Contrary to popular belief, Kaiba Seto felt things. More things than he really knew what to do with on a daily basis. His icy exterior functioned simply as a mask to keep people at bay, to prevent anyone from learning his weaknesses. He'd drop his defenses around Mokuba. His younger brother had seen him before Gozaburo had entered their lives. He knew what Seto had been like before Kaiba had been attached to his name. He didn't need to hide himself from Mokuba.
Regardless, he still felt bad for having a complete meltdown in front of his brother, trembling in rage and screaming over the phone, before eventually throwing his paperwork all over the floor. The papers were quickly joined by the phone.
"What's wrong?" the younger Kaiba had queried carefully.
"Those fucking idiots in California." He couldn't bring himself to explain further, hoping the Mokuba would just know what was wrong. KaibaLand USA had been undergoing construction for the last few months. He'd been hopeful for a launch in the early spring. His phone call had illuminated him to the fact that the opening would not only be way behind schedule, at least another year would be required, but it was also already way over budget.
"Easy, nii-sama," Mokuba chided then, frowning at him. It almost seemed strange now, looking at Mokuba and seeing just how much he'd grown. He'd be graduating from college in a couple of months. He'd outgrown his messy hairstyle and now kept his hair cropped short, his dark purple eyes still sparkling with mischief. He was tall and thin but still way more muscled than Seto would ever be. He was more handsome and more personable. Everyone loved him. He was the face of KaibaCorp now, and it was a relief to some degree, because despite how flashy Seto had been in the past, it was far easier to linger in the shadows. "It'll sort itself out in time. Since when do projects ever go smoothly?" He said it with a lopsided grin, shrugging in that oh so familiar way. Seto was proud of him. For how well he'd turned out despite their tumultuous childhood. Mokuba was his shining achievement and knowing that he'd turned out so well-adjusted, happy, and loved made every sacrifice Seto had made for him worth it.
"Hnn," he agreed noncommittally. He wasn't going to be able to let the lax attitude of the California branch slide. He couldn't. It went against his personality. For lack of a better term, he was obsessive. He knew it. He'd known it for a long time. His whole life had been chasing one obsession after another. Finding him and Mokuba a future. Overthrowing Gozaburo. Finding the Blue Eyes cards. Defeating Yugi. Trying to defeat Yugi again. And again. And then after he'd resurrected Atem and realized the Pharoah would never let him win, he'd accepted his defeat at long last. After that, he'd turned his obsessive personality onto expanding KaibaLand. Two successful parks in Japan and one in New York. The fact that the California launch was going to be delayed was unacceptable.
Mokuba started laughing then, finding amusement at his displeasure. "Listen, if it's going to bother you so much, just stick around until I graduate. Then I'll run things here while you go scare them back into shape."
It wasn't a bad idea. Mokuba could handle the Japanese branch now, and he could go make sure those idiots stopped messing up his plans. "We'll do that, then," he agreed tersely. The grin on Mokuba's face let him know his younger brother was ecstatic to have a chance to prove himself.
He'd arrived in California without any fanfare, something he'd appreciated because he could hardly arrive somewhere new in Japan without paparazzi or fans swarming him. Most of his employees weren't even aware that he'd be there. He'd only given a handful of the upper level management notice, a courtesy he only extended because he wanted to be sure they would have an office prepared for him. That had been on Friday afternoon. It was now Sunday morning, and he wanted to sleep off his jet lag, but he knew that even if he climbed into bed, he wouldn't sleep for very long. So instead he settled himself into the penthouse suite he'd reserved for his stay in the US and opened his computer to hopefully get some work done.
He wasn't sure how long had passed since he'd started working, but the sun was starting to set, and begrudgingly, he prepared himself for bed. He tossed and turned for what felt like hours, and when he checked his phone, he saw that it was only 10 pm. There was a lot of night left. With a sigh, he stood up. It was pointless to fight against the insomnia. Instead, he redressed, donning a simple pair of jeans and a black pull over sweater, snatched up his phone, and headed out. There had to be a bar or something nearby, and if nothing else, the alcohol would help him get to sleep.
