About Half of "ICOE" 22
Yugioh two chunks - from scene 1 and 3
Mokuba/Rebecca-ish; Seto/Anzu
Mokuba woke up the next morning, his head pounding.
"Wonderful," he murmured to himself, pulling a pillow over his head. Why was he awake? It had to be close to noon, and it was Sunday. At least, he was fairly certain it was Sunday - going on the idea that he was fairly certain the previous day was Saturday. The curtains over his small window were drawn, so there wasn't much light getting in; for that, at least, he was grateful.
However, he was fully awake - and that meant he wasn't getting back to sleep. With a weary groan, he hoisted himself out of the bed, picking up a pair of wrinkled jeans from the floor and carrying them into the bathroom.
After a long, warm shower- and pain reliever - he felt much better. He slipped on his jeans and found a clean shirt in his closet. The day had begun.
Normally wont to waste his mornings and afternoons away on the computer or in front of the television with a controller in his hand, Mokuba instead had a plan. Rebecca, that sneaky minx, was running off without giving him a proper goodbye.
And as Mokuba knew, that was just no way to be.
So grabbing his wallet and a set of Seto's keys, he set off to corner her at Yugi's and, if not win her ever-lasting love, then at least get her to accompany him to the dinner he was promised. He stopped quickly to grab some flowers to offer as a gift, then continued on towards his destination.
Yugi opened the door when he got there, obviously rather surprised to see him. "Oh, um... hi, Mokuba." Seeing the flowers, he could reasonably guess why the younger man had come. "Here to see Rebecca?" Mokuba nodded. "Ahh. Okay, then. She's in the guest room - leaving tomorrow."
"Oh, I know. And I'm here to catch her."
And Mokuba sped past him, leaving Yugi looking on in curious bemusement.
He found her, dressed in an over-sized button down and short, eye-catching shorts. She was packing.
More importantly, she was adorable.
Mokuba wore a goofy grin as he rapped gently on the door and gave her a tentative "Hello."
She looked up quickly and scowled. "I was hoping to avoid you until tomorrow."
That dampened his spirits slightly. He walked in and set the flowers down on top of a chest of drawers. "Well... Here I am! And it's still today."
Wearily, she rolled her eyes. "Yes, I can see that. And - "
"You still owe me dinner." He pointed an accusing finger at her. "Don't think I'm letting you get away without first cashing in."
For a moment, she seemed to hover, right on the edge of some decision. Then, in a clipped, no-nonsense tone she said, "I... Really don't think so."
"Why not?" he asked indignantly.
Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Because you're a cocky, narcissistic little prick." She looked at him defiantly, as though daring him to try to contradict her statement. "That reason enough?"
He threw his arms up in protest. "Oh my... Rebecca, I think that's a little harsh, don't you? I mean... Well damn, I'm not that bad. You saw me at my worst - give me another chance. And actually follow through this time. I'm a good guy!"
"Mokuba... Look, you're cute, but I just don't think you're my type of guy. I want somebody mature and you're..." She sighed. "Well you just don't seem ready to grow up. I'm sorry."
"That's not fair."
"What's not fair about it? I think it's perfectly within the realm of the acceptable to have a few personal preferences. "I..." She pointed to herself. "Do not like..." She shook her head firmly a few times, then pointed at him. "You."
"You have made that abundantly clear. But I think you've been a little too quick to judge. Maybe if - "
"I know I'm judgemental," she said, going back to her packing. "It's been a flaw of mine ever since I was a child. However, since it hasn't seemed to have led me astray previously..." She threw a few pairs of folded pants into her suitcase. "I don't think I'll try to change now."
Gritting his teeth, feeling rather put out, he tried to think of any way to get past her unfortunately solid defenses. "All right, then." He watched her move about for just a second longer. "Rebecca... I'm not asking you to change. I'm asking you to dinner - to eat while in my presence. You have to eat. Why can't I just be there while you do it?"
She didn't acknowledge he had spoken.
A pout was threatening to come to the surface of his lips. "Rebecca..."
She tossed him an annoyed glance over her shoulder. "You certainly are persistent, aren't you? I'll admit that maybe I shouldn't have agreed to the last date since I didn't really intend to keep my word, but if I agree to go with you today - to dinner - will you please leave me alone?"
Inside, he was leaping for joy; unable to help himself, he smiled. "That would be... Just..." His smile widened. "Great. That would be great."
Rebecca groaned a little, but continued packing. "Fine," she said, her tone clipped, "can I at least come to a stopping point here? It's only just after lunchtime." She looked at the clock on the bedside table. "Give me about two hours, okay? Then you can... come pick me up and I suppose we'll go out."
"That sounds perfect!" Mokuba grinned broadly, clapping his hands together once. "I knew you'd see it my way - who can resist my..." He paused at the look she was giving him. He cleared his throat. "What I mean, of course, is that you are an exceptionally beautiful, kind young woman who is willing to put my atrocious behavior behind her."
