RP Log

Characters: IC!Kaiba bros, NPC!Tanaka-san
Rating: PG-13
Setting: The park, Kaiba's house, the hospital
Summary: Mokuba and Noa agree on a date, go visit Rebecca's party and then visit Kaiba. This results in much awkwardness, embarrassment, kisses and llamas.

Munly note: Takes place directly after this thread.




Mokuba pumped his fist in the air and gave a silent whoop. He really felt like dancing around the room, but didn't want to alert Noa - he'd just come see what was wrong and get all the wrong ideas about his reaction. Mokuba hadn't gotten this far only to scare Noa off now. Mokuba typed his response, then sent it and grinned a grin so wide his cheeks ached. Despite the nonchalant approach he'd taken, he'd been very anxious to see Noa's reply. So, a walk and maybe something sweet to snack on. Perfect. Simply perfect.

Noa read Mokuba's answer and blushed. He hadn't the slightest idea what the rules for dating were, and he had the feeling his father would have probably locked him in the closet for daring to accept a date from a boy. And now they would be spending time. Out. Alone. It would be stressful, at best.

In the middle of jumping up and down on his bed - thank god the thing had good springs and didn't squeak - Mokuba froze and fell flat on his ass. He was actually going to take Noa out. Daaaamn. Didn't that mean he had to actually look presentable? Dropping the grin the best he could, Mokuba did a dive for his closet, intent on finding the best-looking outfit he had. Probably something from MmmK, but Noa didn't have to know that. It wasn't like Noa actually knew what the clothes looked like, anyway.
After few minutes of vigorous pondering and turning the neat piles of clothing into a complete mess, Mokuba emerged from the closet, tugging a pair of form-fitting jeans on and trying to straighten the hem of the dark red shirt. His other self had said something about his ass, hadn't he? There was nothing wrong in following his advice. Mokuba was sure Noa would approve, too. Not like Noa would ever have the guts to actually look at his ass, but if he accidentally got an eyeful. Hmm. Trying to think of a way for that to happen, Mokuba ran a brush through his hair - the brush had no chance of winning - and headed for the bathroom to wash his face with cold water. Maybe that'd help him get rid of the excited blush.

Noa wondered if he should change, and then realised he had very little to change into. Seto had taken him out for some basic clothes shortly after his arrival back in the corporeal world, but their planned extended trip had been cancelled due to Seto's being in hospital, and so Noa was mostly still stuck with Seto's T-shirts and jeans. He looked down at himself instinctively and breathed a sigh of relief. The shirt was another of the silly pun shirts Seto seemed to favour, but it wasn't indecent. He didn't think. Maybe it was. He should probably ask before leaving the house in it.

After deciding he appeared normal and not like he'd just gone all hyper from having his first-ever date request accepted, Mokuba got out of the bathroom and headed for the den. He stopped in front of the doorway - usually he just let himself in, but now... would it be better to knock? Should he knock? He didn't want Noa to feel awkward.
Then again, if Noa was changing, too.... The thought made the decision for him, and Mokuba took few steps forward peeked inside with a smile. "Are you ready to go?"

Noa spun around in the computer chair. "Oh. Hi."

"Hi to you, too," Mokuba said. Was that blush on Noa's face? He did a once-over of his would-be date and decided he'd gotten lucky. The only thing wrong was... "Umm, Noa, you may want to change shirts before we go. Not that I don't approve or anything, just..."

"Hmm?" Noa looked down at the shirt again. He hadn't spilt his milk on it like a total idiot, had he? "What's wrong with it?"

Mokuba shuffled his feet, trying to think of a way to answer without setting Noa off the walls. He had the feeling Noa wouldn't take very well to being told he was wearing a shirt telling stuff about his sexuality. "It's nii-sama's stupid humor. No-one but him thinks those shirts are funny. C'mon, let's go check his closet. I think there are few shirts that would fit you."

Noa got up. "It says something awful, doesn't it?"

"Not exactly. It implies you like both sexes - which I think you do, going out with me and all - but, um, I don't think you'd want to wear it in public."

The flush that spread over Noa's face was a colour of red normally only available from a paint tube. "Oh. Um. I. No. I'll. Um, I'll go change, okay?" Stupid shirts. He swore he was never going to wear a T-shirt again.

Mokuba couldn't help it - it was simply too good of an opening. He placed a hand on his hip in a decidedly provocative manner - ot at least it looked provocative when the models did it - and gave Noa a cheeky grin. "I wouldn't oppose to you going without, you know."

Noa cursed his pale skin and shook his head wordlessly as he slipped out of the den. He had no idea how he was supposed to get through tonight. None.

A quick ransacking of his brother's closet provided a light blue button-down that, though slightly too big, was at least wordless, and hopefully didn't clash too badly with his hair. He tugged it on, tucked it in, and brushed his hair back in Seto's mirror. It fell back into his eyes, and he made a face at it. Stupid growing patterns. He hated them.

Awww damn. Well, at least he'd tried. Mokuba gave a small pout at Noa's retreating back and let his hand fall against his side. And besides, the pants Noa had on were nice enough. It really was true what he'd said before, about Noa's ass being much rounder than nii-sama's. Trying to avoid thinking about that particular part of Noa's anatomy - his pants were too tight for accidents to remain unnoticed - Mokuba cast a look around and spotted a flower vase on the coffee table. Great. A devilish smirk spread on his lips, and with two steps he'd yanked the few roses from the water.
"Noa, are you ready to go?" He shouted in a singsong voice.

Noa slid back into the room. "Er - I noticed on my journal that Rebecca's party is this evening. Do you - do you want to go there instead? Or - ?"

"Oh, sure." Mokuba smiled and walked the short distance separating him from Noa, then whipped the flowers from behind his back. "Here, my darling," he said, then gave Noa a wink. At least no-one would be able to complain he didn't play his role.

Noa blinked. He was pretty sure the roses were from the suspiciously-empty vase on the table, but he wouldn't complain. He smiled. "Thank you."

What did one do with an impromptu gift of flowers? It seemed rude to put them back in the vase, wasteful to put them in his room. He looked down at them and bit his lip. This was a lot harder than it looked.