He didn't have to go far, as he settled on a barstool in the hotel lobby, staring intently at his phone as he messaged Mokuba to check up on him. "How can I help ya?" the bartender asked.
"Gin and tonic," he answered, not looking up from the message he was typing out.
After only a short moment, he saw the drink placed in front of him in his peripheral vision. "Here ya go, Kaiba," the bartender said coyly, voice impish and strangely familiar. He looked up only to discover, to his utter shock, that Jounouchi stood in front of him.
He schooled the astonishment from his face. "Jounouchi," he greeted distantly. He almost wouldn't have realized it was him except for his familiar voice and his eyes. His hair was cut short, neatly styled away from his face and a darker shade of blonde than he remembered.
"Is that anyway to greet an old friend, Kaiba?" he asked, teasing.
"Remind me exactly when were we friends?" Kaiba returned, voice icier than he meant it to be. He was actually kind of glad for the familiar face, but he wouldn't let that show.
"Cold-hearted as ever, ya bastard," Jounouchi said, shaking his head as he smiled in amusement. "Old habits die hard?"
"It seems your habit of being incessantly annoying is still intact, as well," he returned.
"Some things never change," he said as he leaned forward for emphasis, his grinning face way too close to Seto's own face for comfort. It was probably an attempt to be even more irritating. Seto grabbed the drink set on the bar and brought it to his lips so he could take a sip.
"I'm surprised, Jounouchi," he started after he'd swallowed. "I'd thought you'd make second rate drinks to match your dueling skills, but surprisingly, this is decent."
"Awww," he replied sarcastically, "you complimented me."
"It was an insult," he shot back, feeling irritation building again. This was different than his other past encounters with the blonde. In the past, it had been easy to press Jounouchi's buttons and get a rise out of him. He'd obviously grown up in the time that had passed since high school, no longer easily baited. Seto wasn't exactly sure why that fact was bothering him so much. Frowning, he took another drink, downing more of the clear beverage.
Jounouchi cleared his throat as Seto put the glass back down on the counter. "So… uh… what brings you to California?"
"Work," he stated bluntly.
"'Course," Jounouchi replied. "Going to be here long?"
He shrugged. "As long as I need to be."
Jounouchi simply nodded. "Need another drink?" he asked.
He nodded, and the drink was brought. The conversation waned after that, Jounouchi returning to his work, cleaning the bar counter off and helping out another couple of customers who'd arrived. He'd left after that, leaving behind cash to pay for his drinks and plenty extra as tip. Despite knowing Jounouchi personally, he knew tipping the bartender was customary in America, and he figured Jounouchi could use the extra cash.
He made his way back to his room, stripping down to only his boxers and then climbed in bed. He sighed heavily as he tried to get to sleep. His thoughts turned to his youth, the surprise meeting with Jounouchi making him feel almost nostalgic for times past. For the rush of competing, of verbal spats, of the countless life or death situations that arose way too frequently. It wasn't a good time, he realized, not in any way that a normal person would consider pleasant or fun. But it had been exhilarating, and he'd felt alive. He didn't really think he'd felt truly alive for the last five years or so. He'd brought back Atem. He'd gotten in his final duel, and then he'd had nothing left. It was as though he'd lost his purpose. He scowled and rolled over. Ignoring these feelings was far easier than actually dealing with them. He closed his eyes, and breathed a deep breath, hoping that sleep would come quickly.
The next day had come much too quickly for the sleep deprived CEO. He'd slept for maybe three hours, and then had groggily made his way to the San Francisco office. A security guard greeted him quickly, obviously expecting his arrival, and quickly notified the man in charge of this particular branch office, Wade Walter. "Mr. Kaiba," the man said as he approached, his graying hair combed into place but his suit looking just a tad too big for him. He extended his hand, expecting a handshake.
