Truths

Mokuba had fallen asleep at some point in the course of the night as he was watching Seto. When he finally stirred, a pale light filtered in through the window, and he rolled over in bed sitting up slowly. Last night had been...dreadful.

Seto awoke near ten in the morning with a massive hangover, dragging the blankets over his head.

Mokuba looked over to him, seated in the bed with his arms draped over his knees. "Rise and shine," he said heavily.

"Mmph," Seto said unclearly. "G't'hell..."

"Nice." He replied, flicking the cigarette between his fingers. "Honestly I don't see it..." he mused aloud. "I thought these things were supposed to relax you. I just feel sick." Staying up the majority of the night, and then just sitting there all throughout the morning left him bored and looking for something to do. Trying his hand at smoking was what he'd resulted to.

"They relax you because you get addicted and the rush of nicotine helps the addiction, which makes you feel better... you just get sick the first few times..." He reached out with one hand, groping around for the cigarette. “I can really use one, but you shouldn't smoke... it's a nasty habit..."

With a sigh, he stretched out his arm and handed the cigarette to his brother. "Last night..." he started, then decided to take it in another direction, "I'm willing to help you...but you've got to try, all right?"

Seto took the cigarette under the blanket, and didn't speak until it was gone and he allowed his head to emerge. "All right," was all he said.

"I'm serious, Seto." His eyes were narrowed, but they softened almost immediately. "You're hopeless..."

"I'm serious too... I don't say things I don't mean. I'll try. I'll need help... but I'll try..."

Mokuba leaned down, kissing him softly. "All right...But I have to go back home today..."

Seto paused, then nodded. "I knew that," he muttered. "Isono will be able to help..."

A small smile graced his lips, "I'm glad you're going to try." He shifted down slightly, leveling himself with Seto before draping an arm over the other's waist.

Leaning against him, Seto let out a small sigh. "I tried last night, too. I don't even know why I drank..."

"Do you even remember last night?"

"A little... I remember going to sit and let you sleep... and then I started drinking. It all gets hazy after that, and I think I blacked out after a while."

Mokuba nodded slowly, turning over to lay on his back. "I'm going to call every day and check up on you, you know that right?"

Seto rested his head against him. "Thank you. I'll use that... as a marker. Just not drink until your call... and then not drink until bed... and not drink until you call..."

"That's good..." He said offhandedly as he ran his hand over the man's arm. "If I hear from Isono that you were as bad as you were last night again, I won't come next weekend. And I won't come again until you can go a week without drinking."

Seto swallowed slightly. "Thank you," he said. "I need that incentive... I won't drink."

"You don't need to thank me, Seto." He said, pulling him closer.

Seto leaned over to kiss him lightly, aware of what the cigarettes and alcohol must have done to his breath and pulling away quickly. "I do need to thank you."

Mokuba frowned slightly, "Fine, thank me by going to brush your teeth." With a light pat on the arm, Mokuba sat up in the bed once again, running a hand through his hair.

Seto slid off the bed and into the bathroom, agreeing with Mokuba on this one; but at least he hadn't thrown up last night. He brushed his teeth slowly, contemplating his life.

Mokuba sat up, sighing slightly. This was going to be difficult on both of him, he knew it, but he was willing to go through; He didn't have a choice either way.

Seto returned after little while. "You don't have to do this." His skinny form sat on the bed and piercing blue eyes looked at him. "I mean it. Not for me."

"You're an idiot," Mokuba stated bluntly, staring up at his brother. “Do you really think I would just abandon you?"

Seto said nothing. Certainly not that Mokuba already had, for nearly three years. That wasn't Mokuba's fault, after all, but his own...

Mokuba reached out and grabbed Seto's wrist, pulling him down against him as he laid back in bed. "I won't do it again..."

Seto caught himself and leaned against him, stretching to kiss him. "Thank you. I just meant that even you coming back now was enough. If you have to go again, I can handle it."

"Don't lie...You won't be able to handle it." He said simply, his grip on the man tightening.

"No,"Seto said thoughtfully, "I think I would. I think I would be okay, after you came back this time... I was missing closure, or something. At least this has it. If you disappeared while I was asleep again.." He shook his head. "I might not be able to do that. But if you told me you had to go, I could."

Mokuba was quiet for a long time, weighing his options. If Seto was serious, that he could handle it...then maybe he could try to fight it too. "...You're sure of this?" he finally asked.

"Yes... I don't want you to go, but I understand if you have to. Isono can look after me, if I need it... You don't have to feel like you have to stay if you don't want to."

"It's not that I don't want to It's just...my family." Mokuba sat up slightly, supporting his weight with his elbows. "I'm obligated to take care of them..."

"I know you are," Seto assured him. "I don't want to take you from them."

"I don't want to hurt you either, Seto..."

"I'm strong." To look at him, that statement was laughable. "I can take it."

Mokuba shook his head, finally standing from the bed. "...And you'll call me if things get to tough... right? I'll come back if you ask me to..."

Seto closed his eyes a moment as he nodded. "Yes," he said. "I'll call you. but I won't ask you to come back." He shook his head. "It isn't right to take you from your family... If I do call and beg you to come back, it's the alcohol talking, not me."

"I won't leave if you're going to continue to drink because of it," Mokuba replied.

"The only reason I have to stop is you; if you're not here, I'm going to drink..."

Immediately after the words were spoken, Mokuba sat back down on the bed. "Then do you think I can leave you? You'll die if you continue drinking like this...I won't let that happen."

"I'll be fine, Mokuba. I promise. Like you said..." He reached for the pack beside the bed. "The cigarettes will kill me faster."

"But we were going to get you to stop those too... I won't be able to handle it if you die, and I know that I could have prevented it by staying..."

"Neither on of them is goingot kill me for several yeas, or a decade, yet... Maybe I'll be lucky and they won't kill me at all."

"Yes, maybe... But without them you'll live so much longer... Unless... You don't want to die, do you?" he asked seriously.

The brunet's thin shoulders shrugged ever so slightly. "It's not like I have all that much to live for. I'm fine with it, either way..."

Mokuba shook his head that same look of disgust he had the night before creeping back onto his face. "How can you have such a lack of respect for your own life? is it all that meaningless for you?”

"Yes," he said simply. "My purpose in life since I was five years old has been you... When you left, I didn't have anything else."

"I'm sorry..." he replied softly, not able to look at Seto any longer.

"It's not your fault. I shouldn't have been so obsessed.”

"Yeah...I guess..." Mokuba stood from the bed yet again, a small sigh passing his lips. "Remember... no drinking this week, or I won't come back next weekend..." How on earth could he not return to his brother when he so obviously needed him.

Seto nodded. "Don't forget to call every day, please," he said calmly.

A small smile cracked his pouty lips. "I won't forget," he reassured the other, allowing the smile to linger a few more moments before it, and it's owner, walked smoothly from the room.

Seto sighed slightly and finally lit a cigarette as he stood on the balcony to watch Mokuba go.

"I'm sorry, Seto..." he muttered quietly as he looked back at the house; hopefully for the last time. Mokuba got into his car moments later and didn't stop driving until he'd arrived at his home.