1.
The sleepovers gradually evolve from Jounouchi leaving late at night with his shirt thrown on haphazardly, to Jounouchi sneaking out early in the morning with a pilfered energy bar from Seto's cupboards, to Jounouchi digging his face into the crook of Seto's neck even after both their alarms have gone off.
"I got lazy, and the bus stopped running" is Jounouchi's default explanation.
Seto doesn't bother arguing with him, even after his routine gets thrown off by tousled blond hair and sleepy eyes and occasional morning sex. Sometimes they leave at the same time, Jounouchi in yesterday's clothes and Seto in his suit of the day. Sometimes Seto leaves Jounouchi asleep and returns at night to find an empty unmade bed but cleaned dishes on the drying rack.
If Isono cares at all about Seto's personal life, he makes no mention of it. It's a policy adopted by all of Seto's employees, from his driver to his secretary to the doorman of the building.
This changes when Seto comes to work one day with his head buried in last week's proposal and is stopped by his secretary. "Kaiba-sama, your shirt is inside out."
Huh, Seto thinks as he pulls at the collar. He'd noticed this morning that the black shirt seemed a bit short, and assumed his dry cleaners had messed up somehow.
Mihara is too cheerful for Seto's liking, but Mokuba had picked her out of ten finalists interviewing for the position and claimed she was a good fit. "There's a change of clothes in the closet in your office," She reminds him. Considering the fact that Seto completely forgot the existence of said closet, Mokuba is probably right.
Still, when Mihara pops her head in an hour later and says, "I didn't know you shopped at UNIQLO," Seto decides he and Jounouchi need to talk.
Jounouchi just laughs when Seto brings it up the next time he sleeps over. "No one told you to steal my shirt, Moneybags! You have eyes. Use dem blue eyes to-"
"You're wearing my pants," Seto interrupts when he spots the navy trousers on Jounouchi, who is probably the only person willing to get ketchup on Tom Ford pants.
"Huh, is that why they're so long on me?" Jounouchi brings a knee up to examine the thread count. He asks about how much the pants costs, then abruptly begins to wiggle out of them when Seto gives him an estimate. Afterwards, he digs through Seto's laundry and fishes out a pair of jeans that are too frayed to belong to anyone but himself. "Why do you need such expensive-ass things?"
By now, Seto has returned to reviewing the proposal on his KCTablet. "Presentation is important."
"Yeah? Well, Yuugi is the King of Games, but he still wears whatever he wants!"
"Yuugi is a fashion disaster," Seto says, not bothering to look up from page 35.
"Says the dude who wore a trench coat with shoulder pads," Jounouchi mumbles.
That doesn't stop him from squirming into one of Seto's sweaters a mere hour later.
2.
Seto's eating habits had been abysmal even when he lived in a fully-staffed mansion with Mokuba. Now, without a small shadow to enforce his daily meals, Seto falls into a cycle of skipping breakfast and forgetting lunch. Seto almost misses the excessive energy he possessed in his teenage years that spurred him to direct all of his focus on defeating Yuugi. Now his days are filled with shitty food and mundane work and-
Jounouchi standing in his kitchen, pointing at the sad state of Seto's double door refrigerator. "You need to stock this thing! Mokuba wasn't joking when he said you were useless!"
"That's hardly a fair assessment," Seto says while removing his tie. "There's no point purchasing produce that will only spoil. Let's go out for dinner." He thinks that's the end of it, but Jounouchi's stubbornness is not easy to deflect. Seto comes back days later to find the first two shelves of his fridge filled. He assumes Jounouchi will get the picture when Seto inevitably forgets to eat everything.
Instead, breakfast begins appearing on the kitchen table in the mornings. It's hardly up to par with the food the maids used to prepare, which Seto usually left untouched in favor of drinking coffee and watching Mokuba eat. Still, Seto feels strangely rude about rejecting Jounouchi's cooking, so he eats lumpy tamagoyaki and drinks diluted miso soup while Jounouchi watches morning cartoons with his mouth open.
Sometimes Jounouchi leaves dishes in the sink before heading off to the construction site. Sometimes he packs messy bentos for Seto, who inevitably remembers to have lunch late in the afternoon. So it's with great annoyance that Seto opens his bento one day to discover crude art of Blue Eyes White Dragon made with clumpy rice. Seto picks at it a bit with his chopsticks before retrieving his KCPhone.
There are a few messages from Mokuba, which Seto answer first. He marks emails for later review, then opens up his conversation with Jounouchi.
This is an insult to Blue Eyes.
didya eat it or not?!
Why is the nori piece placed on Blue Eyes's claws?
its giving ya the finger!
Seto sighs and takes a picture.
3.
Jounouchi's apartment sits on the west end of Domino City, in a neighborhood that's probably a step up from Jounouchi's childhood home but still too clustered for Seto's liking. It's filled with weird memorabilia and framed photos of people Seto would rather not remember, but even Seto is not imprudent enough to comment on the economic gap between them. He knows a heavy portion of Jounouchi's paychecks go to his father's treatment in Okinawa, and to be fair, Jounouchi's home is acceptable. At least here, Seto is spared Jounouchi's running commentary about Seto's "rich people shit."