Seto ignored the gesture pointedly, instead indicating that he wanted to be shown to his office. He heard the man audibly gulp, and then say, "Follow me."
It was a quiet ride up the elevator to the second floor. He was led to his office, a spacious room, though smaller than the one he had at headquarters. He set his briefcase down and then sat in his chair before leveling a stern look at his subordinate. "Mr. Walter, I assume you know why I'm here."
The man nodded, keeping his eyes averted.
"I'll be frank. I am extremely disappointed to learn how far behind schedule the launch of KaibaWorld has fallen. I am here to oversee the project personally."
"Very well, Mr. Kaiba," he agreed, though it wasn't like he could do anything else under Seto's withering gaze.
"I want all of the files brought to me immediately. I want to see every document, every drawing produced, every schedule drafted, and every email sent on the project."
"I'll see that you get them, sir," the man said timidly. Seto dismissed him with a wave of his hand and then sighed. This was going to be a long week.
The rest of his day had predictably been a clusterfuck. Everyone who thought they were somebody came into his office and tried to get in his good graces. It was just utterly tiring having to deal with so many people. This was why he'd had a secretary in Japan, primarily as a way to screen out unwanted visitors, but he supposed the novelty of having the CEO on site and the curiosity would wear off soon enough.
He dragged himself back to the hotel as soon as he could, glad that it was within walking distance. He stripped as soon as he closed the door to his room, leaving clothes in haphazard piles on the floor as he moved to collapse in bed. He had work to do, but the idea of actually doing it seemed undesirable. Instead, he simply rested on his stomach in bed until he could no longer fight against the hunger he felt.
Putting on a more casual outfit, he headed back out, using his phone to find a nearby restaurant for dinner. He reached out to open the door, holding it open for a small group heading out, and lo and behold, Jounouchi strolled out with them. "Kaiba," he greeted casually, though Seto clearly heard the surprise in his voice.
"Jounouchi," he returned quickly.
One of the two young women in the group turned around. "Oh Jou, you know this hottie?" She sidled up beside the blonde, taking his hand.
He nodded. "You ought to, too," he remarked, eyes glimmering with amusement. "He's your boss."
Her eyes went wide, and she fumbled over her words to apologize. "Sorry, Mr. Kaiba. I didn't realize… I wouldn't have said something like that if I'd known."
"Hnn," he returned, not bothering to give a proper answer.
"This is my girlfriend," Jounouchi then added, taking the woman's hand once more. She was pretty enough, Kaiba thought. Brown hair, blue eyes. Tall but not too tall. Not that he really cared. "Alexa."
"It was nice meeting you, Mr. Kaiba, sir," she said sincerely. "And sorry about calling you a hottie. Not that it's not true. I mean… I… Uh… We should go, Jou." She tugged at his arm, obviously embarrassed and wanting to head off with their waiting friends.
"See ya around, rich boy," Jounouchi called, chuckling as he turned to leave with his friends. Not the friends Kaiba associated him with, but a new one.
He grunted in annoyance and simply walked into the restaurant. He'd been here for two days and had run into Jounouchi just as many times. It was admittedly just a little nice to see the familiar face, but if he honestly believed in God, he'd have said it felt like the deity was mocking him. Jounouchi Katsuya was far from the familiar face he'd prefer.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. To tell the truth, I'm not really sure why I'm writing this. I only just got back into Yu-Gi-Oh! after a like... 10 year break. At the time, yaoi really wasn't my thing. Of course, things change. I've developed an appreciation for puppyshipping that I never had before. I wanted to try my hand at building the relationship, and of course, the only truly plausible situation to me is where they meet later on as adults. So that's where we're starting. Slow burn-ish. I don't want to rush this relationship into happening. I'm going to keep the rating at T, but be warned, smut is likely in the future. Like... really likely. When I get there, I'll up the rating.
Thanks for reading! Please leave some feedback if you could so I know someone at least kind of appreciates this! XD
