A little Toonshippy fic that I hope you all enjoy along with various, assorted updates. Somewhat inspired by the short story 'The Chaser' by John Collier but not quite the same.
Standard disclaimers apply.
Pegasus stepped hesitantly into the dimly lit shop. He'd been in dives before – after all he lived in Vegas – but never one quite as shady or quite as creepy as the one he'd just entered. The single room was lined with shelves, crammed with twisted bottles and dubious looking paraphernalia. Strange, unidentifiable plant-like items hung from the ceiling and the air had a thick, musty scent to it. It was clearly the haven of one up to no good.
The proprietor, an aged and withered woman in a shapeless dress and layers of scarves sat behind the splintery counter, working on some type of fabric manipulation, knitting perhaps, or was it crocheting? Pegasus couldn't tell the difference.
He cleared his throat softly and approached her and the door swung shut behind him.
"Ahem."
She looked up from the bunch of yarn in her hand and regarded him with a critical, impatient eye.
"Well? What do you want?"
The CEO found himself caught off guard by her brusque attitude and was at a loss to explain himself. Eventually, he managed to stammer a few words.
"You see… there's… there's this… man… an associate… business partner…"
"You want him poisoned?" She asked impassively.
"NO!" Pegasus blurted then calmed down. "No, I mean… you misunderstand, that's not it at all…"
"Then what?"
He blushed.
"He's… I… I mean, I care about him very much."
"I see," she replied dryly. "Love potion?"
The blush on his cheeks deepened.
"It's not just that. It's not just a matter of attraction. He's… he's… Seto is so dominant. He's always in control… he's always icy. And it's not that I don't love him now I just wish he were more… I don't know…"
"Compliant?" She filled in coolly.
He nodded nervously.
"Yes. Please. I just… It's for his own good, really. Both our goods. I mean… I'll love him. I do love him. I just want him to see that and want him to, you know… relax. Loosen up. I wouldn't do it if it wasn't for both our sakes."
She sighed and shifted herself out of the chair.
"Of course not," she muttered but to herself. After all, critiquing the customer was rarely profitable. "My clients are never selfish," she sighed just as inaudibly, fishing a key out of a deep pocked on the dress and opening a small cabinet on the far wall.
Gnarled hands clasped a glistening green bottle which she placed on the counter in front of him.
"What is it?" He breathed.
"No name. And you wouldn't recognize the ingredients. Suffice it to say that if he drinks it, once I've properly adjusted it, he will be in love with you and he will be – how is it you put it? – the uke."
Again he blushed, but this time with pleasure and not embarrassment.
"Really!" He gasped.
"Yes, really," she said dully. "With you he will be submissive and compliant from the start. He may remain distant or dominant towards others for some time but eventually he will adopt this attitude with them as well. If you give this all to him – and the more he's given the faster the process will be – he will eventually come to depend upon you as the stronger partner in life in general and not merely the bedroom."
Pegasus, however, was hardly paying attention. He merely nodded as she talked, envisioning in his mind a Seto happy to be with him, giving in his affections and warm in his mannerisms.
"What do you need to do to 'adjust' it?" He asked, coming out of his reverie when she stopped.
"I will need a hair," she replied, not at all nonplussed by being ignored, "Or some such. But a hair is easiest and best – dissolves quickest. Once the hair is in the potion and shaken, it will dissolve and the drinker will only fall in love with the person from whom the hair came. The effects are nonreversible and the potion is only good for two days after a hair has been added and the potion specialized."
He lifted his hand to his head and tugged out a strand with a wince, handing it carefully to her.
"Is that all you need?"
"That will do."
She uncorked the bottle, dropped it in, recorked it and shook. The bottle's contents glowed briefly then it subsided.
"The fluid inside is clear, odorless and tasteless. Mix it in anything – even water. And it will happen as you wish."
His eyes shone with delight.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
He grabbed the potion and looked at it, tossing her a few bills carelessly.
"That will be enough for it?"
"More than enough," she replied. She didn't offer to give him change, however, despite his gross overpayment. He hardly noticed.
"Thank you once again!"
He left the shop in a rush and she stared after him, shaking her head.
"Silly boy," she mumbled.
"Can I get you anything?" Pegasus struggled to make sure that he voice didn't quiver, didn't sound too eager when he asked Seto that question.
He'd waited impatiently over the last day for this to come. He'd known when making his 'purchase' that Seto would be over at his office at this time, the scheduled time (for Kaiba was never late to appointments) and also knew that Kaiba never took anything from him save water.
"Just water," he said with an impatient sigh as his body guard looked stonily on.
Pegasus gulped and poured the glass, keeping his hand steady with a supreme effort and silencing the gasp that nearly escaped as the boy downed the contents. He poured a glass of burgundy for himself and sipped it, looking down at the sheets of paper, trying not to give himself away.
