"Seto-sama." The male voice caught his attention. "The car is ready for you."

Seto looked at the clock. It was already time. He had spent his morning watching television with Mokuba, who looked up at him with puppy dog eyes. For a child who was twelve, he certainly liked to act as if he was eight, sometimes. To Seto, it was a good sign; he hadn't lost his innocence just yet. Mokuba pulled him into a tight hug, with no chance of escape.

"You'd better have room for me to come over whenever I want, Seto," he said. Seto couldn't help but smile, ruffling his hair gently.

"You're welcome as often as you want," he assured the younger Kaiba.

Mokuba refused to let go. He nestled his face into Seto's chest. They had never really been apart before. They had always stuck together. But it wasn't like it was forever, anyway. They could see each other all the time, but they just wouldn't live together. The poor boy had figuratively glued himself to his brother.

But it was time to go. Gently, Seto peeled away his arms, before getting up. He was going for both of them, anyway. To give them a better life. If he could, he would have taken Mokuba with him, but Gozaburo would not allow this. He needed control of at least one of them. Seto was thankful that he showed no interest in Mokuba; at least he was sure to be spared.

With Mokuba in tow, he walked to the front door, where Gozaburo stood, waiting. Seto's blood ran cold, but he didn't let it show. His eyes hardened when looking at his father, but it went unnoticed by him. He was lucky.

"You're welcome home whenever. I expect you'll be home next weekend, before you'll be too busy," Gozaburo said.

That was a threat. Seto wasn't stupid. "I'll be back as often as I can, and I hope Mokuba can come and visit, as well."

"If your grades and his grades meet expectations, he can." Though, Gozaburo didn't seem too pleased by this demand. It didn't matter to Seto, as long as Mokuba could come over.

They stood in front of each other, staring each other down. Seto's heart raced in his chest, but he still did not falter. Gozaburo probably expected some form of affection. He should take the fact he was still standing as compliment enough. Giving Mokuba one final, quick hug, he left the mansion and followed the driver to the car. Just a few days before he would have to come back. It made his skin crawl.

Katsuya struggled to stay awake. He held his backpack tightly. He didn't have much in there; a few outfits, socks and boxers, and his clunky old laptop. No one would steal his stuff. It was all worthless to everyone else but, to him, it meant the world to him. He rubbed his eyes and readjusted himself on the train.

He needed to wake up. He felt like he had been on this train for days, but it had only been an hour or so. Katsuya didn't sleep that night, he was far too excited to get out of the house. With the relief washing over him, it was lulling him to sleep, the stress melting away. But it was knocking him out.

At university, he could reinvent himself. Katsuya could be one of those nerds he was always jealous of, if he really pushed himself. He hoped whoever he lived with was going to be a nerd too. They could help him push himself into a better person. But he didn't want to change too much. He could surround himself with good people, and shed the bad.

He could get along with anyone, except Seto Kaiba, or someone else exactly like him. Stuck-up, pompous people needed to be punched in the face, but Katsuya didn't want to administer beatings like that anymore. He didn't need any of that in his life anymore. He was going to be himself, but better.

It seemed like someone was already home when Seto arrived. A pair of worn-out shoes were by the front door, but one of the bedroom doors were closed, and he could hear soft snoring from behind it. He would leave them alone until they decided to emerge. If they decided to emerge. His things were put into his room, with the aid of his driver, before he left.

Seto decided to unpack the kitchen things first, before getting started on his room. He could get rid of those boxes easier. He didn't have much compared to the china and cutlery at home, but enough for about three people, even though he would only be living with one other person. He wasn't trying to be quiet while putting things away. He really didn't care.

Katsuya had crashed on arrival. He had woken up when a cupboard door slammed quite loudly. He couldn't assume he was living with an asshole just yet. Everyone made mistakes. With a yawn, he got up and left his room. He followed the sound into the kitchen. Right as he was about to say something, he stopped, mouth hanging open.

Seto stared back. He didn't know what to say. In his mind, he was hoping it was a joke, or some sort of fever dream. But this was very real. Katsuya was in his house. The one person he did not want to see in his damn house. He sucked in his breath, putting down the glass that was in his hand.

"Jonouchi," he looked him in the eyes, scowling "what are you doing in my house?"

"Noooo, no no no no! What are you doing in my house?"

"I live here now."

Both of their fears were confirmed at once. "So do I."

