The Alternative

Chapter Nineteen

            "Make sure to call me in the morning, okay? I miss talking to you and I want to make sure you're alright. Please go to bed at a reasonable time too. Okay? Don't make me worry about you. It's supposed to be the other way around. Good night big bro!"

Kaiba smirked softly, closing out his voicemail while stripping off his trench coat. He'd probably drop by Kaiba Corp after his class at 11 in the morning. It was 2 am currently. He stripped out of his pants and tugged his shirt off his body. After pouring himself a glass of water, he sat at his desk and opened his laptop. Nothing but the dull light from the screen illuminated in the room.

I should probably go to sleep, he thought, ignoring his own advice and beginning to work on his gaming program. He took a sip from his water.

"You probably should."

"Fuck off."

"It's getting late and you need to call your brother in the morning."

"I know what fucking time it is!" Kaiba growled, keeping his attention focused on the screen. He pulled up the software from the flash drive and studied all the additions that Otogi had made.

"Don't worry him. You know how worried he gets about you."

"Can you just fucking leave me alone?" Kaiba slapped his desk, swinging his chair around to see Yami sitting on his bed with a soft smile.

Yami fiddled with the chain that wrapped around his neck, stroking his puzzle with his other hand. His attire remained simple, a mere black tank top and black jeans.

"Get the fuck out of my room damn it!"

"Please, calm yourself, Seto," Yami snickered dryly. "I'm just checking in on you. Making sure you're doing okay."

"Your presence haunts me," Kaiba grunted, turning back to his laptop and continuing to work.

Yami fixated his crimson eyes on the back of Kaiba's head. "That's how you see it, isn't it?" He sighed. "I do apologize for the way I treated you. You know that, right?"

"Do you ever give up? Do you ever just walk away when people ask?"

Yami stroked his chin softly, tilting his head to the side. "Sometimes I walk away even when people don't ask."

"That'd be a fucking miracle."

"It's the reason I'm in this mess."

"The mess you created? To be honest, I'm damned surprised you haven't lit my room on fire yet."

Yami stood up casually, hands balled on each side of his body. He kept his gaze fixed on Kaiba, though he paid the guest no attention. "I only do what I've done for a reason."

"Piss off."

Kaiba continued to jab numbers into his keyboard, attempting to hide how heavy his breath had gotten. A few minutes passed and silence surrounded him. After a nervous hesitation, Kaiba peeked at his bed. Yami was not there.

"Thank God." He turned back towards his computer, continuing to work.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"You're home late," Varon muttered, sitting on the couch lazily with a game controller in his hand.

"And you're an asshole," Bakura shrugged with a "matter-a-fact" grin. "Still playing games for children?"