"So, these new contracts…"
"Actually," the teen interrupted briskly, "I'm rather thirsty. Do you mind if I pour myself another cup?"
Pegasus' gaze remained fixated on the papers.
"Go right ahead."
He scanned the words as he heard water pouring and the process repeated every few pages. At last, he'd relaxed and looked up to face the boy.
"Well, everything seems to be in order… Seto," he ventured. "I think we're good."
The boy suddenly turned faintly red and fidgeted with his cup. Pegasus' glace wandered over and he saw for the first time that, whilst he'd been reading, Kaiba had finished off the pitcher.
It was more than he could have hoped for.
"Roland?" Kaiba addressed the suit in a muted tone. "Would you please leave the room?"
"Is that wise, sir?"
"I have a… private matter… I wish to discuss. Please leave."
The grey-haired man paused but then nodded.
"Yes sir," he answered and bowed before leaving.
Pegasus looked at him, eye shining, hoping to contain his excitement. His heart felt as though it would explode if it beat any more rapidly. This could be it…
"Something you wanted, Seto?" He asked, doing his best to sound unconcerned, as though nothing was new.
Seto turned a deep red as the door clicked with a blush that was more characteristic of Pegasus than of the CEO of Kaiba Corp. He took a deep, shaky breath and look at Pegasus who was speechless by now.
"I… I… I…" He stammered and turned redder while Pegasus waited patiently. He looked into the other man's single hazel eye. "I care about you Pegasus!" He burst out and then looked at the carpet. "I have ever since I met you. When Duelist Kingdom happened I thought m dreams were shattered forever, that you hated me and I was nothing more than a tool, but I see now that your affections were just… misplaced. Katsuya… he blabbed about you diary, but then I understood!"
Pegasus smiled. It really did work! Seto was never like this normally! It really worked…
"Oh, Seto…" He moved around his desk, towards the boy who had risen from his chair. Pegasus stood next to him, near enough to hear him breath, and waited to see what he'd do.
He turned towards Pegasus, looking down.
"You're so passionate… so beautiful…" He gasped and looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry, Pegasus! It's not my place. I know you don't return my affection but I want you to know that I don't hate you. And I'm so sorry for keeping you from the person you truly cared about! Please, don't say anything about this; just let it be our secret! I don't have to show it," he told the older one miserably. "It will be a secret just between the two of us that no one ever has to find out about."
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
"Do you want to know a secret, Seto?" He turned the younger boy towards him by the shoulders, pulling him slightly nearer. He lifted the boy's head towards him by the chin and leaned in closer.
"You're calling me Seto… not Kaiba-boy… You've been calling me that…" The boy whispered and trembled as Pegasus smiled.
"The secret is – I care about you too."
He bent slightly and pressed his mouth against Kaiba's. The boy was only an inch shorter, yet the distance felt much greater as he seemed to sink lower, into the kiss. Pegasus gently slid his hands around the boy and pressed him against his body. Seto's hands slid upwards and his fingers slid into Pegasus' hair.
"Pegasus…" He moaned.
"Shhhh… Mmmmmm…" He felt the boy's lips willingly part and he slid his tongue in, enjoying the warm, moist feeling. He pushed harder, maneuvering Seto against the wall of his office. The teen clutched at him as if he were drowning and let him do as he pleased. Then Pegasus released him and withdrew with a smile.
"This can be our little secret," he told Kaiba.
The boy nodded fervently. "Does this mean… will I see you again?"
Pegasus nodded.
"You can come tonight," he said, slipping the boy a card from his pocket with an address and number. "Say that it's for a business dinner. Keep it quiet for now. And I'll see you around seven?"
The boy nodded eagerly.
"Good," Pegasus replied, fixing the boy's hair. "Now I'm sure your guard is waiting. And remember – not a word."
"Of course not," Seto agreed.
Pegasus watched him leave, stumbling and obviously a bit disoriented by what had just occurred. After Kaiba's limo had pulled away, Pegasus got in his vehicle and let it drop him off in the center of the city. From there he found his way to the little shop off the beaten path that he'd visited shortly before. He burst in the shop and found the woman, the same as ever.
"It worked!" He cried and gave her an appreciative smile. "I just had to thank you again – it's a complete change, it's wonderful, it actually worked!" He thrust a package towards her. "Here – it's a token of my thanks. I'm forever grateful to you; you've made everything better, made everything right… Thank you!"
With that last enthusiastic 'thank you' he left once again to prepare himself for the evening. She opened up the box indifferently and found a small, unset diamond twinkling inside it.
"You thank me now," she said with a bemused grin. "But just wait…"
Dum dum DUUMMMM! So yeah, as you can guess… things are going to start to go haywire. And to find out how, you'll just have to keep reading. :) The next chapter will probably be in Kaiba's P.O.V. and I'll do the whole 'alternating perspectives by chapter' thing or something like it.
So, if you liked it – or even if you didn't – review!