Mokuba waited with a smile for half a minute, then realized what Noa's issue probably was. His grin faded a notch. "Um, wait, let me get a vase for those." He took few steps towards the kitchen, then stopped and went for the now-empty vase instead. He offered it to Noa. "Put them here."
He'd both provided flowers and made sure Noa had a place to put them to. Yup, a genius he was.

Noa put the flowers carefully in the vase. Now what? Was he supposed to do something else? Lead them out? Stand awkwardly and wait for Mokuba to do something? At last he shrugged, and offered a sheepish smile, the effect being altogether adorable. "We should go. We'll be late for the party."

Ignoring the sudden urge to pinch Noa's cheeks - damn, no-one should appear that cute at that age - Mokuba nodded, then offered his hand. It felt fairly awkward, what with him being the shorter of the duo, but he'd live. "Then, let's go, shall we?"

***Magical groupchatlapse****

Noa held the container with Seto's food carefully. He didn't want to drop it. Dinner had been delicious. "Should we go to the hospital now, or wait?" he asked Mokuba.

Mokuba adjusted his coat and trailed after Noa, content. "I'm not sure how late they'l accept visitors, so I think it'd be best to go visit now," he said and fished his cellphone out of his pocket to check the time.

Noa nodded. "Okay. We can walk through the park to get there - if you want," he added. He was still too used to either making decisions with no need for input, or having them made for him; this kind of cooperation was entirely new to him.

Nodding, Mokuba caught up to Noa and fell in step next to him. "That sounds good." He thought about reaching for Noa's hand, only to realize they were occupied with the container. "Hey, let me carry that."

"It's not heavy," Noa protested. "I can get it."

Mokuba thought about trying to talk Noa into giving him the container, but then shrugged and decided on clinging to Noa's arm instead. He slipped his hand under Noa's and pressed close, glad for the body heat - the night was surprisingly cold.

Noa smiled. Then a thought struck him. "Mokuba - in the park. Are the rose gardens still there?"

Mokuba tried to remember. "I'm not sure. In my Domino, yes, but I haven't been to the park here, yet."

Noa considered. "We should go look." He led Mokuba around a path by the lake. "What do you mean, your Domino?"

Blinking, Mokuba looked up at Noa. Now just wait a moment... "My Domino. The one I'm from. You know."

Noa's forehead wrinkled. "But you're from this Domino. Aren't you?"

"...No I'm not. The other me is the Mokuba of this Domino, I think." Mokuba bit his lower lip, baffled. "Me and nii-sama are both from a different Domino."

Noa looked down at the container in his hands. "Oh." But that made no sense; he'd met Mokuba in the computer, years ago, and he certainly hadn't been anything like the other Mokuba then. "Then either he came from somewhere else or I did, because the you I met definitely wasn't that much of a prat."

Mokuba thought about that. "It's... possible, I think. I mean, how easily would you realize you've ended up in a different Domino if you weren't able to talk with anyone?"

"Probably not very. The Internet is too big to have any real markers to go by," Noa admitted. "Here it is." He turned left. "Oh . . . I forgot there wouldn't be roses this time of year. It's November, isn't it?"

"It is, yeah. Was there something spesific you wanted to see, here?"

Noa shrugged. "I just really liked the rose gardens when I was little," he said. "Oh, look. This one's still open." He wished he had a pair of scissors; he could have given Mokuba a rose in return for the ones he'd been given earlier.

Mokuba nodded. He hadn't really paid much attention to the roses back in his Domino, but they had probably been pretty.

Noa traced the stem and broke it off, then tucked the rose behind Mokuba's ear. "There, now you have one, too."

One of the thorns poked nastily at his ear, but Mokuba ignored it in favor of giving Noa a sunny smile. "Thanks. It's pretty."

Noa smiled, thankful that for once it was probably too dark for Mokuba to see him blushing. "We should go to the hospital before they decide they won't let us in."

Watching Noa closely - he seemed to be fidgeting, again. Mokuba tilted his head to the left. Why was Noa so embarassed all the time? It was weird. Deciding it was a time to change things around a little, Mokuba took few steps closer and leaned up to give Noa a kiss. Well, it was more like a simple brush of lips against the corner of Noa's mouth, but it was good enough.

Noa froze. What was he supposed to do? Kiss back? Do nothing? What should he do with the container in his hands? These were the things they should teach in school, he decided sourly.

And once again Noa went all weird. Mokuba sighed, pressing against Noa with a content smile. "I'm not going to eat you, you know. Stop looking so scared," he said, his lips almost brushing against Noa's chin as he spoke.

Noa blushed yet again and turned his head. Maybe Mokuba was going to give him the benefit of the doubt, but all the Internet resources in the world could not have prepared him for an onslaught of hormones and new etiquette to be learned in a matter of hours. "I - we should go," he stuttered, at a complete loss, and wishing he could be as confident as Mokuba seemed to be.

Mokuba couldn't help the tiny pang of disappointment when Noa inched away. He took a step backwards and let his hands find their way to his coat pockets. He looked around and gave a small laugh he hoped didn't sound too awkward. "Yeah, it's getting late."

The laugh probably would have sounded okay to most people, but Noa had been raised to recognise fake from real. "I'm sorry," he murmured quietly - something else he wasn't supposed to say, but who would know? "This just isn't exactly the kind of thing I was doing before I died."

Giving Noa a rueful smile from under his bangs, Mokuba shrugged. "I don't mind, you know. It's just..." He shuffled his feet and pushed his bangs off his face. "I'd just hope you wouldn't look so much like you didn't want that. I mean... it doesn't feel very nice."

Noa blinked. He hadn't meant it that way. He just didn't know what to do, and it was far better - or so he'd been told - to look reluctant than stupid. He bit his lip. Then he set his container down on a nearby bench, and returned the kiss with a quick peck that left his face redder than ever. He probably hadn't done that right.

Mokuba blinked, pleasantly surprised when Noa decided on returning the favor. Before Noa could escapte, he wormed his arms around the green-haired boy and pressed close. "I'm not going to bite you and I'm not going to laugh at you. You don't have to be so afraid of me," he murmured, hoping he'd said the right thing. It was clear there was something Noa was scared of - he acted like someone would jump from the bushes and yell at him at any second now.