They both went silent again. What was Katsuya supposed to do? Drag him by the collar and give him the bum's rush? He didn't want to be that guy anymore, but with Seto, it was hard not to be that guy. His face made something in his blood rush. His attitude made him so easy to punch. Fuck. This.

He wasn't that guy anymore. He refused to be that guy. Katsuya had only just gotten here, and he wasn't about to get into a world of trouble just because he had seen Seto Kaiba. Instead, he turned on his heels to get out, put his shoes on and left, slamming the door behind him. He ran downstairs and opened the door.

The moment the air hit his face, he couldn't help but shout. The sound echoed through the streets. He couldn't believe this was happening. This couldn't have been happening. Dizzy, he kept running, hoping that everything would make sense soon enough.

It wasn't fair. Seto was supposed to go to some big university, where you had to staple a cheque for five hundred million yen before your application could be even considered. What was he doing where Katsuya was going? What was he doing in his house? He just wanted to change, to live his life out of the past.

He just needed to calm down. Once he was calm, he could go home. In the meantime, he could just start to learn where he was.

With Katsuya gone, Seto had poured himself a glass of water. He couldn't believe this. Trash like that, living with him. He was glad he was gone, though. It only would have caused a massive argument, and to be honest, he wasn't sure he was quite feeling it. He couldn't be bothered to fight with Katsuya anymore.

After drinking his water, he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. This could work. They knew each other, meaning Seto didn't have to get to know someone, only for them to be shocked at how much of a rude person he is. Plus, he wouldn't be treated as 'the son of Gozaburo Kaiba', someone who was untouchable. They were adults now. Katsuya surely matured over the summer. If he could make an effort, then…

No. Seto would never make an effort for that dog.

Once he had calmed down – and found his way back – Katsuya came home. He had left at midday, and came home at seven in the evening. He didn't even think he had gone that far! He would need to keep himself stable. He wasn't going to snap today. He would just have to not look at Seto, and he could build himself up from there.

Thankfully, he was already in the kitchen, so Katsuya didn't have to see him. He plonked himself down on one of the two small couches and turned the television on. He would just have to wait to get some food. It wasn't like he was all that hungry just yet, anyway. Katsuya had to admit, he wasn't looking forward to his boring, cheap dinner.

Seto had made too much. Portion sizes weren't his thing; he never used to cook. Using his laptop, he could look up some recipes, but it wasn't the same as the trained chefs at home. It was more satisfying to make your own, anyway. Or so he heard.

It only took one bite for Seto to realise that phrase was absolute nonsense. He could master anything, but cooking was one thing he was going to struggle with. The problem was what to do with the rest of the food. He didn't want to throw it away, but heaven knows Seto did not want to touch that. He had an idea.

"There's food on the table if you want it. Throw it away if you don't. I made too much, and I don't want it to go to waste," Seto said.

Ooh! Free food! Hey, it was probably some sort of peace offering, and Katsuya wasn't exactly going to turn down free food. With a rushed 'thanks', he barged by Seto and walked into the kitchen. The plate didn't look appetising, but to be fair, just because it looked like dog crap, didn't mean it tasted like dog crap.

Katsuya took a bite out of the food, and quickly realised why Seto didn't want to eat it. It wasn't poisoned, but the taste alone made him wish he was. Then again, it wasn't like he could do much better. And it kind of beat his two options; ramen en paquet or ramen en boîte. At least it was variety, even if it was kind of like dog food. He finished it quickly, before cleaning up his plate.

"Thanks again, Kaiba," Katsuya said, plonking back down.

"Don't mention it." He didn't even bother looking up from his laptop.

Which really meant "why are you talking to me?", but Seto bit his tongue. A volatile environment all the time wasn't going to be good for studying, not for either of them. Katsuya would need all the focus he could get, anyway. Seto could just ignore him.

"Y'know, we've gotta go in for our induction on Monday, right?" Katsuya asked. Oh God, don't let him finish that thought the way Seto thought he was going to. "Why don't we go together?"

"I can think of plenty of reasons why we shouldn't," Seto replied.

"I'm really trying to be friendly here."

"I don't want to be friends, Jonouchi. I didn't come here for that." Seto sighed. "But if it makes you stop talking, I'll go with you. I'm not being held responsible for you being late."

That surprised Katsuya. A spark of patience! He was expecting to be told a swift 'fuck you' and for it to be left at that. Seto was probably scared of being lost. Well, he had every right to be afraid, because that was the exact reason Katsuya wanted to go with him. He hadn't managed to find the university while on his little tour, despite his best efforts.

