in a long breath that sounded shallow, surprise filtering in over his anxiety. He never cried. Ever. Especially not in front of anyone.

No more tears followed, only a few had managed to escape before Kaiba had reigned in his emotions. He tightened his jaw in an attempt to staunch the flow of words that wanted to follow. The dreams always left him so cold. They left him in a sort of emotional agony and his silence only seemed to make it all burn deep within him. He needed to talk, wanted to, but…

He tightly closed his eyes, his muscles tightening all over his body causing almost every injury he had to create fresh pain. Foreign words fell from his tight lips, uttered in tension and in a low tone that barely carried in the dark.

Yami was mute, even though he had heard the ancient words tumbling from his lips. Their sound, their familiarity spoke to him, even though he hadn't quite caught what he was saying… but the tone spoke louder than the words had. Kaiba's tears had slipped against his fingers and into his palm, wet against Kaiba's cheek. Yami closed his eyes, moving his uninjured arm up, resting a hand in Kaiba's hair at the back of the CEO's head. He pulled the taller man in a touch closer, until their foreheads were touching.

Kaiba had left himself in a vulnerable position, but even so his rival did not move, continuing to cradle Kaiba's head in his hands, fingers in his chocolate locks of hair, thumb soothing over his cheek in an attempt to relax the brunet's body.

The hospital room was cold, but against Kaiba, Yami was indescribably warm. He wasn't flushed as he expected to be in this moment. A calm serenity swept over him, as if attempting to pass his soothing aura onto the other man. The fingers in Kaiba's hair stroked down to the nape of the duelist's neck, tender and gentle as they caressed every strand.

Even though Yami had proclaimed they needed to talk, here in the moment, he drew silent. A collection of words jumbled in his mouth, stuck on his tongue, tangled in his mind, unable to take shape. So he sat there, touching Kaiba, holding Kaiba, content for the moment in their state of being, of existence. They were both white canvases right now, open and vulnerable, and the possibilities of where words would take them in the moment were endless. Yami didn't want to haphazardly throw them out… not when the consequences were so great.

What if this was his only chance?

...Chance for what?

Gradually Kaiba's body relaxed, his muscles a little shaky from the tension. The fear and cold drained from him and the CEO slowly found himself again. For a moment he allowed himself to stay the way he was, forehead pressed to the other duelist. He had to admit it was soothing, and the other's mere presence was a comfort in and of itself.

Halfheartedly the taller youth opened his eyes and reached out with a shaky arm pushing against Yami's chest in a haphazard attempt to distance himself from the other. The lingering effects of the dream gone, he was left with facing the confusing and conflicting emotions Yami always left him with. How long could the CEO run from facing it all? In truth, Kaiba wasn't sure he could keep running. Something in him wanted and needed this worked out.

Yami allowed the push to break their connection at the forehead… but what did that mean, in the end? Breaking a connection… the duelist couldn't help but think…

The Red Thread of Destiny…

How had the legend gone? A boy had the red string revealed to him, bound to a girl of his neighborhood. Being a child, he had flung a rock at her head and ran off, never wanting to marry. However, years later he had been matched with a woman, and as he removed the veil, had been pleased to see it was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen… all but one flaw. A small scar was across her eyebrow. She had confessed that as a child, a boy in her neighborhood had thrown a stone at her, and she has grown up fearful that no man would marry her for the imperfection. Who knew? The very man whom had placed the mark on her, would be the man to provide for her the rest of her days.

The string of fate could be tied, knotted, tangled, stretched.. but never, ever broken.

...And after all this time, no matter what happened, what transpired, what they did, how much they fought, when they battled or how passionately they collided… here they were. Sitting together, silent companions, as if before never a hurtful or scathing word had left their lips.

Yami was enlightened.

Then… no matter what happened, somehow, some way…

He and Kaiba would always wind up back at square one. And he could try again. Courage took hold of his heart. Yami looked up at Kaiba and as he did, his eyes burned with intensity that had been hidden away in his heart. But he had nothing to fear but himself. There was no doubt in his mind. The String of Fate…

He and Kaiba were bound to it. It was a wild, tangled, wound up mess… but at either end, was one or the other.