Jounouchi returns from the tournament in Kyushu on Saturday evening. Seto, having finished some minor tasks in the office, picks Jounouchi up from the JR station. They're stumbling into Jounouchi's apartment, one of Jounouchi's hands still holding onto his trophy and the other planted firmly on Seto's shirt as he tugs him into a kiss, when the lights flicker on.
"Surprise!" Voices shout as the sound of confetti pops over their heads.
Jounouchi falls ass-first onto the floor. He doesn't seem to mind, and perks up immediately at the sight of familiar faces. "Yuugi! Honda? Anzu? What are you all doing here?!"
Yuugi smiles sheepishly back. "Anzu just came back to town yesterday. We heard you're arriving tonight and wanted to surprise you." His eyes flit over to Seto. "Um- I guess we caught you at the wrong time?"
Mazaki reaches over to stop Honda's jaw from hitting the floor. She gives Seto a calculating look. "Well, this is a surprise."
"I'm leaving," Seto declares, but stops at the death grip Jounouchi has on his arm.
"You don't need to leave, Kaiba-kun. We're all friends here," Yuugi has the nerves to suggest. At the baffled look from Honda, he amends, "Well, Jounouchi-kun and I would be happy if you stayed."
"Jounouchi, a word. " Honda hisses. He drags Jounouchi into the kitchen where they proceed to have a muffled conversation that everyone tries to ignore.
Mazaki is the first to break the silence. "Well, I could've told you about your unresolved sexual tension years ago."
"If you insist on continuing this inane conversation, I really will leave," Seto drawls. His comment seems to be a relief to Yuugi and Mazaki, who share a look between them.
"You're nicer than you pretend to be, Kaiba-kun," Yuugi says as Jounouchi returns, and Seto doesn't deign him with a response.
In the end, Mazaki and Honda admire Jounouchi's trophy and listen to his embellished stories about defeating the standing champion sponsored by Industrial Illusions. Seto talks to Yuugi about the development of Yuugi's new game and his success in procuring investors. No one addresses Jounouchi's relationships with Seto, and they order pizza delivery from the greasy shop down the street. Seto eats very little despite thrusting a handful of bills at the delivery boy before anyone can take out their wallet. While Jounouchi is distracted by stories of Mazaki's dance troop, Seto steps out to take a call.
Yuugi slips into the hallway just as the call ends. He smiles disarmingly when Seto stares at him. "Jounouchi-kun doesn't tell me everything, but I had my suspensions."
"You know I hate wasting time," Seto tells him.
"I know." Yuugi hums. "That's why I'll get to the point, Kaiba-kun. Both you and Jounouchi-kun are good people, but you're also stubborn. Sometimes things don't have to be so difficult, you know?"
"What exactly are you talking about?" Seto deadpans.
Yuugi shrugs. "Learn to compromise a little."
Seto is about to open his mouth when footsteps fill the hallway. He turns around to find Bakura of all people approaching them with a box in his arms.
"Sorry I'm late," Bakura tells Yuugi after looking thoughtfully at Seto. "I brought the game I mentioned last time. It's fine if Jounouchi-kun doesn't want to play-"
"I'll play it!" Jounouchi chooses then to fling the door open. He pushes Bakura and Yuugi into the already cramped apartment, then grins at Seto. "Are you coming back or not?"
Seto frowns. "Fine. But if Bakura takes out anything that looks remotely like an eye, I'm leaving."
4.
News of the run-in at Jounouchi's apartment makes its way to California quickly, and Seto gets a rare call from Mokuba a day later.
"Nii-sama! You should've told me!" is what Mokuba opens the conversation with, prompting Seto to step away from reviewing the prototype duel disk for the academy. "I can't believe I had to hear about your relationship from someone else! I-" Mokuba takes a deep breath, then starts laughing. "I didn't expect to be the one giving you this talk. Our roles are reversed!"
"I wasn't hiding it from you," Seto says with practiced ease. He'd imagined how this conversation would go many times, and Mokuba's disapproval had never been a possibility.
"I should've come home for winter break, shouldn't I?" Mokuba laments with a sigh. "I missed so much."
This is a conversation they have had several times. Seto suspects Mokuba still feels guilty for accepting his friend's invitation home for Christmas vacation, yet it's important to Seto for Mokuba to have peers who are intellectually challenging and welcoming. "It's fine. Now you know about Jounouchi and myself."
Mokuba is uncharacteristically silent for a beat. "Well, now it makes sense why Nii-sama used to be so mean to Jounouchi-kun."
"Don't read too much into this," Seto says, which makes Mokuba laugh some more.
Mokuba's pseudo-interrogation isn't the only thing on Seto's mind. He's been deliberating the pros and cons of Jounouchi's living situation, and presents his findings when Jounouchi comes a few days later.
"You should move in with me," Seto says while Jounouchi makes a sandwich in the kitchen.
Jounouchi doesn't look away from wrangling the kewpie mayo bottle. "No thanks.".
"Why not?"
