Shadow: Yeah, I signed up for season four of Compy's contest. Yes, I'm an idiot. Curse me later, 'kay? X3

Notes: Shonen-ai, which means boy x boy. This time it's Puppyshipping (Seto Kaiba x Jounouchi Katsuya), a pairing I frankly fon't like all that much but have to write anyway… Contains mentions of Dragon (Yami no Yugi x Jounouchi Katsuya), Puzzle (Yami no Yugi x Yugi Mouto) and Pride (Yami no Yugi x Seto Kaiba).

Higher rating is for – minor – cussing, and vague sexual references.

Menagerie

If Jounouchi were inclined to think that way, he would've blamed what he was seeing on the drink. But then…when one was best friends with a certain Yugi Mouto, one didn't have that happy luxury of blaming the slightly…odder things that cropped up in life simply on alcohol intoxication. No, friends of Yugi Mouto simply dealt with all the psychos, crazy haircuts and golden Items that popped up with the best of their graces, and quietly held their nervous breakdowns behind closed doors.

At least…that was how it usually worked. Usually Jounouchi wasn't somewhat mildly tipsy after someone forgot there were minors attending an after-tournament party, shoving cups of alcohol-laced punch into the teenagers' hands with blinding obliviousness. Jounouchi had managed to knock back three hefty-sized cups before he'd figured, and then snatched Yugi's first cup away from the pouting teen. He was damned if he was going to let his petite best friend get drunk – and Yugi got drunk way too easily – in front of such a large crowd of people of the like that were swarming around them, media representatives and fellow duelists impossible to distinguish from one another. Yugi was the World Champion. (Yes, he'd won the tournament. Again.) Yugi had a reputation to preserve.

Yugi had a baby Red Eyes Black Dragon zooming happily around his head.

Jounouchi had been staring at the infant dragon for the past half hour, his eyes going slightly unfocused trying to follow the hyper-speed flapping of the mythological creature's wings. He had no idea why the baby Dragon was there, had no idea why he was apparently the only one that could see it – Yugi hadn't so much as blinked at the Dragon in all the time it had been there -, and Jounouchi had no idea what he was going to do about the dragon anyway. The blond had a vague feeling he couldn't just walk up to the dragon and kindly ask it to return from wherever it had come from, post-haste.

And then there was that little problem of the three Blue Eyes White Dragons perched and preening themselves on the nearby windowsill, baring their teeth and snapping when anyone dared to approach too close to their aloof master…

Seto Kaiba, as per usual, was keeping himself to himself, glaring at anyone and everyone from his distinct haunt in the corner of the room where the party was being held. Dark, brooding, and utterly unimpressed by everything that was going on, Kaiba played the part of the unfriendly shadow lurking in his ever-present bubble of cold disdain to perfection. Like he always did, every time Jounouchi laid eyes on him. Ice-cold and impervious, even when an affectionate dragon left its seat on the windowsill to playfully butt his hand. There wasn't a flicker of recognition in blue irises, sculpted features set firmly in their mask of nonchalance.

"You gain nothing by merely looking." Lips suddenly against his ear, velvet tones slipping insidiously from a mildly curving mouth into Jounouchi's thoughts, dark and dusty and regal.

Yami. Yugi's Other Self. Jounouchi knew who it was without turning, didn't have to turn, could feel the other's slight frame pressed against his back, palm spread open against his shoulder-blade for balance… The hard angles of the Millennium Puzzle just touching him, the cold feel of its attaching chain bleeding through his shirt to chill his skin. The warm gust of breath on his neck, spiked hair and bans tickling him slightly with each eddy of expelled air. Yami no Yugi had a very distinct feel, sharper and more forward than his other half – and damn it if it didn't feel nice…

"Yeah," Jounouchi found his tongue again, pitching his voice low so only his companion could hear it, "but I don't lose nothin' either."

A low chuckle of laughter that shook Yami, pleasant vibrations echoing where the other pressed against Jounouchi that had the blond swallowing hard – because he was hot and flustered enough already and he was pretty sure Yami and his good friend Yug' already had a thing going on in that Puzzle of theirs and intruding on that would probably be a bad, bad idea. And Yami was completely sober, damn him, and probably knew exactly what he was doing. The baby Red Eyes were watching amusedly(?) from its newfound seat on the buffet table – what were baby dragons called, anyway? Dragonlings? Kits?