Saying that, it probably meant he would have to get up at six for an induction that started at nine. If it meant knowing where he was, it didn't matter too much. He got up and left, deciding to call Yugi before going to bed. Thankfully, he was still awake. Calling him over Skype was quite relaxing. It may have only been a quick hello, but it did make him feel better.

"Oh, hey, you won't believe this…guess who I live with. You'll never guess," Katsuya grinned.

Yugi thought about it for five minutes but, without an answer that wasn't obvious, he had to give in. "Who?"

"Kaiba. I swear, I'm living with Seto Kaiba." Yugi's eyes widened. He blinked, quiet for a moment.

"Does that mean you—"

"Don't be weird, it's not like that! It's randomly assigned, I think."

The thought made him shudder. Him and Seto? They never got along, anyway. One of them would always start it. But this could have been the year they would finally tolerate being in the same room together. They would have to get used to it, or else the next year would have been pure hell.

"Hurry up." Seto was blunt, already sick of Katsuya's dawdling.

"I'm trying! D'you think I like being lost in Nowheresville with you? I can tell you, I've got better things to do than go round and round in circles," Katsuya said, rolling his eyes.

They had been walking for an hour. They both knew the university was ten minutes away. It wasn't like they could even follow a hoard of students, because no one would be going just yet. They were just leading each other into a loop, and they were both sick of it.

Seto forced him to stop. He checked on his phone and, finally, they had a path to follow. He grabbed his idiot roommate by the arm and walked, dragging him along. He wasn't going to be held responsible for him, even though he was now a big boy, who would look after himself. Katsuya tugged his arm free, before looking at Seto.

"Okay, I get it. But you know, you don't need an excuse to touch me," he joked. Seto stopped again, folding his arms.

"If you're not careful, I will shove you into a bush and leave you there to find the way yourself," Seto spat, walking again.

Jeez. Fine. Seto could be such a boring hardass. Well, Katsuya was sort of asking for it. He shrugged it off and kept walking, following behind as closely as he could manage. He was taller, so it was easier for him to storm off ahead. Maybe he was trying to abandon him. The thought alone made Katsuya laugh, but when he did, Seto glared at him. He had run out of patience for the day.

It was easy to tell when they had arrived. The building was huge, with big windows. Katsuya hadn't seen anything like it, but Seto seemed unfazed by it. Trust the rich boy to be used to big things. There were already a couple of people hovering about, but they were mostly people trying to guide the new students to where they needed to go, handing out maps and freebies. Katsuya graciously accepted the freebies, while Seto grabbed a map.

Without a word, he helped Katsuya to where he needed to go. He was pretty thankful, actually. Seto was being mildly pleasant this morning. He may have been too tired to argue, but he sure as hell wasn't going to jinx this. It was such a rare opportunity, seeing Seto being not a jackass.

They reached an elevator, and Seto stopped, pressing the button. He turned to Katsuya.

"You want the fourth floor, and it looks like it's the first room out of the elevator," Seto instructed. Surely he could manage that much.

"Huh?" Katsuya blinked. "You're not coming?"

"No. I have to go to the other side of the building. All the new students aren't just going to meet up in a big room." Seto rolled his eyes at the stupid question. "Or, is this what you want?" He ruffled Katsuya's hair until it was a mess. "Have a great day at school, honey."

So much for Seto being friendly. "Fuck off, Kaiba. It doesn't hurt to be a nice person sometimes, you know."

Seto simply abandoned him, and it was just in time too, because Katsuya knew he was going red. He spent so long looking nice, only for an asshole to ruin it for him. It was like decency was too much to ask of him. He got into the elevator, and pressed the fourth button, hoping Seto was right. He shouldn't rely on him. He was probably leading him into a trap.

Katsuya was wrong. The induction went without incidents, and he was actually in the right room, making it a double bonus. He would have to thank Seto later, but it wasn't like he would accept the thanks, anyway. He seemed to be making a slight effort, which was more than Katsuya would have ever asked for.

If they could go the rest of the year like this, life wouldn't be so difficult. That was all Katsuya was going to ask for.


Short note - ramen en boite/paquet is French for 'ramen in a box (or boxed ramen)/ramen in a packet'. It's mostly me joking around, since I'm so used to people around me thinking French = fancy.