Title: Barking To Disaster (PBFF)
Author: Glue Project
Rating: PG-13?
Pairings: SetoJou
Spoilers: Err. None?
Disclaimer: Nothing mine. Not even the bunny.
Summery: See TEXT BUNNY #22
Chapter Three
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Seto was starting to get worried. Jou was sure sleeping a lot.
All the way from China, then all the way to Pets Mart, and then once again to the mansion.
Even he didn't get that much jet lag, something he was horrible with.
Stay up all night working? No problem. Adjust to a different time zone? No way.
Maybe he should take Jou to the vet.
Hm. He was just asking to get bit in the ass today, wasn't he?
He just hoped Mokuba didn't say something to offend Jou. He highly doubted that Jou would do anything other than sulk at the younger boy...but there was the paternal/brother side in Seto showing.
Hn. Odd.
After turning off the car, he got out, and once again walked over to Jou's side of the car. On waking Jou up, Jou snapped at him in way of greeting.
"Not a morning person?" Seto held back all his 'mutt' comments. He really didn't want to get bit. "We're home."
Jou understood what that meant.
Time to show Mokuba his fate.
With a doggy sigh, Jou trudged out off the car. After Seto closed the car door, he followed Seto to the door that led to the house.
-----------Mokuba-------------
You know what? Running around the house in your slippered feet is really fun. 'Specially when no one is there to tell me otherwise, or able to see the yard and a half of cloth tied around my neck.
And Niisama's coming home today!
That in itself deserves another long slide across marble surfaces.
...After I jump the rabbit hopping about. The gray thing just looks at me, then hops away to chew on some exposed wires. No problem.
...
...
EXPOSED WIRES?! SHIT!
Step One of good pet care: Pick up rabbit by scruff of neck while supporting said rabbits bottom.
Step Two: Run around like a jack...rabbit...until you run into someone.
Niisama!
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Seto blinked at his brother who held a gray furball hidden in his arms. The gray furball itself was chewing on some blue and red wires. "That's healthy."
Mokuba tilted his head to the side, still sitting on the floor, blue 'cape' pooled around him. Seto motioned to the rabbit. Mokuba's eyes grew wide as he tried to wrestle the wires away from him with a degree of success.
In the meantime, Jou had sat down beside Seto with a forlorn look. He prepared himself for the worse.
When Mokuba noticed the retriever sitting there, he looked up to his brother with questioning eyes.
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Mokuba, smart kid that he is, didn't ask about the presence of the dog. At least, not with the aforementioned company present.
After the solemn affair of dinner (which consisted of steaks for the humans and dog, and rabbit pellets for the bunny), Seto disappeared for about ten minutes, dog in tow. Once he reappeared, without the dog, Mokuba approached him.
"Seto?"
Seto ran tired hands through his hair which was rapidly becoming disheveled. He sighed. "Those damned springs are cursed." He sat back in his seat, a purple hue beginning to take form under his eyes.
Mokuba perched himself on the arm of the black leather sofa carefully, while still looking at his older brother. "What do you mean?"
Seto sighed. "Remember when I called you?"
Mokuba blinked. "Which time? After Jounouchi 'took a swim' or when he came back out and you told me to get your allergy prescription filled?"
"The latter."
Mokuba scrunched his face in order to help him think. Which only resulted in a comical face. He blinked in surprise. "Didn't you say that Jou was going to spend a little time with us? But..." He froze, eyes suddenly wide with realization. "Oh."
Seto ran his hand through his hair again. "Yeah, 'oh'."
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Jou woke up to a sickingly sterile white setting, like that of a hospital. That was what brought him to full awakeness. Thoughts of a hospital, that this had all been a dream concocted up by a concussion or the like.
However, seeing Seto next to him dashed all those trains into multiple wrecks.
Jou sniffed the air, and felt the hair on the back of his neck bristle. 'Vet. I'm at the damned vet.' Jou turned a glare and growl on Seto without bothering to get up. He didn't have the ambition.
Seto looked down raised an eyebrow at Jou. "Finally awake?"
Jou stopped growling.
