Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

notes
This is another one of my ficlets from that damn LJ thing -- third down, two to go. Thanks to Hannah for the beta job (lol, also the requester of this one. x.x)
You'd really think we had nothing in common – he was one of the two filthy fuckin' rich heirs to Kaiba Corp, and I was a dirt-poor punk who was barely making my way through school. We were too far apart in age to go to the same school, and we didn't have many hobbies in common.

In fact, all we really had in common was that we both needed something to help us get the hell away from Kaiba.

Mokuba never shared his reasons, only said that some days, going home just wasn't an option. I could forgive that – if I had to deal with Kaiba, I wouldn't go home either. Me… Well, my reasons for needing an outlet were purely sexual – if I ended up jerking off and thinking about Kaiba one more time, I was going to do something drastic.

The original scheme for our escapism had been purely for platonic entertainment, but eventually… well, he took care of that jerking off problem – talk about the perks of being around when the kid hit puberty.

I just had to take care of the thinking about Kaiba problem.

Of course, it didn't help much that the kid acted more like him every day. He was hittin' his late teens hard, and each day he got a little more sarcastic, snippier, curter, and overall just more like his brother.

Right up to the day he ditched me – even his reasons screamed 'Kaiba'.

"Jounouchi," he said sternly, quite the feat for a freshly fucked sixteen-year-old, if my opinion counted. "I'm done."

"I noticed," I teased, nipping his earlobe and grinning.

"No, I mean, with this whole thing we have going. Whatever it is."

"You're… what?" I blinked and pulled away from him, finding a discarded sheet to cover myself in. He just lay there, stark naked and staring at the ceiling, almost like he was reading a script from it.

"You've been cool, so it's not anything like I have issues with you… well, I do. You're a beautiful, beautiful, fucked-up man – "

"Don't be an ass," I interrupted, then smirked and leaned over to nuzzle his neck. "Unless I've got my dick in you; then it's okay."

He shoved me away – first time for everything, I guess – and sat up, groping around for his clothes. "No, Jounouchi. I can't hide between your sheets forever… but thanks for letting me. I've just got to grow up about… everything."

I propped myself up on an elbow, leaned my temple against my palm, and stared at him. "How's that?"

"Well, I've got work, and Seto… I've just been selfish, and I've been overreacting to everything… I have to make amends, and I can't do all that while fucking a guy who calls me by my brother's name in bed."

"I don't – "

"You do," he said resolutely, zipping up his jeans. "Quietly, secretly, but you do, and I've heard it." He pulled on his t-shirt and stared at me, biting his lower lip. "If I thought you'd try to fix your issues with Niisama, I… well, I'd suggest that we try when we're both not being idiots about it. But you won't make a move."

I couldn't argue with that, so I just nodded. He leaned forward to kiss me, one hand running through my hair, pushing it back from my face.

"It's been a great escape, Jounouchi, but it just turns out that I didn't have anything to run from."

"Good luck," I said, smiling at him. I couldn't be mad at him, not for wanting to fix his life up – he was a good kid for trying.

And me… I'd just find another outlet.

He smiled at me from the doorway. "Goodbye, Jounouchi."

"Bye."

-end-