Disclaimer: I own "Yu-Gi-Oh" about as much as I own the soul I sold to
Satan a while back...
Author's Note: I hope nobody thinks this is intended as a 'homophobic' or 'gay-bashing' fic. IT'S NOT. I'm a queer girl myself and would never want to send that message. Seto can't be perceived as gay because of his job, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with being gay. There's not. Some people may think so, but they're usually maddeningly narrow-minded anyway.
Author's Other Note: I swear I don't know how this got taken down. Oh well. I'm getting it back up, or trying to ; Some 'slight' revisions have been made to the first chapter, but I hope it's still good.
Chapter One
"—and word has come from a very reliable source that Kaiba Seto may very well be gay."
Kaiba Mokuba, sitting on the floor, consumed with boredom as he flipped through channels of the T.V. in his bedroom, immediately went back when he heard his older brother's name, wondering what was happening. It was some kind of quasi-news program devoted to celebrity gossip. Mokuba watched with increasing interest.
"The CEO of Kaiba Corporation has been spotted kissing men all over Domino City."
Mokuba's brow furrowed. That didn't sound like Seto at all. While it was true that Seto WAS occasionally 'all over' Domino, his reasons for being so usually had to do with either business or dueling, or else a strange combination of the two. And the older Kaiba was too married to his work to be kissing ANYBODY. But there, right on the television screen, a lady was showing (obviously doctored) photos of Seto kissing—and doing other, slightly more explicit—things with boys his own age as well as older men.
"SETO!" Mokuba shrieked, dropping his remote.
As soon as his blue-eyed older brother came running, however, Mokuba regretted calling him. Maybe it would serve Seto better not to know about any of this...
"Are you okay?" he asked Mokuba, in what was for him an unusual display of concern.
"I'm—fine," Mokuba said. "I... it's nothing. Forget about it, big brother."
Seto frowned, unconvinced. Mokuba knew better than to scream through the mansion at the top of his lungs for no reason. "It didn't sound like nothing to m—"
And that was when he saw the television. "Unbelievable!" he gasped. "Just—unbelievable!" For a few seconds the two Kaibas watched in silence before Mokuba spoke up.
"Seto?" he said.
But Seto simply continued to stare until the woman on T.V. moved onto another topic. "Are those rumors really THAT persistent?" The CEO shook his head.
"Rumors?" Mokuba echoed questioningly.
Seto sighed. "Nothing, little brother. It just appears some people have nothing better to do with their time than speculate about my romantic life and sexual orientation."
Mokuba nodded, pretending to understand and trying to look understanding. "You know," he said, "I'd still love you, big brother, even if you were—uh—"
"Gay?" Seto supplied, laughing. Mokuba nodded gratefully. "Well, that's wonderful to hear, but I assure you, Mokuba, that I'm not gay."
"I know," replied the younger, shaggy-haired Kaiba. "But maybe if you had a girlfriend everyone else would know too." He climbed up off the floor to sit on his bed.
Seto smirked slightly. The tall, thin boy sat on the bed beside his little brother. "Somehow I can't imagine you'd care for having a woman around the house."
Mokuba supposed Seto had a point. "Well, you could still pay someone to ACT like she's your girlfriend. That way people wouldn't call you... you know, that thing..."
"Gay?" Seto seemed amused. "That's a thought, perhaps. But who would I pay?"
Mokuba considered this for a second. "What about that girl, Yuugi's friend? She's pretty..."
"Mazaki?" Seto said distastefully. "I don't think so."
"Why? What's wrong with her?" Mokuba asked.
"Well," said Seto, "for one thing, as you've already noted, she is Yuugi's friend. For another, she can't stand me and would be only too happy to tell the entire world I'm a flaming homosexual. And besides"—he winked at his little brother—"she's a brunette. I don't go for brunettes."
Mokuba looked skeptical. "You don't go for anyone," he pointed out.
Seto rolled his eyes. "I haven't found anyone worth going for. And, what's more, I doubt I ever will—or, for that matter, ever want to."
Mokuba waggled a playful finger. "I think that attitude's part of what's gotten you into this mess, big brother!" he 'chided' with a smile.
"Mess?" Seto echoed, raising his brow, although he knew exactly what Mokuba was talking about. Having people suspect he was gay wouldn't be good for business—or his reputation at school—at all. True, gay or not, few of his classmates were brave enough tease Seto to his face. But he knew the whispering and giggling that would come to accompany him like a cloud every time he entered or exited a room would get aggravating quickly.
"Yes." Mokuba nodded firmly. "Mess."
Seto smiled slightly as he stood. "Well, then, while I finish the work that desperately needs my attention, I'll think about some way to fix the 'mess.' In the meantime, I highly suggest you find something more—appropriate—to watch instead of this trash." Pointedly, he handed Mokuba the remote that had still been lying on the floor. He really didn't know any way to sugarcoat his opinion of what his younger brother had been viewing—not that sugarcoating was something Seto generally made a habit out of, anyway.
Mokuba blushed and nodded, taking the remote, knowing full well that his brother's 'suggestions' were often far more than implied.
As Seto left the room and headed back towards his waiting office, he couldn't help musing that Mokuba might have something in paying someone to act like she was his girlfriend until all the idiotic rumors blew over.
And Mazaki was terribly good-looking, brunette or not.
