An Unlikely Reward

by Ambivalence

Kaiba is put in Jounouchi's debt and grants him a reward. Jounouchi asks for something unexpected. SxJ Oneshot.

Title: An Unlikely Reward

Author: Ambivalence

Rating: PG

Pairing (s): Seto x Jou

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Kaiba Seto, Jounouchi Katsuya, and Yu-gi-oh do not belong

to me but to their respective creators.

Summary: Kaiba is put in Jounouchi's debt and grants him a reward.

Jounouchi asks for something unexpected.

(A/N: Just a small oneshot that I hope turned out all right. ^_^; )

An Unlikely Reward

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Can't move. Can't speak. Loud noises nearby. The shouts and grunts of anger and pain, and the sickening thud of fists hitting flesh. A booted foot slams perilously close to his face and then somebody yelling, all of it nonsensical. Fog. Panic. Limbs frozen and completely useless. What's going on? Just a blur of colors and noise, and something's in his throat but refuses to form into the cry of frustration and despair he wants it to be. Why can't he feel anything? What's happening? What's HAPPENING?!

Still half choking on a scream, Seto flung the blanket from his sweat drenched body and crashed to the floor in one disoriented motion. The unforgiving wooden surface stung his knees, jolting him back to his senses. He felt it – the sensation of small spikes of pain from the fall. He could move again. He was free. For a moment, all he could do was kneel on the floor, shaking and thanking every god he could think of that he was out of that nightmare. After a minute or so, his breaths slowed from the quick, sobbing gasps and his wits gradually began to return. He wondered at the cracks and splinters of the floor below his nose, so different from his own smooth, polished oak hardwood floors at home or the plush carpets in his rooms. It finally sunk in that this was not a floor he recognized. In an instant, he was on his feet, eyes desperately taking in more details of his unfamiliar surroundings. One bright window with light blue curtains on the left wall; a little black TV set with crooked bunny ears ahead of him; an ugly orange shag carpet beneath a coffee table with scarred wood. Nothing that screamed out that this house belonged to a mad, blood-thirsty kidnapper. There were even some photos hanging on the far wall, but his eyes were oddly out of focus. He tried to take a step forward to get a closer look. His body was acting unusually weak and uncooperative, however, and his shaking knees couldn't hold him up for more than a few seconds before they buckled and he found himself falling heavily onto the worn, but surprisingly cushiony sofa he'd woken up on.

"Ah, you're awake! Thought I heard some noise."

The words were spoken without warning from behind and spooked Seto into once again attempting to stand, his mind and body instinctively readying for a fight. Again, dizziness, and he had to grasp the sofa arm to keep from toppling over while at the same time try to maintain a defensive posture.

"Oh, geeze! Sit back down. You ain't ready to move like that yet, I don't think. You're just gonna fall flat on your face."

That voice. It sounded familiar. Felt oddly warm and safe. Wouldn't attack him. Against his will, he felt his quivering muscles relax slightly. He tried to answer, but only managed a hoarse, "Wh-where…"

He could hear the man move closer, going around his left side. And then, to his shock, he found himself face to face with a pair of wide brown eyes that he would have recognized anywhere, except normally they were filled with fire and fury whenever Seto was around, not the strange concern shining through now.

"It's okay, Kaiba. You're at my apartment. You're not in any danger here, so relax, alright?" Jounouchi Katsuya smiled encouragingly and, unconsciously, Seto did as he was told and warily sat back down.

However, he remained confused and his thoughts chaotic. "M-mutt? What…?"

For some reason, Jounouchi didn't seem to take offense this time at the normally despised nickname. Instead, he kept on smiling as though he thought it would help and held out a glass of water. "Here, drink this. Just regular tap water, but it hasn't killed me yet. Do you still hurt? I've got some painkillers, if you want? Mokuba said you could take acetaminophen or – "

"Mokuba!" How could he forget that he had to get back to Mokuba! His little brother was in grave danger! They were after him; they were going to kill him and Seto had to… had to stop them… He pushed himself away from the sofa, blindly trying to get out; to get back to the mansion before… before… Can't move. Can't speak. Why can't I do anything?!

"Kaiba! Calm down! Shit. Stop it!" Hands on his shoulders, restraining him, trying to keep him still. He struggled a bit, but he didn't have the strength to keep it up. "It's fine, Kaiba. Mokuba's fine. He's safe, I promise. Please, Kaiba, you're not up for this right now. He's okay!"

