Look forward to an update to my other stories soon. I know its the day after Valentine's but I've been trapped at work these last few days. So it's a day late. Lol. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. I don't own Yugioh or its characters or the holiday.

A Coy Valentine

Kaiba strode into the building and went to his shoe locker. He felt irritated and slightly dismayed at the pile of love letters and Valentine's Day cards piled within. "Today is not a good day." He muttered under his breath as he dug his school shoes out, confessions and heartfelt notes trickled all over the floor. A few guys around uttered aggravated curses and whispers at how easily girls adored him. 'Bunch of morons. There aren't any men here that can hold a candle to me. It's only natural for them to hang all over me.' He slipped them on, shut his locker and turned on his heel, only to twitch his eyebrow in irritation. 'That being said…' A group of girls rushed over to him and offered him some chocolates and their meek confessions.

The brunet sighed resignedly and nodded in gratitude. "Thank you. I'm not interested in dating any of you however." He calmly replied in a detached sternness that wasn't particularly cold or angry. The girls offered a few words and left him the chocolates anyway. He accepted them in false understanding and continued on, leaving their broken-hearted figures behind. 'It's the same thing every time. Why won't any of these girls get the hint?'

He carried on lugging the bag of candy and cards, stopped once again down the hallway by another flock of girls. He gave the same dejected reply as before and they nodded in disappointed understanding and glumly walked away. Kaiba sighed heavily as he tossed the latest batch of chocolates into the bag. "Oh, K-Kaiba…" His attention flitted behind him to catch the hesitant stance of a first year. 'This is getting tedious…'

Ryou set the pitcher back in the closet, finished with watering the class plants. His eyes traveled to the door as Kaiba stepped through with a mostly full bag. His smile went wry, "I see you've broken a few hearts already?" He asked amused.

The brunet met the other's smiling face with a glare of annoyance. "I've had it with this pathetic holiday. I shouldn't have come to school." He grumbled as he sat in his seat.

The white-haired teen chuckled and leaned against his desk, which resided beside the brunet's. "Aw, but there's no way you could skip a day without an adequate reason. What kind of example would that be for little Mokuba?" He grinned, loving his friend's tormented pout. "I'm sure they'll get the hint eventually and let up." He eyed the bag and shook his head. "There sure are a lot though. I didn't think that many girls came to school as early as we do. Quite impressed Kaiba."

"Tch. It's not something I'm proud of." He uttered, though he did smirk a little. "But some of these are from the male student body too." 'There's actually quite a few. I wonder if word got out that I was gay..? The only ones that know are Otogi and Ryou here…' His eyes narrowed a bit. 'He wouldn't say anything but that dick Otogi most likely would.' He sighed. 'It doesn't matter I guess.'

"So are you going to read them?" He asked curious.

Kaiba looked up to him with a you-are-not-seriously-asking-that glare. Ryou smiled brighter, "Oh that's not fair, Kaiba. You should read them, they put their very emotions into writing these cards and making you these sugary confections. The least you could do, since you've turned them all down, is read their heartfelt letters."

The brunet glanced at the bag and shook his head. "You can have the chocolates if you want them so badly. I don't particularly care about the girls, you can read those too. I didn't find any of the guys that asked me out appealing so I'll pass their preferences over to that pansy Otogi."

Ryou sighed helplessly. "You are a real jerk, Kaiba." He folded his arms across his chest, "I have plenty of sweets though." He winked. "So you and Mokuba can eat them all." The brunet mumbled something akin to cavities. "Oh. Before I forget, Kaiba, I need to give you this." He reached over and grabbed his book bag and handed the other a folded card and a piece of chocolate.

The brunet quirked a brow. "Not you too, Ryou." He grimaced.

The white-haired teen giggled. "No, no. It's from a friend that wanted me to give this to you." He pulled it back as Kaiba made to take it, "But you have to read this one. Don't lump it with the others, it's very important you take a look. He put a lot and I mean A LOT into this." He emphasized with seriousness.

"And why would I read something from someone too afraid to hand it to me himself?" He questioned as he took the note into his hands. He held up the envelope and examined it carefully.