And Yami was going to close the gap.

"Seto," He stated suddenly, tossing the CEO's surname to the side, and he moved in, pushing Kaiba's back against the pillows, his own arms sliding up and around the man's neck-he ignored the pain jolting up his right arm. Kaiba's gaze was one of shock. "I'm going to kiss you."

And he did. But this time, the ferocity was gone, the wild eagerness had been abandoned, replaced by a smooth caress of the spirit's lips against Kaiba's mouth. Yami's hold was gentle. His tongue slid against Kaiba's lips, warm and inviting.

At first Kaiba's body went rigid and his eyes went wide as their lips met, but the gentle attention caused him to ease up. Slowly his eyes drifted shut, lost in the gentle warmth. It felt right.

The warm tongue against his mouth caused the CEO to let out a low sigh, his lips gently parting. His tongue slipped out and brushed by Yami's, slow and purposeful. The tall duelist's arm not attached to the IV slid up to Yami's face, brushing gently over the other's smooth cheek.

The fact that Kaiba hadn't pulled away was a good sign. Yami felt the hair at the back of his neck stand on end when Kaiba's fingers ghosted over his skin. His tongue caught the flavor of Kaiba's own, and the arms around the CEO's neck gave one small squeeze, encouraging the brunet to continue. Where words could not reach, actions could… that was always the case with them. Maybe a back and forth wasn't the talk they needed. They could speak with their bodies, too. Perhaps they had just been communicating the wrong way this entire time.

Yami didn't drive the kiss forward as he normally would have. His body leaned a touch more into Kaiba's to insinuate his desire to be close, but it lacked the overt sexuality the smaller duelist usually brought with he and Kaiba's previous interactions. One hand slid from Kaiba's neck and into the brunet's hair again, touching and threading into his chocolate locks.

Seto moved from running his tongue along Yami's and pressed it gently into the other duelist's mouth wanting to deepen the kiss though he did so without making the move aggressive. Upon Yami's hand sliding back into his hair, Kaiba pulled his own hand away and reached up with both arms to wrap them around the smaller youth's back. Gently he pulled the shorter duelist closer until the light weight on his front made him break the kiss with a hiss.

His ribs. Kaiba cursed them as he tilted his head back. His tongue darting out to run over his lips. "Ribs," the taller youth confessed. Even if they hadn't been cracked they were bruised to no end. Yami shifted his weight off of the other, though he still remained in Kaiba's arms.

A moment of silence passed, though the CEO's breathing could be heard in the hospital room.

"What is this?" Kaiba asked after a few deep breaths, his words quiet and uncertain. He honestly didn't know. Frankly, Yami didn't know either. The two allowed another stint of silence to pass between them before Yami spoke.

"I don't know." There. He'd take the hit for uncertainty. "...Instead of trying to figure out what it is, though… perhaps we should think about what we… what it should be." What we want it to be, was what Yami was going to say, but the sentence died on him. So much for valor.

...But what he was more afraid of…

He knew what he wanted.

But what about Kaiba?

What it should be… Kaiba pursed his lips. The answer hadn't helped. He wasn't even sure what all he felt. How was he supposed to know what it should be? He thought about it for a few passing moments, glad for the night in that it had provided them this solitude. Sure they had had time alone before but this time was different.

Thinking through everything that had happened between them Kaiba first came to pure sexual tension. Some odd attraction chalked up to the intense rivalry between them. He had heard of hate sex. Though...the conclusion seemed off. He kept thinking through things. His thoughts a little slow, carefully considering further events. Eventually he came to this night. It had lacked...the tension of anything else that had occurred. It had been...easy, comforting. Nothing about it had felt...lustful?

And every time he had relished, and hated, the proximity with the other youth. Why hate it? Then again, why had he liked it?

The answer eluded him until he realized his arms were still around Yami. So he focused on now and not the past. What allowed him to stay like this? The warmth. The proximity. The comfort…

"Be with me," Kaiba finally said after a few minutes had ticked by. He had never been with anyone before in any sense of the statement. But it had never felt right to say it. Maybe this is what things should be. As far as the cold youth could figure, there was only one way to find out. Try. Yami's gaze shifted, looking back at the CEO. He still sat in the brunet's arms.

