All The Small Things [puppyshipping]

Seto- 3

The closet was large and lined with various outfits Kaiba fondly trailed a hand over his favorite white coat before shrugging out of his suit jacket. As he hung up the dark garment his mind drifted and he found himself recounting the occasion Mokuba had gifted him each outfit.

Joey's attire today had been something to see the business casual nature of the blondes' wear was working for him. Kaiba let himself linger on the thought of that stretch of collar bone peeking out the dress shirt his companion had been wearing.

There had been something different in the way Joey had been holding himself. The false bravado of youth had turned into casual self-assurance and the change was fascinating.

He dropped his hands to his briefcase and unlocked it with a click. He popped the cap on the orange bottle within and carefully tipped out two white pills.

"How did the meeting with Wheeler go?"

Seto startled from within the closet and fumbled with the bottle. He quickly closed the case and pocketed the pills.

Mokuba could wait a minute, the brat. He hadn't told his brother where he was going not that he doubted the younger ingenuity. It seems Greg was tattling again. The driver was ever reliable and had been with them since Kaiba first defeated his grandfather.

"Brother come out of there." The youngest demanded petulantly.

"I've been out for years." He deadpanned.

"You're too good at keeping a straight face." Mokuba said then dissolved into laughter.

Kaiba allowed himself an eye roll before he turned around. "We discussed things."

"Oh, is that what they're calling it these days." Mokuba prodded scrolling through his phone. "Did you also catch up for old times' sake?"

"A bit." Seto admitted feeling hot under the collar. "His sister Serenity is almost eighteen."

"That's nice but something I already knew." Mokuba paused an jotted a note down on his phone. "I should consider expanding into a dress line." He shrugged his long black hair over his shoulder before continuing, "C'mon brother get to the goods how was it."

"Wheelers just as insufferable as I remember." Seto scowled.

"Righhhht." Mokuba drawled. "That's why you definitely didn't storm in here ranting about him and totally didn't walk dazedly into your closet completely ignoring me might I add."

"I was hanging up my coat."

"So, it takes ten minutes to hang up a coat now? Is the extra time for looking forlorn, smiling at nothing and sighing?"

"Kaiba's don't look forlorn and I do none of the above."

"Brother I was watching you the entire time minus the first minute or so, you definitely sighed and grinned, it was creepy." Mokuba patted him.

"Little creep." Seto felt justified in ruffling Mokuba's hair which he knew his brother had spent hours straightening that morning.

The teen batted his hands away and scowled.

They only had each other and a big house sometimes so hollow it felt as if it never be a home no matter how hard Seto tried. He blinked taking in Mokuba's outfit. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah," Mokuba rolled his eyes, "out."

"With who?" Kaiba prompted waiting for the usual list of information such as, location, time and company.

"The crew," his brothers lip twitched fingers flying over his phone.

"Mokuba." Seto stressed plucking the device from his hands and holding it over his head.

"Hey, honestly, it's just Yuugi, Devlin, and maybe Serenity." His brother held up his palm expectantly. "Phone please."

Seto wasn't above sighing and rubbing his eyes. "Fine, try and be back by eleven?"

"No promises," The teen stuck out his tongue.

Kaiba stared and shook his head knowing Mokuba was fooling with him. Pain flared at the base of his skull and he bit back a grimace hands gripping his pant leg.

"Big brother?" a tentative voice inquired, "I can always stay, if you need me to." Mokuba continued eyes flicking from his phone to Seto.

He forced his lips to twitch up, "Go, have fun, call me if you need anything I have some more paperwork to take care of."

Mokuba frowned wavering, his phone dinged. "Fine, try and get some rest, I worry."

"No promises," Seto joked. Mokuba trailed him out the room and towards the kitchen. The headache waiting a dull thrum warning him of pain to come ebbing from his temple.

He remembered coming home one night to find Mokuba tucked into the couch of the living space. His small body dwarfed by the large sofa and a soft glow over his face. In Mokuba's lap had been a tablet with the security feed still open.

The thought of Mokuba anxiously waiting for him to arrive back home galvanized Seto.

From then on, he made it a point to always do more than call ahead if he could.

It'd taken him time to learn that love was more than giving someone a roof over their head and the necessities it was baring yourself. Not saying anything about the files in his office felt like a betrayal.

"Didn't you have somewhere to be?" He said pouring a glass of juice for himself.

"Mhmm," Mokuba hummed judgment oozing from every pore, "didn't you have paperwork?"

Kaiba brought the glass to his lips the smell turned his stomach, but he forced down a sip the liquid burning as it went. "I'm taking a break." He said, "Who knows I may even go to bed early."

"Okay, I get it, I'm going." Mokuba announced hopping down from the bar stool he'd perched on.

"Have fun," Kaiba said to the closing door as he reached into his pockets. He looked down at his hands, the two white pills and the juice trembling in the walls of the glass cup.

The door creaked back open and he clenched his fist, overestimating his strength.

"I almost forgot," Mokuba said. "I love you, Seto."

"I love you too, Mokuba." Kaiba replied, another click, the door closed.

Alone he watched as the medicine fell like sand in an hourglass from his open palm.