"He's not afraid… It's more like he knew you'd be swarmed by fan girls and guys and if he approached you, there'd be no way for him to give it to you. And he planned such an elaborate idea for you today. It's actually pretty cute." He insisted.

The brunet narrowed his brows in suspicion. "I'm not sure if I'll like this…"

Ryou smiled. The door opened once more and the teacher popped in. "Oh good morning Mr. Taikunuchi!" Ryou called out. The gentle-natured teen and the older exchanged a pleasant conversation. Kaiba continued to spin the letter between his thumbs and forefingers in slight hesitation.

'A plan for me, huh? And it's a male… a friend of Ryou's… Ah but Ryou makes friends with everyone so that doesn't help me any.' He surmised that he should very well open the letter. 'Ryou wouldn't insist I open it unless he really thought it was someone worth my time after all.' That and he sort of felt an inkling of curiosity strike him. He opened it up and pulled out the letter. His eyes widened in a bit of surprise, 'A poem?'

"I hope that Ryou gave this to you,

And you are reading these words from me.

I want to tell you that lately all I've done,

Is think of you and me as one.

Please give me a chance,

I know you're bound to be bombarded

With many confessions of love today,

But please, from me, do not turn away.

I'm really into you,

I've been for a while now.

Just keep an open mind about me,

And after school, we'll meet."

Kaiba smirked a bit and shook his head and folded the letter, placing it back into the envelope. His eyes flitted to the clock in the corner, class would start in about ten minutes. His eyes returned to the plain white envelope and he rolled over the words again. 'A guy writing a poem to me, huh? That's a little odd. Who is this moron anyway? Well, I guess I'll entertain the thought.' He tucked the letter into his chest book bag so it wouldn't damage.

Students filed in and class started. It carried on without any startling revelations, except for the teacher happily singing the beauty of the holiday upon them. Kaiba glued his eyes to his book and ignored the teacher for the majority of the class. Later during class break Yugi entered the classroom and waved over at Ryou and Kaiba. The brunet's brow began to twitch again, Ryou smiled affectionate.

"Happy Valentine's Day, guys!" Yugi exclaimed brightly and handed them each a small boxed chocolate cake. "I brought you guys some friendship sweets." He scratched his cheek as a blush crept along. Ryou exchanged in an idle conversation with the hyper teen. 'At least the rest of his pesky group isn't with him.' Kaiba placed the boxed sugar in his desk to save for lunch. He leaned his elbow on the desk and rested his chin in his hand. The two spoke wildly about nothing in particular, Kaiba forced to listen to their banter and laughter. 'Ah. Didn't Ryou have a crush on Yugi a while back?' He watched the two carry on and they both seemed very happy.

"You two should get a room somewhere. The way you are always with each other. You'd think the two of you were dating." He muttered aloud, partly to get Yugi to leave but mostly to embarrass both of them. He succeeded as widespread blushes washed over their entire faces.

"Wh… I… We aren't dating, Kaiba." Ryou stammered out heatedly.

Yugi scratched his cheek nervously. "Y-yeah, we're just friends. I mean, Ryou gets all kinds of female and male attention from every classroom, even if I were interested in Ryou I wouldn't stand a chance compared to them at all." He rambled disappointedly.

Ryou shook his head, "N-none of the people that approach me are as wonderful as you, Yugi… You should know that I care about you more than anyone else!" He insisted. How could Yugi think he didn't like him? He was the only one he felt this strongly for after all. "I definitely would date you if you were interested!" The room fell quiet and Ryou's face grew an even darker shade of red. Kaiba's eyes widened not expecting the other to actually ramble out a confession.

Yugi's face blushed even more, "Ryou you…" The white-haired teen mumbled the need to use the restroom before rushing out the classroom. Yugi took a step after him but paused as he remembered the real reason he came. He turned back to Kaiba and pulled out a yellow envelope, "Oh uh, uhm, here Kaiba. It's from a friend that insisted I give this to you. Did R-… Did Ryou give you the first one?" He asked glancing at the door in haste.

'Another letter?' He glared and snatched the envelope from the other, "What are you standing there for? Aren't you going after Ryou?" He asked sternly. Yugi's eyes widened determined and he set off. Kaiba relaxed back in his seat and settled his attention on the letter. "Well, I guess I should take a look." He opened it up and revealed another poem.