Noa nodded slowly. He supposed he should be able to trust Mokuba - he'd saved Noa's life, after all, and now they were - whatever this was. "We should still go. They'll make onii-san eat hospital food."

"Yeah." Mokuba let go and stepped back, busying himself adjusting his coat so Noa wouldn't notice the embarassed flush that had taken over his face. He'd figured it was to be excepted there would be quite a few awkward moments, but knowing it didn't make this any less uncomfortable.


Noa shifted the container so he could take Mokuba's hand. This entire awkward situation was probably his fault.

Mokuba gripped the offered hand, then led Noa out of the park and towards the hospital. He didn't want Noa to feel he was at fault, but there was really nothing he could think to say that'd make Noa realize that. This sucked.

Noa considered the general disadvantages as they reached the edge of the hospital parking lot - like the large amount of cars that would love to hit him again - then shifted his grip on the container. "Want to race? There's a grass strip."

Mokuba grinned. "You bet" He threw a quick glance at the container, but then decided Noa probably wouldn't have suggested a race wihtout making sure he wouldn't drop the thing. "Ready when you are."

Noa cast a mischievous glance in Mokuba's direction. "GO!"

Mokuba didn't wait to see what Noa was doing. He dashed off, happy to use the pent-up nervous energy on racing through the grass area. The cold wind pushed his hair back, the bangs whippng against his face hard enough to sting. "Last one to the front door bottoms!" He yelled, then grinned while speeding up. No-one had said trying to distract the opponent was against the rules.

Noa blinked. He wasn't entirely clear on what Mokuba meant, but he hadn't been trained as an athlete from day one for nothing. Mokuba was definitely going to be the one bottoming - whatever that meant.

Blinking, Mokuba realized Noa was easily sprinting ahead. Damn. He should have remembered Noa did have considerably longer legs, not to mention how Noa's body was recently made and didn't have the disadvantages involved with a day routine consisting of laying in a bed with a laptop all day long.

Noa reached the doors and touched the handle with his outstretched fingers, then turned around, laughing simply because it felt so good - so inexpressibly good - to run again. "I win."

Mokuba reached to tap the door handle as well. "Aww, damn," he said, breathy. His chest was heaving and the bangs were now sticking to his forehead. Maybe he should consider doing sports more often. "Oh, well. Just promise to be gentle with me," he said and winked. Noa probably wasn't going to get what he was talking about, but it was too fun to tease him.

Noa blinked. "For what?"

"If I have to bottom. I've heard it can hurt if you're rough," Mokuba said, careful to keep his voice solemn and serious, like he was sharing info about the weather.

Noa blinked again. " . . . okay?"

"I take that as a promise." Mokuba blew Noa a kiss - hopefully there was no-one looking - and then opened the door in order to slip inside. It was getting cold again.

Noa was left to stand there, completely lost. Then he realised Mokuba was getting ahead of him, and hurried to catch up. "Onii-chan, wait for me!"

Mokuba laughed out loud, seeing Noa's dumbstruck face. He was almost tempted to go give him another kiss, but realized it wouldn't be a very good idea, here. He decided on adjusting the rose still stuck behind his ear while waiting for Noa to get moving.

Noa caught up with Mokuba by the elevator. "Fourth floor, right?"

"I think that was it, yeah." After waiting for the elevator to arrive, Mokuba sidestepped the let an olderly lady out before stepping inside and waiting for Noa to follow after him.

Noa led the way off the elevator, then down the hall. They were stopped by a nurse.

"Where are you boys going?"

Mokuba halted to a stop and turned to give the nurse a winning smile. "We were going to see our brother. He's supposed to be in ICU, in room 426."

The nurse looked down at a clipboard. "Name?"

"Kaiba Seto." Maybe nii-sama had gotten out of the ICU already? Mokuba's smile widened.

The nurse tapped her clipboard with a pen. "He's been discharged to general. You'll have to go to the fifth floor."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks," Mokuba said and gave a hasty bow, then turned on his heels and, grabbing Noa by his sleeve, started jogging towards the stairs.

Noa squeaked. "Mokuba, I'll drop the food!"

"Oh, sorry." Slowing down, Mokuba let go of Noa's sleeve and fell in step next to him.

Noa reached the door at the next level and made a face at it. Then he kicked it open with one foot.

Mokuba let out a low whistle, then slipped in to keep the door open for Noa. After making sure the door wouldn't shut on Noa's face, he turned his head and gave a smile to a direction he hoped nii-sama was at. "Hi, nii-sama."

Kaiba smiled wearily. "Hi."

Walking next to the bed, Mokuba pushed his hair behind his shoulder and adjusted the rose again. "How have you been?"

Kaiba made a confused face. "Mokuba . . . ?" He reached up - with a hand that had only one IV now instead of two, thank you - and touched the rose behind Mokuba's ear.

Noa came to the side of the bed. "We went to a dinner tonight and brought you something to eat, onii-san."

Mokuba batted nii-sama's hands away - he didn't want the flower to get anymore crumbled it already was. "Isn't it pretty? Noa gave it to me."

Kaiba blinked. All right, then. He turned his attention to Noa. "I heard food."

Noa nodded. Then he looked up at Mokuba in dismay. "Onii-chan, we didn't bring him chopsticks."

Mokuba turned to look at the plastic container. "Oh. Right. Umm, wait a moment, nii-sama, I'll go see if I can get some from the cafeteria." With that, he slipped back to the hallway and headed towards the elevators.

***magical chatlapse***


Mokuba got to the elevators and, after pushing the button to call the elevator, stood still waiting for it to arrive. Luckily for him, there weren't many people around and he was soon on his way to finding the cafeteria. For a moment, he considered simply snatching the chopsticks from the container, then decided against it. He could just as well buy something small and save the wrath of the cafeteria workers. Setting for a small lunch box with few sushi rolls, he paid for the purchase and snatched three sets of chopsticks, then noticed the machine selling hot chocolate. It had been cold outside - Noa would probably like a mug. Mokuba sure as hell did. Stuffing the bento box under his arm, Mokuba got two mugs of cocoa with whipped cream, then headed back to the elevators.

