*FIC* Success (Yu-Gi-Oh) M

[DaylightStarr]

Title: Success

Fandom: Yu-gi-oh

Author: DaylightStarr

Rating: G

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Not Japanese, not an artist, only pretend to be a writer, so no, they aren’t mine.

Summary: When Seto Kaiba catches a cold Mokuba first tries to get him to stay home, then he tries to cheer him up, both without much success at first. Then he hits on a breakthrough.

A/N: This story is originally written for the Week 52 sneezefic challenge.

Also, I bought my own Prickles from the Nature Store but you can see a picture of him on this site http://www.giantmicrobes.com

Seto Kaiba walked stiffly into the living room, where his little brother was watching a news program. Mokuba looked up and grinned widely. “Oh, hi Seto, I was just watching that interview you had on the news about your newest gaming system.”

Kaiba nodded wordlessly, sat down on the large, comfortable sofa and pulled a thick afghan over his aching body. He then snagged a tissue from the box and brought it up to his face. “He-Ishnx! Ishnx!” He sneezed rather messily into the tissue and quickly wiped his nose, helping himself to another one as he did so. “Bokuba, could you lower the volube please. It’s givig be a killer headache.”

Mokuba glanced at his brother again and turned the sound down on the television set. “How’s your cold, Big Brother?” He handed Seto another box of tissues and sat on the heels of his feet. “That Airborne stuff didn’t work as well as they claimed it would?”

Kaiba shook his head. “I do’t thik I took it sood edough. I still feel awful.” He blew his nose properly and tossed the used mess into the waste basket. “I have a beetig id a couple of hours. Ode that I cad’t cadcel, so I’ll be out late todight. The bed I’b beetig with wadt to take me out to didder to seal the deal.”

Mokuba gave his brother a withering look. “I don’t know how you can talk at a meeting if your own brother has to work really hard to understand you, Seto. You’re so stopped up I’d be surprised if you could understand yourself.”

Kaiba returned the look, albeit not half as intimidating as his normal ones were. Not that he wanted to intimidate his brother; he just didn’t want to be nagged at. “Look Bokuba, this beetig is very ibportadt for the future of our cobpady. I’b dot goig to let sobe stupid cold ruid it for be. Ish-shu! Ish-cht-ew! Heh-i-nxx!” He tried to sniffle, but was far too stuffed up to do so properly.

Mokuba took the tissue box that rested near Seto’s elbow and replaced it with a different one. “Here Seto, one of the maids told me that these are much better for a cold like yours. They have menthol in them and are supposed to help clear your sinuses. You sound as though you could use something like that.”

Kaiba nodded again and used the tissues, enjoying the cool feeling against his abused nose. He sighed and stood up, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his soft fleece bathrobe. “I deed to get ready to go. Hold dowd the fort while I’b gode, Bokuba.”

The boy nodded, looking displeased. “You know Seto, I’m sure if you just told those business guys how sick you are they wouldn’t make you come.”

Kaiba shook his head. “I doubt it. We’re all busidessbed, ad as such, we doe that ode does dot always have the luxury of listeding to ode’s body whed it wadts to rest.” He brought a finger up to his nose, trying to stave off the next round of sneezes.

Mokuba knew from experience that it wasn’t going to work and sighed. “Just let yourself sneeze already, Seto. You know you’re just going to feel worse until you do.”

Kaiba seemed to be giving up fighting them off anyway. “Heh-uh-cht! Eh-Chht! Uh-cht-ew!! Excuse be.” He rubbed at his very sore sinuses, serving only to cause more irritation to his poor, overworked nose.

Mokuba shook his head. “Well Seto, if you really want to do this, I’m not going to stop you. I think you’re crazy for going to a meeting when you should be resting, but you’re the boss.”

Kaiba sighed and stood up. “I deed to get ready to go. I’ll be back later.” He patted Mokuba absently on the shoulder and left the room, massaging one of his temples lightly.