Finally Jounouchi's words sunk in and, panting, he roughly asked, "Safe? Where. Where is he?"

Jounouchi's hands remained lightly on his shoulders, as though afraid he might try to make a break for it again. "He's at the game shop. Yug' and Gramps are taking care of him 'cause I don't have enough room here and I didn't think you'd want your little bro' to see you like this."

"Is he h-hurt?" He'd never forgive himself if they had gotten to Mokuba.

"No. No, not a scratch. They didn't get to the mansion. I caught 'em before they made it anywhere close. Here." Jounouchi had reached again for the water glass and was shoving it under Seto's nose.

Seto took the hint and shakily grasped the glass – damned if he was going to drink it from someone else's hand – and took a sip. That was all it took for him to realize how desperately parched he was, as though he'd been stranded in a desert for a month, and he greedily gulped the rest of the refreshing liquid down. The cold water helped his mind calm a little more. He carefully handed the glass back to the blond man who set it on the coffee table. Then he leaned forward and, elbows on his knees, he cradled his head in his hands. It should be okay to rest for a moment. There was only Jounouchi to see, and as big a mouth as he usually had, he wasn't the type to take advantage of another's weakness.

"What's the matter? Are you still feeling sick? Do you need more water? I can get Mokuba on the phone if you're worried. It's not a problem! Or – "

"Just shut up," Seto muttered into his hands. What the hell was wrong with Jounouchi? How could he just sit there pretending to be so worried? It was sickening. "Just tell me what happened. I…" Couldn't react. Couldn't fight. Frozen. Useless.

Jounouchi stopped fidgeting. When he spoke, his voice was softer. "They drugged you. I dunno how; I didn't see it. 'Was on my way home when I saw your car stop nearby and two guys get in. I thought they were just some've your business associates, but then I caught a glimpse of you through the open door. You were slumped over. Unnatural-like. So I followed, took a shortcut I knew of, and overtook 'em a few blocks from your place."

Drugged. It must have been in that bottle of vegetable juice he'd taken from the limo's fridge, which meant the driver had been in on it. He smirked humorlessly while running Jounouchi's words through his mind again and again, like some kind of soothing mantra. The ex-gangster had run after him, overtook a car… and then what? Jumped on the limo? Beat up the bad guys? Saved the day like some sort of goddamned, selfless hero? But in the end he had stopped them from reaching Mokuba, and even Seto couldn't resent him for that.

"You scared the shit outta me, Kaiba," Jounouchi was saying, sounding as though he meant it. "When they threw you to the pavement, you just lay there, but your eyes were open. I thought… I thought you were dead…" He trailed off. Had he actually been afraid? Afraid for Seto?

"You're an idiot," he said, but without the usual malice in his tone. "Why did you bother? They could have killed you."

"Ah, well, they did leave a few bruises here an' there. But I gave 'em worse." The young man snickered. "'Was nothing compared to some of the scraps I've been in."

Seto frowned, noticing how the other had just avoided answering his question. Even if Jounouchi had known he could take on the kidnappers, what had made him go after them in the first place? Why bother to expend energy helping someone who made his life miserable every time they crossed paths? In the world Seto had grown up in, people always selfishly weighed the risk of lending their aid against what profit and other advantages they would gain. Nobody gave anything without looking for some kind of recompense. So what did Jounouchi expect as repayment for his heroic deed? As long as it didn't put Mokuba in any danger, Seto supposed it wouldn't be too much of a concern. As with most things in life, this could be easily solved with money.

"Are you feeling any better, Kaiba?" Jounouchi asked, beginning to fidget again.

Internally, Seto translated his words as 'What the hell are you still doing in my house?' Although Seto's mind was still feeling a bit fuzzy around the edges, he ignored his discomfort and forced his head up. He looked the other in the eyes and felt himself hesitate for a moment when once again he detected none of the usual hatred there. What was Jounouchi thinking now? But this was not the time to sit here analyzing the other's puzzling actions. Finding his customary smirk, which he knew always annoyed the hell out of Jounouchi, he said, "Don't worry, I will be out of your hair shortly." Placing his hands on his thighs, he began to push himself up, satisfied to note that his head did not begin to spin as it had before.

For some reason, Jounouchi became agitated by Seto's words although there had been no hint of an insult for once. With a flustered expression, he hopped to his feet and began babbling. "What? Ah, no! S'not what I meant! I… You shouldn't… Wh-what if the drug's…? Um, that is, you don't have to leave!"

