Rock Bottom: Season One

Touch

Mai dragged Seth into her room, their lips still locked together. His hands went to her waist, pulling her body flush against his own. Gods, it had been so long, too long, since he'd had anything like this. She was not only enthusiastic, but skilled, and if she'd made it difficult to say no before, she had made it nearly impossible to say now.

As she started to unbutton his shirt, though, and cold air hit his bare chest, the chill managed to shock him back to his senses. Before Mai had even exposed his locket, Seth pulled her hand away, stopping her progress. They both grew still, and Mai pulled back to look up at him with a question in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do this," Seth murmured, still trying to fully catch his breath. Mai twirled a strand of Seth's dark hair around her finger as she sighed.

"I don't suppose there's anything I can say to change your mind, is there?" Of course, there was plenty she could do that would change his mind, but he was young, and she knew that wouldn't be fair of her.

"I'm afraid not. It's nothing personal, just that... I would be breaking a promise to a friend if I went through with this."

"I thought you said you weren't in a relationship."

"I'm not. It's... complicated."

"I see." She stepped away and Seth started buttoning up his shirt, mildly fascinated with the buttons themselves. They hadn't had such things in ancient Egypt. Ancient. Was he really ancient? He didn't feel that way, but he did know for sure that he was over three thousand years old, so that made him ancient, by modern definitions.

"Well, good luck in the tournament," Mai said as a farewell, sitting on the edge of her bed with an air of vague uncertainty, like she didn't know what to do with herself now.

"You too," Seth replied as he left her room. After a bit of wandering, he found his way back to the upper deck. He still wasn't sure how to get back to the room where his friends and Seto's backpack were, so he went to the prow of the ship and watched the sky and the sea, staring out at them in wonder as he tried with difficulty to not think about where he'd be right now if he hadn't stopped himself.

He failed in this endeavor, however, as images of Mai started flashing through his mind's eye. He groaned with frustration as he tried to stop picturing what he'd almost had, knowing that it would just make him feel more needy and restless.

Seth, what have you done?

The former pharaoh shuddered as he heard Seto's horrified voice in the back of his mind. He must have just woken up.

I didn't do anything, don't worry, he assured, but Seto didn't believe him.

You obviously did something, Seth. What have you done?

His words prompted Seth to remember his kiss with Mai, and as it floated to the forefront of his mind, Seto exuded disgust and anger.

I can't believe you.

Seto, let me explain—

I don't want to hear anything you have to say.

Too bad, because I am not going to let this linger between us, Seth retorted. He wrapped his hand around the Millennium Rod and closed his eyes, focusing hard so that he could put this body to sleep and meet Seto in his soul room. They needed to figure this out before they let any time go by. Putting it off would just be incredibly destructive.

"Well look who it is," Seto muttered sourly as Seth materialized out of the shadows. "Had fun?"

"Please don't talk to me like that, Seto," Seth said quite seriously in one of those rare moments that he expressed true displeasure with his hikari. "The least you can do is show a little respect."