Title: Didn't See It Coming
Author: Serena J
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): Seto/Jou
Spoilers: none
Beta: Mishiko Shinsei
Summary: He was nameless, faceless. Love doesn't give you a warning.
Disclaimer: I do not intend to receive any compensation for use of these characters. This is a FanFiction.
There was a knock on his hotel bedroom door.
"Kaiba-san? I'm sorry to disturb you sir, but we have an issue."
Seto tried not to growl. The body next to his was the perfect warmth. The hair was silky against his cheek. He did not want to get up.
The knock came again.
"Damn." He sighed. He slipped out of the bed and opened the door, naked. "What?"
"SIR!" The woman they'd sent to wake him must not have been warned.
"Shhh!" He closed the bedroom door and pulled her into the suite's main room. "My guest is still asleep and I do not wish to wake him just yet. What is it?"
"The game units for the final round today were delivered to the corporate office in Tokyo, sir."
"What!?"
"We're trying to find replacements, but -"
"Call the manufacture, they're in New York. Find out where they normally ship in the area. We only need 16 units. Find them and have them brought any way possible. Take my car and pick them up personally if you have to. Where is Roland?"
"In the conference room we used yesterday. He's trying to find replacements."
"Tell him I'll be there in ten minutes."
"Yes sir."
She left and Seto sighed. He'd been hoping to indulge in 'round two' before breakfast. Well, he smiled to himself as he stepped under the shower spray, more accurately it would be 'round six'. Last night's partner had been a sexual addict with the energy of a split atom. Warm and yielding, an uber bottom who'd come close to draining Seto dry.
Who the hell was it?
He thought about it as he dried his body and finished his ablutions. After the tournament ended for the day, there'd been a masked ball for the staff, the judges, and the top tier duelist. That narrowed the list. There had been alcohol, which narrowed the list a bit more. The man had worn a dog mask. He'd asked Seto if the cat mask meant he was a neko. Seto was surprised an American knew the reference.
"Do you know what I do to a neko, puppy?" Seto asked him.
"Pick it up?"
"Push it down."
"Yeah?" Full lips had grinned. "Meow."
The trip to Seto's suite had been a blur. They hadn't bothered with lights, but gone straight to the bed. Everything about the man had indicated he was working class. His hands were strong and rough, but not calloused or careless. His body was lean and muscular. The kind of man who earned him living physically, but had time for a hobby like card dueling. Responsive. Needy. Hungry for more….
"Hey, Big Bro?" Mokuba called through the door. "Roland's on the phone. He says he needs you to override a fee or something."
"I will be there as soon as I finish dressing." Seto huffed. He stepped out of the bathroom. His younger brother looked like he'd rolled out of bed and into whatever clothing was on the floor. "Is that how you are presenting yourself today?"
The boy shrugged. "I'm meeting the guys for breakfast, then we're catching the early bird viewing of Deadpool vs the Care Bears." He tossed him a cell phone. "Later!"
"Something is wrong with that child." Seto murmured. "Roland? Yes, what is the issue?" He listened as he slipped back into the bedroom.
The lump under the blankets rolled over with a deep purring sound.
Damn, the executive groaned internally. He wanted nothing more than to crawl back into that bed.
He selected a shirt and slacks, and slipped out to dress in the main room.
Hopefully he will still be here when I return.
The phone continued to ring.
"Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!" Joey groaned as he tried to figure out where the offending device was.
At the moment, the only things that were clear to him were that he was not in his room, and that the man who's room it was, was part elephant. Talented elephant. Oh-my-god-hit-it-again-damn talented. But had to be an elephant trunk stuffed between his legs.
He found the phone finally. It had slid under the desk when his pants landed on the back of the chair. His shirt was on the other side of the room. He hadn't found his boxers yet, but Mr Elephant wore royal blue thongs.
"Ok, ok, I'm up." He groaned, "What up?"
"Where are you?" Yugi asked frantically.
"In my room."
"I'm in your room." His friend said pointedly.
"I'm in a room." Joey snickered. "Dude, I got so boned last night! Who -"
"The wildcard round starts in thirty minutes."
"Dude, I washed out in that last duel."
"No. What you did was capture the first seed in the wildcard round."
"I did?"
"Which you will lose, if you aren't down in the tournament hall in thirty minutes."
"Shit!" Joey scrambled to find his underwear. "I gotta get my deck."
"I have your deck, but I'm gonna drop it in a shredder if you don't make it in time."
