Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Friends and Lovers ❯ Chapter6 ( Chapter 6 )

Friends and Lovers

by Dragondreamer and Yami Dragon

DD: This story is turning out to be more than I had planned.

YD: Ignore her. She's grumpy today.

Joey: Anything I can do to help?

DD: *jumps Joey* Oh yeah!

Yami: `dreamer, please. You're going to scar Yugi for life.

Yugi: Like you already haven't?

Seto: Can we just get on with it please?

Tristan: Yeah, I don't want to prolong this torture any longer than necessary.

Bakura: These ladies still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 6

~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Bakura!" Seto shouted. "How do you want your steak?"

Bakura didn't even pause from the task of trying to relieve his hikari of his shirt. "Just knock the horns off it and run it through a warm room."

"I should have guessed." Seto muttered, hearing Yugi make a slight gagging sound.

Observing his friends, he smiled to himself.

Yami and Yugi were curled together in a chair on the veranda talking quietly. Joey lay on his back beneath a tree staring up through the branches with his trademark blank look while Tristan manned the barbeque. Ryou and Bakura were leaning against the fountain, making out like the world was about to end. Again.

Life was good.

Until he met the blood red stare of the Pharaoh.

"Something you need Yami?"

"Actually, I'd like to speak to you. Inside." He gently tipped his smaller half from his lap and strode through the kitchen door, not waiting to see if Seto followed. Seto did, not noticing that Yugi followed too, only to stop just over the threshold.

"What's up?" Seto asked, leaning against the table, as was his custom.

Yami came directly to the point. "What's going on between you and Tristan?"

"What do you mean?"

"The rest of us are not unaware that you've been sleeping together and…"

"So? What's that got to do with anything? We're best friends and we enjoy each other in bed." Seto was getting defensive.

"Let me finish." Yami held up a hand, forestalling him. "What I mean is whenever Tristan gets one of those cryptic calls from you, you end up with an injury." His gaze went to Seto's still swollen lip.

"I told you guys, I went to the gym to box today and I didn't have my gear."

"I'd believe that Seto, if you weren't bleeding." His hand went to Seto's T-shirt where there was blood seeping into the material just below the collar. Seto flushed.

"Seto, if there's something going on, we'd like to help. We're your friends." His hand moved up to squeeze Seto's shoulder. Seto's breath hissed between clenched teeth as he pulled away.

Yami's eyes narrowed. "Take off your shirt."

"Yami, it's nothing…"

"Now." The deep voice held a note of command.

Flushing again, Seto stripped off his shirt. That's when he became aware of Yugi.

"Seto! Oh gods!" It came out in a squeak. "Please tell me Tristan didn't do this to you!"

Guilt overwhelmed him as he looked into Yugi's huge, tear-filled eyes. "Yugi." Try as he might, he couldn't find the right words.

Yami raised his hand again, letting it hover over the dark bruise. His eyes went to the mark on Seto's upper chest.

"Tell us." The commanding note was gone from Yami's voice.

"I don't know if I can." Seto whispered, not meeting his eyes.

"Seto, please." Yugi was standing in front of him, hands held out, pleading.

"Don't be mad at Tristan. I asked for this. I needed it."

"I don't understand." Yami frowned.

"I don't either." Seto stared at his feet. "It's just…sometimes I get overwhelmed, it gets to be too much and I need it."

Yami still wasn't sure exactly what it was Seto was trying to tell them, but he felt now was not the time to press the issue. He sent this thought across the link to Yugi and felt his agreement.

"You won't say anything, will you?"

"No, my friend, we won't." Yami replied. "But in time we will have to talk about this."

Yugi launched himself at Seto, wrapping his arms around his waist, squeezing hard and sobbing. "We're always here for you Seto."

"Thanks little man." He said, hugging Yugi back.

~*~*~

The sun was going down in a magnificent blaze of pink and lavender.

Yugi, Yami and Joey were sitting on the grass watching the display.

Bakura had dragged Ryou off into the small boxwood maze about twenty minutes ago and from the sounds coming from that direction, Seto guessed it didn't matter to them that they were probably lost in the twisted green corridors.

He leaned against Tristan, feeling the need for physical, human contact.

"They know."

"Who knows?" Tristan stiffened, instinctively knowing what Seto was talking about.

"Yami and Yugi. Don't worry. They're not mad at you."

Tristan turned on the bench where they were sitting so he could look Seto directly in the eye. "I don't care about that. How did they find out?"

Seto told Tristan what had happened that afternoon. "I think Yami knew something was going on." He finished.

"And Yugi?"

Pain glanced over Seto's features. "He took it pretty hard."

Tristan reached for his hand. "What are you going to do?"

"Yami wants me to talk about it. I don't think he's giving me a choice."

"What do you think makes you need that Seto?"

"I don't know." Seto looked down at their clasped hands.

"I think you're lying."

Seto looked surprised. "What makes you say that?"

"You never look me in the eye when you say it."

"Maybe if…" Seto's voice cracked. "Maybe if I had someone. Someone who really loved me, you know, like Yami has Yugi. But there's not much chance of that. Who'd put up with my life? I don't know." He shrugged, sighing.

"Seto. I'm sorry." Tristan gave the hand in his a squeeze.

"You've got that chance Tristan. Don't give it up. You've got to tell Joey how you feel."

Now it was Tristan's turn to look surprised. "You knew?"

"I'd have to be blind not to, it's pretty obvious. Except maybe to Joey. The mutt's never been the sharpest knife in the drawer."

Tristan snickered.

"Talk to him Tristan. You'll never know until you try."

"I'm scared."

"I know. But the Tristan I know has never backed down from a challenge."

"Can someone come get us out of this Ra-damned maze?" Bakura's voice called.

"We're coming!" Yugi yanked his dark half up and bounded off laughing. Yami followed at a more dignified pace, leaving Joey alone.

"Go." Seto gave Tristan a shove. "Now's a good a time as any."

Swallowing his fear, Tristan stood and walked slowly towards Joey who was watching the last streaks of colour leave the sky.

~*~*~

Ryou: Oh gods! You're not going to just leave it like that, are you?!

YD: MWAHAHAHA!!

DD: Give us a break Ryou. We were up half the night writing that!

Bakura: Evil. Pure evil. Ra, I love you guys!

Joey: I suppose I'm going to get tortured in the next chapter.

DD: You'll just have to wait and see love.

YD: *snickers*