Mokuba scowled at his brother’s back. “If you want to kill yourself, see if I care.” He sounded furious as he turned back to his news program, and scowled at his brother’s face on the TV as well. “Working so much is bad for you, Seto. I wish you could understand that.”

After a long, hot shower, Kaiba pulled on his long blue coat and glared at his reflection in the mirror. He wasn’t at his best, he had to admit. His cheeks were flushed an angry shade of red, mostly due to the sinus infection that he had, and maybe the fever, his nose was very sore looking, his eyes were bloodshot and the rest of his face was quite pale. Sighing, he turned away and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

He walked into the large meeting hall where the rest of his associates were already gathered. He’d used the menthol tissues and a thing of nasal spray before walking in, but his nose was still hopelessly blocked. “Gedtlebed, thak you for cobing od such short dotice. As you cad tell, I have a head cold, so I’b going to bake this as brief as I cad so you dod’t have to listed to me ady bore thad decessary.” He set his brief case on the desk and pressed a button, bringing down a Power Point display. “As you will see id the folders id frodt of you, Kaiba Lad has… has… Heh-eh-shixx! Heh-Shhx-uu! Eh-chhtt-uu!” He turned his back on the gathering and wiped his nose wearily. “Please excuse be. As I was saying, Kaiba Lad’s popularity is idcreasing steadily, ad I feel it’s tibe to expad. If you’ll look id the paperwork that you’ve all beed gived you’ll see that… Heh-ah-Schttuu! Heh-Chhtt-uh!”

An elderly gentleman handed Kaiba a handkerchief wordlessly but another man passed him up a small plastic container with a flip top lid and things that looked like little slips of paper inside. “Just put one of those on your tongue and let it dissolve. It will help your cold tremendously. Mr. Kaiba, I think I speak for everyone here when I say that you should be at home in bed, not here at a meeting.”

The elderly man nodded. “That’s right Mr. Kaiba, we’ve all been ill before, and you have to trust us when we tell you that no amount of work is worth your health.”

Kaiba frowned and pressed the button again, raising the screen back where it belonged. “I see. Are you all id agreebedt?” The party nodded solemnly. “Very well, we will adjourd until I’b well edough to go over this properly with you.”

Kaiba sighed heavily and gathered up his paperwork. His secretary met him out in the hallway with his phone messages. “Sir, Mr. Mokuba called you three times while you were in the meeting. He wanted me to tell you to take an umbrella, it’s raining.”

Kaiba sighed. “I will. He doesd’t have to worry about that.” He snagged one from the holder near the door and walked out to the waiting car, shivering violently.

When he got home, Seto was met by his little brother who was holding out a cup of something hot. “Here Seto, you need to drink that.” The stern little voice told him.

Seto walked into the living room and sat on his favorite chair. “You bade me tea, Bokuba?” He looked relived and rather happy.

Mokuba shook his head. “No, it’s Theraflu. It tastes pretty bad, I guess, but it’s really supposed to help you feel better.”

Kaiba nodded. “I’b so stuffed up right dow I dod’t care how it tastes. I lost by sedse of taste four days ago.”

Mokuba nodded sympathetically and handed him the hot mug. “Yeah, but still if this stuff tastes as bad as the maid says it does I think you’ll be able to taste it.”

Kaiba took the mug and sipped it. No, he couldn’t taste it, but it felt so good going down his throat, and the steam was working wonders on his poor, stopped up sinuses. He relaxed and took off his socks with his feet.

Mokuba smiled. “You keep drinking that, I have something for you. I picked it up in town when you first got sick.” He left the room and came back with a small square box. He put it on Seto’s lap, his deep blue eyes excited.

Seto untied the ribbon and lifted the lid and then he frowned. “What is it?” He found himself picking up a small blue plush… thing… with little knobs all over it. It had eyes, but no other facial features. Seto turned it over in his hand and looked at his bother curiously.