"Don't feel like it."
Seto scowls. "Your lease is ending soon. It makes more financial sense to move in with me at that point."
This makes Jonouchi squint. "How do you know about my lease? Whatever, the answer is no. You have your space, and I have mine. This works for us."
Seto expects this much, so he tries another approach. "Your current lifestyle requires you to live above your means. The construction job does not pay well. Not paying rent on that tiny place will allow you to pursue more dueling opportunities."
"I live at that tiny place!" Jounouchi hisses, which is a sure sign of things going south. "I worked hard to make that happen! Jeez, I knew you were a meddling bastard, but lay off this."
Seto knows how stubborn Jounouchi can be. Yet, old habits die hard, and Seto can't stop himself from having the last word."It makes no economical sense for you to maintain that apartment," he says, almost as an afterthought.
"Fuck being economical! Maybe I don't want to be financially dependent on an asshole who makes shitty decisions for me!" Jounouchi snaps. He steps out from behind the island, gives Seto's shoulder a hard shove, and makes a point to slam the door on his way out.
It's not the first time someone has executed a dramatic walk out on Seto, but he still feels slighted. Seto has an idea of how this will go. He lets Jounouchi brood and doesn't initiate contact. Neither Isono nor Mihara comment on Seto's early arrival and late departures from the office the following days, although they are more careful around him.
It's strange, Seto thinks, for a return to his previous lifestyle to feel this tiring. He's always been a perfectionist and workaholic, yet Jounouchi had the unnerving ability to make Seto want to go home early every day. Seto craves Jounouchi's mediocre cooking and longs for mornings spent bantering with him at the kitchen table. Seto just misses Jounouchi, probably.
Compromise, Yuugi had said in his poor attempt at The Shovel Talk. The truth is that Seto has no experience in such things. Jounouchi is Seto's first taste of physical and emotional intimacy, and Seto oftens feels like he's playing catch up in a game with no manual. Still, he knows it's more important to have Jounouchi in his life at all, than to have Jounouchi somewhere Seto wants him.
Seto has every intention of reaching out, but the acquisition of Kalledic Tech takes up all of his mental energy. He makes it home late on Saturday planning to work some more, but manages to fall asleep on the couch with the KCTablet on his lap.
He wakes up the next morning to Jounouchi hovering over him. Seto regrets giving Jounouchi full security access to the penthouse.
"You're a hot mess," Jounouchi says in lieu of a greeting. He takes a seat at the foot of the couch while Seto frowns. "Have you been wallowing, Moneybags?"
"Working," Seto corrects him. And wallowing, but he won't deign Jounouchi with a confirmation.
Jounouchi snorts. "You're so predictable."
Seto moves to sit up, but Jounouchi pushes him down.
"Listen," Jounouchi says with maximum effort. "I hate this fighting shit."
"It hasn't been particularly fun for me either."
"Just listen, okay?" Jounouchi continues with a hand planted on Seto's chest. "My parents were married for more than ten years. They had two kids. Then one day, my mom just ups and leaves, taking Shizuka with her. My old man was never a saint, but my mom leaving ruined him. What's the point of- I." He pauses, as if deliberating his next critical move. "I don't want to end up like him."
"That's ridiculous," Seto tells him flatly. "In every scenario, I can only imagine you getting tired of me."
Jounouchi opens his mouth to complain, then lets out a chuckle. "You're crazy, Kaiba."
"I'm probably crazy," Seto amends. He doesn't like to make contingency plans or entertain the possibility of losing, and he's always assumed that Jounouchi shared this mentality. Seto thinks about car crashes and orphanages and clawing his way up with nothing but a chess board. "Everything I have, I've fought for. I imagine it's been the same for you. There's no guarantee anything will last forever, but everything important takes work. I don't know, I can't predict if we'll still want this a year or ten years. All I know is that I want this now. Be with me if you want, Jounouchi. It's simple."
Jounouchi mouths simple, then shakes his head. His hand moves to Seto's wrist until he loops his fingers through Seto's. "Nothing about you is simple. You're the most complicated pain the ass."
"You don't have to move in with me," Seto starts to say, but stops when Jounouchi gives his hand a soft squeeze.
"I'll move in," Jounouchi tells him. "My place is in the middle of nowhere. This location is much more convenient. I'm not throwing anything away, though. I know you hate my shit, but I'm still putting up photos of my friends."
"Put them in the guest room," Seto says immediately. He's not expecting it to make Jounouchi laugh. "There's plenty of spa-" He stops when Jounouchi puts a hand playfully over his mouth.
"Shhhh. I'm not done. This doesn't mean I'm gonna be your kept man or whatever. I'm still gonna come and go whenever I want. My friends can come over whenever, but I'll tell you in advance or something."
"Or something," Seto mutters. "Fine. What else?"
Jounouchi gives him a sleepy grin. "And I need a parking spot for my bike."
"That's your final ultimatum? Where have you been storing it up to now?"
"In the garage three blocks down. Honda has a buddy at the mechanic's shop there. Anyways," Jounouchi's hand moves up to flick at the strand of hair falling into Seto's left eye. "My old man will be done with treatment in two months. I'll quit the construction gig then. This doesn't mean I'm gonna be your trophy husband."
