Collar

AU, KaiJou, GuyXGuy, mild OOC.

Summary: The Yu-Gi-Oh enterprise is actually a TV show. Actors Kaiba and Jonouchi have some time before filming. Yes, THIS is why Jou always wears his collar like that. Drabble, established KaiJou, AU.

A/N: Trying to cure my writers' block. Not working. Anyone who's waiting for it, I may or may not have chapter 11 of Friday done by the promised date of November 25.

Disclaimer: I'm not Kazuki Takahashi. I don't own the characters, show, etc.


"Se-Seto," Katsuya gasped, clutching at his long-time lover's impeccably coiffed, angular head, which was currently attached rather firmly to Jou's neck. "S-s-stop... I have to be on the set in five minutes..."

"You'll be on the set in five minutes," Kaiba growled, displeased by the interruption. He resumed his ministrations, and he managed to mumble through a kissful of golden flesh, "I'll finish in two minutes, which will give you three to make it on..."

"Dammit, Seto!" Katsuya whimpered unconvincingly. Ohhh, yessss... that spot right there was the most sensitive on his body, and the heated bites and licks weren't helping his predicament any. "It's my first time in front of a camera like this..."

"You didn't seem to mind the camera last night," Seto remarked in between kisses. "In fact, I'd say you rather... enjoyed it."

He nipped just a little north of where he'd been lavishing all of his attention, letting the dressing room's cool, air-conditioned breeze soothe the hickey that was blooming there. Then, he reattached himself, eliciting a moan from Katsuya. The warm, wet heat of Seto's tongue felt soooooo good on his neck, and he almost forgot what he was supposed to be doing. He re-gained himself just enough to protest.

"I mean it, Seto!" Jou tried to growl, though it came out as more of a whine. He groaned as Seto's mouth shifted again, nibbling at a spot he'd only been licking until now, which made Seto redouble his efforts. "Mmmmm... yes, yes, just a little to the left... No, wait! I hafta be on time so I can steel my nerves...!"

"You'll be just fine," Seto purred, stroking Jonouchi's waist through the thin fabric of his "School" costume. He'd have to see if he could get a copy of it for... ah, personal uses. It would work so perfectly with the newest chains he'd had custom-made last week...

He pressed his lips to Jou's own, stifling the protest that was about to spill from those sinfully sweet-looking peachy lips. Indeed, they were as saccharine as Seto knew they would be. Katsuya's mind went blank as he dueled tongues with his boyfriend, any and all thoughts of resistance melting along with Jou's entire being.

Where was he again?

"Jonouchi-san!" Risako-san, Jou's costume manager and makeup artist hissed, literally prying Seto off his body. "What do you think you're doing! You have to be on in less than five minutes!"

She inspected the large, moist, festering bruise on his neck, ever-so-slightly south of the point where his neck met his jaw. It was in alignment with his collar, and spread almost three inches to the midpoint between his ear and his Adam's apple. This would not be good for the side shots they'd need to get of him during filming.

"Is it bad?" Jou had the audacity to ask. He flinched when Risako-san screamed so loudly, he didn't doubt the Martians could hear her.

"Seto Kaiba," she growled once she was able to form a coherent sentence. Risako-san practically foamed at the mouth. "What the hell did you do to him! I've been in this business for forty-five years, Mr. Kaiba, and I've seen my fair share of bad hickeys. However, I honestly believe we don't have enough time to cover all this up... four freaking minutes!"

She began to herd Jou out of the dressing room (Seto in tow), desperately caking on the appropriate shade of foundation. It was to no avail; the bruise was prominent enough to show through layers upon layers of cover-up, and the second it fully disappeared, the cover-up began caking and falling off in clumps of slightly-moist material. She did her best to apply the make-up to Jou's damp skin, though she was failing.

Risako-san fretted, "OhmyRa, what should we do! He looks like an Osiris damn frikkin' stone statue over there and I'm gonna get fired and-"

Seto broke her nervous breakdown with a glare, then stepped up and turned Jou's collar so that it stood up messily and vertically. Indeed, it did cover up both the botched makeup job and the bruise.

"There," he told Risako-san. "Problem solved."

"Break a leg, puppy," Kaiba smirked, and to muffle Jou's protest, he pressed a brief, but tender kiss to Jou's lips before shoving him into the wings of the set at the last possible minute.

Katsuya had a mere five seconds before his debut, just enough time to steel his nerves before entering on-set, slipping into the personality of Joey Wheeler.

And, offstage, Kaiba half-smiled. A stranger might call it a smirk, but someone close to him could very clearly tell that it was, indeed, a smile. After all, it was his duty to prevent his boyfriend from getting last-minute stage fright, and he had fulfilled that duty with great honor and efficiency.

It was just a bonus that Jou looked good in that collar.