"No.  I will go today."

Bakura smiled. "Wouldn't it be funny if they started another project and we got paired up again?" he laughed softly, nodding to the stunned chauffeur as he got into the limo.

"If you need anything, I will provide it," Kaiba said with quiet intensity.

Bakura smiled happily at him. "And if you need anything, I'll do the same," he promised, taking Kaiba's hand in his own.

Kaiba bowed over the hand, kissing it lightly, and opened the door for Bakura to get into the car.

The paler boy slid in, making room for Kaiba, holding the brown bag lunch of thawing sandwiches in his lap.

Kaiba sat, looking out the window while holding Bakura's hand tightly.

Bakura periodically squeezed his hand lightly in reassurance, but said nothing, watching Kaiba as they rode.

When they arrived at school, Kaiba squeezed Bakura's hand once and withdrew it.  He took a deep breath and settled his expression into impassivity.

Bakura gave him one last fond smile before exiting the car and heading into the building.

"Aa, Yuugi-kun!" he waved as he entered the classroom, heading over to where his smaller friend was. "Ohaiyo!"

Yuugi turned and smiled widely.  "Bakura-kun!" he called, waving wildly.  "We were starting to get worried!"

"Gomen, gomen," the paler boy apologized, rubbing the back of his neck embarrassedly. "I meant to call, things just were so busy. Gomenasai."

"I called your house every day," Yuugi said, expression turning slightly worried.  "But you were never home."

Bakura grimaced slightly. "It was Mokuba-kun..." he half explained, hoping the vague half truth would pass.

"Is he better now?  Why is Kaiba-kun in, then?"

"Mokuba-kun's fine," Bakura assured. "He just didn't want to let me go home once he found out I wasn't good at video games," he laughed. "He even hid my shoes."

Jounouchi muttered something under his breath.

Yuugi looked relieved.  "You should have called," he chided lightly.

"Couldn't find the phone," Bakura admitted guiltily.

"Probably didn't look," Jounouchi snorted, ignoring the dirty look from Anzu.

Yuugi looked at Jounouchi.  "If he says he couldn't find it then he had to have looked," he said reasonably.

Jounouchi's reply was cut off with a pained exclamation as Anzu kicked him. "What?!" he exclaimed, irritably, rubbing underneath one of his eyes sleepily. "I worry, okay?" he grumbled. "Especially when he's at that asshole Kaiba's house, for all we know he spent the entire weekend--"

"Jounouchi-kun!" Yuugi cut him off.  "Bakura-kun wouldn't do anything that would put himself in danger!"

The paler boy did his best not to fidget. "Ne, Yuugi-kun, do you have the notes from Friday?" he asked, changing the subject.

Yuugi nodded, pulling out his notebook and handing it to Bakura.  As he looked up, he saw Kaiba watching them over the top of his book.  "Ne, Bakura-kun, are you going to sit with us or with Kaiba-kun?"

Bakura hesitated a moment, unsure as he looked briefly at Kaiba.

The brunet quickly looked back down at his book.

Hesitating  a moment more, Bakura looked at Yuugi again. "I'll sit with you," he smiled. 'And try and make it seem nothing's changed,' he added silently, setting his bag down.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed slightly over the book, but he said nothing.

Yuugi smiled.

Bakura gave one last brief look back at Kaiba, hoping he hadn't made a mistake before sitting and getting out his books.

The class went more or less normally, although Bakura noticed that Kaiba was glancing in his direction more often than usually and seemed to glare at the teacher each time Bakura was corrected for getting a wrong answer.

"Aaaaaaaaalright! Food time!" Jounouchi exclaimed happily as the class broke for lunch.

"So much energy from someone who has half asleep five minutes ago," Anzu commented, amused.

Jounouchi made a dismissing gesture. "I was saving it up." He spotted Bakura's bagged lunch and grinned. "Bakura, save us a table? I have to buy lunch today."

The paler boy hesitated a moment. "I was going to..." he trailed off, looking back at Kaiba a moment.

Yuugi followed his look.  "Are you sitting with Kaiba-kun?"

"Aw, c'mon, Bakura, you spent the entire weekend at his place!" Jounouchi complained. "Spend some time with your friends instead of that asshole!"

"Mou, Jounouchi-kun!" Bakura sighed, feeling exasperated. 

Yuugi blanched, backing up a step into Anzu.  When the others followed his eyes, they saw a glare of complete disgust from Kaiba.

"I mean, c'mon," Jounouchi continued, trying to act as if Kaiba's glare wasn't effecting him, but his voice faltered slightly. "Yuugi was worried sick about you all weekend."

"Gomen," Bakura said, giving a quick worried look at Kaiba. "But it's just lunch, we can hang out later," he smiled slightly at the blond.

Kaiba's glare didn't waver from Jounouchi's face.

The blond mumbled something under his breath, turning and exiting the room with a small shiver, Honda following with a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Kaiba glanced at Bakura with an unreadable expression, then looked back down at his book.

"Kaiba-kun...?" Bakura asked softly, walking over to the boy.

Kaiba looked up at him.  "Mine," he growled.