"Hey, you, girl, could you lend me a two hundred yen?"

Mokuba turned his head, puzzled. There was no-one else but him and a middle-aged man with a patient grown on. Who had the man been talking to? He decided he really didn't want to find out and continued his way towards the elevators.

"You! I was talking to you. Fucking bitch," the man said, his sentence turning into vague muttering near the end. That managed to stop Mokuba. His mouth set in a tigh line, he turned around.

"Excuse me?"

The man took a step closer. Mokuba realized his eyes were slightly dilated and face muscles slightly paralyzed - apparently under heavy medication. Unsure, Mokuba took a half step backwards. "What do you want?"

"Lend me some money."

"No." There were around five hundred yen buried to his pockets, but Mokuba wasn't going to give them away. It was probably against the hospital rules, too. He turned away and started walking. Better get back before the chocolate got cold.

"Goddamn whore." The man's voice had a clear angry note of an unstable person. There was the quiet sound of feet against the hospital floor - apparently the man had decided on following him.

"I don't have any money with me and I'm busy. Besides, I'm a boy." Mokuba squared his shoulders, careful not to let the hot chocolate spill. Hopefully the man would have enough sense to leave him alone.
To his relief, the man seemed to have stopped - when Mokuba turned to look, the man was standing there with a confused frown. Mokuba released a sigh of relief. Thank god for that. He started walking faster, eager to get back to nii-sama and Noa.

Before he turned around the corner to the main hallway, there was a loud shout behind him. "Faggot."

Mokuba blinked. Now that had been weird. He had seen some patients out on the hallways before, but never before had someone tried to talk to him. Hopefully that had been the medicine talking, Mokuba hated to think that was how the man usually was.

The rest of the way back to nii-sama's room went, thank god, undisturbed, and it didn't take long before Mokuba pushed the door open with his hip. "I'm back. Sorry it took so long, I thought Noa'd like some hot chocolate."

Noa looked up and smiled; the last few minutes had been full of incredibly awkward silence. Then he saw the bento box. "Onii-chan, what did you get that for?"

Mokuba shrugged, offering the chopsticks for his brother. "I felt like having few rolls. Do you want some? And, here." He gave Noa his cup of hot chocolate, then sat down to enjoy his own.

Kaiba opened the container and immediately attacked the food. It was only just barely warm, but it had hospital food beat all to hell and gone.

Noa took the chocolate and sipped it. "Do you want some, onii-san?"

Kaiba shook his head. "Standard mix."

Right . . . that. He'd forgotten.

"Sorry, there wasn't a sugar-free choice available." Mokuba happily ignored the part where he would have been unable to carry three mugs, anyway. Even the two had caused him to do more balancing acts than he'd liked to.

Kaiba nodded. "It's fine."

Mokuba sipped from his mug and watched his brother eat. For some reason the athmosphere was slightly awkward. It made Mokuba wonder what nii-sama and Noa had been talking about while he'd been away. "So, um... what did the doctor say? How soon will you be fully healed?"

Kaiba shrugged. "They don't know. They think I should be out later this week, though." He went back to the shish kabobs. "These are fantastic."

Nodding, Mokuba stuffed another sushi roll to his mouth. "I think Yuugi said his grandpa made them," he said after swallowing.

Kaiba paused int he middle of a shish kabob. "Oh god. The midget?"

Noa blinked. Yuugi. Right. Him.

Mokuba shrugged. "At least it looked like it was him."

Kaiba looked down at the kabob. " . . . you're trying to kill me, aren't you?"

Resisting the urge to hit his brother with the plastic bento box, Mokuba released an annoyed sigh. "No. Stop being such a princess; it doesn't matter who made the food as long as it's good."

Kaiba raised his eyebrows. "If I didn't have more shit stuck in me than a pincushion, I'd show you who's a princess."

Noa couldn't help it; the matter-of-fact tone made it somehow okay, and he started laughing.

Mokuba stuck his tongue out at his brother. "And how, exactly, is that done?"

Kaiba raised his eyebrows. "Like I'd tell you. Why should I give you time to prepare?"

"Admit it; you have no idea yourself." Mokuba picked up another roll and put it to his mouth, then chewed on it while thinking. "Besides, some of your coats kind of look like dresses, anyway."

Kaiba made a positively evil face at Mokuba and started on the chicken. "They keep me warm. That's all I care about. Where are you two staying?"

"Home, I guess. That's where we stayed last night."

Noa nodded. "I stayed with Anzu-san until we got Mokuba back." He looked down at his hands, lost for conversational topics.

"Tanaka-san asked me to tell you the best wishes. She said she hopes you'll be able to come back home, soon." Mokuba drank the rest of his drink, then tossed the cup to the nearest dustbin.

Noa nodded. "And I think Anzu-san wants to see you soon, too."

Kaiba looked unimpressed. "I'm turning into a regular Casanova, aren't I."

"Runs in the family," Mokuba agreed and nodded.

"Excuse me?" The last Kaiba had known, he was the only one with anything even approaching a girlfriend.

Mokuba threw a glance at Noa. Would he spontaneously combust from embarrasment if Mokuba grabbed his hand now?

Noa took a sip of his hot chocolate.

Deciding Noa had survived much worse, Mokuba leaned closer and threw an arm around Noa, then pressed a small peck to Noa's cheek. Nii-sama was probably smart enough to get the message.

Noa did not spontaneously combust, although the shade of red he turned seemed to indicate it was a distinct possibility in the near-future. Kaiba raised his eyebrows.

"And you were going to tell me about this when?"

"Right now." Mokuba felt the urge to roll his eyes at nii-sama, but decided against it in favor of nuzzling Noa's cheek. It was nicely warm.

Noa pulled away. It didn't take a genius to see the fear in his eyes.

Seeing Noa was trying to pry away from his hold, Mokuba threw his brother a warning look. One negative remark and heads would be rolling. He snaked an arm around Noa's waist, trying to hold him down. "Calm down. It's alright," Mokuba whispered to Noa's ear with the most calming voice he could muster.