That earned him a smile. "Very good. Now get out. I have to shower and get dressed before I can go out anywhere."
***
It went without saying, in Seto's mind at least, that after Anzu's admission of trust, she expected him to amp up the "boyfriend" behavior. It also went without saying that, in Seto's mind, that meant a small dinner date every few weeks. And maybe while they ate he'd smile at her with a fond gleam in his eye. Maybe.
So he had asked her to accompany him to a late lunch at a very small, very exclusive restaurant he knew of. It was possible that through some channel or other he might have even owned it. She was, of course, happy to spend time with him, though he - being the ornery, self-centered bastard he was so very good at being - would only scowl and take dainty little bites of his food, any manner of fond gleams completely absent from his cold, blue eyes.
Anzu didn't care.
They ate, the majority of the meal spent in a comfortable silence. Anzu would occasionally ask a question or make an observation, and dutifully Seto would continue the thread of conversation. He wasn't averse to speaking with her, of course - but in a public place, they couldn't have the kind of conversations he preferred to have: close, comfortable, intimate talks where there were no expectations and he could be honest without being expected to be sentimental. Which was probably why, he realized, most people believed he was just an asocial, work-obsessed duelist with all the soul of a computer.
Lucky for him he didn't care what others thought.
Once the meal had winded down and Anzu was sipping the last of her tea, she looked up rather shyly and said, "You're not busy for the rest of the afternoon... are you?"
Seto frowned. "I have no particularly pressing matters to attend to." After all, he had done more work than he perhaps should have the previous night, just to insure he could afford to take the time off to eat with her. He looked at her semi-curiously. "Why?"
She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and shifted her gaze down to the table. "I thought we could... spend a little more time together. You've been busy lately, so I thought maybe we could talk - and I could fix dinner for you later, too."
Anzu was not good at pretense. He had not been busy, and their relationship was built partly on Anzu's great desire to talk together as much as possible. Because of her, he was rapidly moving towards gregarious on the verbal communication spectrum. However, an invitation like that was not something he took lightly. And if she planned to have him stay until dinner...
Then perhaps there would be little talking involved.
He frowned, looking at her with something close to a scowl. "I suppose. Since I've been... so busy lately." He caught her eye; she flushed slightly. He was inclined to tease her more, but she never seemed to appreciate how delicious she looked when riled quite as much as he did.
***
Sweetness. There we are - a piece of the upcoming chapter. It should be done soon. (I hope, at least.)
-ILB
***
Mokuba/Rebecca-ish; Seto/Anzu
Mokuba woke up the next morning, his head pounding.
"Wonderful," he murmured to himself, pulling a pillow over his head. Why was he awake? It had to be close to noon, and it was Sunday. At least, he was fairly certain it was Sunday - going on the idea that he was fairly certain the previous day was Saturday. The curtains over his small window were drawn, so there wasn't much light getting in; for that, at least, he was grateful.
However, he was fully awake - and that meant he wasn't getting back to sleep. With a weary groan, he hoisted himself out of the bed, picking up a pair of wrinkled jeans from the floor and carrying them into the bathroom.
After a long, warm shower- and pain reliever - he felt much better. He slipped on his jeans and found a clean shirt in his closet. The day had begun.
Normally wont to waste his mornings and afternoons away on the computer or in front of the television with a controller in his hand, Mokuba instead had a plan. Rebecca, that sneaky minx, was running off without giving him a proper goodbye.
And as Mokuba knew, that was just no way to be.
So grabbing his wallet and a set of Seto's keys, he set off to corner her at Yugi's and, if not win her ever-lasting love, then at least get her to accompany him to the dinner he was promised. He stopped quickly to grab some flowers to offer as a gift, then continued on towards his destination.
Yugi opened the door when he got there, obviously rather surprised to see him. "Oh, um... hi, Mokuba." Seeing the flowers, he could reasonably guess why the younger man had come. "Here to see Rebecca?" Mokuba nodded. "Ahh. Okay, then. She's in the guest room - leaving tomorrow."
"Oh, I know. And I'm here to catch her."
And Mokuba sped past him, leaving Yugi looking on in curious bemusement.
He found her, dressed in an over-sized button down and short, eye-catching shorts. She was packing.
More importantly, she was adorable.
Mokuba wore a goofy grin as he rapped gently on the door and gave her a tentative "Hello."
She looked up quickly and scowled. "I was hoping to avoid you until tomorrow."
That dampened his spirits slightly. He walked in and set the flowers down on top of a chest of drawers. "Well... Here I am! And it's still today."
Wearily, she rolled her eyes. "Yes, I can see that. And - "
"You still owe me dinner." He pointed an accusing finger at her. "Don't think I'm letting you get away without first cashing in."
For a moment, she seemed to hover, right on the edge of some decision. Then, in a clipped, no-nonsense tone she said, "I... Really don't think so."
