Categories > Anime/Manga > Yu-Gi-Oh! > [ Bend and Not Break ] [ A Seto Kaiba Story ]
You quickly smooth away a few flyway hairs and try to wipe away the smudges of sticky grease from your cheek, but from Keade's look, you probably managed to paint your entire face black. Kaede looks no better, so you feel satisfied, as her whole face turns horribly red with embarrassment. "That's not the guy that comes in to the coffee shop, is it?"
"If you mean the guy whom you speculated on his abilities in the sack, of course it is." The car neatly comes to a stop before you, and a brown haired head pokes out the driver's side.
"Problem, ladies?" The guy's smirk is so big you wonder if he practices in the mirror at home to perfect that utter look of snobbishness and amusement at other's people's problems.
You tug instinctively at your too-short dress and ignore his playful sneer. Kaede seems to need a bucket; you discreetly nudge her with your elbow to snap out of her drooling state and tap your foot impatiently, "My car...it ran over--"
Kaede jumps in and goes, "Oh, my gosh, she was driving and yelling and then she ran over some glass and we were all like 'AHH!' and..." The silence that follows her outburst lasts for a few seconds; you can hear crickets chirping in the background, the ironic music that plays for Kaede performance. Immediately, she reddens her face turning an ill looking puce.
"Ahem," the man's slight, deliberate cough breaks the uncomfortable quiet. Kaede turns away, still looking as though she had a tomato for a head, and you roll your eyes to the guy. He catches your gaze, and remarks, "Are you capable of going through one day without a disaster?"
Apparently, these are his words of comfort. You fume, "I've had my fill of idiots for tonight, thank you."
His smirk softens, and he proceeds to get out of his car. "So, what's the problem this time?" You sigh and motion to the car.
"Some glass punctured the tire, and I don't have a spare."
He raises an eyebrow and starts to roll up the sleeves of his shirt, as he sets his coat down on the hood of his car. "How bad is the damage?"
"Pretty bad, I would say, considering the tire is now a deflated piece of rubber," you growl. He doesn't reply, instead sends you a tart glare. You sigh yet again, "I've had a rough night."
His eyes run over your body, checking how short and fitting your dress was, "I would say."
You angrily pull down on the frayed ends, and mutter, "Why did you stop? You aren't exactly being helpful."
To your utter amazement, he takes off his coat and sweeps it over your shoulders. "Am I being helpful now?" Despite yourself, you smile. You catch sight of Kaede out of the corner of your eye. She looks completely jealous at the attention the man was paying to you; you can almost see the steam coming out of her ears. You resist the temptation to stick out your tongue in mockery and turn back to him.
The man sniggers, drawing your attention back to him. "You're getting upset because of this car? I didn't know they actually made this model anymore," he taunts, and you whirl around.
"So your idea for entertainment tonight was to stop and make fun of innocent people?!"
He lazily looks over you again and simply replies, "Well, if it's free..."
You shrug off his coat and angrily thrust it back at him. "I can do without your favors." Kaede has now migrated to the other side of your car; she knew you were going blow up at any second, and she wants to get out of the line of fire. You glare contemptuously at him, feeling a bit foolish. Now what are you going to do? You couldn't very well walk off, as you are stranded on an empty street, so instead, you turn your back on him and start to walk towards to car, to see if you can somehow fix it yourself.
He suddenly grabs your wrist, and pulls you back to him, before pushing something into your hand. "Here's a phone for calling that tow truck you didn't think of calling," he says smugly.
You glower at him with all the disdain you can manage, and angrily dial in the number, as your eyes flick to Kaede, remembering that she had carried her phone. You talk for a few minutes on his phone, and then hand it back, smiling weakly, "Thanks."
He pockets it and says idly, "Do you want a ride or do you want to stay here and wait for the tow truck?" A sneer plays in his lips, "But I'm sure if you want to stay here the drivers wont mind."
You blush and self-consciously fix your dress. "You're acting like an asshole, so why are you trying to help me?"
He doesn't answer your question, but retaliates with one of his own. "Do you want a ride or not?" You swing your eyes to Kaede, and you recognize the glare in her gaze. If you decline the man's offer, Kaede will never let you live it down.
"Sure, we would love to!" Kaede chirps in, and you keep from gaping at her.
The man raises an eyebrow and glances at you, and you're forced to accept. "If it's not too much trouble for you," you smile. He sends a look to Kaede, who grins weakly and slinks behind you.
"Okay, let's get going," he grunts, and Kaede's face falls into a mad glower as he opens the car door for you. You blink in surprise, but slip in, leaving Kaede to struggle with the back door. He quickly goes around his car and jumps into his seat. "Ready?" without waiting for a reply, he zooms into the dark night.