"Noa, you - "

Noa let out a quiet squeak, pulled out of Mokuba's arms, and darted out of the room.

"Noa!" Mokuba got to his feet, but wasn't fast enough - the door swung shut behind Noa, the sound of rapid footsteps fading fast. He sighed and swept his bangs off his face. "He should already know there's nothing to be afraid of."

Kaiba shrugged. "No offense, kiddo, but that was some incredibly shitty judgment right there. You know he's still looking over his shoulder for the asshole every time he turns around, and whether I like it or not - " he made a face - "I'm his kid, too."

"And if he's constantly afraid we'll kick him out for it, he's never going to get any better. It's better for him to realize he's a part of our family as soon as possible. It'll make him even more miserable if he doesn't work it out." Mokuba gave is brother a dark look. Noa needed to get it through his thick skull they weren't going to abandon him.

Kaiba shrugged. "I know that, kiddo. But the best way to show him that probably isn't going to be throwing him into a situation and making him deal with it."

"He's got to start from somewhere, and I'd rather he did it sooner than later. I don't want him to develop a status quo, breaking that would be even worse." Mokuba looked at the door. "I think I'll go look for him."

Kaiba reached out to touch Mokuba's wrist. "Just do yourself a favour, kiddo. If you really like him, I'd recommend telling, not showing. If there's one thing the asshole prized, it's logic. You're going to have an easier time talking to him than trying to convince him by example." He tugged on Mokuba's wrist. "Do I get a hug before you go?"

Mokuba sighed. "Fucking Gozaburo," he muttered, then leaned closer to wrap his arms around his brother.

Kaiba hugged back as well as he could. "I agree." He caught Mokuba's eye. "And you and I need to have a serious talk when I get home."

"Sure." Mokuba took Noa's mug and the few paper tissues and dropped them to the dustbin on his way out. "We'll stop by tomorrow. Goodnight, nii-sama."

"See you later, kiddo. You might want this." He held up the empty container.

"Oh. Right. I'll have to ask Tanaka-san to wash it and give it back to Rebecca," Mokuba said, then reached to take the container. After bidding a second goodbye, he slipped out of the room and started walking down the hallway. Now, where would Noa have gone?

Noa slipped out of the building. Only then did he realise the full scale of his problem: he had nowhere to go. He couldn't stay in the park in this weather, and he didn't dare go home. Well. He could at least walk in the park until he figured out what he was going to do.

Mokuba rode the elevator back to the ground floor, careful to avoid running into the weirdo he'd met the last time. After a brief lookaround he realized Noa was nowhere in sight, and when the nice nurse working behind the counter told him that yes, she'd seen a green-haired sweetheart go outside, Mokuba thanked her and exited the building. He stood at the parking field, looking around and wondering where Noa had gone to.

Noa finally gave up running; he didn't know if the cold-induced burning in his lungs was real or just part of Mahaado's illusion, but either way, it was painful. He collapsed on a bench - the one next to the one still-blooming rosebush, as it happened.

Noa didn't really know anyone... Mokuba started walking towards the park. He wouldn't be stupid enough to run around all the night, would he? Maybe he'd headed for home already. Mokuba pushed his hands deep into his pockets - the temperature was freezing - and glanced around, trying to locate the familiar shock of green hair. He really hadn't meant to scare Noa off - he'd tried to make Noa see he wasn't going to back down from their relationship, whatever nii-sama said. But no, it all had to backfire to his face.

Noa wiped his eyes. Crying wasn't going to solve anything. Also, he had a new age and a new life to live up to, and being a prepubescent whiny rich boy wasn't going to cut it anymore. He considered his options. If he had to, he supposed he could always go to Anzu's.

Mokuba stopped next to one of the several statues and turned around to get a good look of his surroundings. Thank god the park was mostly empty - he didn't want to run into anyone troublesome right now. Too bad no people also included Noa. There was no sight of the boy. Mokuba sighed, then started walking again. What way was the fastest, if Noa had wanted to get back at the mansion? He hadn't walked around here much, and had no interest in wandering around in the dark. Deciding on following their earlier trail, Mokuba started jogging to the direction he assumed the rose gardens had been.

Noa heard a rustling farther down the path and wondered if he should hide. The idea of being confronted was bad, but being attacked by some psycho with a knife would be infinitely worse.

Oh, there he was. Mokuba sped up, jogging along the path. He stopped few meters from the bench and leant against his knees, out of breath.

Too late. Noa looked up, hoping he wasn't hearing some psycho with a knife.

"Noa," he gasped out, then straighened himself to look at the other boy. Damn, did he need to start doing more sports. This was getting embarrassing. "Why'd you run?"

Noa looked up at him. "He hates me, doesn't he?" he asked, plaintively.

Mokuba blinked, then shook his head. "Of course he doesn't. Why would you think that?" He walked the few steps separating him from the bench and sat down, mindful to keep his hands in his pockets.

"Because you're his brother!" Noa said. "Because - because we're brothers. And - we're both male . . . " he finished. He could have added a great deal to the list, like how once upon a time he'd first kidnapped Mokuba, then brainwashed him and used him as a pawn, but he thought he had enough exactly where he was.

"Yeah, so? I like you, and I hope you like me. We're happy together and not harming anyone. What's so wrong about that?" Mokuba wanted to wrap his arms around Noa, but... he didn't want Noa fleeing again.

Noa looked at his hands, clasped loosely between his knees. "It's wrong for a lot of reasons, Mokuba-kun. And I'm not going to get between you and your real family. That's just stupid."

"I asked what is wrong with that, because frankly, I can't see a single good reason for it to be bad." Mokuba's hand curled into fists inside his pockets. "And believe me, you're not coming between me and nii-sama. Well, if you disregard the whole age thing, that is," he added. It hurt a bit, to see how convinced Noa was they were going to chase him off.

"Go ask a police officer why it's wrong. They arrest people for incest." Noa pulled his knees up to his chin. There was something else he thought wouldn't go over well if he mentioned it, but it still bothered him. He had no reputation to lose, but what about Mokuba - or Seto, for that matter? If people found out he'd approved the relationship, Noa could only imagine what would happen to the company.