"Please don't think that I'm a coward

For approaching you this way

Because you wouldn't give me the time of day

If I had faced you one on one, I dismay…

We aren't really friends,

And you are always so cold.

But there's a pull I feel towards you

Little things that made me fall for you...

I wanted to tell you for a long time,

But I was kind of afraid to tell the world.

I realize it's probably cheesy to write a poem of confession,

But I… I figured this would show I can speak with poetic alliteration."

Kaiba placed the note in its envelope and put it away with the first. 'Who is this?' He pondered. "A friend of Yugi's? Ahhn. Yugi befriends everybody too." He tapped his finger irritated, he didn't really like this game of mystery. He picked up the single wrapped chocolate that had been delivered with the first from his desk. He unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth. 'Hm. It's sweet. But how did he get my favorite chocolate? I've never brought them to school before…' Minutes rolled by and Ryou didn't return to class. The teacher started the next lesson.

Finally lunch started and everyone filed into the cafeteria. Kaiba sat at his usual table and set out his bento. It was a simple lunch today as he figured the day would prove to cause a loss of appetite. His intuition correct as everywhere he looked there were couples happily in love. 'How many of these couples will be done with by the end of this week?' He wouldn't be surprised if half the people he saw would be alone in a few days. His eyes darted to the cafeteria doors as they opened up to reveal Ryou and Yugi shyly holding hands. He smirked in disbelief, 'But then again. Maybe a few irritant morons will continue on…'

"Hey, what the heck? Ryou and Yugi are dating now?" Kaiba's amused smirk settled into an annoyed glare as Otogi sat down beside him. "It's about time. Hasn't he been googly-eyed for Yugi a while now?" He continued on and swiped one of Kaiba's sushi rolls.

"Eat your own food honestly. I don't bring my lunch to feed you. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be crooning around, basking in the girls' adoration?" He questioned hoping the other would go away and leave him alone. He already chased off some fans of his own.

Otogi stood to his feet and ran a hand through his long black bangs, "Well, of course it isn't a surprise I've had to subdue my fans - what can I say? They just can't get enough of me." He cockily replied.

Kaiba scoffed. "And here you are, alone, being an arrogant waste of space."

"Yes… Argh! You bastard. I will never understand how so many people can flock to you. But whatever. I was just told to deliver this to you. Why are you so popular anyways? I mean you're an asshole, you never smile, you hate everything, you…" Otogi carried on listing the brunet's bad traits. Kaiba opened up the purple letter and read another poem - this time a string of haiku.

"Eyes of deepest blue

You're strong, smart - quietly kind.

Drive me out' my mind.

I cannot breathe, there's

A tightening in my chest

Each time I see you.

Keep in thought that I

May not be someone you'd at

First would care for-

But that I would love

To be something more with you.

Just a chance, I ask."

Kaiba smirked and put the letter in his chest pocket. 'Someone that I don't care for? All he wants is a chance…' The brunet grimaced. 'I can't stand anyone here in particular. I dislike just about everyone. This doesn't help me either.' He tuned back in to see an irritated Otogi scowling at him.

"You weren't even listening were you? Honestly, that's another thing wrong with you." He chided with an exasperated sigh. "These people nowadays are so sad and pathetic, to think they would be attracted to you so readily."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Who gave this to you?" He asked ignoring the other's remarks altogether.

Otogi smirked mischievous. "What kind of person would I be, if I went around destroying other people's romantic rendezvous?" He questioned cheekily. "He's mad for you, y'know."

The brunet huffed, "So is half the student body. What's the big deal anyway? It isn't like you guys have ever cared about my love life before, what difference could this particular admirer make that you all would play along?" He asked fiercely, his eyes scanning the dice-roller's face for any hint or gesture.

But Otogi ever the coy and playful teen, simply sighed with a shrug. "I dunno. Listen, what's a little excitement in your lifeless love life once in a while? In your case, not only is that section of your life lifeless, it's currently non-existent. As it is, we only want the best for you, even though you're a total asshole. And it just so happens there is someone that has great promise in stirring that cold cauldron of a libido -"

"Would you shut the hell up already." He pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "You're just spouting random uneccesary crap." He chided resting his chin in his hand, elbow propped up on the table.

