"Checkmate."
Jounouchi blinked at the board, his mouth slightly ajar. Mokuba giggled to himself while the other male took great pangs to inspect what should have been obvious.
"Are you sure?"
"See, ni-san? My queen and my knight have your king cornered. There's nowhere he can go."
"Oh, I know where he can go," Jounouchi smiled deviously. Then he placed his king all the way over to the edge of the board, safely away from all the other pieces. Mokuba burst out laughing.
"You can't do that," he was nearly in tears. Jounouchi's cheating was obviously in jest, so he didn't get angry with the blonde. Jounouchi managed a chuckle himself. Mokuba reminded him a lot of Shizuka. She would always laugh at his jokes when they were young. Well that proved there was at leasy one thing Jounouchi was good at. When it came to younger siblings, he seemed to have a knack as a comedian.
Kaiba entered the room just as Mokuba's laughter died down. The brunette's lips spread to a soft smile, a sight that Jounouchi was not used to seeing. The blonde couldn't help but stare in awe. Kaiba almost looked cute smiling like that. Such a sight was a work of art meant to be appreciated. And goddamit, Jounouchi was going to appreciate all he wanted.
"Oni-san. He's being silly again," Mokuba snitched.
"I could tell by how much noise you were making," Kaiba noticed Jounouchi staring. He looked the blonde in the eye, "I take it you haven't eaten yet."
Jounouchi's stomach took that moment to growl. The blonde felt his cheeks turn red hot. Soon he was looking away, feeling ashamed of himself for some reason. Mokuba frowned as he noticed this sudden change.
"Are you okay, ni-san?"
Why was Jounouchi so embarrassed? Maybe having Kaiba actually care about him was a little too much to take in? After all, that in of itself broke every rule of reality that Jounouchi had learned.
Kaiba placed a hand on his shoulder. Jounouchi stared at it like it was the strangest thing the CEO could ever do. Just a few hours ago, they were exchanging blows as enemies. Now Kaiba treated him just like a little brother.
"What's done is done," Kaiba said with finality. Jounouchi could detect the order laden within his words. He wanted Jounouchi to stop worrying about what happened in the office. Kaiba was no doubt never going to mention Yugi or the Millinuem Items again.
"Oni-san. Can I have some ice cream?"
"Sure, Mokuba. You'll eat that while Katsuya eats his food."
"Ehh...Kai-" Jounouchi cut himself off when Kaiba shot him a warning look, "I mean..." he didn't want to address Kaiba as big brother. So he decided not to address him at all, "What's to eat?"
"It's your favorite," Mokuba exclaimed, "Eel!"
Jounouchi made a face, which Kaiba caught.
"What's with that look? I thought you liked eel."
"But I never..." Jounouchi stopped himself before he could finish that sentence. Right, in this reality, he must've had eel before. But in his old reality, it just wasn't something that Jounouchi ever dare to try. He remembered buying an expensive crab with his own money and ended up hating it. He had always been afraid to make the same mistake with ell.
It was a pain in the ass to spend your New Year's Allowance on food while others were spending it on games and such.
"You never what?" Kaiba pressed. Jounouchi's mind scrambled for a purchase. Better lie and keep Kaiba happy, instead of trying to convince him of alternate realities again.
"I never thought that I would get to eat dinner...Considering I missed it."
Mokuba gaped at him, "Oni-san would never stop you from eating, no matter how angry he is."
"For the record, Katsuya," Kaiba added, "I'm not angry. I really want you to stop worrying about it."
His kind eyes held a sincerity that Jounouchi couldn't argue with. The blonde averted his gaze in case Kaiba saw him blushing. Here was his crush, openly admitting that he cared for him. This wish was turning out to be a dream come true.
Mokuba got his ice cream, Jounouchi his dinner, and Kaiba had himself some herbal tea. It turned out that Jounouchi not only liked eel. He loved it. No wonder this food was so expensive, considering how tasty it was. Jounouchi regretted not trying it out a long time ago.
The day continued to be the best that Jounouchi ever had. He slept better than ever that night. The feathered cushions carried him to a deep slumber, while the expensive sleepwear felt amazing against his skin.
When he woke up, he convinced himself that it had all been a dream. That was until he saw Mokuba on the edge of his bed. The kid was still in his pajamas, staring at Jounouchi eagerly.
Jounouchi looked at the clock. 5:45 in the morning, the earliest he had ever gotten up. Despite that, he felt rested and ready to start the day.
"You're up early," he observed while he sat up on the bed.
"I was wondering if we could play some more. Before we have to eat breakfast?"
Jounouchi frowned. Mokuba certainly put that in a strange way. Who said that they had to eat breakfast?
"Is Kaiba still asleep?"
Mokuba's eyes went wide with shock. Jounouchi realized his mistake, and immediately went to rectify what he said.
"I mean is..." fuck it. He would just say it, "is ni-san still asleep?"
He couldn't believe he just called Seto Kaiba that. Jounouchi wanted to bury himself into the ground because he was so embarrassed.
Mokuba nodded, noticing Jounouchi's odd behavior but letting it slide.
"Yeah. He was working at three in the morning again. I saw him."