"We're not actually related by blood, you know," Mokuba pointed out, then fell silent for a while. He had no idea how to make Noa see what was so clear to him. "I can't really promise there won't be hardships, but... you always have to make sacrifices in your life. Do you want to - are you willing to..." Biting his lip, Mokuba looked at the bush of roses. There were snowflakes on top of the roses, he noticed. "Do you want it - this?"

"I don't want you to get hurt," Noa whispered. He was beyond frustrated - if he hadn't wanted to give it a shot, he would never have agreed to go out with Mokuba in the first place! - but cool reason had a way of replacing warm passions, and now the inevitable second-guessing was setting in.

"I won't be able to promise I won't get hurt, but I'd rather get hurt with you by my side than alone, you know." The sharp wind blew few strands of hair to his face, and Mokuba brushed them away absentmindedly. "We've all been through worse. And survived."

"Maybe you survived," Noa said. It was a genuine crack, although he imagined most people wouldn't appreciate humour that morbid. "It just . . . seems like we'd be asking for trouble."

"Well, you're sitting here, too, so I'd dare to say my analysis was accurate." Mokuba gave Noa a small smile - he wasn't very good with all this, and he hated to see the teartracks on Noa's cheeks. "I'm not saying we should go parading around and make a huge public announcement, but... would you be able to forget all this? I mean, I wouldn't like that. I'd be constantly thinking what could have been."

Noa considered saying something about how Mokuba could go say that to the headstone in the graveyard, and then decided that was too morbid for even him. Instead he considered the second half of Mokuba's statement carefully before shaking his head. "No. I wouldn't."

"I wouldn't, either." Mokuba shuffled his feet around and inched closer to Noa. He really just wanted to give him a hug, but... he reached out to place his hand on top of Noa's. "There's really not much choice, there. EIther we go on like nothing ever happened at all - which I wouldn't like at all - or we can try and see what comes out of it. We can always retire to Tibet to herd llamas if everything goes wrong," Mokuba offered carefully.

" . . . Tibet hasn't got llamas, Mokuba-kun," Noa pointed out. "You're thinking of the Dalai Lama."

Mokuba blinked, baffled. "...I thought Dalai Lama was a person."

"He is," Noa answered. "But you know, Lama, llama, they're pronounced the same."

"Oh. Oh. Yeah. Um. Well, then we can go to herd whatever animals they have in Tibet. You know." Mokuba tightened his grip on Noa's hand slowly.

"I don't think they have many. They might have goats. But I like Domino," Noa protested.

Mokuba nodded. So, goats it was. "Well, I like it here, too, but you know. Just in case. Nii-sama would always say it's good to have a plan B, except he doesn't, because he does not need them. I think that's a good way of thinking."

Noa shrugged. "Maybe." He squeezed Mokuba's hand tentatively. "It's cold."

"Yeah." Mokuba moved closer, again. Now his shoulder was almost brushing against Noa's arm. If he wasn't few inches shorter than Noa, he'd already have placed a hand on Noa's shoulder.

"We should get home." Noa had no gloves, and he was cold. "Maybe - maybe we can have some tea."

To hell with it, he could always claim it was for sharing body heat. Mokuba closed the distance between them and gently drew Noa against him, burying his head against Noa's shoulder. "I'm cold, too."

Noa hesitated. The park was empty, and dark. He let his arms come to rest around Mokuba's waist. "You know, if Papa had seen me like this, I don't think I'd have had to worry about the car."

Mokuba did a strange mix of a grin and a frown against Noa's jacket. "I would've bitten his fingers off if he ever tried to do anything to do." He left out the part where he'd been tempted to do that almost daily. Noa was probebly perfectly well aware of the hostility Mokuba and his brother felt for Gozaburo.

"Well, he still would have gone absolutely off his nut." Noa curled his fingers into the bottom edge of Mokuba's jacket. It was deliciously warm.

"You should be more concerned about what you want than what ... that man would have wanted, you know," Mokuba said and squirmed. He could feel the cold fingers even through his shirt.

Noa smiled into Mokuba's hair. It was mildly bitter. "'That man' was my father, you know."

"That doesn't mean he -..." Mokuba fell silent. This was a line even he didn't dare to cross. He decided on hugging Noa closer, instead. "I think you simply took heavily after your mother, then."

Noa shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I never saw her much. I don't think she and Papa got on too well."

Mokuba nodded. "I can't even remember what she looked like." He'd seen a picture, once - just after they'd moved in. There had been a photograph and broken glass in the dustbin, and Mokuba had been curious enough to pick it up. The photograph had been a portrait of a extremely beautiful woman, but he couldn't recall how she had actually looked like.

Noa shrugged. "I found a photo album in the attic. I can show you, if you like."

"If I recall correctly and she's anywhere near as pretty as you, sure." May not have been the best compliment ever, but it was true. Noa was pretty.

Noa made a face. "I'm not pretty. That's for girls." He paused. "And we really should go home. It's late."

"And yet you're not the one called a girl," Mokuba muttered darkly, then straightened himself. It was hard to part with the warmth of Noa's body, but he'd live. "C'mon, let's go, then."

"Mmm?" Noa got up and led the way out of the rose gardens. "Who's calling who what?"

"When I was getting the chopsticks, this one patient thought I was a girl. When I informed him I wasn't, he labeled me as a faggot, instead," Mokuba said, then snickered. It was actually been kind of funny. "I think he was just jealous of my hair. And the rose, too."

Noa fell silent. They hadn't even been seen together, and Mokuba had been treated that way. He was starting to seriously wonder if this was the best decision he could make.

Mokuba poked Noa gently to the side. "Oh, stop looking like that. I'd rather be a faggot with you than not one without."

"Yes, but what if he'd been someone bigger than you? Or had a gun, or . . . all kinds of things," he added.

"I'd sit back and watch nii-sama sic his Blue-Eyes at the person. Maybe participate myself, too," Mokuba said and grinned. Now that'd be a sight. Besides, he'd always been curious how effective the Blue-Eyes would be outside of a duel.