Yami slid a hand to Jounouchi's arm, squeezing lightly there so the American looked around into slanting eyes of deep red. "Kaiba has nothing to take from you, and nothing he may cut you down for – that is, if I have been reading those slitted glares he's been sending my aibou and I all night correctly." A familiar cynical half-smile, half-not expression touched the once-pharaoh's lips. "Dragons are possessive of their treasure, it seems."

"'Treasure'?" Jounouchi frowned, confused, at him, but couldn't hide that faint swoop of hope -

Yami smirked faintly, using his other free hand to thread fingers into the loose hair at the side of Jounouchi's head, gripping hard, but not hard enough to hurt. "Treasure," he repeated more than a little smugly – what was it with Egyptians and their lack of regard to social niceties and the norm? "Gold." Jounouchi was still a little bewildered, but then something clicked and –

"…You're kiddin' me."

"Not at all." Yami's crimson gaze was free of trickery. The Red Eyes kit currently sneaking off with mini sausage rolls when no-one was looking looked up from wolfing down another doomed pastry, 'hrr'ing and nodding agreement to the king's words. "Perhaps you should go talk to him." An effortless shrug. "No-one, not even Kaiba, can be insufferable all the time."

"Says you, the spirit with an eternal optimist taking up perm'nent residence in his head."

"He's the optimist; I'm the pessimist, and between us two I'd say we get a fair dose of realism." Something more close to a true smile, curling and infectious, and Jounouchi felt his own lips quirk upwards away from prompt utter disbelief to something approaching hope.

Maybe… "Says you."

"Says me." Yami mangled his grammar with a decided nod of the head, sliding hand from shoulder-blade to the small of Jounouchi's back and giving the blond a gentle push in Kaiba's direction. "Go talk to him." In all due seriousness. "Maybe he has something interesting to say?"

Ignoring the Red Eyes Dragonling that took the air at Jounouchi's slight movement, wings beating the air strongly for such a little creature, the American shot a wry grin at one of his best friends, running a hand through his hair subconsciously. "Pharaoh -"

It's not whether he has somethin' interestin' to say, it's whether I want to hear it.

Crimson-red melted into violet-purple, and Yugi's sunny smile was open and fresh and breathing fresh air throughout the crowded room and the little dragon was happily butting Jounouchi with its head over in Kaiba's direction. Yugi understood, and understood perfectly. "I think Kaiba-kun wants to speak to you Jounouchi-kun, even if he hasn't figured that much out himself." The smaller duelist tilted his head to one side, as if listening to some inner voice only he could hear.

Like he prob'ly is, Jounouchi figured. Yami can be quite talkative when he wants t'be…

Another smile, blooming cheerfully across Yugi's expression. "Yami agrees, and suggests kicking Kaiba-kun where 'it will hurt him come sunrise' should the other prove dense – but really Jounouchi-kun," the boy tacked hastily onto the end, mindful of the flashing anticipatory grin Jounouchi suddenly sported, "would violence be all that necessary?"

"Maybes not," was Jounouchi's prompt and helpful reply, "but it would sure be fun to try, ne?"

Yugi inwardly groaned.

"So what do you call a baby dragon?"

Had Kaiba Seto been anyone else, and had Kaiba Seto not been oh-so-carefully not watching a certain blond-haired lanky young man crossing a crowded room – rather clumsily, the brunet noted; Jounouchi had bumped into at least three people on his journey and been forced to stutter half-felt apologies in the face of glowing wrath -, the question posed to him with the unwelcome arrival of one Jounouchi Katsuya in front of him might have startled him. As Kaiba Seto was obviously Kaiba Seto (as many would agree, how could he possibly be anyone else?) and had been watching Jounouchi – well. The question only mildly irritated him, and caused him to question just what it was that went on in that scattered collection of fluff and feathers that constituted as Jounouchi Katsuya's brain. The American's question belonged part-way through a discussion and not at a beginning, and really just why was the idiot looking at him with such an expectant expression like he really believed Kaiba was going to answer him…?