"I don't think you understand what that phrase means."
Jounouchi shrugs. "Now it's your turn."
It hasn't occurred to Seto that Jounouchi would offer him the same courtesy. Seto has always operated on his own frequency, and it becomes obvious to him now that this is what compromise looks like. "No unannounced visitors past midnight. The cleaning lady will still come once a week. Anything you throw on the floor will be laundered by-"
"You need to start doing your own laundry," Jounouchi whines, but shuts up when Seto gives him a flat look.
"Mokuba reserves the right to stay with us on vacations and breaks from school-"
"You really think I'd sexile Mokuba? Everyone knows he's the more popular Kaiba brother!"
Seto glares. "Stop interrupting me."
"Sorry," Jounouchi mumbles.
"You will also not touch or tinker with any of my Blue Eyes memorabilia without express permission. We shall conduct quarterly check ins to discuss boundaries and new developments in our relationship."
Jounouchi pinches the inside of Seto's arm. "This isn't a business transaction, Kaiba. I'll let you know if something bothers me, but you gotta do the same. It hate thinking things are going well when they're not."
"Are things going well now?" Seto raises an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Jounouchi says, his face bright like the sun at dawn. He smiles.
Seto does his best to smile back.
5.
KaibaLand hosts the 10th Anniversary event for Battle City that spring. Tickets are given away in raffle stickers available only with the purchase of KaibaCorp's newly released pocket hologram launchers. It's an ingenious marketing move suggested by Mokuba, who spends endless nights skyping Seto when they should both be sleeping.
SUZUKI Corporation automatically secures Jounouchi's entry, which saves Seto the headache of talking him into accepting one of KaibaCorp's many reserved spots. While Yuugi has the audacity to look surprised when Seto guarantees him an entry, the other participants are more vocal about their ambitions. Industrial Illusions' representative claims he will win the tournament with a reinforced zombie deck. The crowd-favorite – a newcomer from Kyoto – also promises to bring home the gold.
Jounouchi says: "I'm gonna use your 3D Blue Eyes trophy as a flower vase."
Seto ignores him as he checks the list of banned cards for the tournament. "You've never legitimately defeated Yuugi before."
"Wellll." Jounouchi leans over and snatches the the KCTablet out of Seto's grasp. When Seto reaches over, Jounouchi meets him with a wet kiss on the cheek. "Neither have you! There's a first for everything! Now stop working. I've been waiting forever for this movie to come on TV."
Mokuba flies back just before the opening ceremony. As expected, he's manages to catch up to Seto in height and is popular with the female crowd during the ceremony. "Looking good, Jounouchi!" Mokuba says backstage after chatting up Yuugi and surprising the other participants by identifying them by name.
"This is why he's the popular one," Jounouchi tells Seto cheekily.
Seto responds by fixing the collar of Jounouchi's jacket. "Don't embarrassing yourself by losing to a teenager."
"Shut it, rich boy."
The tournament proceeds unpredictably. A middle school girl turns out to be the true underdog when she defeats a local favorite thrice her age. Seto, having been relegated to a judge's role, is given a run for his money when the girl sacrifices her own monster to take Blue Eyes to the graveyard.
Since the only requirement to pass Seto's exam stage is to immobilize Blue Eyes, Seto lets her through. He takes his annoyance out on the other participants. Only one duelist, Nanami, sponsored by TAKARA TOMI, gets through Seto before Jounouchi appears.
Jounouchi can't stop cackling over the irony of Seto getting bested by a child. Still, he must've learned from years of dueling Seto, for his Magic Jammer catches Seto's Enemy Controller. "Sorry, Babe," Jounouchi says when he activates Shadow Spell, and Seto can't tell if Jounouchi is talking to him or Blue Eyes for chaining her down.
Yuugi is the last person to pass through Seto's exam. Seto is ruthless with his attack, but Yuugi plays Dark Magic Attack with his pesky Dark Magician on the field to destroy all of Seto's trap cards, then immobilize Blue Eyes with a simple Block Attack.
"I really hate you," Seto says when Yuugi enters through the gate for the next stage of the tournament.
Yuugi just beams. "I had fun dueling you too, Kaiba-kun."
"I didn't raise this company from the ground up just to become a party trick," Seto tells Mokuba later when he enters the stadium box for the televise duel.
Mokuba swings around just as Mihara hands Seto live stats for the broadcast. "You're the face of KaibaCorp, Nii-sama, but no one wants to see you win our tournament! They want to see your infamous dragons, but they also want to an upstart! An underdog! That's what make things exciting!"
"Don't be so dramatic," Seto says, which earns him looks of disbelief from Mokuba, Isono, and Mihara. For the most part, he focuses on the stats. Stocks have risen acceptably, and orders for the new duel disks are pouring in. Seto tunes in again when a Domino City Channel 5 reporter interviews the four finalists.
Yuugi continues to be insultingly modest when asked what he'd do with the prize money. "Maybe I'll expand the store," he says while scratching his cheeks, as if the Kame Stop hasn't gained enough business as a pilgrimage site for duelists everywhere.
