For All Eternity

Seto was distinctly grumpy the next morning as he drank his coffee.


Seth was inches from punching walls. The only thing that stopped him was that Seto wouldn't appreciate the holes. "Where's food?" he muttered to Seto as he found him.


Seto glanced over the paper at him. "Big white thing over there called a fridge."


Seth blinked at him. Then at the big white thing he supposed he was referring to. This was something new. He walked over and grasped the apparent handle and opened it, and looked inside. Huh. He grabbed something then looked edible and fell into the chair across from Seto, glaring a the food as though it had done him a wrong.


Seto ignored him, trying to focus on the business section.


"..." Seth peeled at the bread. "Do you have anything like a sleeping potion around here?" he finally asked, still glaring.


"Sleeping pills? Yes, we do. Did you not sleep well?" Against his will, concern softened his voice.


He almost flinched at the concern. He'd rather have Seto sounding like he hated him. No, no he wouldn't... but it would be easier to accept that he didn't have a chance. Fucking dreams... "No, not really."


"There's some in the upstairs bathroom... blue bottle with a closed eye on the front and a white top." He knew Seth didn't read Japanese.


He nodded. "Thanks," he said with probably unnecessary gruffness. He couldn't look at Seto, though, and actually being nice to him was more or less out of the question... He kept wanting to kiss him.


At least Seth was being a jerk. It made it easier to be, if not hateful, at least indifferent.


"...Are you going to work all day again?" Seth asked, to make some effort at conversation, even if he couldn't be nice or even sound like he cared.


"Very likely."


"All right... I'll work with the computer then..."


"It's ready to go. Let me know what you want done with it and I'll see to it. We can have lessons after lunch, if you like.'


"All right... If it doesn't interfere with your work." He couldn't help the half-snark in the statement, though it made him kick himself for being an ass.


"I wouldn't offer if it did." Seto growled back


Seth threw down the balled up bread - he hadn't actually eaten any of it - and shoved his chair back. "Yeah, I know you wouldn't," he snapped, and stormed back to his room.


Seto bit his lip until it bled. He was way too good at this... Mokuba was right. "You drive everyone away Niisama." he'd said once. With a sigh, he lowered the paper, finished his coffee and headed up to his office.


Seth didn't touch the computer; it would frustrate him, and then he would destroy it, and then he would annoy Seto by wasting his money. Instead he lay on his bed and tried to calm down. Without meaning to, he fell asleep, peacefully, for once.


Seto worked steadily for a while, his timer going off to tell him it was lunch. The timer was something Mokuba had made him do so he didn't work without eating. Sighing, he stood and walked down the hall, peeking into Seth's room. His yami was sleeping peacefully, and he was loathe to disturb him.


Seth jerked instantly awake, for no reason, and sat up. The reason became obvious when he saw Seto at the door, and held his eyes for a moment without saying anything.


"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to wake you," Seto murmured, stepping back, trying to bring his mask of indifference back up and failing miserably. "It's lunchtime."


"All right..." Seth stood up, realizing suddenly that he was hungry. He tried to remember the last thing he'd eaten... he wondered if the cocoa with Seto counted as food.


Walking downstairs, he entered the kitchen. Unlike breakfast, which wasn't made when Mokuba wasn't home, a large midday meal was set out on the dining room, and two places. The servants must have realized Seth was there as well.


Seth really didn't think about it; he was used to Hogwarts, where all the food was magically there. He seated himself and filled a plate without saying anything.


Seto also remained silent, filling his plate.


Seth glanced at Seto's plate to make sure it was full before he started eating, keeping his eyes on his food.


"I hope the food is okay. It will be quite different from what you are used to at Hogwarts," Seto noted, eating his rice and fish


"Closer to what we had in Khemet... Fish, anyway." He didn't really care; he was starving.


"I enjoy fish."


"Really?" Stupid, inane conversation... At least they were talking, though, he guessed.


Seto shrugged. "It's lighter than beef or pork. I get full too fast and it feels heavy and uncomfortable."


Seth nodded a little. When left to his own devices, his eating schedule was fairly sporadic, so he understood. "Do you have anything to drink around here? Alcoholic, I mean. I'm used to having wine with my meals... Hogwarts has been killing me."


"Grape wine or sake?"


"I don't know what sake is... So grape wine, I would suppose."


"Rice wine. Stronger than grape wine, and drunk warm."


"Hn. I'll stay with the grape wine for the moment. I don't want to get drunk, and my tolerance is annoyingly low."


"Alright." Seto got up and rummaged in a cabinet until he found a light dinner wine, rose and low in alcohol content. "Here." He popped the cork and let it breathe for a minute before getting a glass and handing both to him.


"Thank you..." He poured a glass and took a sip, relishing it. It wasn't what he was used to, exactly, but it was a hell of a lot better than pumpkin juice... "Don't you want some?"


"No.... I don't drink."  People tended to end up thrown off of large buildings or off the blimp into the Sea of Japan or sliced into several small pieces when he drank.


"Not even wine? It can't be that strong." He titled the bottle toward him, offering.


"No, thank you." The way he was feeling, he'd probably seduce Seth and then kill himself when he woke up in the morning.