He flicked his gaze to the one he'd been so carefully not-looking at, ice-cold and disapproving. Kaiba was well-aware he could send someone running away screaming by the force of his glare alone, but – no. The mutt never backed down, merely drew himself up straighter and tried to match Kaiba's inches – and Kaiba was the taller one, if only by a little bit, and my, wasn't that wonderful to rub in Jounouchi's face occasionally when the dog comments wore thin to even his own ears. "…Why?" Kaiba's voice belonged to the arctic, not really calling for more discussion.

Jounouchi shrugged, maintaining his (forced) cheerful smile in the face of cold-assed adversity. "General curiosity."

"Curiosity killed the Kat…or would dog be the more appropriate animal in this case?"

Jounouchi growled and Kaiba had to blink for a moment because for an instant beside the blond there had been a peculiar not-shimmer and a glint of not-there teeth – but if Kaiba's eyes needed checking he'd have to test his hearing too because Jounouchi's growl had been echoed by a small, warning snarl and dear God it had sounded – impossible as it seemed to believe because the tournament was over and there wasn't a Duel Disk in sight – and – well –

To Kaiba's ears – and he had quite good ears, thank you very much – it had sounded like a dragon.

The brunet frowned slightly, the smallest of creases wrinkling his usually impeccably smooth brow. "What do you want, mutt?"

A somewhat hesitant pause, meaningful and insightful and pregnant with something or other and Kaiba was trying so very hard to focus on the sound of the dragon and couldn't really care what it was that lurked in the silence but Jounouchi's words but – "You were watching me."

"No I wasn't." Instant dismissal, Kaiba still distracted –

"Yes, you were," Jounouchi countered, smoothly and evenly, with arms crossed and American twang at a minimum; "Yami noticed."

-Damn him. Blue eyes flashed in pique and slid to glare at a familiar spiky-haired form across the room – but then the brat decided to take that as an invitation and – oh no, don't you dare -

"Jounouchi. Kaiba." Yami slipped into the little tête-à-tête swiftly and easily and gracefully poised and nodded his head politely at each duelist as he made himself quite at home.

Go away. Kaiba crossed his arms and outright scowled, and Yami waved his hand with that airy, regal little flick that Kaiba so hated that dispelled everything and attached himself comfortably to Jounouchi's arm.

"Having fun?" The look shot Jounouchi's way was more flirtatious than anything else, and Kaiba felt his hackles rise even further and –

"S'alright." Jounouchi shrugged, seemingly oblivious, and Yami settled just that little bit closer to the teen and if something didn't shift the World Champion soon Kaiba was going to throttle him with his bare hands. "I was just asking Kaiba about baby dragons."

"Oh?" Sweet feigned innocence.

"Yeah…Yami, d'you know what they're called?"

A moment of thought. "…Baby dragons…?" Yami's turn to shrug.

"Real helpful that, Yami."

"I aim to please." Jounouchi only shook his head, blond fringe flopping everywhere. He really did seem like a dog when he did that – a golden retriever, perhaps? Yami only smiled in his traditional cat-that-got-the-cream manner, triumphant kitty next to bewildered dog.

'Yami' – as the idiots always insisted on calling him – always seemed more feline, slinky and smooth and all unruffled grace. The damn Cheshire Cat with his all-knowing expression, smug assured countenance present at all times. Kaiba had longed to wipe that look from the other's face many a time…by beating Yami in a duel, sweeping the floor in some game or other, just outright punching the spirit… He'd debated kissing that smirking mouth once or twice, if only to shut the other up from some long-winded speech midway through a duel. (And my, wouldn't that have given the spectators something different to talk about?) But then – that would be bad. Very, very bad because pretty, pretty eyes were probably the greatest Trap card set by the King of Games and besides anyone not-Yugi kissing Yami would be liable to get their tongue bitten off and fall poisoned by those dammed words of venom tucked away and ready to tumble with perfect provocation from those sardonic, lying lips. And Yami was only being irritating, anyway – anyone with half a brain knew the once-pharaoh looked to no-one but his other half; lost in admiring his inverted reflection, light and dark and gold and blood all tangled up in black leather and white linen, sharp kisses and soft stings, in that weirdly complicated, utterly incomprehensible, innocently gleaming Millennium Puzzle hanging blithely around Mouto Yugi's neck.

