#apricotheart

[shacchou]

𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐁𝐎𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄, seto's home ( kaiba mansion ) // asked by @apricotheart

[puzzlefated]

[ @apricotheart​ ]

All it takes is the right benefactors and a mere handful of days to draw up every piece of documentation he could ever possibly need -- and within a week of taking his first, proper breath in the land of the living, Atem has flung himself back to Japan (and back to Yuugi) with the same, single-minded devotion as a wave holds for the shore.

As it turns out though, the hard part isn’t actually the manufacturing of an identity and lifetime of history. (And that's a funny thing, isn't it? How it's papers and records which quantify the existence of a man in this world, and not the tangible fact of his very flesh and blood.) In fact, Atem doesn’t wholly realize that he’s stalling until about two weeks later, when Yuugi at last decides enough is enough and pushes a phone into his hands.

Anzu’s name and number are staring up at him from the bright little screen.

”Start there,” Yuugi says, like he’s already made up his mind for them both. His voice and hands are kind as he steers Atem up the stairs. “You know they’ll want to see you again, right? All of them. So come on -- quit being weird about it.”

And that’s how Atem finds himself about three weeks into this whole ‘being alive’ thing, holding a cellphone that isn’t his and standing awkwardly in the middle of a bedroom that also isn’t his. (I have my own phone now, he has to consciously remind himself; and the thought is still unpracticed and strange when it finally comes. I have my own apartment.) Yuugi’s room hasn’t changed much in the time that he’s been gone -- not in ways that really matter -- and Atem considers the bed briefly, but opts instead for the chair at Yuugi’s desk. Even now he’s the one piece in this room that doesn’t quite know its place. Perching stiffly, weighing the phone in his palm, he sits and stares into nothing until it occurs to him, if belatedly, that the shadows have begun to shift, and that every moment of hesitation is another moment closer to Yuugi inevitably returning to check on him, most likely wondering at the silence.

...Well. Now is as good a time as ever, isn’t it?

Blowing out a bracing breath through his nose, Atem punches the ‘call’ button, settles onto his elbows, and brings the phone to his ear, mouth drawing into a thin, preoccupied line.

On the other end, Anzu’s phone begins to ring.

[suresha]

:｡･:*:･ﾟ’★,｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆  ||  @apricotheart​  ||  s.c. 

          A  bit  of  rain  had  never  hurt  anyone,  especially  an  ex-king  who  lived  during  a  time  where  rain  was  a  luxury  never  to  be  taken  for  granted.  The  droplets  felt  cool  to  his  skin,  a  refreshing  change  from  the  heat  wave  that  had  been  plaguing  Domino  City  for  days  now.  Of  course,  he  could  have  taken  public  transportation  or  even  asked  a  certain  friend  to  send  him  a  ride  home,  but  he  supposed  he  enjoyed  the  freedom  of  being  able  to  come  and  go  as  he  pleased.  Even  as  a  spirit,  he  was  at  the  mercy  of  his  host.

          ❝You  are  always  so  deep  in  thought.❞

          He  looked  up,  finally  taking  notice  of  the  friend  he  was  meeting  for  a  drink  today.  She  was  in  town  for  a  few  days  which  meant  catching  up  was  imperative  considering  they  weren’t  likely  to  see  each  other  again  for  months.  And  with  how  much  he  stayed  cooped  up  in  his  apartment,  it  was  probably  a  good  thing  he  was  being  pushed  to  socialize.

          ❝Hey,  Anzu!❞  He  hurried  towards  her,  smiling  a  bit  sheepishly  as  she  offered  him  her  umbrella.  He  took  it,  but  mostly  to  hold  over  her  head.  And  maybe  to  prevent  himself  from  getting  even  more  wet.  He  didn’t  need  to  start  smelling  during  their  coffee  hour.  ❝I...  yes.  I  suppose  some  things  never  change  huh?❞

[shadowchosen-a]

               ❝ Anzu ——— !! ❞ He braces himself for impact because, well, there is still a size difference between them no matter what way you look at it, alright? He has remained shorter than average by quite a bit and whilst he has grown out of his height complex, it’s moments like THESE wherein he wishes that he were at least stronger. Being able to catch her would be sweetly idyllic, but there’s really no way around it, is there? He wraps his arms around her securely but falls nonetheless, as is essentially DESTINED, but he finds that he doesn’t really mind.

                                    His grin could split his face in two as they land.

                   The fact that he loves her is known by essentially everyone. Yuugi knows that he has never been particularly good at hiding it, and never really cared to, either. She is EFFERVESCENT in her everything and he adores her for it, as he has since the very first day that they met. There is a magnetic quality to her and he is but a man who has been caught up in her. And he doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he is incandescently happy, here.

                ❝ It feels like it’s been —— forever, ❞ every moment they are apart feels like an eternity and perhaps that is what love means. He grins, soft and cherishing and brushes her hair behind her ear, cupping her jaw. Sweet. Disgustingly in love.