"Dude!" He gave up and grabbed the blue thong. "I love you! I'm on my way!"
He put on the tight undies, chuckling. No name, no digits, he thought, but at least I got a souvenir. He yanked on his pants and shoes. He put his shirt on as he rushed down the hall to the elevator, and was lucky enough to get one almost instantly.
He made it to the tournament hall and found both Yugi and Honda waiting.
"Did I make it?"
"Yup!" Yugi handed over his deck.
"Yeah, they're gonna start the speeches in a couple minutes. Check in is scheduled for an hour from now."
"An hour! Yug?!"
"Tell the truth. If I told you you had an hour, you would have been late, wouldn't you?"
"Yeah," Joey laughed, "probably. Hey, I can at least grab food, right? An egg muffin or something?"
Honda held out a bag. "You lose this round, you owe me five bucks."
"The way I feel now? Man, I own this! You better watch out, Yug, I'm gonna win the title this time!" Joey sat against the wall to eat.
"You're in a good mood." Honda commented, sitting beside him. "Where were you anyway?"
Joey shrugged and swallowed. "No idea. Dude's got a schlong like my thigh, though."
"Should we even ask who?" Yugi sighed. "Really, Joey, don't you want to meet someone nice?"
"He was nice. Real nice. And hey, he must have money 'cause he was in one of those rooms with like a bedroom and a front room."
"Well, that narrows it down to about 500 people in a hotel like this." Honda scoffed. "I'm just gonna skip asking about a name. Would you spot him in a police lineup?"
"He wore a cat mask last night." Joey chewed for a moment. "Dark hair. My height."
"So, no."
"He gonna be naked from the waist down? I'll recognize that!"
"You think with this head. The big one." Yugi snickered, tapping his friend's forehead. "Not the little one."
"Yeah, but the little one has more fun."
"Kaiba-san," Mutou gave him a friendly wave. "We have space. Sit with us."
"Hey Yugi!" Mokuba quickly turned and took one of the few empty seats at the luncheon. "Hi guys!"
Seto took one last glance around the room before resigning himself to a meal with the group.
"Something wrong, moneybags?"
He glared at the half. "No." He began eating.
The blonde went back to his own meal. "Man, I gotta figure out who that was last night! That shit fucked my ass all kinds of up!"
"Please!" Seto huffed. The words echoed his own thoughts, although he didn't care to admit it. "I would prefer my brother not be subjected to such language."
"Big Bro, it's not like I'm a kid." Mokuba rolled his eyes. "I hear worse at school."
"Then I will be having a conversation with the headmaster when we return. At the moment, however, I am sure no one is interested in how the mutt spent his evening."
"Flat on my back and split open." He snarked. "I'm telling you, Honda, this guy was a total power top. I have never been messed up like that."
"And you have no idea who he is? Really?" The other replied.
"Really."
"This is why I keep saying you should settle down with one partner." Mutou interjected. "Look at Kaiba-san. Good looking, wealthy, and single - but not running around with everyone he sees."
Mokuba snickered.
"Mokuba!" Seto snapped.
"Ah? The kid knows the dirt!" The mutt cackled. "Ok, fess up; I knew you weren't all innocent!"
"My personal life is just that - personal. What is the expression? I do not kiss and tell."
"Ain't hard when there's nothing to tell about."
"Those who exaggerate typically have little real to say."
"Oh I got something real! I'll bet my guy is worth ten of you! Not that it matters. Your cold ass wouldn't know how to treat guy in the first place!"
"I know that one does not raise one's voice in public place." Seto lowered his voice to prove the point. "A so called 'power top' would hold you gently, firmly, and leave you too breathless to tell tales in the morning." He shot a frown at his younger brother. "I will not discuss the details of my liaisons, but I will say this. If you had been with me last night, you would not have had the strength to duel this morning."
"Oh he wore me out! I managed to crawl outta bed 'cause Yugi called me, like, a dozen times. Otherwise, I'd still be there. But the difference is that you probably take what you want and leave a guy lonely. My man left me feeling like a million bucks!"
"Your 'man' who gave you not so much as a name?"
"F U and the horse you rode in on."
"Perhaps if you were not so much of a stray mutt someone would treat you like a pampered pup."
"Ok, yeah," the half stood up. "I'm takin' a walk before I put my fist through your teeth. See you guys at the next round."
Joey sighed heavily. He'd wandered around the video game room, and the artist's hall. He'd done a quick tour of the dealers room before he had to get back for his next round.
