Photography, strictly speaking, isn’t Yugi’s favorite medium. He’s always been told he has a good eye and a unique way of seeing things, but he much prefers calling images out of nothing with paints and pastels than trying to capture the beauty in real things to convey it to other people through a camera lens.
And it doesn’t help that he’s not really tall enough to get the shots he wants, but no one needs to know that.
Still, his final project for his photography class looms in front of him, so he dutifully takes his camera with him wherever he goes for a week and a half, trying to get some good shots.
He takes pictures of the duck pond he passes on his way to his favorite bakery, capturing the way the sunlight sparkles on the water and the way the ducks squabble over crusts and crumbs of bread. He takes pictures of the spread of food at Sunday dinner with Atem and Mahaad, and a few of his brothers themselves, including one especially good one of the two of them smiling at each other over cups of tea that he thinks about having framed and gifting to them for Christmas. Yugi gets shots of his classmates and the disarray of his room, his own hand, splattered with paint, and the fall of Duke’s hair over his shoulders when he shakes out his high ponytail one night. He captures the mess on the kitchen table while Tristan works on Switch mods, highlighting the many tiny screws and bits of plastic that go into the work and the way Tristan’s large hands cradle them gently.
That sort of sets him on the path he wants. Hands are important. For holding, for working. Some are rough, some are smooth, and Yugi can identify each of his friends and family members by the way their hands move.
It’s easier after that. He gets Joey, smashing buttons on a controller while he plays Soul Calibur with Tristan. Duke, rolling dice in his palm absent mindedly with the sun streaming into the living room. Atem, marking a place in his book with a finger while he pets an insistent Mau. Mahaad, rolling out the dough for roti, fingers dusted with flour. Grandpa, moving a chess piece confidently with hands than shake a little in his old age. Seto, fingers poised above the board as he considers his next move carefully.
Seto has the best hands is Yugi’s not so secret thought. They’re elegant and slender, like the man himself, and move with competence. He has so many shots of Seto’s hands, it borders on fetish-y, and Yugi blushes when he scrolls through the camera roll.
Seto typing, Seto stirring coffee, Seto making tea, Seto gesturing during a phone call, Seto rubbing a headache from his temple.
He has a mental folder of other snapshots that he wouldn’t dare commit to film of Seto’s hands on him. In his hair, at the small of his back, sliding over his ass, skimming between his legs...
His mind wanders a little bit while he sits at the desktop in Seto’s office, using the good editing software to put his project together.
Seto himself comes wandering in, cup in hand, and he settles it in front of Yugi, startling him out of his thoughts. The warm, spicy scent of the saigon chai he likes best curls up to his nose and Yugi tilts his head back to smile up at Seto. “Thank you.”
“Of course. You’ve been working hard in here.”
Yugi makes a face. “Editing is the worst part. I keep second guessing myself.”
The picture on the screen is one of his own hand, small and clutching a paintbrush. The fingers are smudged with charcoal, and it’s mostly monotone save for the splash of color on the brush and a blob of purple paint right on his thumb. It’s an accidental composition, but he likes it. He thinks.
“It looks good, Yugi,” Seto says, leaning down to get a better look. “You’re amazing at design. Trust your eye.”
He smiles at that because he knows Seto Kaiba doesn’t give empty compliments, not even to him. “Okay. You’re right. Thank you.”
Seto drops a kiss to the top of his head. He goes and settles on the couch on the other side of the room, Yugi’s usual spot where he sketches while Seto works on the computer. It’s an odd flip flop, but he likes the company. It helps him to have Seto’s calming presence there, and he gets through another chunk of pictures, feeling pretty good about the work he’s doing.
The next image is one of Seto’s hands, and he smiles. It’s of Seto typing, and even though the image is still, it’s almost possible to feel the frenetic energy of the speed Seto can type at when he’s in the zone. His fingers seem to dance over the keyboard, in motion even though they aren’t, and Yugi feels particularly proud of capturing something like that.
“Is that my hand?” Seto asks from behind him, and Yugi scrunches his nose, but nods.
“Yeah. There’s a lot of you in here, actually.”
Seto laughs softly. “Are you getting kinky with your homework, Yugi?” Of course he already knows how Yugi feels about his hands.
“No,” he insists, turning his head so he can stick his tongue out at him. “But if you want, we can get kinky when I’m done with my homework.”
Seto smiles, and it’s warm and full of promise, and Yugi doesn’t tell him there are definitely some shots he’s keeping for his own...personal use.