“It’s a giant cold germ.” Mokuba smiled at Seto. “I thought he could keep you company while you’re sick.”

“You bought be a giat cold gerb? I have a real cold, what do I wadt to have a stuffed ode for?” He sounded a bit more snappish than he normally would have or meant to.

Mokuba nodded, looking a bit hurt by his brother’s tone of voice. “Yeah, I thought Prickles might cheer you up. You always look so upset when you’re sick.” His voice was faltering a bit and he was starting to sound hurt.

If Seto caught the hurt tone, he paid no attention. “You dabed the thig Prickles?” He sounded incredulous. “Why does a cold deed a dabe?”

Mokuba blinked back tears of fury and snatched the gift back, stuffing it into the box. “I’m sorry you don’t like your present. I’ll take it back to the store and let you be miserable by yourself, which is obviously what you want anyway.”

“Wait Bokuba, cobe back here. I’b really sorry about that. I should have beed dicer. Bay I have my cold gerb please?” He held his hand out for the box. “I uderstad that you beant it as a joke ad I bissed it.” He held up a finger and rubbed at his nose with the back of his hand. “Heh-ishsxxuu! He-Shnnxx! Heh-Ishhoo!” He blew his nose wetly and tossed the tissue into the waste basket.

Mokuba nodded, though he still wasn’t happy with his big brother. “Alright, only be nice to him, will you? I think he’s cute anyway.” He handed the box to Seto and looked at the floor.

Kaiba felt more guilty about hurting his brother than he’d felt about anything in a long time. He looked at the plush again and gave Mokuba a very small smile. “It is rather fuddy, dow that I look at it agaid. I’d like to keep it, if you don’t bind.”

Mokuba’s whole face lit up and he laughed. “I want you to keep it, Seto. That’s why I bought him for you. What are you going to do with him?”

“I thought I’d keep it… I bead hib id by office, on by desk.”

Mokuba nodded and watched Seto take Prickles out of the box and hold him in his hand. “He could stay in your room with you until then and keep you company. He’s really soft and his eyes are cute.”

Kaiba nodded, turning the plush over in his hands again. “Thadk you, it beads a lot to be that you got be a get well gift.”

Mokuba smiled happily and sat down next to his brother. He placed his small hand on Seto’s forehead. “You’re really warm, Seto. I think you need to go to bed now and I’ll be in to check your temperature. I’ll use an ear thermometer, because I know that it’s hard for you to breathe through your nose right now.”

Kaiba nodded before trying to blow his stuffy nose and succeeding only in popping his ears. Damn he hated when his colds got this bad. He walked to his bedroom, setting Prickles on the edge of his desk and crawled into bed. He sat up as he heard small footsteps tripping lightly down the hall.

Mokuba walked into the room and looked at his brother before he turned the thermometer on and inserted it very gently into Seto’s ear canal, trying not to hurt him. It beeped and Mokuba took it out. “Wow, you have a really high fever Seto. You should try to sleep now, alright.” Mokuba pushed at his brother’s shoulders gently to get him to lie back down and pulled the covers up to his chin. “I’ll be right here if you need anything, so don’t hesitate to call me, alright.” He sat down in the chair next to Kaiba’s bed, a book in his hands.

“I wod’t Little Brother, thadk you.” Seto closed his eyes and was soon asleep, snoring rather loudly through his blocked nose. Mokuba looked around the room and, spotting Prickles resting on his brother’s desk, he stood up and picked it up in his hands. He smiled as he placed the plush cold germ under the covers near Seto’s cheek and turned back to his book.

[Geist]

I don't know much about this fandom, but I REALLY enjoyed your story!!! Very, VERY cute and well-written. I do hope you will share more with us in the future!

~Frack

[prisma]

I liked it. I really REALLY liked it! It didn't have *too* much sneezing in it like some fics and it was well described! yum on your story!!