For Granted Chapter IV, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Title: For Granted (04)

Author: Kun II Kya

Rating: R

Summary: Katsuya learns to never take things for granted.

--/--

Monday sucked. Katsuya absolutely hated Mondays. They were boring and signaled the beginning to a week in which he'd much prefer to stay at home. Katsuya had always hated Mondays, even back in Japan, when the alarm clock would rouse him from sleep and proudly announce that it was time to go to school.

Katsuya hated school, too.

And Katsuya found that he had an increasing dislike for the cool, professional manner of the butler as he calmly knocked on the blonde's door and informed him of the time.

"Screw the time," he muttered as he slid out of bed and shucked off his pajama top. "I want to go back to sleep."

"I'm afraid that is not possible," the butler interjected calmly through the door. "Mr. Kaiba kindly requests that you be there for breakfast no later than 7:00."

Katsuya blanched. What was it with Kaiba, his keen sense of hearing, and the ability to hire staff with equally keen hearing?

"Tell him I'll be down as soon as I can."

"Very good, sir." He vaguely heard the footsteps of the butler retreating.

Katsuya grumbled several explicit profanities under his breath. The footsteps stopped, hesitated for a good while, and then continued. The blonde grinned cockily and retreated to the restroom.

Perhaps there was an advantage to having a butler, after all.

--/--

"You're driving my butler crazy," Kaiba intoned flatly by way of greeting as soon as Katsuya slid into the car. "He claims he's never had so much cuss words thrown at him since '93."

Katsuya looked up from the perusal of his hair with a faintly interested expression. "What happened in '93?"

"I hired him." The cool smirk that played at the edges of the brunet's lips amused the blonde to no ends.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Because you fancy that you know me better than most of my employees."

The blonde blanched at the mention of the word 'employee' and clutched the oh-shit handle closest to him. "Don't remind me."

"What? Never had a decent job before? How come I'm not surprised?"

"I could care less what you think," Katsuya joked, "I care about what other people think."

Kaiba paused at this comment and studied him for several moments with narrowed eyes. "It's going to be fine, Jou."

The blonde cast him a started look. "What?"

"I said it's going to be fine. You just need to ignore those who think they are better than you when they're really not. My choice of secretary is just that—my choice. You won't come off badly."

He shuddered. "How do you do that?"

Kaiba graced him with a slow, self-satisfied smile. "Because I, contrary to popular belief, am human just like you—you forget that there once was a time when I was an awkward teenager, comparing his first day of work to Armageddon."

"But you're president of a multi-billion dollar company!"

The flat stare that was directed at him suddenly made him feel quite daft. "So because I am the president of a multi-billion dollar company, you assume that I wasn't born, but merely rose out of the ocean like Venus out of the surf with nothing but a seashell and natural business skills."

Katsuya had the fleeting mental image of Seto Kaiba on a seashell, chestnut hair billowing in the wind, with one hand raised across his torso and the other clamped over his genitals. He shook his head hurriedly.

"No, I didn't think that!" He paused for a moment, and then clutched at his head, moaning. "Oh, Kaiba, the images."

Kaiba looked confused. A moment after, his eyes widened comically and a small blush fanned over the bridge of his nose. "Bad example, then?"

Katsuya just moaned.

--/--

He didn't know that being Kaiba's secretary could be so boring. It was the same thing, over and over again without any reprieve and it annoyed Katsuya to no ends.

Precisely at 8:15, the elevator gave a chirpy ding and revealed a well dressed, well groomed man in his mid-thirties. His pair was impeccably combed and the scent of expensive cologne lingered about his body. He came up to the desk, explained that he had an appointment with Kaiba, and was buzzed right in.

The same thing happened at 9:00 with a different man.

And 9:45.

And 10:30.

And 11:15.

And 12:30.

Kaiba had the most boring business partners. They all had money, manners, and the same aristocratic look about them. All Katsuya did was mark their names off the small desk calendar he had and announce their presence to Kaiba. Nothing else. The sleek black Kaiba Corp. computer on his desk was so far unused for anything business related—merely for the occasional computer game, so his brain wouldn't melt and start to leak out his ears.

The brunet emerged from his office at exactly 1:15, escorting a middle aged man. He courteously showed the man the way to elevator. He waited until the damn thing gave a cheery ping before ripping off his tie and sinking into one of the waiting chairs in the room.

Katsuya hurriedly closed his Solitaire window and looked at Kaiba with concern.

"What is it?"

Kaiba moaned and let his head fall back on the chair with a dull thunk. "Damn Americans."

"I don't think it's safe to say that, Kaiba," the blonde commented dryly. "We're surrounded by Americans."

"They don't trust me."

"Does anyone?"

"Yes. My Japanese business partners—they know that Kaiba Corp. has a no nonsense policy and sticks to their word."

"And what's so different about your American business partners?"

Kaiba fixed him with a steely glare and repeated, slowly, with the air of one explaining something of importance to a two year old, "They don't trust me."

Jou blinked. "You lost me."