Finally watched some Voltron! I'm 3 episodes in and I like it so far. I like all of the main guys too much to pick a favorite, but Lance reminds me of Sokka from atla. I love Pidge's humor and Shiro's levelheadedness. I don't really get why Hunk chose a career in space if he gets motionsickness, but he seems nice so far. And omg Keith's actor is Glenn from The Walking Dead! 😍
It’s a hot day in the tent, and Yugi has to keep wiping his brow while he works on icing his biscuits. Decorating isn’t his strong point, and every time one of his lines goes wonky, he blows out an irritated breath and tries to reset.
He didn’t do well in the technical. His Viennese Whirls landed him in fifth place out of six, and if he doesn’t do well in the showstopper, he worries he’s going home, no matter how good his signature was. It makes his hands shake, and he mutters a curse when he messes up the decoration for the fifth time.
Usually he does well under pressure, but with the heat and the stress, he feels like he’s going to crack.
“Just finish,” he mumbles to himself. “Just finish, Yugi.”
If he goes home, he knows his family will still be proud of him, but he’ll be disappointed in himself.
Noel calls the ten minute warning, and Yugi wants to cry. There’s still so much to do. The biscuits are nearly done, but then he still has to arrange them so they look like they belong in a bakery window. At this rate, he’ll be lucky if he gets all of them on the tray at all.
He blows his bangs out of his face and cracks on.
“Five minutes, bakers!”
Yugi’s so close. He’s so close. Half of his biscuits are on the tray, arranged neatly, but the other half are still spread out in a mess. If he presents less than the thirty-six biscuits they asked for, Paul’s going to rake him over the coals. He’s made Yugi cry more than once in the last six weeks, and he doesn’t want to add today to the list.
His hands are still shaking.
“Yugi.”
Seto’s soft voice is easily recognizable, but Yugi doesn’t have time to chat with him. Of course his meticulously arranged display is already done, and Yugi spares a second to wonder if those long fingers make things easier.
“Hi,” he says, breathlessly. “I’m having a crisis, sorry.”
“I noticed. What can I do to help?”
Yugi blinks, surprised. In the last few weeks they’ve been forging something of a friendship, but Seto’s not chatty or warm by any means, really. He keeps to himself for the most part, though he sometimes lets Yugi bring him tea or comfort him when he’s stressed in the tent. Yugi feels privileged to be allowed that close, honestly. And he needs the help.
“Can you just start arranging them on the tray, please? It doesn’t even matter if they’re neat at this point. I just need them on.”
“Got it.”
And Seto sets to work, putting the same amount of precision and skill into arranging Yugi’s biscuits as he did his own. It’s a godsend, and miraculously, Yugi finishes on time.
When he presents his tray, his feedback is good. His flavors are excellent, and even though the biscuits themselves are a bit messy, the display is lovely. He’s safe, and through to the next week, and he feels like his knees are going to give out.
Seto gets star baker, thanks to coming first in the technical and his stunning biscuit display, and Yugi’s proud of him. He leans in and whispers a “Well done,” and is pleased to see a little smile on the usually stoic face.
As usual, they cluster around to congratulate each other and wish the person going home well, but Seto keeps himself a bit apart, also as usual.
Yugi moves over to him, smiling softly. “Thank so much for your help, Seto. I’d be going home now if it wasn’t for your help.”
“I doubt it. Your flavors would’ve carried you through.”
“Maybe. But still. You saved me, and I really appreciate it.”
“It was no problem.”
It’s classic Seto as Yugi is coming to know him, and it makes him smile. “I’ll see you next weekend.” He turns to go, ready to call Atem and Mahaad and tell them he’s made it through another week.
Seto’s voice calling his name makes him turn back. “You’re welcome,” he says, sounding like he’s surprised to be saying it. “I was happy to help. Have a good week.”
Yugi’s smile widens. “You too, Seto. Don’t practice too hard and forget to eat. That sounds like something you’d do.”
To his surprise, Seto smiles back at him. “Maybe. I’ll do my best.”
It’s still kind of weird to be sitting in the stands watching a duel, even after all these years. Yugi sits next to Seto, who’s watching the duel with rapt attention and pride in his eyes.
Their daughter Lily is on one side of the arena, only twelve years old now, but already dueling against people twice and three times her age.
Considering who her parents are, it makes sense.
Yugi bursts with pride for her while he watches. She’s calculating, like Seto, always thinking several moves ahead, but she duels with a passion that Yugi only knows as the Heart of the Cards, and she has a love and respect for the game that Yugi tried to pass on from his Grandpa.