@apricotheart

[sadismfull-blog]

       DIVINE DOVE THAT STOOD BEFORE THE RAVEN ; does she dare step forrward & speak ? he no longer needed the body OF HIS HOST , now his own walking about ever so freely as she did . regardless , he smiles before a low chuckle akin to a viper ‘ s hiss leaves him . “ & i don ‘ t quite recall your name . you were never that important . “     /     @apricotheart

[moraeshigae-blog]

04.

in a separate verse that i've been working on, this custom MC is pregnant with her ex's child. minji is nearing the end of her first trimester when she joins the RFA. she hasn't told anyone in the RFA about her pregnancy and is actually terrified of what the others will do or say. after all, since the RFA is under constant threat, minji has decided to keep quiet and to herself. EVENTUALLY, she'll let someone in the RFA know (depending on who's route). the first person she'd confide in would be jaehee and she'd beg her to keep it a secret from everyone in the RFA. even though minji knows that there is a possibility that 707 might find out, she won't tell him out right until she's more comfortable.

[danceloved]

@apricotheart

            ❝ Moooooooom, ❞ his voice is dangerously close to plaintive and his eyes are wide and he’s doing his best I’m an angel and have done nothing wrong ever impression. Within STANDARD SITUATIONS he would never employ such tactics but. Listen. The cat in his arms is the cutest thing and he’s allowed to be a little whiny with his mom, right? Right. Totally right. ( gotta be as innocent as possible so that vein in her head doesn’t pop up !! )  ❝ I swear this isn’t at all what it looks like. Honestly. ❞

[shacchou]

     @apricotheart  ||  continued from ( x )

     Kaiba knew it was only a matter of time before he heard from Anzu again. Considering that determined disposition of hers, Seto wouldn’t have been surprised had she flown all the way to Japan and showed up unannounced at his company’s headquarters, demanding to speak with him. It seemed, though, that she chose a more low-profile way of contacting him— by threatening his secretary over the phone.

     He listened to her, making no attempt at interrupting her despite the fact that he wanted to. Her words sounded like desperate rambling, her voice reverberating through his surroundings from the phone’s speaker. It was only when she, at last, went silent, that he spoke.

     ❛  Did you consider for even a second that by giving them a statement you were only playing into their game ?  I thought you were smarter than that, Mazaki.  ❜  Honestly, did she think that by denying the story they would just leave her alone ?  Hell, even if he went out of his way to release a statement, the rumors would not cease until either a new scandal proved more lucrative, or legal action was taken. And truth be told, the second option seemed unlikely in this particular scenario. He had seen the photo. It had been taken at the precise moment, and from an advantageous angle. Anyone who looked at it was bound to assume they were a couple, especially given the fact that never before had any photo of him kissing a woman seen the light of day ( even if it was only on the cheek ). He didn’t think such a photo of him even existed before that night. He was not only extremely discreet when it came to matters of said nature, but always took several precautions to avoid any repercussions that stemmed from those rare nights that he spent with a woman.

     He had been careless this time, that much he was painfully aware of. Perhaps exactly because there was nothing between him and Mazaki. He had only assisted her in getting rid of some loser that wouldn’t take no for an answer. Truly, this was bound to become a new reason, alongside many others, that explained why he never bothered offering his assistance to anyone. 

     He sat back against his seat, already starting to feel the impending approach of a headache. His hand reached for his temples, massaging them for a moment before he was forced to swallow the growl that threatened to escape past his lips. Yes, it was definitely a headache. 

     ❛  Is that what you think I do ?  Toss money at whatever problem comes my way and watch as it miraculously disappears ?  ❜  He could silence various media outlets in Japan through the means of his influence, that much was true. But overseas ?  A few, perhaps. But not all of them. Though the American branch of his company was thriving and expanding, its creation was still recent. That was exactly why he was often traveling to New York, to begin with— almost twice a month as of late. As for releasing a statement, that option was almost immediately discarded. What was he to say ?  That he was pretending to be her partner for just a second ?  Right. Because that sounded so convincing. 

     There was, of course, another option. She wasn’t going to like it, though. But well, she had asked him to do something. Not that he was keen on helping her, but he supposed he owed her at least that much considering that he did sort of cause this entire mess.

     ❛  I can have a few members of my PR team fly to New York tomorrow. They would see to it that all press inquiries are channeled through them. That should, at least, keep these reporters at bay.  ❜  He paused. Then came the unattractive part.  ❛  But the fact that you would be backed by my team would not pass unnoticed. So if I do this, we would be more or less confirming the press’ story.  ❜  To her it might seem an unlikely solution, but he was hardly concerned. He knew how this entire thing worked— had been subjected to it plenty of times. The press had one aim: to sell a story. But there was no story to sell here. They were on opposite sides of the world. And even when the time came to travel back to America, there would be no such thing as more photographs of them, simply because they would not ever be seen together. Nothing. Without any new material, the public was bound to lose interest. Billionaires were hardly seen as the type to hold steady relationships, anyway. And so, the story would simply die out on its own sooner rather than later.