So Yami was off-limits to touch, neatly filed under that flashing sign proclaiming the oh-so-helpful advice of: Don't Go There. Possibly the same sort of sign that bordered those areas obligingly marked on a map as Here Be Dragons, that you sort of completely missed on your merry way past and only later realized that what the signs hadn't mentioned was all those teeth and tails and wings and claws of said dragons and the extraordinarily little amount of patience the creatures had by the time you stumbled into their territory and they got very, very pissed-off.

Not this time. Kaiba's vow, and Kaiba's snarl in the face of Yami's blatant attempts to annoy him (and they were working, blast the spirit to hell). "…There are many terms for baby dragons, mutt." The brunet called the attention to himself, Jounouchi looking somewhat puzzled that Kaiba should actually be speaking, of his own free will, to him, of all people. Yami only hid another smirk behind his hand. "Some people call them 'dragonlings', others 'pups'. I've heard 'kits', as well…"

"Really? And where did you learn that, Kaiba?" Yami looked falsely interested.

Gritted teeth. "You pick some things up as you go along."

"Go along where, Kaiba?"

"You little -"

"Yami," Jounouchi suddenly cut off Kaiba's rising ire, putting a hand on the young monarch's arm, "why don't you go get somethin' t'eat? I haven't seen either you or Yug' eat anythin' all day -"

Yami protested. "But Jou – I'm not -"

"- and if you suddenly collapse I don't wanna be the guy that has t'explain to your grandpa just why you upped and keeled over on us -"

"- but if I'm not hungry -"

"Go." Jounouchi gave the other a gentle shove. "Eat somethin'."

"…Very well," a sweet, innocent smile (fooling no-one) and a bat of crimson-violet eyes so Kaiba wasn't quite sure which Mouto he should be yelling at soon; "I'll leave you two gentlemen alone. I'm sure you have important things to…discuss."

Now what did he mean by – Kaiba frowned, suddenly catching how Jounouchi flushed, the slanted smirk Yami shot their way before gliding off –

Yami had known from the start exactly what Kaiba had been thinking, which meant every single action the former pharaoh had undertaken had been effortlessly and perfectly calculated to wind Kaiba up as much as physically possible to point where he was just about to snap-

I'm going to kill him.

Now how many years did murder get you again…?

Yami was gone, and Jounouchi was somewhat pleased to note Kaiba seemed as flustered – or as flustered as Kaiba could get – as Jounouchi himself was by the pharaoh. The Red Eyes Dragonling/Kit/Pup was making draconic little chortles by itself over in the corner while three irritable miniature Blue Eyes' glowered at it, the latter three dragonlings all…a-flutter with indignation and embarrassment and anger and whatever else it was that possibly flashed through their master's head and speaking of Kaiba –

He got taller just to spite me – I know he did! Jounouchi scowled at the taller duelist, folding his arms across his chest.

Kaiba seemed to resent the glare. "What?" The growled question was definitely not friendly.

Annoyed at someone being annoyed at him, Jounouchi threw caution to the winds, and decided to be…well…annoying. "Y'know Kaiba, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you liked Yami…"

Pause. Flash of blue – alarm, distress, irritation, disbelief -, shutters fell down back to neutrality.

Oh… Jounouchi's pupils widened, so he actually does like him…? Which would probably explain Kaiba's being so uncomfortable before with Yami present, but did absolutely nothing to elucidate on just why it was that Jounouchi's second thought after realisation was a resounding, Shit!

The Blue Eyes' flapped their wings; one preened, the other two huddled together looking awkward, and the Red Eyes Dragonling made an odd little cough noise and began pretending it didn't exist.

Jounouchi coughed into his own hand, as awkward as his Dragon. "Feel free to deny it anytime soon?" The silence from Kaiba was disturbing – moneybags always had something scathing to say.

"And you need me to say something why, mutt?" Kaiba's voice was low, brittle and hard as the ice chips in his eyes. The cold glance was that of a cornered predator, about to lunge in retaliation –

And Jounouchi laughed a little nervously, running a hand back through his hair at the rising tension as his mouth finally completely disconnected itself from his brain and he officially took leave of his senses – "It's rather strange watchin' you get all defensive, moneybags – but I guess love happens to the best of us, huh?" Kaiba actually grimaced, and for a second he almost looked pained at the comment, and then the familiar look of exasperation set in – "Personally I woulda' thought you woulda' went for someone more -"

"More what?" The comment seized on with a voracity and speed that was downright scary.