Seto looked back to the wall in front of him and discreetly patted the seat next to him. Once Jou heaved himself into the seat, Seto started talking, lightly, so as to not attract attention, despite the fact that it was only them and the secretary in the waiting room. "You've been sleeping a lot--to much to warrant the excuse of jet lag. Besides," he looked around the room casually, "Mokuba was getting worried that you're too thin."
Jou curled up in the seat, about to drift off to sleep. -Mm'kay.-
Seto sat up straighter in his chair and looked around.
Jou was already asleep.
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Jou had backed himself into the corner, teeth bared and growling. The doctor was approaching him with a thermometer.
Seto looked uncomfortable. "Wait..." He paused as the doctor tiredly turned to him. "You have to try to measure his internal temperature, correct?"
The doctor nodded, neglecting to notice that Jou had stopped growling and was looking at Seto curiously.
Seto shifted. "Well, why not get a brand new thermometer and stick it in his mouth as you would a human?"
The doctor looked incredulous. "Are you crazy? If he would chop down--and he would--it would break--" The doctor looked down when he was suddenly jarred from his thoughts by Jou hitting the back of his knee.
Jou opened his mouth and let his tongue hang out the side. The doctor leaned down with the thermometer and was about to try to slide it into Jou's mouth when he snapped it closed and growled.
The doctor blinked. "A new one?"
Jou made a ridiculous show of nodding.
The doctor just shook his head, then left the thermometer on the counter as he went to retrieve a new one. When he came back, he had to take the thermometer out of its protective packaging that kept it sterile.
As a good doggy, Jou trotted forward and opened his mouth once more. He accepted the thermometer in his mouth with no problem, and was careful as he gently closed his mouth around the thin piece of glass. He didn't let himself grin too wildly as he slid himself out of the doctors grip and laid down, thermometer still sticking out of his mouth.
The doctor stumbled out of the room to get the secretary to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
Seto smirked. "Glad I mentioned something?"
Jou wagged his tail in agreement.
Seto's smirk widened. "Good puppy."
Jou's tail stopped it's movement and his twin brown eyes narrowed.
"Careful," Seto warned. "Don't chop down hard on the glass." He paused and only Mokuba would have been able to recognize the lack of movement that was a shudder. "You don't want to have glass dug out of your gums."
The doctor walked back in, secretary with camera in tow. The latter just turned her head to the side and snapped a picture before walking back out again in slightly jerky movements. The doctor gently took the thermometer and checked it. "Every things in order..." He turned and addressed Jou directly. "You just need to eat."
At that, Jou barked happily and pranced around.
Seto twitched. "Hey, Jou, you're not a reindeer. Stop being Prancer or Dancer."
Jou froze.
"Good puppy." Smirk.
Jou whirled on him, growling and fur raised.
Seto didn't seem to be disturbed. If anything, he seemed slightly more relaxed. 'Ah, normalcy.' He leaned forward. "Well, pup, you're sure not a mutt."
Jou glared, but still sat down, body turned towards the doctor.
The doctor blinked, then gave out his report.
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Mokuba glomped his older brother once he came in the door. "Well?!"
Seto grinned as he steered his brother towards the kitchen while carrying a small bag. "The vet said that Jou was healthy, despite the fact that he weighs much less than he's supposed to. I think that it's because he was in that damned fountain for a week for his metamorphosis." He hesitated, then looked around for Jou. Seeing him not in sight, he continued quietly. "He also said that there are signs of abuse."
Mokuba's eyes went wide, but he didn't say anything. He attention was then diverted to the bag cradled in Seto's arms. "What's that?"
Seto smirked. "Dog food. Puppy's still sulking in the car because of it. He doesn't know that it's made up completely like a vegetarian diet."
Mokuba's eyebrows joined. "Puppy?"
"Jou. Can't call him mutt since he seems to be purebred, and if I'm 'nice' all the time, he'll think the apocalypse is about to commerce." He set the food on the counter, and leaned forward slightly. "I think that the only way to currently bring back a familiar aspect of life to him is to fight with him a little."
Mokuba looked sad. "But...he'll hate you."
Seto had his back turned to Mokuba as he started to cook dinner. "It's not anymore than I deserve," he said quietly.
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It's turning slightly angsty here, no? It's like a roller coaster here.
--Glue