"What were you doing up that late?" Jounouchi arched a brow and gave Mokuba a slightly stern look. It was an expression he used to use on Shizuka whenever he had to act like a big brother. God, he missed those days.
Mokuba snapped his mouth shut. Horror crossed his features as the child braced himself for a lecture from the blonde. Or worse, for Jounouchi to tell on him.
Instead Jounouchi merely chuckled, "Don't worry about it. I won't tell him or anything."
The child sighed in relief, "Thanks, ni-san."
The two exchanged smiles, happy with this secret between them.
After that, they played some of Jounouchi's video games. Mokuba accussed Jounouchi of going easy on him. But in reality, Jounouchi was actually trying his hardest. He had never played these games before, despite what Mokuba thought.
"I guess we gotta get ready for school," Mokuba moaned. Laughing, Jounouchi ruffled the kid's hair.
"I hear ya, kid. School sucks."
Mokuba slapped the hand away, insulted that he was being treated like a child. Before he could say anything, Kaiba's warning tone came from behind them.
"Katsuya."
Both boys jumped out of their skins. They threw themselves on their feet and turned to face the CEO. Instead of being angry, Kaiba smiled at Jounouchi in amusement.
"You're not badmouthing school in front of Mokuba again, are you?"
Kaiba was...joking around with him? He was actually laughing with Jounouchi and not at him?
At that moment, Jounouchi was glad that he went inside the magic shop. He wouldn't mind living this wish again and again. Maybe he should go ahead and buy that thing.
"Ni-san? Why are you looking at oni-san so strangely?" Mokuba asked, snapping Jounouchi back to reality.
Kaiba arched a brow, but his smile was still intact, as if he knew the answer to the question already.
"You know how braindead Katsuya gets in the morning. I'm sure he'll get his head working soon. Now both of you get changed. We'll get breakfast and head to school."
Breakfast was scrambled eggs, English tea, pickled veggies, biscuits, fruit, and coffee. Jounouchi was so awed by the spread that he just stared at it until Mokuba asked him what he was looking at. The blonde found everything delicious.
Soon they were riding in style. Apparently walking was only done by people who weren't rich. The limo took them directly to school, where a bunch of classmates stared at them in envy.
"See you guys later," Mokuba walked toward his own school. After he was out of sight, Kaiba turned to Jounouchi.
"Let's get going."
Jounouchi nodded. Were they even in the same class now that they were brothers? Fearful of asking that question, Jounouchi instead followed Kaiba in hopes of finding out for himself. A familiar person walked in front of them. Seeing him made Jounouchi grin.
"Hey Honda!"
Kaiba looked at him incredously. Before the CEO could stop him, Jounouchi was already in front of Honda. Honda looked at him funny, but Jounouchi was too excited to see him to notice right away.
"Have you talked to Yugi? I went to his house the other day and he was acting like he never seen me before."
Silence. Honda stared at him so long that you would've thought Jounouchi had grown a second head. His brunette friend suddenly glared at him. Honda walked a bit faster, trying to escape Jounouchi.
Confused, Jounouchi grabbed onto Honda's shoulder.
"Hey. What are you-" but Jounouchi was cut off by a fist connecting to his jaw. Jounouchi backed away, the feeling of betrayal hurting more than the actual punch. He and Honda had gotten into plenty of fights before, but this was obviously different. This time, the blow wasn't the result of friendly concern in the form of tough love. This punch was full of hatred.
Hatred for Jounouchi.
"Get out of my face, you rich snob!"
Jounouchi felt his whole world shatter. Kaiba was inbetween him and Honda that very second. The glare he sent Honda's way could melt a bolder with how much fire it held.
"You really shouldn't have done that."
"What are you going to do about it?" Honda challenged.
"You'll see soon enough," Kaiba said it like a promise.
Honda shot him a nasty look, before turning to leave. It seemed as though he wasn't in the mood to fight Kaiba in hand to hand combat. Maybe even in this universe, Honda knew how skilled Kaiba was at fighting.
Jounouchi made a move to go after Honda, but Kaiba held him in place. The CEO turned to him.
"What's gotten into you? Acting like you're friends with that punk?"
"But..." Jounouchi scrambled to find the right words to explain himself, "He is my friend."
Kaiba touched Jounouchi's nose, causing the blonde to blush from the contact. When Kaiba pulled away, Jounouchi noticed the blood on his fingers. Jounouchi felt at his own nose. He really was bleeding. He didn't realize that Honda had hit him that hard.
Kaiba looked at him with concern. He hooked his arm with Jounouchi's.
"Let's get you to the nurse. And the stay the hell away from him."
"Kaiba, you're not actually going to do anything to him...are you?"
A flash of lightning crossed the CEO's eyes. Jounouchi knew immediately that he made a mistake.
"Enough with that damn joke, Katsuya. I will not tolerate you calling me Kaiba. And stop trying to befriend animals like that. He is no longer your concern."
"But-"
"This is not up for discussion, Katsuya."
Kaiba meant business. Jounouchi clamped his mouth shut when he realized that he was fighting a losing battle. Once satisfied that Jounouchi wouldn't argue any further, Kaiba took him to the nurse's office. Jounouchi was treated quickly.