"…Don't have to leave?" Seto crossed his arms and glowered at the other man. Then it dawned on him what Jounouchi was after. Right. A damn reward for his unasked for rescue. 'But he did save Mokuba…' Shit. Without relaxing his posture, he snapped, "Well. Name it, then. I don't have all day."

This stopped the other in mid-stutter. Cocking his head to the side, Jounouchi pretended he had no idea what Seto was speaking of. With those innocently wide eyes and slight pout on his lips, he had the clueless act down quite well, Seto decided. "Huh? Name what?" Jounouchi unintelligently asked.

"Your reward, idiot." He wanted to roll his eyes at the other's dumb act. As if Jounouchi wasn't just waiting to take advantage of this situation. He would probably start gloating as well any minute. It wasn't every day the lowly proletariat could brag about saving the wealthy CEO from some big, bad apes.

Jounouchi's eyes widened even more at that. "Reward? I wasn't expecting…"

"Like hell you weren't. Just tell me what it is you want so I can exit this dump and go pick up Mokuba." It was time for this game to end. He wondered how much Jounouchi would ask for. Not more than a few million, he guessed. The blond was not the type to get too greedy, after all.

At last, a small spark of irritation appeared in Jounouchi's eyes. Just the sight of it soothed Seto's frayed nerves. It was the first normal thing that had occurred since he'd woken up. Jounouchi huffed, scratched the back of his head in apparent frustration, and then said, "Okay. Whatever. Crap, I dunno. What do people usually ask for?"

Seto snorted. "Money. Fame. Rare duel cards. Your choice."

"Oh. I see." Jounouchi paused and appeared to be thinking it over. What was wrong with him? It wasn't like this was a tough decision. He could easily see by the size and state of this apartment that Jounouchi could definitely use some more cash, so why wasn't he jumping all over the chance to get it? Just when Seto was about to snap at him again, the other looked up and asked, "So, anything's okay?"

Well. That was just a bit suspicious. "To a certain extent. Oh, and my Blue Eyes are off limits," he added, just to be safe.

"Wow. Uh, then… Um, ah…" He stuttered, his face growing inexplicably red. Now a little curious despite himself, Seto raised an eyebrow and waited for the other to get the words out. "I kinda, er, maybe you could, uh… Oh fuck. Just a sec." Suddenly Jounouchi was gone and Seto was left blinking in disbelief. What the…?

And then he came skidding back into the room, panting lightly and scrambling to scribble something down on a scrap of notepaper. Still red as a beet, Jounouchi finally offered the crumpled bit of paper to Seto, his hand faintly trembling. Again, Seto sighed. Of course. It would merely be money, then. The poor bastard was probably just too embarrassed to ask for the amount out loud. Delicately taking the paper between his fingers, he slid it out from Jounouchi's grip and turned it to look at the writing. The first thing he noticed was the lack of numbers. He'd been expecting to see a whole lot of zeros, but there was not even one. Odd. And then he read short sentence that was there instead. And read it again. And then a third time just to be sure the drugs were not still affecting him.

'A kiss now and whenever I ask for one in the future.'

"Kisses?" He repeated aloud, incredulous. "That is what you want?"

"Y-yes. And not just a hard peck on the cheek. They have to be nice and on the mouth. Pretend like you want to, ya know?" Jounouchi was biting his lip, but sounded serious.

Seto stared at him. "Not from me, surely? Is there some big-breasted actress you want me to set you up with or – "

"No! From you."

"Why?" Seto asked in disbelief, glancing back at the paper in his hand. The words were simple enough, but still he could not begin to comprehend them.

Jounouchi snapped his head up, looking a bit worried. "You said anything! And this ain't against the law or anything the last time I checked."

Taken aback, Seto tried to clarify. "No, I meant, why would you ask for this when you could have millions of yen instead?"

"Oh, er… That'd be nice, too. But… Well, I don't really need the money all that much now that I have my own apartment. I'm doing fine at my job and I like earning my own keep better. So I want what I wrote."

This had to be a joke. Either Jounouchi was a complete fool or he was setting Seto up. "No," said Seto firmly, shaking his head. "Ask for something else."

"Eh? But you said…"

"And now I am saying no."

The infamous temper of Jounouchi's chose that moment to make itself known. Amber eyes narrowed as Jounouchi snapped angrily, "You said *anything*, dammit! Are you going back on your word? I thought you were better than that, Kaiba!"