"You can't participate if you're in the hospital," Noa argued. He'd been groomed for debate almost since he could talk; he could go at it all night, if required.

"I'd have you keep me company while being there, I don't think I'd mind that much. Besides, I'm sure nii-sama would record it if I asked." Noa was clearly not getting the point on purpose. Mokuba poked him again, then grabbed his hand.

"Yes, but what happens if somebody decides they're going to really hurt you? Then what?"

Mokuba gave Noa a Look. "You're speaking to a person who's got a track record of getting kidnapped almost weekly."

"Yes, including by me," Noa pointed out. He paused to blush. "For that matter, how do you know you can trust me?"

Mokuba shrugged. "I don't know, I just trust. Why wouldn't I? You're not going to do anything to me." Mokuba hushed the part of his brain that suggested he'd feel sad about that particular fact.

Noa paused outside the house. "Mokuba-kun, I'm not sure you understand."

"I understand it's stupid to not to do things you really want to because it may possibly cause something in the future." Mokba puffed his cheeks, then let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, if you really don't want to, we can call it quits." Not that anything actually got started, but still. "And we can go inside and forget about all this. Do you want that?"

Noa shook his head, frustrated. "Mokuba-kun. You know I'm not entirely a nice person, and I might not even be totally sane anymore. There are - there are people out there, " he waved an arm toward the road, "who'd love to find every reason in the world to belittle us or hurt us or even kill us, even if we can find a way to bury our relationship as siblings. Also, there's the minor matter of me having no valid birth certificate, federal identification, or birthdate, so as far as the government is concerned, I don't exist. That cuts out about ninety percent of the things we could do all on its own. Are you still sure about this?"

"...I think I'm in love with you."

Noa blinked. And blinked again. And tried to comprehend what Mokuba had just said. And blinked again, for good measure.

Mokuba flushed and ducked his head. He really hadn't meant to blurt that out. It was true, yes - what he felt towards Noa was the kind of fierce loyalty he felt towards nii-sama, and yet different.

Noa opened his mouth with absolutely no idea what was going to come out of it. " . . . Mokuba-kun, we're SIXTEEN." He ignored the part where his own age was under serious question, and soldiered on. "And we barely know each other."

"What does age have to do with love?" Mokuba felt almost annoyed. He didn't like anyone belittling what he felt towards his brothers. "I think it was love at first sight, you know."

"I don't know about you, but I don't even know what love means," Noa protested. "And you were, what, twelve then?"

"I really don't care about the word. I care about being willing to do anything for the persons I love." Mokuba huffed, then turned away from Noa.

"But that's what I mean," Noa protested. "I don't even know what that's supposed to mean. How can I say I love somebody when it's not anything I've ever experienced?"

"I believe it was me saying I love you. I'm not telling you to say that back at me." Mokuba made a face, then decided this was getting them nowhere. "Come here," he said and grabbed a hold of Noa's sleeve for long enough to get him to a kissing distance.

"Yes, but - "

Whatever it was Noa was going to add to that overused phrase, it remained unheard - Mokuba made sure of it. He brushed his lips against Noa's, then secured a hold of Noa's neck. He didn't want him starting to protest again.

If he'd been capable, Noa would have jumped at the sudden contact. Instead he stood awkwardly, wondering what he should do - this was definitely not going to be his area of expertise.

Mokuba brought his other hand against the small of Noa's back, careful to spread his fingers for as much contact as possible. Noa's lips were cold - they'd really been too long outside. They still were soft, though. Soft and kind of nice. He gave Noa's lower lip a small, experimenting lick, wondering what he was supposed to do now that Noa wasn't exactly responding.

That was it; Noa really did jump, and it was probably lucky for Mokuba that his mouth was closed; otherwise, they would have been explaining bite marks. "Mokuba!"

...and that was'nt exactly the response he'd been going for, anyway. He hummed an enquiring sound agianst the corner of Noa's mouth, too interested in exploring the texture of his lips to pay more attention. This kissing thing was actually kind of fun.

Noa pushed him away, startled. "What do you think you're doing?"

Mokuba felt his smile wash away from his face. He blinked, then turned away and let his hand drop to his sides. "Kissing you?" He offered with a voice definitely smaller than before.

" . . . you licked me," Noa protested. "That's not kissing. It's licking."

"Are there rules to kissing?" Mokuba asked, actually slightly curious. That'd come in handy. He was still careful not to look anywhere above Noa's shoulders.

"How should I know? You're the one who's been acting all night like you know what you're doing," Noa pointed out.

"I'm just trying to pursue what I want without thinking too much about what others think about me. You should try it, too."

" . . . don't you think it's a little . . . fast?" Noa protested weakly. He didn't know about Mokuba, but he thought he, personally, would like the chance to think about the whole thing.

Mokuba tilted his head a little. So it was the answer he'd been afraid of - knowing Noa, he'd just become more convinced this whole idea was doomed. His shoulders slumped, and he gave a vague shrug. "If you want to. I think I've made my opinion clear." With that, he turned away and started fishing the keys out of his pocket.

Noa looked down at his feet. Then he put a hand on Mokuba's shoulder. "I didn't mean I don't like you, you know. I just . . . " He sighed. "Look, you're talking about dating someone who, on the last day of their life, spent the entire morning being all excited over a new pack of crayons. You got to actually be thirteen and go to adults' movies and things. I didn't. I don't know what I'm doing, and I don't know how I'm supposed to do it, and I'd rather stop to think about it than to make a complete ass of myself."

"I like you as you are. I mean, I'm not going to leave you if you do something wrong. I'm just want you to be you."

Noa felt his eyebrows go up with absolutely no input from his brain. "You want to date a ten-year-old?"

"I want to date you." Why was Noa trying to make everything so much more complicated? "I trust your ability to figure things out. I'd just rather be with you while you do that than wait for a day that no-one is sure will actually come."

Noa reached over Mokuba's head and pushed the door open. "Let's talk inside, okay?"

Tanaka-san jumped back, looking startled. She'd been in the process of leaving, apparently. "Good evening, Kaiba-dono."

