A/N: This one-shot was written to stand alone but, it is set in my current story's (Light in the Dark) universe.
Sundays
Seto Kaiba was not allowed to work Sundays.
The 23-year-old corporate executive stared at his bedroom ceiling, wide awake and frowning as he remembered the recent restriction on his work schedule. He resisted the urge to check his Blackberry as he watched the ceiling fan click through rotation after rotation, the morning sun peaking through the curtains.
The bedroom walls were painted a dark green, a shade selected by the interior designer he'd hired five years ago after he'd bought the apartment for himself, Jou, and Mokuba. Housed on the eightieth floor, a row of windows ran the length of one of the walls, opening to the Kyoto skyline where skyscrapers shimmered in the rising sun, golden rays slanting across the bedroom floor.
Jou was curled at Seto's side, warm against the older boy's bare chest as he slept. While all energy and sharp edges in public, Jou was soft and warm in the privacy of their home, as if the moment he stepped through the front door, his armor clunked to the doormat.
Seto sighed as his phone vibrated with a text. Jou's legs were tangled with his, but Seto managed to grab the device from his nightstand without disturbing him, finding a message from his cousin, Yami.
I'm handling it. –Y
Seto closed his eyes, arm flopping to his side. What could have possibly gone wrong in the past thirteen hours? He slid the phone back on the end table, tense as he settled back against his pillow.
"It's Sunday," Jou said. His voice was groggy as he opened one eye, glaring at the older boy. "You know the rule."
"It was Yami," Seto said.
Jou closed his eye, sighing into his pillow. He was not a morning person, never had been in the five years that they had been involved. Seto, however, rose with the sun, and though he tried to relax back against the sheets, he was already adding to his to-do list.
No work Sundays had been Jou's idea. It had gained quick support from Mokuba and Yami, and for a month now, Seto's only Sunday schedule had been no Sunday schedule.
"You need to relax," Jou had been telling him over and over since they got together. "You're going to kill yourself if you keep pushing so hard without a break."
It was true that Seto worked long hours, six to six, Monday through Saturday but, he was the CEO, and working seventy hour weeks was not even close to enough time to deal with half the problems that crossed his desk. However, now Sunday was now off the table entirely, and any crises that popped up on this particular day were Yami's responsibility until Seto returned Monday morning.
"Seto," Jou said, groaning into his pillow. His lover had a knack for knowing when something was bothering him. Jou rolled onto his side, propping his head up. "It's 7 am. What could you possibly be worried about this early in the morning?"
"There's a crisis at the office," Seto said, watching the fan finish another circuit.
"It's Sunday," Jou repeated. "It's Yami's problem today."
Seto sighed, closing his eyes. The mattress shifted as Jou sat up, and a second later his lover straddled him, knees pressing into the sheets. Seto opened his eyes, meeting Jou's as his hands rested next to the older boy's head, caging him.
Jou balanced his weight on his hands as he bent forward, pressing a kiss on Seto's cheek. "I'm not trying to punish you," he said, his voice a whisper as he kissed just below Seto's ear. "I just want you to relax a little bit, just one day a week. Most people take two days off every single week, and I'm just trying to hold you to one."
Seto was quiet as his lover's lips trailed his chin, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
"It's not good for you to hold onto all of this stress all the time," Jou whispered against Seto's mouth. "It makes me worry." His weight was slight on top of Seto as he kissed him, his fingers massaging the tight muscles of the older boy's chest, kneading the muscles there. Seto closed his eyes as Jou worked out a knot in his pectorals, falling lax under the younger boy's fingers as he continued up towards his shoulders.
Seto was already putty in Jou's hands when his lover's lips disappeared, his weight following as he urged him to sit up. Jou settled behind him, his fingers starting down the older boy's back as he worked the tension from under his skin, his lips trailing down his neck. Seto flinched as Jou hit a sensitive section, and the younger boy leaned forward, his tongue playing on Seto's shoulder as he worked through the knot.
Seto hissed out a breath as Jou reached his lower back, his lover's fingers like magic as his muscles fell pliant under his hands. Whatever had cropped up at the office was a distant memory as Jou's hands moved to his front, fingers delving under Seto's pajama bottoms.
After, Jou was rubbing his shoulders as Seto slumped against him.
"Feeling better?" Jou asked. He slid out from behind the older boy, pushing him back against the pillows. He rose from the bed, padding to the dresser and returned with a fresh boxers.
Seto changed, watching Jou through half lidded eyes as he went to close the curtains, darkening the room.
He had never planned on Jou, and when the younger boy had first showed up in his life more than eight years ago, Seto had been less than thrilled. The beginnings of their courtship, more than three years long, had been a battle of wills, sharp tongues, and hardheadedness. It had taken a lot of time and a lot more vulnerability than both boys had been comfortable with to grow their relationship into what it was - a partnership.
Their pairing was not logical. It couldn't be explained by cause and effect, or compatibility, and Seto, the genius that he was, could only classify them an anomaly. They shouldn't have worked but, they did, and the more time that passed, the more Seto had theorized that without Jou, the lower his probability of living life outside his office.
The mattress dipped as Jou rejoined him in bed, curling next to his lover once more. Seto slid his fingers through the younger boy's hair as drowsiness flooded him, weighing down his limbs, and evening his breathing.
When his Blackberry buzzed ten minutes later, Seto was already fast asleep.