"Why not?" he asked indignantly.
Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Because you're a cocky, narcissistic little prick." She looked at him defiantly, as though daring him to try to contradict her statement. "That reason enough?"
He threw his arms up in protest. "Oh my... Rebecca, I think that's a little harsh, don't you? I mean... Well damn, I'm not that bad. You saw me at my worst - give me another chance. And actually follow through this time. I'm a good guy!"
"Mokuba... Look, you're cute, but I just don't think you're my type of guy. I want somebody mature and you're..." She sighed. "Well you just don't seem ready to grow up. I'm sorry."
"That's not fair."
"What's not fair about it? I think it's perfectly within the realm of the acceptable to have a few personal preferences. "I..." She pointed to herself. "Do not like..." She shook her head firmly a few times, then pointed at him. "You."
"You have made that abundantly clear. But I think you've been a little too quick to judge. Maybe if - "
"I know I'm judgemental," she said, going back to her packing. "It's been a flaw of mine ever since I was a child. However, since it hasn't seemed to have led me astray previously..." She threw a few pairs of folded pants into her suitcase. "I don't think I'll try to change now."
Gritting his teeth, feeling rather put out, he tried to think of any way to get past her unfortunately solid defenses. "All right, then." He watched her move about for just a second longer. "Rebecca... I'm not asking you to change. I'm asking you to dinner - to eat while in my presence. You have to eat. Why can't I just be there while you do it?"
She didn't acknowledge he had spoken.
A pout was threatening to come to the surface of his lips. "Rebecca..."
She tossed him an annoyed glance over her shoulder. "You certainly are persistent, aren't you? I'll admit that maybe I shouldn't have agreed to the last date since I didn't really intend to keep my word, but if I agree to go with you today - to dinner - will you please leave me alone?"
Inside, he was leaping for joy; unable to help himself, he smiled. "That would be... Just..." His smile widened. "Great. That would be great."
Rebecca groaned a little, but continued packing. "Fine," she said, her tone clipped, "can I at least come to a stopping point here? It's only just after lunchtime." She looked at the clock on the bedside table. "Give me about two hours, okay? Then you can... come pick me up and I suppose we'll go out."
"That sounds perfect!" Mokuba grinned broadly, clapping his hands together once. "I knew you'd see it my way - who can resist my..." He paused at the look she was giving him. He cleared his throat. "What I mean, of course, is that you are an exceptionally beautiful, kind young woman who is willing to put my atrocious behavior behind her."
That earned him a smile. "Very good. Now get out. I have to shower and get dressed before I can go out anywhere."
***
It went without saying, in Seto's mind at least, that after Anzu's admission of trust, she expected him to amp up the "boyfriend" behavior. It also went without saying that, in Seto's mind, that meant a small dinner date every few weeks. And maybe while they ate he'd smile at her with a fond gleam in his eye. Maybe.
So he had asked her to accompany him to a late lunch at a very small, very exclusive restaurant he knew of. It was possible that through some channel or other he might have even owned it. She was, of course, happy to spend time with him, though he - being the ornery, self-centered bastard he was so very good at being - would only scowl and take dainty little bites of his food, any manner of fond gleams completely absent from his cold, blue eyes.
Anzu didn't care.
They ate, the majority of the meal spent in a comfortable silence. Anzu would occasionally ask a question or make an observation, and dutifully Seto would continue the thread of conversation. He wasn't averse to speaking with her, of course - but in a public place, they couldn't have the kind of conversations he preferred to have: close, comfortable, intimate talks where there were no expectations and he could be honest without being expected to be sentimental. Which was probably why, he realized, most people believed he was just an asocial, work-obsessed duelist with all the soul of a computer.
Lucky for him he didn't care what others thought.
Once the meal had winded down and Anzu was sipping the last of her tea, she looked up rather shyly and said, "You're not busy for the rest of the afternoon... are you?"
Seto frowned. "I have no particularly pressing matters to attend to." After all, he had done more work than he perhaps should have the previous night, just to insure he could afford to take the time off to eat with her. He looked at her semi-curiously. "Why?"
She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and shifted her gaze down to the table. "I thought we could... spend a little more time together. You've been busy lately, so I thought maybe we could talk - and I could fix dinner for you later, too."
Anzu was not good at pretense. He had not been busy, and their relationship was built partly on Anzu's great desire to talk together as much as possible. Because of her, he was rapidly moving towards gregarious on the verbal communication spectrum. However, an invitation like that was not something he took lightly. And if she planned to have him stay until dinner...
Then perhaps there would be little talking involved.
He frowned, looking at her with something close to a scowl. "I suppose. Since I've been... so busy lately." He caught her eye; she flushed slightly. He was inclined to tease her more, but she never seemed to appreciate how delicious she looked when riled quite as much as he did.
***
Sweetness. There we are - a piece of the upcoming chapter. It should be done soon. (I hope, at least.)
-ILB
***