Nanami claims she'll use the money for a new house, and the middle schooler (Watanabe, according to Mihara's memo) says something about buying snacks.
"And you, Jounouchi-san? Do you have someone to bring the trophy home to?"
Jounouchi gives the camera his most infuriating grin. "Sorry, I don't kiss and tell."
Mokuba turns to stare at Seto, who ignores him with grace and dignity.
In the end, Yuugi's team loses due to tactical error made by his partner, leaving Jounouchi and Nanami to fight for the gold. Seto is thrown off kilter by Yuugi's (albeit unfair) defeat that he's not surprised when Jounouchi wins with the aptly timed activation of Ring of Destruction.
"This is unexpected," Mokuba says while reporters storm the stadium for an interview with Jounouchi. He stays with Seto to take care of housekeeping tasks, accepting press interviews and overseeing the awards ceremony. Jounouchi is whisked away by friends, family, and admirers immediately afterwards, and Mokuba gives Seto a small laugh. "Did you want to go to the afterparty?"
"Hardly," Seto says and means it. Instead, he spends time catching up with Mokuba. Mihara has the foresight to make reservations at Seto's favorite restaurant, and they pass the hours catching up on Mokuba's life, friends, and research in California. During dinner, they're both bombarded with photos from subsequent parties from Jounouchi, which Mokuba replies to enthusiastically and Seto studiously ignores. It's nice to portion off a pocket of time for Mokuba, even though Mokuba is dead-set on taking the early flight back. Still, Mokuba is relentless with his teasing. Especially after finding Jounouchi sitting on the kitchen counter in briefs the morning prior.
"I'm never eating in the kitchen again," Mokuba says after the waitress brings their dessert.
Seto can feel his eye twitching. "Don't be ridiculous. I have no intention of ever sullying-"
"Nope!" Don't want to hear it!" Mokuba insists, then practically inhales his chocolate parfait.
Jounouchi returns home just after Mokuba—who'd insisted the company driver takes him because he doesn't trust Seto to drive—confirms his arrival at the airport with a text. The sun is starting to rise when Jounouchi tiptoes into the room. Seto blinks slowly when Jounouchi gets into bed.
"You smell foul," Seto says.
"Go back to sleep," Jounouchi grumbles into Seto's hair.
Seto wakes hours later to Jounouchi climbing into bed again. The blinds on the casement windows do an adequate job of filtering out sunlight, but Seto can still tell they've slept most of the day away. He sighs when Jounouchi pulls him into a lazy kiss.
It's too early, or perhaps too late, for an non-caffeinated Seto to care about the logistics of his schedule. He's fairly sure no one had needed him in the office today, but all thoughts of work dispel from his mind when Jounouchi's hand moves under Seto's shirt.
Seto tsks. "Victory sex. How cliche."
"Is that any way to talk to the new Champion?" Jounouchi asks as he lifts the night shirt over Seto's head. "I'm a hot commodity now."
"Hot commodities don't smell like cheap beer," Seto replies, which prompts Jounouchi to strip out of his own clothes. Gross. Seto will have to send the linen away to be laundered again. Jounouchi knows how he feels about dirty clothes in bed, he-
His thoughts trail off when Jounouchi begins petting Seto through his pajama bottoms. He makes an affronted noise when Jounouchi pushes him down and tugs at the waistband of Seto's pants.
"I like you a lot better when you're quiet," Jounouchi says before taking Seto's dick into his mouth.
"I could say the the same about-ah, you."
Jounouchi's experience in bed used to bother Seto, back when their arrangement felt purely physical. Everything Seto knows about affection and intimacy, he's learned from Jounouchi. It almost feels like a counterfield transaction for Seto to benefit so much from someone he used to belittle.
"You're thinking too much," Jounouchi says. He uncaps the lube that he's procured from god knows where. "Just relax. Fantasize about your dragons or something."
That has the exact opposite effect. Seto almost knees Jounouchi's face in annoyance. "Are you trying to make me go soft?"
"What, you don't like me talking?" Jounouchi leers almost predatorily. "So you don't want to hear about how I'm gonna fuck you hard and fast, then slowly the second time around until all you can feel is me inside of you? Until-"
"Enough." Seto hisses as he stiffens in Jounouchi's hands. He loses the mental capacity for arguing when Jounouchi returns to blowing him. Jounouchi knows exactly what Seto likes, and he takes advantage of that to prop Seto's leg over one shoulder and slip a warm finger into him. Seto gasps out a sigh when Jounouchi slowly eases a second digit in.
"You look really nice like this," Jounouchi says when he crooks his fingers into a spot that makes Seto groan. "Your legs are so long. I could die between them."
"Die later. Sex first," Seto orders in a way that he hopes is commanding, but it just makes Jounouchi laugh. He doesn't have to ask again, because Jounouchi gets back to work until Seto feels warm and distracted and incapable of complaining. Seto wills himself to breath when Jounouchi eases into him. He can't get use to the initial burn no matter how many times they do this, but Jounouchi rubs soft circles on the inside of Seto's knees to distract him.