"…Isn't it enough that we are very hopeful of you two getting together?" Kaiba didn't say anything and began eating his sushi. Otogi reached for his chopsticks and grabbed some rice, gobbling it down quickly. "Just trust that this guy is worth your undivided attention. He put a lot of thought into those letters. It's gotta be hell of an ordeal for him." He stressed and grabbed another sushi roll.

Kaiba glared and snatched his chopsticks back. Otogi scowled in return. A thought struck the brunet's mind and he inwardly smirked. "I'm surprised you aren't following that brown-haired idiot around today." He started as he noted Honda had excused himself from the table that seated the dream team.

The dice-thrower flushed a light shade of red. "What are you talking about? I stopped thinking about him a long time ago. I didn't mean that stuff about wanting to go out with him." He persisted. "It's best to remain free and single. Date and party all you want, without worry and without anyone telling you what to do." He replied.

Kaiba nodded slowly. "Right… Well, that's unfortunate to hear you've come to that conclusion." He replied coolly.

Otogi blinked a few times and gave the other a quizzical expression. "Why do you say it like that?"

"It's just after he came and asked me whether you were looking to date seriously and if you were currently with someone, it seemed to me that now would be the perfect time to admit your feelings. That's all." Otogi's eyes widened in disbelief. "But it appears your thoughts have changed."

"…He's really interested in me?" He murmured under his breath, which grew more ragged than the last. It remained quiet for a while longer before Otogi finally stood to go. "I… I got something I need to do." He rushed off before Kaiba even had the chance to bid him leave. The brunet smirked.

'As if that moron would actually confide in me. How embarrassing it's going to be when Otogi realizes I made that all up. I didn't expect him to be so gullible.' He sighed. "I suppose he really does like him. Go figure." 'Now as for my admirer, I don't even know where to begin. It worries me that Otogi referred to him as a friend too. All he has are friends with benefits. Why on Earth would I want to date someone like that?' He shook his head. 'A friend of not only Yugi's, Ryou's but his too? That I supposedly don't like, whom writes poetry and has their trust.' Kaiba shook his head and continued to eat his lunch. He couldn't think straight today for some reason.

The next classes weren't anything special, same old same old. The air felt a little chill, since a majority of the students had been rejected from him at some point that day but other than that it was the same. He sighed heavily as a short break came right before the last lesson. He sighed and pulled out a book and began reading. Ryou looked over and took a deep breath. "I-I'm really mad at you, Kaiba. How could you say those things in front of Yugi?" He asked, face red with embarrassment.

Kaiba kept his eyes glued to the book, "Oh you're finally talking to me now? Why are you mad anyway?"

"I-I have every right to be mad. You know how I really like Yugi and you said that embarrassing remark towards him and me…"

"I was tired of hearing that hyper peppy voice of Yugi's, it's such an aggravating tone. Besides, you two are together now because of what I said aren't you?" He asked, closing his book and turning to face the other. 'Now that I look at him, he looks more flushed than angry.'

"Well that's true but…"

"Then there's no point in going on about it. You're lucky I got involved otherwise you two would still be pathetically pining for one another's affection in secret." He enlightened. The other sighed softly mumbling something akin to agreement. 'Why did I involve myself in that? I figured it'd be amusing to see Ryou's face brighten up but I didn't expect Yugi to say something like that and Ryou, in turn, to awkwardly confess. Well, I guess it doesn't matter.'

"Kaiba!" A voice loud and to the brunet's dismay, familiar, came barreling down the hall. Ryou's eyes widened, Kaiba's rolled. A second later Otogi came storming through the classroom and stomped right to the brunet's desk. "What the hell is your problem?" He shouted, red in the face. "Why would you lie like that?" He exclaimed.

"Lie?" Kaiba scoffed and fixated him with an icy glare. 'Oh that's right. I sent him off to go make a fool of himself in front of that idiot Honda.' "I suppose it didn't go well. Hm. Perhaps if you weren't such a tramp, you'd have a nice little relationship started right now."