Her deck is a mix of things, whatever she’s currently into, and Yugi smiles to himself when she plays the Dark Magician Girl, a card he’d passed on to her.
The crowd is loving their match, of course. Yugi and Seto are dueling royalty as the former (and sometimes still reigning) King of Games and the inventor of the duel disk (and every other major innovation in the game), and Lily is a rising star.
Her opponent seems less happy about it, and Yugi frowns when he spews a tirade about her being a child and how he’s going to send her back to kindergarten.
The camera pans to Lily to get her reaction, and captures perfectly when she smiles, blue eyes bright and says “I might be young, but you’re a third rate duelist with a fourth rate deck” and then plays another card.
The crowd explodes with cheering and laughter, and Yugi sighs deeply before leveling a look at his husband.
“Really, Seto?”
Seto can’t even muster an innocent expression, and even if he could, it wouldn’t fool anyone. “I’m so proud of her, Yugi,” he says, beaming, and Yugi rolls his eyes.
He’s the one who’s meant to be keeping stuff like that in line, because as much as he loves Seto now, there was definitely a reason the irritating man didn’t have any friends when they were younger. Quips like that were pretty high on the list.
But there’s no malice in Lily’s tone when she says it. She’s still bright eyed and radiating her joy and love of the game, so Yugi isn’t too upset. And her opponent could do with being taken down a notch, so. He’ll have a word with her about trash talk and being a good sport, and then another word with Seto about not teaching their daughter his particular skill of tearing people apart with words, but for the moment, he enjoys watching the duel and the feeling of warmth his family gives him.
Duke has always been vain about his appearance. It’s one of those things like his intelligence that he sort of expects people to recognize and respect, so he’s always worked to make them stand out. He has a beauty regimen and really doesn’t give a fuck how that sounds to people. No one looks good with dry skin (Joey), and he’ll be damned if he lets his acne ridden teenage years make a return.
When he decided to grow his hair long, he knew that it would have to get added to the regimen. A quick wash in the shower didn’t cut it anymore, and so organic botanical shampoos and deep conditioners joined the creams and oils and tonics on his shelf in the bathroom.
When Serenity dubbed it ‘princess hair’ after seeing him with it down one night, Duke had just shrugged and decided to go with it. Of all of them living in the house, he’s the most princess like (Yugi’s a little king, everyone knows that, and Joey and Tristan are like the court jesters because good grief), so sure.
On top of that, there’s something about the way Tristan looks at him when his hair is down.
It’s a heat, but it’s not all sexual. There’s fondness and affection in there, too, and Duke’s still trying to work out how he feels about that. Good, he thinks.
He likes when Tristan works his fingers into his hair while they’re kissing. Likes when he strokes it back from Duke’s face and smiles at him. Really likes when he gets a good hold on it and pushes Dukes head lower down...
Anyway.
It’s not easy being this good looking, but it sure as hell pays off.
“My brother has a human, you know,” Yugi says casually while he inspects the chess board, weighing the options of his next move.
“What do you mean he has a human?” Seto asks, sounding bewildered. “Like a pet?”
Yugi looks up quickly, shaking his head. “No, no. Well. Some of the others think it’s like that. But they’re companions. Mahaad is my brother’s...partner, I think you’d call it.”
“Oh. I didn’t know demons did that.”
“They don’t usually. Not with humans, at least.” Yugi smiles. “But my brother’s never really cared about what anyone else thinks.”
He finally moves a piece, choosing to scoot his bishop further up the board. Seto has eyes like a hawk, brilliant blue and always keen, and he steeples his fingers, taking it all in. There’s something about that gaze that Yugi really likes. He has eyes so bright they’re almost like a demon’s, and his face has interesting lines in it, especially when he’s concentrating.
Yugi can understand his brother’s fascination, he thinks. Mahaad is wonderful and amazing, but humans are curious creatures overall. Demons tend to fall into pretty easy categories, acting on their instincts more than anything else. It could be because Yugi grew up with demons--he is a demon--but humans are just so much more interesting.
Especially Seto.
His face is impassive when he moves his rook and then looks up at Yugi, challenge clear in his eyes.
It calls to Yugi, makes his sit up straighter in his chair, tail twitching like mad. This is a human game, but easy enough to understand. He can tell that in two more moves, Seto will be able to check his king if he does what Yugi thinks he’ll do, and he’s fairly certain he will. Seto goes for the win, but he’s also adaptable, so Yugi doesn’t get complacent just yet.
“Does your brother know you’re coming up here to play chess with me?” Seto asks, and Yugi wrinkles his nose and keeps his eyes on the board.