"All right." Actually, Seth did feel like getting drunk, come to think of it... He wondered if the offer to try sake still stood. Maybe it was a bad idea...


Seto finished his meal wordlessly.


Seth mostly ignored the food in favor of the wine, finding himself drinking a lot more than he had intended, but feeling very little effect from it. He sighed slightly. "Are you still willing to give me that lesson now?"


"Of course. I said I would." Seto answered in the best neutral tone he could manage.


Seth nodded a little and stood up. "Thanks..." He said.


Seto just got up and led him upstairs. "We'll practice basic functions today, get you used to the system."

He nodded a little again. "Whatever you think is best, oh master..." He'd forgotten to mention that most of the wine he had had had been watered down, through his preference, or forgotten that what Seto gave him wasn't.


Seto gave him a look, trying to work out if the other was mocking him or not.


He recomported himself, straightening his shoulders and trying to act normal, trying to figure out if he was being affected by the alcohol or not, and sat at the computer, looking at it blankly. "What do I do?"


"Turn it on." Seto pointed to the correct button. "Then wait for the system to boot up and load the basic running programs."


"Ooookay..." He pressed the appropriate button, watching it with interest, and then rested his head on his hand and looked at the screen, looking at the indistinct words on the screen. "Your language looks weird..." he commented.


"Says the man whose people write in pictographs."  He sighed. "Can you read English?"


"Pictographs make sense... They're pictures of the word. And... No, not really. I mostly put a spell on my books and anything I need to read. I think I was picking up some of it..."


"You could try enchanting the computer, I suppose..."


"I thought you were afraid it would blow up." He turned his head sideways and looked at the screen. "It almost makes sense this way..."


"It might or it might not.  It would be faster and easier than teaching you Japanese... don't you know any language charms?"


"No, I don't really pay attention in charms, it's boring. I like DADA... Potions, sort of, but that's boring too... Actually, most of the classes are boring, I want better spells..." He wouldn't be adverse to learning to set things on fire....


"They seem to learn mostly utilitarian and defense spells." Seto agreed. "Hm.  I wish wizards had found the Internet."


"I'm torn between asking why that is, and what that is..." The screen stopped changing, so he turned his head right side up, assuming it was done.


"It's loaded up."  Seto tugged out his wand, make a face and chanted "Accio spellbook." A moment later his school spellbook flew through the door and landed in his hand. "Hn... there has to be something in here...."


Seth started playing with the desktop again. "Just make sure you don't get an owl about using magic outside of the school... Bastards'll break your pretty wand..."


"Oh boo hoo." Seto shook his head. "Break my wand and expel me so I can go back to my normal, sane life?"


"Yeah, but where would that leave me?" Seth said pragmatically.


"You can learn magic all on your own."


"Yeah, but that's about all... Living at Hogwarts is not exactly preparing me to be a productive member of normal society, so if you go back to your sane life, I'll be stuck in the insane magical life, and I'll never see you again..."


"That might be best." Seto murmured, looking at the book. "You're magical... it is second nature to you. And you can make your own life without riding on my coattails." No, that stabbing pain wasn't him ripping out his own heart, thank you.  It would really be best for Seth if he left before Seto did something they both regretted.


Seth about visibly wilted. "You can't do that..." he concluded after a moment, staring moodily at the screen. "I wouldn't even be here if not for you. You have a responsibility. You can't leave me like that..." He shook his head, trying to clear it. "Sorry, I'm being selfish... Do whatever you want..." He rested his head on his hand again.


"I'll see that you can live in either world." Seto muttered. "Here... I found something."


"Hm?" Seth looked at him in interest, looking over the book he couldn't read, and which was upsidedown, as though he could read what Seto had found.


Seto looked it over and nodded. "That should work."  He tapped Seth on the head with his wand. "Languesta univista."


Seth blinked, and rubbed his head absently, and looked at the book again. He could read it now. "Useful..." He looked back at the computer. He could read the words, but the still didn't make much sense.


"Alright." Seto closed the book and started teaching him the basics of the system.


Seth nodded occasionally as he listened to and watched Seto, slowly leaning toward him, ending up with his head resting against his shoulder and watching from that position, thinking a lot more about how nice Seto smelled than what he was doing.


Seto knew he should really push Seth's head off his shoulder, he really should.  But it was warm and comfortable there.


Mmm... Seto was warm... The wine made him warm... Seto should have had some too... Hmmmm.... He turned as Seto was saying something he wasn't listening to at all and kissed him.


The CEO jumped back like a scalded cat, eyes wide, fingers on his lips. He pushed back his first instinct, which was to lean in and return that sweet, real kiss; instead he turned and ran from the room.


That sobered Seth up immediately, as he nearly fell when Seto bolted. He scrambled for the door, but stopped there in the doorway, looking down the hall. “Seto-!” Gods, what had he done? He couldn't stay here... Anywhere was better than the torture he was giving to Seto by his mere presence... Hogwarts would be better...

The thought of Hogwarts and the sheer force of his will to be there rather than here combined, and he Apparated completely on accident, disappearing from Seto's mansion with a crack.