When Seto tenses, Jounouchi whispers "relax" against Seto's thigh. He lets out a huff of victory when he's fully inside of Seto. Jounouchi's movements are excruciatingly slow at first, like Seto is an opponent he can't quite gauge.
This is the part Seto hates the most, because he can't parse the tenderness on Jounouchi's face. "I'd like to come sometime today," Seto says wryly.
"Bossy," Jounouchi snorts. Regardless, he picks up the pace. Jounouchi tugs Seto's hips down further on the bed until they're slotted together, skin to skin. It feels nice, but not enough. Jounouchi seems to understand this, because he shifts their position with a deft hand on Seto's waist. "Better?" He asks when Seto is on his knees and pushing at the headboards for leverage.
"Keep going," Seto says, and makes an embarrassing sound when Jounouchi complies. Jounouchi makes good progress and works him until Seto's mind goes blank, clinging desperately at the sensation of Jounouchi inside of him. He can feel the tension in Jounouchi's movements, but Jounouchi's orgasm takes them both by surprise. Seto shakes through it as if he's an extension of Jounouchi.
Seto expects a pause, but Jounouchi pulls him up by the neck and kisses him hard. Jounouchi presses their mouths together, pushing his tongue into Seto's mouth in filthy, wet strokes as his free hand pumps Seto. It doesn't take long for Seto to come, boneless and collapsing with his head on Jounouchi's shoulder.
"Victory sex is great," Jounouchi declares when they're both lying in bed with the blankets kicked to the floor.
Seto rolls his eyes. "Go run the bath."
It takes Jounouchi a long time to pad into the bathroom, and even longer for Seto to move from the bed. The master bathroom is large enough to fit them both, but Seto still makes a noise of annoyance when Jounouchi gets into the tub with him.
"We're saving on water," Jounouchi says as he settles his back against Seto's chest. "Plus, you always take forever in here."
Seto leans his head against the edge of the marble tub. The water is warm enough without another person's body heat, but Seto doesn't mind his view of Jounouchi's flushed black. "You're just an incorrigible cudder," Seto says with no heat in his voice.
"I have no clue what that means." Jounouchi turns around. His hair looks much darker wet, and Seto resists the urge to run his hands through it. "Besides, you haven't congratulated me yet."
Seto watches the way their knees break the surface of the water. "You were down to 200 life points and almost lost to Nanami."
"It's called a comeback victory," Jounouchi tells him pointly. He's playing with a floating Baby Dragon toy, occasionally flicking water at it and watching it babble back to the surface. "Besides, I didn't think Yuugi would lose."
This makes Seto think. "You didn't expect to win against him?"
Jounouchi leans back until his head is settled on Seto's collarbone. "I thought when I finally beat Yuugi, it would be because of my own work and not because he got stuck with a shitty partner. And Yuugi wasn't even mad over it! He's such a nice person, but it was like-" Jounouchi huffs. "Like he didn't care that I won because he knew it wasn't a fair duel."
"Have you considered," Seto says slowly but firmly. "That Yuugi accepted his loss because he knows you are a competent duelist and respects you?"
Jounouchi blinks. "Did you just compliment me?"
"I'm merely stating facts." From this angle, Seto can see the water droplets lingering on Jounouchi's eyelashes. He doesn't expect it when Jounouchi reaches up to kiss his jaw.
"Let's get out of here," Jounouchi says, after they kiss so long that the water turns lukewarm. "I'm getting wrinkly."
There's food from the nearby katsudon place waiting in the kitchen. Seto eyes the delivery bag and the lack of a receipt. "Where did this come from?"
Jounouchi throws a towel over Seto's head and rubs it mercilessly into Seto's hair. "I asked Isono to pick it up."
Seto resists the urge to check a mirror. "Stop bugging him with inane tasks on weekends. He has a family to attend to."
Jounouchi stares at him for a long beat. "It's Monday."
It takes a second for realization to dawn on Seto. The tournament, coupled with unplanned all-nighters and Mokuba's early departure, had thrown off Seto's grasp of time. For once, Seto is speechless as he retrieves his KCPhone. There are 9 missed calls.
"Haha! You missed work on a weekday! You're a slacker like the rest of us now!" Jounouchi cackles gleefully as he unboxes the food. "Don't worry. I called your secretary around noon. Actually, she called me. I don't even want to know why she has my number. Anyways, she knows you're playing hooky."
Seto wordlessly moves the manga Jounouchi has left on the couch to the coffee table. He takes a seat. "She has your information because you're on my emergency contact list."
"Shit, is that why she gave me a lecture about proper interview etiquette before the tournament? I thought everyone got that speech!"
"Every participant received a memo."
Jounouchi hands Seto a bowl and props his butt down next to him. "Really? Cause she specifically said don't embarrass Kaiba-sama. Ohhhh is that why Mokuba had that weird conversation with me too?"
"What did Mokuba say?"
"That you wear shoe lifts to look taller."
"He did not say that."
"You're right." Jounouchi grins with food in his mouth. He doesn't elaborate further before turning on the television.