Going back on his word? His word had nothing to do with this. Jounouchi's request was plainly absurd! Feeling a headache coming on, Seto rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I am not going to begin kissing you, so get that insane notion out of your head."

"Fine. I don't want anything, then. Get the fuck outta my place," Katsuya childishly shouted, turning on his heel to presumably head in the direction of the front door. Seto could only stare after him. What was wrong with the dumb blond? He wanted nothing but *that*? Did the thugs that had kidnapped Seto actually damage Jounouchi's brain in the fight? Too many questions. His head was definitely beginning to pound, now. Once Jounouchi realized the CEO was not following, he stomped back over to Seto and grabbed his arm in an angry grip.

"Hey, Moneybags, wake the fuck up. Mokuba's waiting for you, remember?"

Jounouchi was in earnest about the kisses it seemed but it was nuts to even contemplate it. Jounouchi was nothing more than a penniless, soft-hearted, third-rate duelist; why should he, Seto Kaiba, be forced to put his lips on that? But, then again, being in someone's debt was one thing he could not tolerate.

"Hellooo. Did those drugs kill your brain or something? Move, dammit!"

Remain in debt to Jounouchi Katsuya, of all people, after he had literally gone out of his way to save both of the Kaibas or… or swallow a little of his pride and give in to the stupid request. If it were anybody else, he could have easily persuaded him to just take the money; but he knew Jounouchi would not fall for it. Jounouchi was at least as stubborn as Seto, which meant that once he had made up his mind about something, the apocalypse would be more likely to happen before he gave in.

"Seriously, man. Get lost! I don't need your damned money, so just –"

"Shut up." Seto straightened and turned to face Jounouchi, who still had a tight grip on his arm. Using his free hand, he reached out and placed it firmly on the back of the other's head. Completely startled, Jounouchi stopped ranting and just watched with widening eyes as Seto brought his face closer and closer until there was but a hair's breadth between them. "Are you sure this is what you want?" He whispered, enjoying the spark of terror in those huge, honey-brown eyes. Jounouchi said nothing, apparently too shocked for words, but he did not pull away either. Damn. Steeling himself, Seto closed the gap and touched his lips to the other man's, forcing himself not to pull back immediately.

There was absolute silence as they stood there close together, mouth to mouth. He could tell Jounouchi was holding his breath, and for some reason he seemed to be doing the same as well. The grip Jounouchi had on his arm had loosened until it felt like the blond was merely clinging. Somehow, in the silence and the warmth of the other's body, it was not so terrible to be doing what Jounouchi had asked of him. The shorter man's lips were surprisingly soft and fit pleasantly against Seto's, as though they were two matching pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. It was oddly comfortable. Seto raised his free hand and without thinking brushed his fingers against the smooth skin of Jounouchi's cheek, eliciting a tiny gasp which sent a strange shiver down his spine. He inexplicably found himself wanting to hear that sound again.

But then he suddenly remembered who he was with and why he shouldn't be feeling that way.

Seto pulled back, lifted his hand away from Jounouchi's head and tried not to take notice of the way those silky, dirty-gold strands slid alluringly against his fingers. He eyed Jounouchi for a moment; taking in the other's closed eyes and flushed cheeks. Had Jounouchi actually enjoyed that? Had he been imagining someone else's kisses, perhaps?

"That was the first," stated Seto, keeping emotion from his voice with practiced ease. Jounouchi's eyes snapped open and he stared back uncomprehendingly. "I will be taking my leave now." And with that he promptly turned and walked towards the door where he had watched Jounouchi go only minutes ago.

This seemed to finally bring Jounouchi back to his senses. "Eh? Ah, o-okay! I'll see you later then?"

"Of course. I always keep my word." Seto smirked, not breaking his stride. He ignored the stuttering Jounouchi, slipped on his shoes and grabbed his metal suitcase which he found by the door. Without another word, even though he could feel Jounouchi hovering anxiously behind him, he opened the door and slammed it shut behind him. As he stormed down the hallway, Seto noted he was feeling somewhat lightheaded, but attributed it to the drugs. Kisses. He just had to play this silly game for awhile until the other grew bored with it and then he would be out of Jounouchi Katsuya's debt. Stupid dog always had to ignore the rules – why couldn't have he just asked for a rare card like any normal duelist would?

END

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Thanks for reading!