"They don't trust me, therefore they insist on going over every phrase of every verse of every section of every contract until they're positive that I have no possible way of screwing them over."

Jounouchi's mouth formed an 'o' of surprise. He clamped it shut. "Did you have any intention of screwing them over?"

The CEO spared him a disdainful glance. "I have no intention of screwing anyone."

The words 'Even me?' popped into his head, unbidden, and he hurriedly shot them down to the depths of Hell.

Kaiba heaved another sigh and slumped down further in the chair. He raised his lean, slender hands and started rubbing soothing circles on his temples.

"What time is it?" Katsuya asked suddenly.

Those striking blue eyes opened slowly, one after another, and stared at Katsuya for a moment. "You tell me."

Jou flushed and looked at the ticking clock on the corner of the desk. "It's 1:20. You want to go out to lunch?"

Kaiba stilled, staring at him in surprise. Then, very quietly, "Lunch sounds wonderful."

--/--

The restaurant they chose was not far from the Kaiba Corp. building—it was a mere five minute walk. Katsuya found that he enjoyed walking along the busy streets of Manhattan with Kaiba by his side. The brunet had led the way to a small restaurant named Frilly's.

As soon as Katsuya entered, he knew he'd soon be a regular to this particular place. The chimes above the door twinkled as they entered, but once the door was shut, the hustle and bustle of Manhattan life was shut out. The interior of the restaurant was dimly lit with only a few dangling lights from the ceiling, but it didn't bother the blonde any. There were tables set up around the room; some for two, some for four, some for more. The waitress, upon spotting the two of them, immediately offered them a smile and two menus.

"Where would you like to sit, sirs?" she queried softly. There was no need to raise her voice; the other occupants of the restaurant were engrossed in their own business, chatting softly with low voices that were drowned out by the jazz melody on the speakers.

Kaiba said nothing, merely moved to the tall table in the corner and sat down on one of the two chairs. The waitress walked after him, followed by Katsuya, and placed their menus on the table. She pulled out a note pad from her back pocket and flipped it to the first blank customer's check.

She smiled. "My name is Jane and I'll be your waitress today. What can I get you to drink?"

Kaiba glanced at the back of the menu—the beverage section—for a moment before reply, "Coffee, please."

Katsuya took considerably longer. He kept flipping through the menu in search of the beverage section before the brunet took pity on him and deftly flicked it to the right page.

"…Do you have lemonade?"

"Certainly, sir."

"I'll have that, then."

Jane scribbled his order down on her notepad and prepared to leave. "I'll be back in a few minutes to take your order."

Kaiba waited until she was gone, engrossed in conversation with two other customers who had just walked through the door before shooting Katsuya a small smile. "Do you like it here?"

The blonde grinned. "Of course, I love it here! How did you find this place?"

"I've been here several times before," Kaiba replied, a bit evasively, "with an old acquaintance."

Katsuya stared at him for a moment, blinking at the use of 'acquaintance'. He grinned. "Kaiba, you sly bastard—you've brought chicks here before!"

Kaiba's lips twitched. "I resent that."

The blonde scoffed. "Resent it all you want; it does not change the fact that it's true!"

Kaiba stared at him for one long moment before replying very quietly, "I've brought exactly one woman here, and that was a mistake I would not care to repeat. I much prefer the company of men."

The slow, deliberate look Kaiba shot him left no doubt as to what he meant by that.

"Here are your drinks!" Jane chirped cheerfully, balancing the tray on one hand. "Are you ready to order now?"

Kaiba nodded an affirmative. Katsuya kept his mouth shut for the duration of the meal.

--/--

Kaiba was gay. Kaiba was gay. Kaiba was gay. What was the world coming to? Kaiba was as straight as straight could be! But what if Kaiba really wasn't gay? Maybe he was just against females or something, 'cause all he said was that he preferred the company of men. But that look Kaiba cast him! That dark, smothering look full of hidden meanings and messages and the terse silence that followed… he could only be gay!

Oh, brilliant job, Jou, his mind berated him. He tells you something of this magnitude and you act like a right idiot!

I can't help it! The guy told me he's gay, for God's sake!

The voice sounded amused as it quipped, You never know for sure. He could be bi for all you know.

You make the most horrible jokes.

I'm you. Are you honestly surprised that I share the same attributes as yourself?

Katsuya felt like sticking his tongue out at the damn voice. Shut up.

He could almost hear the thing chuckling. You shut up.

Brilliant comeback, Einstein.

Thank you.

QUIT IT!

The voice sounded slightly offended as it replied, It's not my fault that you betrayed Seto's trust. He said he was going to let you in and you act like him being gay is the most disgusting thing in the world!

…Oh, God, I'm such an idiot. And when did you start calling him Seto?

I quite agree, the voice interjected cheerfully, you are the most idiotic person I've ever had the misfortune to—

The voice automatically shut off—a fortunate thing, for it was still only his first day at work and he didn't want his colleagues to think of him as barmy—as the elevator gave another irritatingly cheerful ping. Katsuya blanched and stared at the person who emerged. She certainly wasn't like Kaiba's usual business partners.