“Not technically. Not yet. I mean. He probably knows because he knows everything, but I haven’t talked to him about it.”
“Why not?”
It’s a good question. Yugi never hides anything from Atem, and he’s not sure why this is different. He wouldn’t be mad. Worried, probably, but not angry. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t know what to tell Atem. He’s going to the human world, spending time with a human, he’s...what? He has...feelings for a human. That sounds so stupid. Seto’s a rich, powerful man, and Yugi’s a wayward demon who has no idea what he’s doing with his life. Atem’s the king of all the demons, and Yugi’s his heir, but honestly? He’d rather be up here, playing chess with Seto.
“I don’t know,” he answers, glancing up at Seto. “I’ll tell him.”
“I mean, you don’t have to. If you think he wouldn’t approve of this. Of me. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“I won’t get in trouble. And you’re wonderful, what’s not to approve of?”
Seto smiles at him, and Yugi has to wrap his tail around the legs of the chair so he doesn’t stretch it out to reach for Seto.
The first time Yugi sits in the cockpit of a real ship, it’s a magical experience. He has more logged hours in the sim than anyone else in his class, but there’s something about knowing that he’s behind the controls of an actual ship that can move and fly and take him to the stars that just floors him. He spends a reverent moment staring at the dash, taking it all in.
Strictly speaking, he’s not supposed to be here. He’s the youngest in this flight squad by a large margin, and underclassmen never get this close to real ships this early.
But Yugi is special. Not because Atem was a legend before he got injured, but because Yugi logged the scores to prove himself. It burns with a fierce pride in his chest to know that he’s good enough, beyond good enough, even, on his own merit to get this far.
Today, they’re just going over the basics. Flying in formation, holding a steady hover, accelerating and stopping sharp, banking to avoid harmless light cannon blasts.
It’s stuff he’s done a million times in the sim, but doing it and actually feeling the ship respond is amazing.
He’s flying.
Seto, their flight leader and Yugi’s newly minted mentor (who he’s still not sure likes him, but that’s something to worry about when he’s back on the ground) calls out orders over their comm links, relaying the instructions he’s getting from their professor.
“Raise to five hundred, arrow formation,” he says in his crisp tones, and Yugi exhales slowly. He wraps his fingers around the twin sticks that control his ship and keeps an eye on his dials, raising up in a perfect line with the other four ships in their line before fanning out to take a spot in the middle of the left wing of their arrowhead formation.
There are five ships to a flight squad, and as flight leader, Seto’s smack dab in the middle. This is the formation that they’ll take to enter battles, streaking towards the enemy like an arrow let loose, ready to defend their home. There’s a long way to go before they’re really ready to take on a threat head on, but this is the first step. This is the start.
They practice for the next four hours before dropping back down to the landing bay where their professor waits. Seto’s the first one out of his ship, jumping out with a graceful hop that has to hurt his knees. Yugi, with his shorter legs, opts to use the ladder.
“That was clean flying,” Professor Adams says, nodding to them all. “But it only gets harder from here. From here on out, you will log hours in your ship instead of the simulator. You’ll fly every day, and at the end of the month, you’ll be tested to see how you’ve improved. If you fall below a certain score, you’ll be removed from the squad. There’s no shame in that. Flight isn’t for everyone, and we need comm operators and mechanics just as much as we need pilots. Above all, this is about your safety and the safety of your squad. If you can’t keep up, you’ll be a danger, and we have enough dangers out there.” She gestures to the clear dome that separates them from space. “Is that understood?”
“Yes, Professor,” they all echo back, and she nods.
“Good. Then I’ll see you all bright and early tomorrow.”
They’ve been dismissed, and Yugi lets out another breath, exhilarated and exhausted all at the same time. He happens to look over and catch a glimpse of Seto’s face, set into determined lines. Yugi doesn’t have to be a mind reader to know what he’s thinking. There’s no way he’d be satisfied being anything other than a pilot, and the top one at that.
Probably that’s why it feels like he doesn’t like Yugi. No one expected someone to knock S. Kaiba out of the top spot, but then Yugi came along and did just that.
Yugi wants to explain that he hadn’t done it out of some need to be on top. He wants to explain that he feels alive in the sim, when he’s dodging asteroids and outrunning simulated enemies. He wants to tell him that the scores don’t really mean anything, but that isn’t actually true, is it? His score got him in this class, after all.
Still. There’s a lot Yugi wants to say to his mentor, but instead he just smiles at him and heads for his room to get in a shower before dinner.