Seto doesn't press for more information. The idea of Mokuba warning Jounouchi is laughable at best. The history between himself and Jounouchi runs so deep that they've already seen the best and worst of each other. They fact they've gravitated back into the same orbit after so long is a miracle in its own.
They're halfway through a murder documentary of Seto's choosing when he remembers to asks, "Where is your trophy?"
"In the freezer. It's holding ice and my beer."
When Seto shoves him off the couch, Jounouchi laughs so hard he cries.
0.
The year that Mokuba receives his acceptance letter from Caltech, Seto decides not to sell the mansion. Moving out after Mokuba leaves for university had always been the plan, as Seto always held little fondness for Gozaburo's mansion. Still, there's something uncomfortable about the concept of selling their childhood home, so Seto eventually decides to turn the estate into a KaibaCorp museum.
"You won't regret this!" Mokuba insists before heading off to California that summer. He'd single-handedly drafted a blueprint for the museum in the crisp, efficient way that he'd created the Caltech portfolio that made his position at KaibaCorp look like resume fodder.
Isono had been in charge of overseeing the refurbishment project, but his wife's already complicated pregnancy takes another turn when she delivers the twins prematurely. Seto, facing the deadline from his new Board of Directors and not wanting to disrupt Isono's time with his family, reluctantly takes over the project. It's probably for the best. There are too many undocumented passages, chambers, and ghosts in the mansion for anyone else to handle.
The construction company Mokuba picks is the one KaibaCorp had worked with to build the Children's Center the year prior. Seto had been minimally involved in that project, but he has no reason to doubt Mokuba's choice. That is, until he visits the construction site and catches his first sight of Jounouchi Katsuya in years.
"Stop staring," Jounouchi says while throwing Seto a hard hat. "Everyone here needs to wear this, including you, Moneybags."
Seto catches the hat with minimal grace and maximum effort. "What are you doing here? You-" He's cut off when Tanaka, the lead architect, appears with a clipboard.
"Kaiba-sama! I need you to review these instructions your brother left. We're not sure about tearing down the master bedroom."
Seto can feel his headache growing. "Just follow the plan."
Jounouchi whistles then with a jackhammer slung over one shoulder. He's broader now, his already tan skin a stark contrast against sun bleached blonde hair. "Tearing down your old room, huh?"
"It was Gozaburo's bedroom, not mine," Seto says before he can stop.
The stare Jounouchi gives him is half blank, half assessing. Still, he leaves with shrug and an harsh before disappearing into the construction site.
"Don't mind Jounouchi-kun," Tanaka adds. "He's only here part-time, but he's a hard worker!"
Seto figures this much. What he doesn't understand, however, is why a professional duelist needs this type of side job. He's kept an eye on Jounouchi's career throughout the years, the same way he does for most acquaintances. The last time Seto checked, Jounouchi was a full-time duelist with enough sponsors to support his pedestrian lifestyle.
Seto tries not to think about it. Between his duties at KaibaCorp and overseeing the development of Duel Academy, he essentially forgets about Jounouchi until the the SUZUKI banquet. Seto has previously entertained talks of SUZUKI Corporation developing engines to integrate with hologram technology, although it would be years before Domino City could develop the infrastructure needed to support this concept. Seto expects mindless small talk and irritating press at the event. What he doesn't expect is Jounouchi in a cheap-looking suit flirting with the catering staff.
"Unlucky," Jounouchi mumbles when he spots Seto. He looks alarmingly different here, surrounded by executives and professional mundanities. "Why do I have to keep running into you?"
Seto grabs a flute of champagne before the waiter hurries off. "What are you doing here?"
"Don't be a dick," Jounouchi huffs. The fact that he gives Seto an annoyed look instead of a threat is a sign that they've both mellowed in recent years. "SUZUKI is my biggest sponsor. Haven't you seen my bike ads?!"
"You ride a bicycle."
"That was back in high school, you asshole. Now I ride a GSX-R1000."
Seto considers this. He knows enough about motorcycles from Mokuba's short lived bike phase. "You ride a 1500000 yen bike yet works part time sealing concrete?"
Jounouchi glares at him with a mouth full of cheese cubes. "Shut up! The bike was a gift from the company. I'm not allowed to sell it for money."
The champagne tastes dull, but Seto had skipped lunch (and breakfast, for all that matters). He blames that for his loose lips. "And why would you need money with the sponsor list you've racked up?"
Under the chandeliers, Jounouchi's face flushes a soft crimson. "I-shut up, it's none of your business. Why don't you just go back to ignoring me?"
Seto wants to do exactly that, but Nobu appears then and grins at the sight of them. Nobu is important enough not to be brushed off, and he knows it. "Kaiba-san! Jounouchi-kun! How funny to see you two together! Jounouchi-kun is doing fantastic in the pro-dueling circuit. You should think about making a return too, Kaiba-san!"
Seto doesn't tell him that dueling is pointless with the Pharaoh gone and Yuugi taking a hiatus. Duel Monsters is more popular than ever, yet Seto has gotten more lax about defending his title. "I'm busy with personal projects."