...It was as if he belonged there.

The warmth between them was making him drowsy. He was comfortable… as if a whole weight lifted off his shoulders. They were Kaiba Seto and… whomever he was. Regardless, they didn't need romantic words and notions to make the moment what is was. Just each other.

And that was fine by him.

"...All right," Yami replied, right hand sliding down to rest in his lap. It was sore again. A small bit of blood seeped through the bandage, but the nurse would end up changing it in the morning, anyway. Kaiba was leaning against the pillows of his bed still. Yami considered the position for a bit before asking, "...Can I stay here?"

The taller champion's answer almost exited his lips before he could stop it but Kaiba bit the single word back. He felt like he owed the other at least a bit if consideration on the question. Sure he sort of liked the proximity but…

Logically it was a bad idea in Kaiba's mind. For starters the bed was not meant for two. It was already a tight fit and there was no way two of them would sleep there comfortably. This wouldn't be like the time they had fallen asleep together in his large bed back home. And the size of the bed wasn't the only difference here. Privacy was another issue. Maids didn't enter his room back home whenever. Here a nurse or a doctor could, and would, be checking in on them in the morning. Sure some medical personnel were capable of being discreet but who knew who would say what. Yami may not understand, but neither of them needed this getting out.

"No," he finally answered, though he made no move to force Yami off of the hospital bed.

Yami made a noise.

"...I thought as much." He didn't look Kaiba in the eye as he said it. Kaiba's response harked back to an earlier conversation he had with the CEO.

As if you'd ruin your perfect image to be seen with me.

His own words bit at him. He hadn't been able to look Kaiba in the eye then, either. He began to pull away from the other, escaping the CEO's gentle, warm hold. The tall youth did nothing to stop the smaller youth. Kaiba simply let him go, though something in him sank at the loss of contact. It was for the best, he reminded himself.

Yami pulled his IV beyond the boundary that separated he and Kaiba. He pushed the stand away; it hit his own bed, and he finally turned around, looking at him.

There was a strange expression on his face.

"...What do you want me to do," He suddenly began quoting the CEO word-for-word in regards to the conversation they had. "...Ask you out?

"I'm happy my… what do I call you now-boyfriend? lover?-is still so considerate about me being seen with him."

He grabbed the curtain, swinging it as hard as he could closed. It kind of worked. It caught at the end but at least Kaiba was out of view. Yami's shadow could be seen fumbling with it at the last part, before throwing it closed fully.

"Good night, Seto."

Seto closed his eyes, the words stinging just a little bit. "...Goodnight," he responded barely loud enough to be heard. Then he added almost not at all, "I don't expect you to understand."

"You're right," Yami let out from the other side of the curtain. "...I don't. You can't expect me to understand whatever you derived your answer from. I can't get into your head." Probably a blessing. "...So all I see is that my request is turned down for some unknown reason… such as the fact that even though only moments before we turned our previous relationship into something intimate, that my own-" No seriously, what did he call Kaiba? "...That my lover doesn't want to be beside me." By the time he had explained himself… he felt a touch calmer. This was going to have to be how it worked, wasn't it? Explaining himself, his… feelings. "...I'm sure your reasoning was more business-oriented than mine, however." There was another pause.

"...Seto," Yami continued carefully. "...I don't…

"...Don't hide me forever."

Kaiba stayed quiet. There were no promises he could make about that right now. When, more like if really, they ever became public about their relationship they had to be ready for it. It could go any where from really well, to neutral, to horribly wrong. Besides, it was too soon to say where things were going to go between the two of them. It was best they took their time. If anything, Kaiba needed things to go slow enough that he could figure it all out. He was in uncharted waters now.

And that scared him.

Pharaoh: Ahhhh, you won't believe it! After over a year, Priest has returned to me to write new chapters! I'd been slowly uploading ones that we still had... but now we are back full force! Anyway, me telling him about the reviews has helped a lot, so if you can leave any, please, please do to keep his spirits up for me! Thanks for reading!