Bakura almost laughed, giving the boy a fond smile. "That doesn't mean I can't spend time with my friends, Kaiba-kun," he pointed out.

"But it does mean that bonkotsu duelist can't insult you."

"He wasn't insulting me, he was just being Jounouchi-kun. You know how he is."

The brunet growled again.

"Kaiba-kun..." Bakura near sighed. "You can just ignore him like you used to. You said he's not worth getting angry at, remember?"

"That was before you were mine."

Bakura smiled. "It's okay, I don't mind it," he assured. "I know he doesn't mean to be half as gruff as he comes off, it's just how he is. You don't need to death-glare him for it."

"Bonkotsu duelist," Kaiba muttered.

Bakura smiled once more. "Did you want to eat lunch with me?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I'm not hungry."

"That's not what I asked."

Kaiba scowled at him and looked down at his book again.

Bakura sighed. "I guess I'll go apologize to Jounouchi-kun, then," he said, getting up to retrieve his lunch bag.

Kaiba's hand shot out, grabbing his arm and bringing him down to the taller boy's level, where he was thoroughly kissed before being released again.

The paler boy blushed slightly, smiling. "I love you too," he returned, squeezing Kaiba's hand briefly before heading for the door.
 
 

Bakura gave a small yawn as he closed his text book. He had managed to catch up with what he had missed, thanks to Yuugi's notes and Kaiba's tutorage as well as cook Kaiba and Mokuba dinner and lose a few rounds of a fighting game to the younger Kaiba. The elder had spent the past few hours working on his laptop as Bakura studied for the upcoming exams on the floor of his office. "It's late, I should probably get home," he said as he began gathering his books from where they were scattered around him on the run and replacing his books into his bag. 

Kaiba approached from behind and hugged Bakura tightly.  "No," he said firmly.

The paler boy blinked, turning slightly to try and look at Kaiba in question. "No?" he repeated, confused. 

"You're staying here."

"But it's late and I should be getting some sleep," Bakura pointed out with a small smile.

"I didn't say you shouldn't go to bed.  I just said you weren't going to leave."

Bakura blinked again. "You want me to sleep over?"

"No," Kaiba said with a slight scowl, burying his face against Bakura's shoulder.  "You're going to STAY here."

The paler boy's eyes went wide. "Kaiba-kun..." he said in an amazed whisper.

"I need you," Kaiba said almost inaudibly.

Bakura nearly melted, hugging Kaiba's arm as his eyes watered. "Kaiba-kun..." his voice caressed the name with loving contentment.

Kaiba held Bakura tighter.  "We'll get your things tomorrow.  You're staying here."

"All right," Bakura said softly, eyes closing as he leaned against the taller boy.

Kaiba turned Bakura within his arms and kissed him fiercely.

Bakura returned them with equal passion, shifting to hold his lover close.

Kaiba's hands splayed across Bakura's back to press him close, almost trying to push them into being one person.

Bakura gave a small sound as he adjusted once more to fit against Kaiba as closely as he could.

"Mine," Kaiba whispered, hands sliding under Bakura's shirt.

The paler boy smiled happily. "Un," he nodded. "And you're mine."

Kaiba's hands slipped around to Bakura's sides and he ran the backs of his nails over the smaller boy's skin.

The boy arched, eyes closing as he made soft sounds of appreciation, his own hands running under Kaiba's duster and shirt to return the caresses.

Kaiba growled softly, slipping out of the coat and shirt and pulling Bakura's shirts off as well.

Bakura blushed slightly with a small smile. "Not on the floor...?" he requested softly.

The brunet picked him up and carried him to the couch, straddling him and kissing down his chest.
 
 

Bakura sighed, shifting in the bed-- HIS bed, he corrected himself with a sigh. Kaiba had let him pick from the empty rooms in the hallway his was in and Bakura had picked the smallest one that was close to Kaiba's room and on the opposite side of the hall as Mokuba's room.

He sighed again.  The 'smallest' room was almost the size of his entire apartment.  It would probably look smaller once he had moved his things and his games in to it, but at the moment, it seemed much like an over sized room at a high priced hotel. He had gotten used to the canopy bed and high ceiling in Kaiba's room when he had been watching the boy sleep, but it was different trying to think of a similar room as his own.

He shifted again, laying on his back to look up at the cloth above him. It was slightly faded and Bakura reflected how he was probably the first person to have stayed in the room in many years, if anyone had stayed in it at all after the house's construction. The house was a lot like Kaiba's life, he mused, turning over again to lay on his stomach, looking out the tall window at the night sky. It was large and impressive, yet empty inside, Mokuba being the only other source of life. He gave a small smile. "And now me," he said near silently, smiling at the memory of Kaiba's arms around him and his whispered words.

The door opened softly, and after a moment Bakura felt a weight settle next to him in bed.

He turned slightly to smile at the brown haired boy. 

Kaiba gave a content sigh and curled around Bakura, going to sleep quickly.

Bakura smiled fondly at him a moment before snuggling against the sleeping boy, eyes closing.  This was why he would be able to think of Kaiba's house as his own, Bakura thought as he fell asleep. Any place where Kaiba could let his barriers down enough to show his softer self was where Bakura would want to be.