You sit in the silence for a few minutes, and gently start to massage your aching temples. Kaede gasps from the backseat, "____, don't do that! You'll get wrinkles!"
You twist in your seat to glare at her, and beside you the man quips, "I think I see a few already." You roll your eyes, and he clears his throat, "Who shall I drop off first?"
You immediately answer, "Kaede." You see Kaede stick out her tongue in the rearview mirror, and you smirk. You catch his eye, and he gives you a 'thank you' look.
After dropping a disgruntled Kaede at her door, he turns the car around and heads to your place. You don't bother to converse, and neither does he. But somehow, you feel like you want to speak to him. So you turn to him, and smile. "You know what I've just realized?" you ask suddenly, breaking the silence, as he flicks his blue gaze to you for a moment.
"What?"
"I've been receiving all these favors from you, you know where I live, but I don't even know your name."
His glower fades, slightly. "I thought you might have known already. But in case you haven't figured it out, it's Seto."
You frown slightly at his condescending tone, and say, sarcastically. "Thanks for everything, Seto." He doesn't answer, but lets his sneer reply. You sigh, "Why are you doing all these favors for me anyway?"
At this he simply replies, "I have my reasons." There's a slight crisp quality to his retort, signaling that the conversation is over.
A few tense minutes later, he pulls up smoothly in front of your apartment. "Thanks for the ride. Again." You say, as you start to get out of the car, eager to get out of the presence of Seto.
He grasps your hand quickly, making you jerk back slightly towards him. "Wait a minute."
"Will you stop doing that?!" You snap, and glare at him. You remember the first time he gave you a ride home, and it ended sort of like this.
"Look, at least let me walk you to your apartment." He says, with a mischievous glance in his blue sapphires.
You feel your harsh look fade away at his softer look, and you smile faintly. "Fine."
He gets out of the car as you do, and walks up the stairs with you, his hand slightly brushing your waist as he strides next to you. You wince in pain, from the stilettos that Kaede talked you into wearing. "Ouch..." You whisper, reaching down to adjust the strap on your shoes, and wishing you could kick them off and hurl them into the bushes to never see them again.
"Tonight isn't your night, is it?" He asks, with a grin on his lips.
"No, but these shoes make it a dozen times better." You grouse, digging into your purse, and as you near your door, a soft jingle is heard. The stairway is dark, and you grumpily realize that you've dropped your keys. You lean down, and feel around for them, and as you do, your fingertips brush against his.
"Here." He says, handing you the keys and straightening up.
"Thanks..." You reply, and unlock the door.
"I don't think a free coffee is going to do as a thank you, this time." He says, with teasing smile, as he leans against the wall, to gaze at you.
You give him a look, but end up gazing right back at him. With a raised eyebrow, you fix his coat, and he nears you. "I smell like a car mechanic. I don't think a good night kiss would be appropriate, either."
He leans in, pushing you against the banister, as his hands rest on your hips. "If you smelled like a mechanic, I don't think I'd walk you up the stairs." He wipes a little bit of car oil from your cheek, and you feel his arms snake around your waist. "What do you think would be appropriate?"
You smile to yourself, and wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him in, closer. "How about a free coffee, and a goodnight kiss?"
"That sounds good to me." He whispers, as his nose brushes against yours. You feel tingles run up and down your spine in anticipation as he leans in to kiss you.
His lips barely brush against yours in a soft, sweet kiss, when a loud, obnoxious ring breaks the silence.
"Great timing." You laugh, and bring your hands to his chest. He rolls his eyes, as he's obviously annoyed, and reaches into his coat pocket to turn the phone off. As he does, he looks at it quickly to see who's calling. Then he looks back at you. "I should get going."
"All right. Thanks, again..." You say, and with a teasing smile you continue. "I'll make sure my friend gives you that coffee tomorrow."
He smirks, and then lets go of you. With a small smile, you watch him walk down the stairs with hardly a goodbye, and you feel heat radiating from your cheeks, as you unlock the door.
You flick the lights on and shut the door, with a tired slam. You take off your earrings, as you kick your shoes off, and trudge down the hallway for a shower. Just as you reach the entrance to your room, the phone rings, causing you to gasp. You pick up the cordless, and push the worn in button to talk.
"Hello?"
"____! Ohmygod, you have to tell me what happened!" Kaede's familiar, hysterical tone echoes through the phone.
"Kaede, let's think about this. You talked me into a girls night out, tricked me into a date, and set me up with one of the hugest pieces of crap that I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. And to top it all off, I was stuck with you for two hours with a flat tire, and to add insult to injury, you humiliated me, in front of that guy."
"...And?" She replies, unperturbed.
"Goodnight, Kaede. I'm going to bed." You growl, almost ready to hang up on her.