Mokuba blinked, then offered her a watery smile. "Good evening, Tanaka-san." He really, really hoped she hadn't been listening in to their conversation.

Tanaka-san stepped back to let the boys in the house. "Did you need anything before I leave for the night?"

"Umm... we were planning on some tea, but I'm sure there's no need for you to stay for that," Mokuba said and started taking his shoes off.

Tanaka-san closed the door. "I can brew some. It's not a problem," she said, bustling off to the kitchen to put on some water.

Noa slipped his shoes off and pulled off his coat before reaching over to slip Mokuba's coat off his shoulders. "I can get this."

"Thanks," Mokuba muttered, still rather quiet. It wasn't a nice feeling to get rejected - even though he actually hadn't, he sure felt down. After getting rid of the unnecessary articles of clothing, he padded to the kitchen, wondering if a cup of tea would actually manage to make him feel better.

Tanaka-san, completely oblivious to the evening the boys had spent out, was busy getting into the tea cupboard. "What flavour would you like this evening, Kaiba-dono?"

Noa considered. "May I have breakfast tea, please?"

Tanaka-san nodded, still paying attention to the tea cupboard. "Kaiba-dono - Mokuba-san?"

"Is there any of that strawberry-vanilla tea left?" Nii-sama had judged it as disgustingly sweet, but Mokuba liked it. Hopefully it'd help him lift his moods a bit - he was sure even Tanaka-san could see something was bothering him.

"I believe there might just be a bag," she answered, reaching deep into the cupboard and producing a box. "There is. Just the one." She looked up and smiled. A momentary frown creased her face. "Are you quite all right, Kaiba-dono?"

"I'd like a cup of that, then, thank you." Mokuba plopped his head against his hand, slumping on his head. "I'm sorry if this is too personal, and you don't have to answer, but... have you ever been in love, Tanaka-san?"

There was a pause. Tanaka-san climbed off the stepstool she used to reach the higher shelves. "I was, once, yes," she answered.

Mokuba tilted his head, waiting for a possible continuation.

Noa glanced at Mokuba. He got the point, already . . . there was no need to rub it in.

And no continuation was forthcoming, apparently. Mokuba wondered briefly whether it would be too rude to ask details, but then decided against it. "What is it like to be in love?"

She shrugged and parceled out teabags. "It's certainly not the kind of thing you think will end with both of you married to other people," she answered. "Why do you ask?"

Mokuba flinched, Apparently the subject was highly sensitive for Tanaka-san. He offered her a vague shrug and a tired smile, not really knowing how to answer. "We discussed that with Noa. I was wondering how do I know whether I'm in love with someone or not."

"Ah." She poured water into their mugs. "I'm afraid I can't give you an answer to that, Kaiba-dono," she answered. "For me, when I knew . . . I simply knew."

Mokuba nodded, his face closed in thought. That was what he'd thought it like, too. Now, only for Noa to realize it, too.

Tanaka-san brought the tea to the table in silence. Noa added honey to his, then looked up. "So what happened?"

Tanaka-san gave him a quizzical look. "I beg your pardon?"

"With whoever you were in love with. What happened?"

Accepting the offered cup with a thankful nod and a smile, Mokuba waited for Noa to give back the honey before adding it to his own cup. He was very curious about Tanaka-san's tale, too - he didn't know much anything about her.

Tanaka-san set about cleaning up the minor clutter from the tea-making. "He went to university," she answered. "He was three or four years older . . . and when he came back, my parents had already married me to someone else."

Mokuba lowered his head with a sigh. He'd had no idea there still were forced marriages around... the thought was a depressing one. He raised his head long enough to look at Noa - what was he thinking about all this?

Tanaka-san shrugged. "Well, it turned out mostly all right in the end. I'm here now, and he isn't." She offered a smile. "You should drink your tea before it gets cold, Kaiba-dono."

Noa sipped at his tea and wondered how shocked Mokuba would be to know that had he survived, he also would probably have been married by now. He couldn't have been forced, but he certainly could have been pressured, and he had no doubt he would have been.

"But, that's - what happened to him? You're not married now, right?" It may have been a bit tactless question, but Mokuba really wanted to know. Maybe they could help her, somehow.

Tanaka-san shrugged. "There was . . . an incident, and we were divorced," she answered. "And he died several years later." She put her wet washcloth in a plastic bag and put it in the kitchen laundry under the sink. "Do you boys need anything else?"

"No, thank you," Mokuba said hastily. He didn't want to make Tanaka-san feel uncomfortable.

She nodded, then turned her head to brush her hair off her face. Noa wasn't entirely certain, but he thought he saw more than her hair on her cheek.

Focusing on emptying the tea cup, Mokuba stared at the dark liquid, not knowing what to say.

Tanaka-san straightened up. "Well. If you boys don't need anything else, I'm going to go for the evening. And Kaiba-dono - there's a message for you on the phone pad from some clinic. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Noa nodded. "Good night, Tanaka-san."

Mokuba nodded and bid her goodbyes. He didn't really feel like continuing the chat he'd had with Noa, now - and the call from the clinic was just a nice added bonus for all the miserable. He didn't want to think why the clinic was so persistent on contacting him.

Tanaka-san made her way out. Noa took his mug to the sink. Then he came back to the table. "Are you going to bed soon?"

"I... think so, yes," Mokuba nodded. He wasn't even sure if Noa wanted to continue the discussion.

Noa nodded. "Mind if I use the shower first?"

Mokuba emptied his mug, then shrugged. "Go ahead, you don't have to ask for permission."

Noa nodded. He paused, then bent over Mokuba's shoulder and planted a soft kiss on his mouth. "Good night, Mokuba-chan."

Mokuba blinked. Wow. He hadn't excepted that at all. A stupid smile took over his face, and he waved Noa off happily. Maybe the night wasn't that bad, after all. Sighing a deep, lovestruck sigh, Mokuba stared at the opposing wall dreamily. Now, if only Noa wouldn't regret that later on.

Noa scuttled out of the kitchen, a bit surprised by his own daring. He paused at the top of the stairs and grinned back down them. Now, if only Seto were in his room, engrossed in some computer game . . . everything would be perfect.