Otogi, if physically possible, would've exploded right then, he did though - verbally. "You fucking asshole! Do you have any idea how badly that-"

"That what? How bad a blow it was to your ego?" Kaiba stood to his full height and smirked down on Otogi, "I simply wanted to see you stop your tramp-ways by having you get together with the one person you truly like. But I guess with all the people you've messed around with, even someone like him wouldn't want you either." Kaiba sighed.

Otogi's voice choked on him and he couldn't bring himself to bite back a remark. Was Kaiba wrong in this? Ryou clenched his fists and glared as hard as he cute. "That's too far Kaiba. You shouldn't talk to Otogi that way. That's just outright cruel." He stated sternly.

The brunet's gaze sifted to the white-haired teen, though he could see him openly angry he couldn't help but find his expression cute. Kaiba was about to 'apologize' in a not so open way, riddled between layers of sarcasm and similes when another voice entered the fray, causing him to roll his eyes again, Ryou's widened and Otogi's look to the floor.

"Kaiba. You are such a creep." Honda stepped in and stood beside Otogi.

"I don't need you to fight my battles, Honda. Just go back to your class." He glowered.

The brunet folded his arms across his chest and let his eyes fall closed in taxed frustration as Honda turned the DDM creator around to face him. "You left before I could get a word in. I didn't say I wasn't.. interested in you.

Otogi blinked, "But you said-"

'What is this? A Soap Opera?' Kaiba sat back down and opened up his book again. "…I just said I didn't talk to Kaiba and didn't admit or confess anything to him. Come on, I wouldn't confide in that bastard for anything. But…"

The other swallowed the lump in his throat. "But?"

"I never knew you felt that way about me. You're always flirting with everyone and having a good time, how was I supposed to know you were actually interested in me all this time? That said, I… I would like to go out with you - if you're still offering that is."

Kaiba shook his head. 'It is a Soap Opera…' Otogi and Honda stumbled upon each other's words a bit more. The bell sounded and Kaiba's teacher reentered the class in a hurry. Anzu Mazaki rushed in and approached Otogi and Honda with a stern glare, "Hey guys, Ms. Hirasawae isn't to happy with the both of you. You both just ran out and caused a huge scene in the hallway with your screaming. She wants you back now, since class just started." She stated matter-of-fact. The two gulped and rushed out the door. Anzu sighed hopelessly and turned to Kaiba with a faint smile. "Oh and this is for you, Kaiba." She handed him a blue envelope and rushed to the door. She apologized for the disturbance and quickly left.

Kaiba opened up his letter and read it while the teacher commented on the wild scene he'd apparently missed.

"Please come and see me

I've been waiting for

This moment a while now

After school near gates

Behind the gymnasium

I'll wait for you there.

I'm not perfect but

I deeply long for you and

All I want's a chance."

Kaiba smirked and put the paper away inside his book bag. 'It should be interesting. His poetry isn't all that great but…' He supposed it wouldn't hurt to see who the heck his admirer really was. 'For him to know what kind of chocolate I like and get it, that knows my friends and has their approval and is trying to 'woo' me with poetry - a hobby I enjoy but haven't told anyone about aside from my friends… He sure is making an effort.' Was it crazy for him to be looking forward to meeting this person?

Finally, after what seemed like forever, school was done. The last bell rang and everyone gathered their things and headed out. Ryou and Kaiba walked together until they got outside, "Y-Yugi and I are heading out to go grab something to eat. I'll talk to you later." He called with a distracted blushed smile. Kaiba nodded and as he glanced about the crowd of students he caught glimpse of Otogi and Honda grinning and whispering to each other like two love-struck fools. He rolled his eyes. "Love sure does make people act strangely. I never thought I'd see that tramp Otogi make that goofy grin." He shook his head and made his way towards the gymnasium.