Seto tried to purge his mind of all such foolish thoughts.
Author's Note: I hope nobody thinks this is intended as a 'homophobic' or 'gay-bashing' fic. IT'S NOT. I'm a queer girl myself and would never want to send that message. Seto can't be perceived as gay because of his job, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with being gay. There's not. Some people may think so, but they're usually maddeningly narrow-minded anyway.
Author's Other Note: I swear I don't know how this got taken down. Oh well. I'm getting it back up, or trying to ; Some 'slight' revisions have been made to the first chapter, but I hope it's still good.
Chapter One
"—and word has come from a very reliable source that Kaiba Seto may very well be gay."
Kaiba Mokuba, sitting on the floor, consumed with boredom as he flipped through channels of the T.V. in his bedroom, immediately went back when he heard his older brother's name, wondering what was happening. It was some kind of quasi-news program devoted to celebrity gossip. Mokuba watched with increasing interest.
"The CEO of Kaiba Corporation has been spotted kissing men all over Domino City."
Mokuba's brow furrowed. That didn't sound like Seto at all. While it was true that Seto WAS occasionally 'all over' Domino, his reasons for being so usually had to do with either business or dueling, or else a strange combination of the two. And the older Kaiba was too married to his work to be kissing ANYBODY. But there, right on the television screen, a lady was showing (obviously doctored) photos of Seto kissing—and doing other, slightly more explicit—things with boys his own age as well as older men.
"SETO!" Mokuba shrieked, dropping his remote.
As soon as his blue-eyed older brother came running, however, Mokuba regretted calling him. Maybe it would serve Seto better not to know about any of this...
"Are you okay?" he asked Mokuba, in what was for him an unusual display of concern.
"I'm—fine," Mokuba said. "I... it's nothing. Forget about it, big brother."
Seto frowned, unconvinced. Mokuba knew better than to scream through the mansion at the top of his lungs for no reason. "It didn't sound like nothing to m—"
And that was when he saw the television. "Unbelievable!" he gasped. "Just—unbelievable!" For a few seconds the two Kaibas watched in silence before Mokuba spoke up.
"Seto?" he said.
But Seto simply continued to stare until the woman on T.V. moved onto another topic. "Are those rumors really THAT persistent?" The CEO shook his head.
"Rumors?" Mokuba echoed questioningly.
Seto sighed. "Nothing, little brother. It just appears some people have nothing better to do with their time than speculate about my romantic life and sexual orientation."
Mokuba nodded, pretending to understand and trying to look understanding. "You know," he said, "I'd still love you, big brother, even if you were—uh—"
"Gay?" Seto supplied, laughing. Mokuba nodded gratefully. "Well, that's wonderful to hear, but I assure you, Mokuba, that I'm not gay."
"I know," replied the younger, shaggy-haired Kaiba. "But maybe if you had a girlfriend everyone else would know too." He climbed up off the floor to sit on his bed.
Seto smirked slightly. The tall, thin boy sat on the bed beside his little brother. "Somehow I can't imagine you'd care for having a woman around the house."
Mokuba supposed Seto had a point. "Well, you could still pay someone to ACT like she's your girlfriend. That way people wouldn't call you... you know, that thing..."
"Gay?" Seto seemed amused. "That's a thought, perhaps. But who would I pay?"
Mokuba considered this for a second. "What about that girl, Yuugi's friend? She's pretty..."
"Mazaki?" Seto said distastefully. "I don't think so."
"Why? What's wrong with her?" Mokuba asked.
"Well," said Seto, "for one thing, as you've already noted, she is Yuugi's friend. For another, she can't stand me and would be only too happy to tell the entire world I'm a flaming homosexual. And besides"—he winked at his little brother—"she's a brunette. I don't go for brunettes."
Mokuba looked skeptical. "You don't go for anyone," he pointed out.
Seto rolled his eyes. "I haven't found anyone worth going for. And, what's more, I doubt I ever will—or, for that matter, ever want to."
Mokuba waggled a playful finger. "I think that attitude's part of what's gotten you into this mess, big brother!" he 'chided' with a smile.
"Mess?" Seto echoed, raising his brow, although he knew exactly what Mokuba was talking about. Having people suspect he was gay wouldn't be good for business—or his reputation at school—at all. True, gay or not, few of his classmates were brave enough tease Seto to his face. But he knew the whispering and giggling that would come to accompany him like a cloud every time he entered or exited a room would get aggravating quickly.
"Yes." Mokuba nodded firmly. "Mess."
Seto smiled slightly as he stood. "Well, then, while I finish the work that desperately needs my attention, I'll think about some way to fix the 'mess.' In the meantime, I highly suggest you find something more—appropriate—to watch instead of this trash." Pointedly, he handed Mokuba the remote that had still been lying on the floor. He really didn't know any way to sugarcoat his opinion of what his younger brother had been viewing—not that sugarcoating was something Seto generally made a habit out of, anyway.
Mokuba blushed and nodded, taking the remote, knowing full well that his brother's 'suggestions' were often far more than implied.
As Seto left the room and headed back towards his waiting office, he couldn't help musing that Mokuba might have something in paying someone to act like she was his girlfriend until all the idiotic rumors blew over.
And Mazaki was terribly good-looking, brunette or not.
Seto tried to purge his mind of all such foolish thoughts.