"____, admit it. You like him. Whoever he is." She says, with a self-assured tone.
"Whatever. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight, ____."
The phone clicks, and you set it back down on the charger, feeling awkwardly happy. Maybe tonight wasn't that much of a disaster, after all.
"If you mean the guy whom you speculated on his abilities in the sack, of course it is." The car neatly comes to a stop before you, and a brown haired head pokes out the driver's side.
"Problem, ladies?" The guy's smirk is so big you wonder if he practices in the mirror at home to perfect that utter look of snobbishness and amusement at other's people's problems.
You tug instinctively at your too-short dress and ignore his playful sneer. Kaede seems to need a bucket; you discreetly nudge her with your elbow to snap out of her drooling state and tap your foot impatiently, "My car...it ran over--"
Kaede jumps in and goes, "Oh, my gosh, she was driving and yelling and then she ran over some glass and we were all like 'AHH!' and..." The silence that follows her outburst lasts for a few seconds; you can hear crickets chirping in the background, the ironic music that plays for Kaede performance. Immediately, she reddens her face turning an ill looking puce.
"Ahem," the man's slight, deliberate cough breaks the uncomfortable quiet. Kaede turns away, still looking as though she had a tomato for a head, and you roll your eyes to the guy. He catches your gaze, and remarks, "Are you capable of going through one day without a disaster?"
Apparently, these are his words of comfort. You fume, "I've had my fill of idiots for tonight, thank you."
His smirk softens, and he proceeds to get out of his car. "So, what's the problem this time?" You sigh and motion to the car.
"Some glass punctured the tire, and I don't have a spare."
He raises an eyebrow and starts to roll up the sleeves of his shirt, as he sets his coat down on the hood of his car. "How bad is the damage?"
"Pretty bad, I would say, considering the tire is now a deflated piece of rubber," you growl. He doesn't reply, instead sends you a tart glare. You sigh yet again, "I've had a rough night."
His eyes run over your body, checking how short and fitting your dress was, "I would say."
You angrily pull down on the frayed ends, and mutter, "Why did you stop? You aren't exactly being helpful."
To your utter amazement, he takes off his coat and sweeps it over your shoulders. "Am I being helpful now?" Despite yourself, you smile. You catch sight of Kaede out of the corner of your eye. She looks completely jealous at the attention the man was paying to you; you can almost see the steam coming out of her ears. You resist the temptation to stick out your tongue in mockery and turn back to him.
The man sniggers, drawing your attention back to him. "You're getting upset because of this car? I didn't know they actually made this model anymore," he taunts, and you whirl around.
"So your idea for entertainment tonight was to stop and make fun of innocent people?!"
He lazily looks over you again and simply replies, "Well, if it's free..."
You shrug off his coat and angrily thrust it back at him. "I can do without your favors." Kaede has now migrated to the other side of your car; she knew you were going blow up at any second, and she wants to get out of the line of fire. You glare contemptuously at him, feeling a bit foolish. Now what are you going to do? You couldn't very well walk off, as you are stranded on an empty street, so instead, you turn your back on him and start to walk towards to car, to see if you can somehow fix it yourself.
He suddenly grabs your wrist, and pulls you back to him, before pushing something into your hand. "Here's a phone for calling that tow truck you didn't think of calling," he says smugly.
You glower at him with all the disdain you can manage, and angrily dial in the number, as your eyes flick to Kaede, remembering that she had carried her phone. You talk for a few minutes on his phone, and then hand it back, smiling weakly, "Thanks."
He pockets it and says idly, "Do you want a ride or do you want to stay here and wait for the tow truck?" A sneer plays in his lips, "But I'm sure if you want to stay here the drivers wont mind."
You blush and self-consciously fix your dress. "You're acting like an asshole, so why are you trying to help me?"
He doesn't answer your question, but retaliates with one of his own. "Do you want a ride or not?" You swing your eyes to Kaede, and you recognize the glare in her gaze. If you decline the man's offer, Kaede will never let you live it down.
"Sure, we would love to!" Kaede chirps in, and you keep from gaping at her.
The man raises an eyebrow and glances at you, and you're forced to accept. "If it's not too much trouble for you," you smile. He sends a look to Kaede, who grins weakly and slinks behind you.
"Okay, let's get going," he grunts, and Kaede's face falls into a mad glower as he opens the car door for you. You blink in surprise, but slip in, leaving Kaede to struggle with the back door. He quickly goes around his car and jumps into his seat. "Ready?" without waiting for a reply, he zooms into the dark night.
You sit in the silence for a few minutes, and gently start to massage your aching temples. Kaede gasps from the backseat, "____, don't do that! You'll get wrinkles!"
You twist in your seat to glare at her, and beside you the man quips, "I think I see a few already." You roll your eyes, and he clears his throat, "Who shall I drop off first?"