Like me? Jounouchi thought to himself, before tacking on a wry: not in a million years… But – dammit – Kaiba had been looking at him –

But looks can mean anything…

Kaiba seemed to catch the indecision in Jounouchi's expression – "More like you?" His tone, for a change, was surprisingly neutral, neither positive or negative – unreadable. "The little blond ditz of a puppy dog -"

"Hey – I ranked third in that tournament I'll have you know!! Third!" Jounouchi snapped, his ego pricked. "Not anywhere near last Kaiba, so don't you dare -"

"But never first, hm, mutt? Always behind, never ever completely getting there -"

Jounouchi's brows drew together, his lips twisting in a snarl. The dragon beside him bared its fangs defiantly, tail lashing the air. "Fuck. You."

Kaiba's sudden grin was feral, all sharp teeth and glittering eyes. Draconic. Wolf.

Jounouchi's back hit the nearby wall with a thud, pinned in place by the taller Kaiba, all arms and legs and rippling muscles and four sets of eyes stared over the brunet's shoulder – the dragon kits, apparently surprised at such a swift – what? Assault, reprisal, relief, journey to doom…?

Jounouchi, abruptly brought so much closer to Kaiba's predatory smirk, swallowed. Hard.

And the little puppy promptly decided to run back home to its basket with its tail tucked firmly between its legs…

"God – joke, Kaiba! It was a joke!"

"Don't make 'jokes' you don't intend on backing-up, mutt." Still that same unnameable glint in the CEO's expression, the swooping sensation low in Jounouchi's gut that was whirling around and around and around and making it a little hard to breathe –

Or that could just be Kaiba pressed so tightly against his chest. Ribs crushed equals low lung capacity, go figure. Fun.

"Right," Jounouchi smiled weakly, "I'll remember that."

"I'd prefer it if you learned from it…"

Does Kaiba really mean what I think he – oh – what – eh? Jounouchi's mouth, still reveling in its disconnection to the fluff-filled matter that passed as the blond's brain, opened and blurted out the first thing that – well – "But you like Yami."

"As do you, going by how you've let him hang off you most of this evening."

A blink. Another blink. Mind-blank. Third blink. "Are you, Kaiba Seto, actually jealous?" It would explain the glares…

"No!"

Glee. "You are." I can't believe it… Jounouchi's swooping feeling was back in full force alongside temporary insanity, and the dragonlings were possibly having a bemused party in the background but –

"I am not." Kaiba sounded furious, but at what exactly Jounouchi couldn't tell.

"And why's that?"

"Yami never did this." A heartbeat's pause and skip another half-a-beat and –

Jounouchi's mind took a field trip, Kaiba very clearly, and very insistently, and very, very…well Kaiba-ly, perhaps about to shock Jounouchi's heart into completely stopping beating at all because – dear God – Kaiba was kissing him. Quite firmly, with Jounouchi trapped between the brunet and the wall – not that Jounouchi was complaining or anything – and my didn't the CEO taste absolutely divine?

A brief flicker of thought. I'm never going to live this down, am I?

Jounouchi shrugged, flung the thought back into oblivion, and happily returned wholeheartedly to the kiss.

Standing watching from the other side of the room, deeply amused, Yami opened the link in his mind with his other half, casting a cheerful comment of: 'And you said my methods of matchmaking wouldn't work...'

Yugi snorted. 'You,' the younger boy returned smartly, 'my yami, are a flirt.'

'Guilty as charged.' Amusement flickered across the link, warm and comforting. 'But I'll only ever flirt for a damn good reason. And I'll only ever do anything other than flirt with one special individual…'

Yugi smiled back, reaching out mentally with one hand, brushing it across his other half's cheek. Yami closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the soft caress. 'Do you think Kaiba-kun remembers he's in a room full of media representatives?' The smaller duelist asked eventually, interestedly.

Yami smirked slightly to himself, burying his smile in the cup of peach-flavoured water he raised to his lips to drink. Across the room Kaiba and Jounouchi continued to happily kiss against the wall, a few people passing by stopping to stare, wide-eyed. 'I don't think he cares anymore, aibou.'

Yugi's laughter was affectionate, the teen gently tugging his other back a little more closely inside their mind and the Millennium Puzzle so he could follow Kaiba and Jounouchi's wonderful example – with a few tricks of his own, of course.