They arrived in class a little after the bell rang. Jounouchi saw Honda sitting far away from Anzu and Yugi. As a matter of fact, he was sitting away from everyone. Yugi saw Jounouchi, and a look of horror crossed his face. He was no doubt still creeped out from yesterday.
"Will you sit down?" Kaiba said.
"I...uh...sit with you?"
"Where else have you been sitting all year?" Kaiba asked.
Jounouchi looked at Anzu and Yugi. They were whispering to each other, while not too subtly glancing his direction.
A sudden horrifying realization entered Jounouchi's head. Could it be possible that this alternative reality changed his relationship with his friends too? Could it be that...he wasn't Yugi's friend after all?
Jounouchi suddenly felt sick. He thought this wish had been great. But not at the cost of his friendship with everyone. And why wasn't Yugi wearing the puzzle? Even after Atemu left, he always had it on. Jounouchi assumed it was because the object reminded Yugi of the spirit's presence.
He stared at Yugi, trying to figure out what was going on with the puzzle. Yugi seemed to know that he was watching. The tri-colored hair teen did his best to ignore Jounouchi, though he would glance Jounouchi's way from time to time. Kaiba also noticed where Jounouchi's attention was. Jounouchi could feel him frowning at the back of his head.
Finally, the last bell rang, singaling school was over. Jounouchi decided he would catch up to Yugi and Anzu at the locker. If he wasn't friends with them in this reality, then he would try to befriend them all over again.
But just before he could go up to them, Kaiba stood in the way. Jounouchi stared at him in confusion.
"I noticed you looking at those two losers. Mind telling me what it is about them that interests you so much?"
Jounouchi scowled.
"They're not losers."
"Who are they?" Kaiba asked, ignoring the anger in Jounouchi's voice.
"Their names are Anzu and Yugi. I-" Jounouchi scrambled for a lie. But Kaiba cut him off before he could come up with one.
"Yugi, huh? So at least he's real."
"I wouldn't lie about him."
Kaiba frowned at Jounouchi's insistance. Jounouchi happened to look behind him. He cursed silently to himself. Anzu and Yugi were already gone.
"I think it would be best if you stay away from both of them."
Jounouchi couldn't believe what he just heard. That hadn't been a request. That had been a straight up demand.
For the first time since this wish came into effect, Jounouchi was angry with Kaiba. He barely refrained from using the "moneybags" insult. That was a force of habit.
"I don't need your permission when it comes to my friends."
"Really? Do you know that for a fact?" Kaiba said half angrily, half smugly.
Jounouchi bared his teeth, "Last I checked, there wasn't a law that says I did."
"Last I checked, you didn't have friends."
Too shocked to be upset anymore, Jounouchi felt the heat rush from his face. He stared at Kaiba as if the other male was a giant penguin.
"You're looking surprised. What is going on with you, Katsuya? You've been acting weird since last night."
Kaiba had that same concerned look on his face as before. But now, Jounouchi wasn't sure he liked it as much. In this world, Jounouchi was just some lonesome moneybags with no friends. He had become the thing he hated most.
He barely processed Kaiba trying to get his attention. Barely processed Kaiba guiding him to the limo more like a mother hen than a big brother. He barely even processed Mokuba trying to get his attention.
They arrived at the mansion a little while later.
"It's time to do your homework, you two," Kaiba ordered.
Jounouchi was starting to get the sense that he was used to calling all the shots in his house. The blonde had managed to recover his wits to this point. It would all be fine, he reassured himself. Even if Kaiba didn't want him to, Jounouchi was determined to get his friends back. He would find out what was going on with them. Why Yugi was not wearing his puzzle and why Honda was acting like a prick.
It turned out that Jounouchi and Mokuba had their own work area. Jounouchi realized that his homework was a lot harder than normal. Mokuba noticed him struggling.
"What's wrong, ni-san?"
"I don't get it."
Mokuba looked at his notes. He paused.
"I thought you were good with math?"
Good with math? There were more digits and letters on this paper than uncoded computer software. It made about as much since to him as well. Jounouchi had a thought.
"Did Kaiba make sure I do well in school?"
"Why do you keep calling him Kaiba? It's weird, ni-san."
Shit. The force of habit was going to get him in trouble one day. Jounouchi did his best to pretend like it was no big deal.
"It was a slip of the tongue, kiddo. Didn't mean to."
"That slip of the tongue came out of nowhere. I think something's wrong with your head."
Jounouchi gave him a stern look, "Watch it."
"I mean it, ni-san. You've been acting really weird. And you'll scare oni-san if you keep it up. I just...I just don't want anything to happen to you two."
"What would happen?" Jounouchi frowned in concern.
The young boy shrugged, fiddling with his own homework. But Jounouchi could tell that Mokuba wasn't really focused on the project in front of him.
"You know him, ni-san. You know that oni-san can sometimes...take extreme measures when it comes to us. If he thinks even for a second that you're going to get yourself hurt, then he'll lock you in your room for the rest of your life."
Jounouchi cracked up laughing. Unbeknownst to him, Mokuba wasn't joking.