Besides the glaringly obvious fact that she was female, she looked like a girl that'd be at home in the nearest prep school with legions of boys trailing behind her than here. Her shoulder length black hair curled and fell in waves about her neck. She had on a crisp white v-neck Oxford blouse that was creased in the right places with a black button-up vest on top. Her legs were encased in a pair of professional—and expensive—looking black pants that ended right above her black heels. Katsuya fancied he could see the sparkly nail polish from all the way over at his desk.

"How may I help you?" Katsuya queried, taking care to keep his voice professional neutral.

Just because she was a business partner of Kaiba's didn't mean he had to like her.

The girl smiled charmingly at him and fumbled with her handbag for a bit before sliding a driver's license onto the table. "My name's Izumi. I'm here to see Seto."

Seto, his mind mocked, she calls him Seto.

"Do you have an appointment?" He prayed that she didn't.

Izumi nodded. "Yes, for 2:15."

He didn't even need to look down at the calendar to make sure that her name was written there in Seto's firm, precise handwriting. He gritted his teeth and displayed them in a forced smile as he pressed the button on the intercom.

"Mr. Kaiba? Your 2:15 appointment is here to see you."

"Ah, Izumi!" Kaiba's voice sounded pleased. "Send her in, please."

Izumi flashed him another smile and headed towards Seto's office door.

It wasn't until she had been in there for quite a few minutes before Katsuya started questioning himself. One – why was he so jealous of a mere girl? And two—since when did he start referring to Kaiba as Seto in his own mind?

--/--

She had been there for quite a while. What was she doing in there? Was she merely discussing professional issues with Seto or something of a more… intimate nature? Were they sitting on their respective sides of the desk, chatting across the length of the damn thing, or were they on the length of the damn thing, making out like there was no tomorrow? Was she straddling Seto's firm, slender thighs, hands tangled in those chestnut locks, fingers brushing away each restricting button of his white shirt—?

"Arrgh!" Katsuya berated himself, putting his face in his hands. "Snap out of it!"

I need to snap out of it, he repeated, making an effort to breathe more calmly now. There's nothing to be worried about. Kaiba's already admitted that he's gay.

You don't know that, that sly voice, that damn voice in his mind added, He never said that he was explicitly gay; he just said that he had boyfriends before. Again, he could be bisexual.

You'd better shut up. Before I do something drastic, like bang my head on this table a gazillion times.

You'd only hurt yourself.

Does it look like I care right now?

The voice fell silent. Katsuya heaved a sigh of relief. The door to Seto's office clicked open.

"Very well," Izumi acquiesced, "That sounds fine with me."

"Thank you," Seto replied, smiling. "You can start today. I'd only need you a few days before he gets the hang of it."

Izumi nodded, shook Seto's hand, and walked calmly over to Katsuya. She either didn't notice the glare that Katsuya fixated on her or decided that she couldn't be bothered to acknowledge it right now.

"I'm Izumi," she introduced herself and took a seat in one of the empty chairs. "I was Seto's secretary in Japan. He's asked me to come over here and show you the basics of this job."

"I know the basics of this job," Katsuya snapped icily, then berated himself. Why was he being so immature?

"Seto seems to think that you don't," the girl replied mildly. "I'm only here for a few days, so I'll be out of your hair by the end of the week."

"Good."

The uncomfortable silence that settled over the both of them was stifling. It stayed until about 3:00, when the elevator gave yet another chirpy ding, and out came another professionally dressed businessman. Izumi merely observed as he introduced himself to Katsuya and was sent in.

"They're so boring, aren't they?" Izumi offered after the door to Kaiba's office clicked closed. "All of them are the same—it's like they have the same genes."

Katsuya stared at her in surprise.

Izumi beamed back.

"I… suppose so."

"They are. Seto doesn't get many serious businesswomen. Most of them are just daughters of corporate rivals, either trying to bump him off or get into his pants."

"…I don't think his pants could fit more than one person."

Izumi grinned. "You've been looking at his pants?"

Katsuya flushed. "No!"

The girl stared at him for a long moment before grinning cheekily. "Don't worry; I don't blame you. Seto's pretty cute, isn't he?"

The blonde's eyes widened and he merely stared at her.

"Well, he is. And he's single—too bad he doesn't go for women."

Jou spluttered in surprise and managed to gasp out, "How do you know?"

Izumi looked surprised. "I've been his secretary for years. I know the way Seto works. He would only tell something of that magnitude to someone he trusts and from the way he talked about you, I assumed he trusted you implicitly."

Katsuya gurgled something inarticulate.

"That, and I was flirting him my whole first year there. He broke it to me gently after I asked him out to lunch."

But Kaiba asked him to lunch! And on the first day, too…

"…Wait, he talked about me?"

Izumi beamed. "A lot—I assume you want the details?"

"Of course!"

Well, Katsuya decided, maybe he could tolerate her.

to be continued

Someone be nice, humor me, and review, please.