He rounded it and looked around, finding no one. 'Don't tell me it was just a joke.' He folded his arms across his chest and glared irately. He waited a minute or two before deciding it must've been a hoax of some sort. 'Maybe Ryou and Otogi got tired of me messing with them at their expense.' He was about to leave when he heard footsteps rushing towards him. And within seconds a tall blond-haired mess of a teen rounded the corner. Out of breath, he bent forward and leant his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"M… Mutt?" Kaiba questioned startled and dumbstruck. 'If he's here then that means…'

Jounouchi stiffened and shot his gaze up in shock. "K-Kaiba! Y-you're already here!" He seemed like a deer caught in headlights, face paled just slightly. "I uh… I wasn't expecting you so soon. I…" He flushed a bit and rambled in a low murmur as he worked trying to control his embarrassment. "I haven't even memorized my… lines perfectly yet… I uh…"

Kaiba smirked in disbelief. 'Of course. Friends with Ryou, Yugi, Otogi and Anzu. We're always butting heads and getting into petty arguments. And Ryou said he worked really hard on this… Poetry is most likely not his forte.' "So you're the one that gave me all those letters?" He asked breaking the other's concentration.

The blond looked away and nodded. "Y-yeah. But before you turn me down or whatever, I… I have something more to add." He replied mumbling low at the last bit. He fidgeted a bit and rubbed the back of his neck a bit before taking a deep breath and straightening up. "I wrote this myself too, but Ryou helped structurize it or something." He swallowed and nodded.

"All these years I've told myself I hated you. And all these years I've kept these feelings locked away. But the thing is, it became so hard to pretend I didn't like you, and the line between hate and love began to sway. I didn't want to admit that I liked guys, so I had to overcome that part of me. Once I realized lying was so painful, my true feelings became very clear to see. I wanted to cry at first, and die a little… Because I was always told I was straight. But eventually I overcame it and accepted that I'm gay. And though you and I speak in shouts, I see the way you talk to Ryou and Otogi - and the way you smile at them… I wanted to see that smile directed at me. Your body is amazing, your eyes chill and excite me to the core, I want to stare at them all the time, and then stare into them some more. It's probably pathetic to say this after all this time, But on this day I wanted to ask…" Jounouchi's voice began to rise.

Kaiba smirked softly and approached the blond until they were standing only inches apart. Jounouchi avoided his gave, staring nervously at the floor. "I wanted to ask…." His throat felt dry, hot. "After all this time…" His voice was wavering. Kaiba swallowed and cupped the other's chin and raised it. They stared at one another, Kaiba's ever glinting with that mysterious allure and Jounouchi's lively and afraid, they stayed like that for a long while. "…will…" Kaiba leaned inwards causing the blond's lids to slowly fall closed, "…will you be my… Valenti-" The brunet and Jounouchi kissed softly. Kaiba's hand moved away from his chin and slid to his cheek, caressing the cheek with his thumb. Jounouchi swallowed and brought his hand against the other's chest, gripping into the jacket he was wearing.

An eternity that didn't seem to last long enough came to an end as they pulled away, Jounouchi beside himself and seeing stars. His mind felt fried and drunk with no thoughts but a million voices running through. Kaiba was keen on keeping up appearances, but inwardly he felt his heart pounding achingly against his chest. "Your Valentine..?" The brunet smirked but it was more a smile than anything. Jounouchi stared up at him curiously and nodded, "Okay, Mutt… Let's try this out." He accepted.

"R-really? Kaiba?" He asked in disbelief. "Thanks. There's actually a new restaurant that opened up downtown that I was wondering if you wanted to eat at." Jounouchi scratched his cheek idly and looked away.

Kaiba studied the other's face intently. 'I never thought I'd see the Mutt so un-mutt like… I never thought I'd lower myself to his level and accept a date from him to begin with…' "Sounds like a plan. I'll pick you up about six, that sound fine?" He asked and the other nodded quickly. "Great. Come on. I'll take you home."

"Oh no you don't hafta do that. I'll walk home, really it ain't a problem." He exclaimed. The thought of being in a car with the other was sort of embarrassing.

"It'll be just fine. Let's go. I need to get home, do my homework, shower, dress and then get ready to pick you up. The faster you get home, the quicker you can do the same." He stated simply and began walking towards the parking lot. Jounouchi tagged along behind him with a short nod. 'What is it about this day that makes people act so… weird?' He asked as he glanced over at the mutt walking in step beside him. The blond looked up at him with a broad ecstatic grin.