'Cat' wasn't anywhere.
Not that I'd know him, he lamented silently. I don't even know what floor the room was on!
'Cat' had started one of Joey's best lucky streaks ever. He'd won the wildcards, the eliminations, the quarters, and the semi's. For the first time, he was going to face Yugi in the final round.
I really need a kiss for luck right now, he thought.
And the argument with Moneybags was beginning to get to him. He'd put it out of his mind for most of the day, but now he had time to think, and thinking was bad.
What if the dude was just in the bathroom, he wondered, and I jet out without so much as a peep. Or what if he'd only popped down the hall to the ice machine. He came back and I was gone. He didn't give me anything, but I didn't give him a name or number either. It was just a night. No strings.
Maybe that all his partner had wanted. Maybe the man was glad Joey left without a word. No drama.
Hell, usually I'm the one hoping for a fast, clean getaway, he rued. Strays don't stay long in one place. I'm not trying to be anyone's pampered pup. Still, I wonder why this guy seems different.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the final duel for the title of King of Games will begin in one hour." The loudspeaker announced. "Please use the B and C doors in the south hall."
Joey sighed again. Facing off against Yugi for fun and doing it at a tournament were totally different things. Yugi in full competitive mode was like another person. He wouldn't be 'nice' just because they were buddies. When Joey stepped into that duel, he knew he was going to have to go after Yugi like any other opponent.
But I really would have liked that good luck kiss, he sighed.
The outcome was never truly in doubt, although Seto suspected that Mutou had a few worrisome moments. The mutt was incredibly lucky twice, but the third time Mutou cornered him, the half simply did not have enough life points left.
Mutou was left with only 50 points of his own, but that was enough to retain the title for another year.
"Whew!" Mutou looked genuinely relieved. "I really wasn't sure about that! Next year, I'm letting you sleep!"
The mutt smiled. "You just got lucky, is all."
"Boy, I'll say! If I hadn't remembered to activate that shield, I would have toast. Great duel, Joey, really great!"
Seto stepped forward, between them. "Gentlemen." The stage was mic'd so he didn't have to worry about finding one. "That was one of the most exciting duels since I retired from competitive play. Let's give a big hand to the champion and the grand champion!" He let the audience cheer for a minute or so. "Now, if you'll be patient, we're going to open the room to allow a few more people in, while all of our tournament champions and winners join us. In about thirty minutes we will award this year's trophies. Join us shortly."
He signaled the tech, and the sound system cut. The lights dimmed on the stage but brightened in the rest of the room.
"...and if he does, maybe he'll speak to you after." Mutou was saying to the blonde. "After all, maybe he got a better look at you than you got of him."
He was blonde, Seto thought. The warm, wonderful 'puppy' he let escape that morning. That was virtually the only thing the executive consciously saw. The face was covered, revealing only those full luscious kissable lips. No one dressed well at these things - Seto himself wore a dress shirt and slacks - so he hadn't even considered what the man wore the night they met.
It was his attitude that was so attractive. The way he carried himself. Seto was confident that when - not if, when - they met again, he would recognize the pup. The neko.
The Tiger. Much more appropriate partner for a dragon.
There were cosplay awards, and AMV awards, and video game play awards, and sitting on the stage on either side of Mutou Yugi, Seto and Joey both waited impatiently for the tournament closing ceremony to end.
"What about the guy in the third row?" Mutou whispered. "Center section, third from the left?"
"No," Joey whined as Seto huffed, "Hardly."
"The one by the cameraman? In the blue shirt?"
"No," Seto sighed as Joey shook his head, "Too short."
Another winner was announced, and they all applauded politely as the girl ran up to claim her Hello Kitty prize.
"Congratulations, Beth!" The announcer said. "How old are you?"
"...um, eleven."
"And are you here with your mom or dad?"
"...um, my mom and my sister and…"
"Kami!" Seto growled, face palming, "Just pick it up!"
"Rather push it down." Joey grumbled.
Both men froze.
Both men looked at each other.
"And now, the one you've all been waiting for…" the announcer said.
"Neko." Seto said.
"...this years duelist championship titles…"
"Meow." Joey responded. He looked more closely. "Hey your eyes are the same color as -"
"...presented by former Grand Champion…"
Seto gestured him silent. "Later! We need to have a rather long, detailed discussion after this…"
"...Seto Kaiba!" There was applause.
Seto moved to the podium to award duelist trophies. He paused and whispered in Joey's ear, "...power top to uber bottom."