"Yah, yes! I heard about Duel Academy!" Nobu flags down a waiter, grabs glasses of dubious alcohol, and hands them to Seto and Jounouchi. "There must never be a dull day at KaibaCorp!"
Seto studies the scotch in his hands. "No, there isn't." His reply earns a snicker from Jounouchi, who's already drinking his share.
Nobu is smart enough to change the conversation. "So, Jounouchi-kun, where's that boyfriend of yours?"
This makes Jounouchi bristle. "Ah, um, we're not together anymore."
"Shame. He was fun to be around. Knew a lot about bikes, too." Thankfully, Nobu seems to lose interest in the conversation. He excuses himself to talk to another colleague, leaving Seto and Jounouchi alone with nothing but subpar alcohol and Seto's racing thoughts.
"What?" Jounouchi hisses while Seto takes the time to empty his drink. "You're not gonna shit on me?"
Seto passes his glass to the nearest staff. "That's a disgusting figure of speech. Also, it's careless to mix business with pleasure."
Jounouchi mumbles something about Seto knowing nothing about the latter, which Seto chooses to ignore. "Where is your shadow, anyway?"
"Mokuba is at school in America."
"No shit! I already know that! We're in a group chat together."
This is news to Seto, whose messages Mokuba sometimes ignores. Seto only tolerates it because he bribes Mokuba's RA to keep an eye on him. "You are?"
"Yeah, with Yuugi and Shizuka and everyone." Jounouchi is fiddling with the cuff of his sleeves now. "Look, you haven't insulted me at all tonight. What the fuck is going on with you?!"
"You're not worthy of my mental energy," Seto tells him. It's a blatant lie, because his eyes linger on Jounouchi's lips and the width of his shoulders in that suit.
Jounouchi stumps off, which is a better reaction than Seto expects. He's used to disproportionate anger from the blond, who was always easy to rile up. Jounouchi, for better or for worse, had been easy to understand in a turbulent time in Seto's life when everyone played mind games.
Seto spends another hour participating in mindless small talk before making his exit. The venue is only a short walk away from his penthouse, so Seto had dismissed his driver after arriving earlier in the evening. He isn't bothered by the light evening rain until he spots Jounouchi trying to hail a cab a block away.
"Shit, again?!" Jounouchi hisses at the sight of Seto. "Are you stalking me?"
"Where's your motorcycle?" Seto asks with a sneer.
"Are you kidding? I'm not riding my bike in a rented suit!" Jounouchi's rented suit is, in fact, getting wet as they speak. "All the cabbies have turned off their meters. They're charging up the ass for fare to my side of town."
For the nth time, Seto questions Jounouchi's situation. "How can someone who just attended a gala not have enough money for a cab?"
Jounouchi glares at Kaiba, but all the fight seems to wash out of him with the rain. "My old man is in rehab. I don't have enough dough for myself and his treatment during the off season. There! Are you happy? Gonna laugh at me now?"
Seto pauses, then turns towards his building down the street. "Come with me," he says, and is surprised when a defeated Jounouchi follows. It's isn't not until they arrive outside of the lobby that Seto speaks again. "I live on the 29th floor. Come in, and I'll call my driver."
Jounouchi's eyes grow wide with disbelief. "What the fuck? I thought you were taking me to the nearest bus station!"
"Do you want a free ride or not?" Seto snaps, which shuts Jounouchi up. He leads the way to the elevator and ignores Jounouchi's rich assholecomment on the ride up. Once on his floor, Seto activates his fingerprint scanner and lets Jounouchi into the penthouse.
"You said you live on this floor. Not that you own this floor!"
Seto doesn't point out that he owns the entire building. The glass wall filters in enough moonlight to illuminate the living room, and Seto leaves Jounouchi wordlessly to return with an extra towel. "Stop ogling and sit down. I'll contact my driver."
Instead of doing as told, Jounouchi lingers in the genkan. "How long have you been living here, Kaiba?"
Seto pauses from pulling out his KCPhone. "A month." Ever since Mokuba moved.
The silence that follows is punctuated by Jounouchi's sharp gaze. "You're a lonely bastard, aren't you?"
By all definitions, Jounouchi is right. Seto had the space to himself for months before Mobuka left for California, but the penthouse is still scarcely decorated and sometimes feels more vacant than the mansion. It's a different kind of emptiness, for even in the ugly walls of Gozaburo's estate, Seto still had Mokuba's laughter and the daily noises from the staff.
"Do you want to go home or not?" Seto tsks.
Jounouchi falls quiet and steps forward. "Do you want me to?"
"What does that me-" Seto is interrupted when Jounouchi pushes him against a wall, Seto reaching a hand up to maintain his balance. Somewhere between the elevator and the door, Jounouchi had discarded his suit jacket, and Seto can feel the rise and fall of Jounouchi's chest. Up close, Seto sees the dampness of Jounouchi's hair and the way his brown eyes light up in the moonlight.
"Oh, man. You're either gonna kiss me back or punch me," Jounouchi predicts before closing the space between them.
Seto kisses back.