You immediately answer, "Kaede." You see Kaede stick out her tongue in the rearview mirror, and you smirk. You catch his eye, and he gives you a 'thank you' look.
After dropping a disgruntled Kaede at her door, he turns the car around and heads to your place. You don't bother to converse, and neither does he. But somehow, you feel like you want to speak to him. So you turn to him, and smile. "You know what I've just realized?" you ask suddenly, breaking the silence, as he flicks his blue gaze to you for a moment.
"What?"
"I've been receiving all these favors from you, you know where I live, but I don't even know your name."
His glower fades, slightly. "I thought you might have known already. But in case you haven't figured it out, it's Seto."
You frown slightly at his condescending tone, and say, sarcastically. "Thanks for everything, Seto." He doesn't answer, but lets his sneer reply. You sigh, "Why are you doing all these favors for me anyway?"
At this he simply replies, "I have my reasons." There's a slight crisp quality to his retort, signaling that the conversation is over.
A few tense minutes later, he pulls up smoothly in front of your apartment. "Thanks for the ride. Again." You say, as you start to get out of the car, eager to get out of the presence of Seto.
He grasps your hand quickly, making you jerk back slightly towards him. "Wait a minute."
"Will you stop doing that?!" You snap, and glare at him. You remember the first time he gave you a ride home, and it ended sort of like this.
"Look, at least let me walk you to your apartment." He says, with a mischievous glance in his blue sapphires.
You feel your harsh look fade away at his softer look, and you smile faintly. "Fine."
He gets out of the car as you do, and walks up the stairs with you, his hand slightly brushing your waist as he strides next to you. You wince in pain, from the stilettos that Kaede talked you into wearing. "Ouch..." You whisper, reaching down to adjust the strap on your shoes, and wishing you could kick them off and hurl them into the bushes to never see them again.
"Tonight isn't your night, is it?" He asks, with a grin on his lips.
"No, but these shoes make it a dozen times better." You grouse, digging into your purse, and as you near your door, a soft jingle is heard. The stairway is dark, and you grumpily realize that you've dropped your keys. You lean down, and feel around for them, and as you do, your fingertips brush against his.
"Here." He says, handing you the keys and straightening up.
"Thanks..." You reply, and unlock the door.
"I don't think a free coffee is going to do as a thank you, this time." He says, with teasing smile, as he leans against the wall, to gaze at you.
You give him a look, but end up gazing right back at him. With a raised eyebrow, you fix his coat, and he nears you. "I smell like a car mechanic. I don't think a good night kiss would be appropriate, either."
He leans in, pushing you against the banister, as his hands rest on your hips. "If you smelled like a mechanic, I don't think I'd walk you up the stairs." He wipes a little bit of car oil from your cheek, and you feel his arms snake around your waist. "What do you think would be appropriate?"
You smile to yourself, and wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him in, closer. "How about a free coffee, and a goodnight kiss?"
"That sounds good to me." He whispers, as his nose brushes against yours. You feel tingles run up and down your spine in anticipation as he leans in to kiss you.
His lips barely brush against yours in a soft, sweet kiss, when a loud, obnoxious ring breaks the silence.
"Great timing." You laugh, and bring your hands to his chest. He rolls his eyes, as he's obviously annoyed, and reaches into his coat pocket to turn the phone off. As he does, he looks at it quickly to see who's calling. Then he looks back at you. "I should get going."
"All right. Thanks, again..." You say, and with a teasing smile you continue. "I'll make sure my friend gives you that coffee tomorrow."
He smirks, and then lets go of you. With a small smile, you watch him walk down the stairs with hardly a goodbye, and you feel heat radiating from your cheeks, as you unlock the door.
You flick the lights on and shut the door, with a tired slam. You take off your earrings, as you kick your shoes off, and trudge down the hallway for a shower. Just as you reach the entrance to your room, the phone rings, causing you to gasp. You pick up the cordless, and push the worn in button to talk.
"Hello?"
"____! Ohmygod, you have to tell me what happened!" Kaede's familiar, hysterical tone echoes through the phone.
"Kaede, let's think about this. You talked me into a girls night out, tricked me into a date, and set me up with one of the hugest pieces of crap that I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. And to top it all off, I was stuck with you for two hours with a flat tire, and to add insult to injury, you humiliated me, in front of that guy."
"...And?" She replies, unperturbed.
"Goodnight, Kaede. I'm going to bed." You growl, almost ready to hang up on her.
"____, admit it. You like him. Whoever he is." She says, with a self-assured tone.
"Whatever. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight, ____."
The phone clicks, and you set it back down on the charger, feeling awkwardly happy. Maybe tonight wasn't that much of a disaster, after all.
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