So as of tomorrow, I will be deployed for at least up to six months and will not always have consistent internet access or the time/energy to write fanfic. Please understand that I will try very hard to update whenever I can, however, please understand because of my new situation that sometimes there might be some short hiatus until I am free to get online again.

Thank you and enjoy.


Kaiba woke up with a hangover. It was a strange sensation; he was usually very careful about not allowing himself to get so far as to feel the full effects of drinking the morning after. Opening his eyes, he could only see blotches of light at first, the whiteness of the bedroom blinding before he rubbed his eyes with his hands and tried blinking.

"What happened to you last night, Nii-sama?" said a very familiar voice, "got hit with the fun too hard?"

Kaiba grumbled. His temples were pulsing and he could feel a migraine approaching. His throat was also parch; did he even try taking care of himself the night before?

"Mokuba, what are you doing here?" Kaiba tried to say, but his words slurred into a sort of ugly growl, his tongue like leather sticking to the roof of his mouth.

"I came home early to see you," Mokuba laughed, "and to check up on you. You used to take care of me when I was younger, so now that you're an old man, it's time I start taking care of you."

"I'm not an old man..."

Kaiba tried to crawl out of the bed, but everything hurt too much. He collapsed onto the mattress, only then realizing that he was still wearing most of his clothes. At first, he couldn't even remember clearly about how he got home, but then he remembered ignoring Jonouchi all night... and Yugi got him home.

Of all humiliations.

"Don't act so scandalized, I know you go out and drink, Nii-sama," laughed Mokuba again as he flashed a smile and shook his head, "You've been knocking back imported scotch since I was sixteen. Probably before then, too."

"My best ideas came when I wasn't sober," admitted Kaiba. He worked on taking off his shirt before flipping onto his stomach, lying right on top of his pillow and hugging it with both arms. "I feel more free and open without the constraints of sobriety. I don't have to worry about what is earthly possible while I'm drunk."

"Yeah, I know. I've gone out before."

Mokuba grinned before taking a seat by Kaiba's side. He was so grown looking. Kaiba didn't know just how to feel about that. When they were children, Kaiba once told Mokuba that he would be his father, and for many years, that's how the relationship worked. Mokuba had been so young, and Kaiba thought he knew what he needed to know to take care of them.

Unfortunately, he didn't, but he did the best he could given the circumstances, and Mokuba always understood.

Now though, the dynamic was changing. It made Kaiba's stomach flip when he thought about it. Mokuba was a young man with his own life across the Pacific Ocean, back home in Domino City, Japan. He was maintaining their flagship corporate office while living life as the city's richest bachelor. Kaiba could only imagine what that entailed.

Although when he had been in Mokuba's shoes, he'd done a whole lot of nothing. Mokuba was just as private as him, so maybe he kept mostly to himself, too. Kaiba could dream, at last.

"So what happened last night," Mokuba teased, "You look like you were lucky to find your way home. You got to have an interesting story to tell." Mokuba stroked Kaiba's head of hair once playfully with his hand, stopping when Kaiba half-heartedly slapped it away.

"Come on, tell me," he pressed, "I can tell that you're still wearing your nice event clothes. You didn't get drunk at home."

Kaiba sighed loudly, rolling his eyes. "All right, fine. I'll tell you what happened." Or rather, the abridged version of his night. Mokuba did not need to know about his pining for Jonouchi while at the party. Sure, Mokuba might one day figure out (because Mokuba always figured out everything) his increasing fascination with the popular blond duelist, but Kaiba was determined to keep his secrets for as long as possible. Even if that meant keeping his little brother of all people left in the dark.

"I drank too much at a party," Kaiba explained neutrally. "Afterwards, Mutou Yugi took me home. That's it."

"That's it?" Mokuba laughed loudly, hugging his own sides as his face completely lit up with shock, his grey eyes enlarged. "That's it? Nii-sama, I'm so surprised. You actually allowed Yugi to get you back home? Maybe he really is your friend after all."

"I hardly think that word is an appropriate term."

Mokuba rolled his eyes as Kaiba pretended not to notice.

"Was there anyone else interesting there?" Mokuba inquired. "I think I'll be visiting for just a week, that's all the big office could spare me. You'd think being my own boss, I'd be able to take a proper vacation. Now I feel the pain you felt for all those years before," Mokuba yawned.

"It was a dull party," Kaiba answered, "No one of interest was there." It wasn't a lie, since Jonouchi wasn't a person of interest. At least, not for Mokuba. Kaiba wanted to pretend that he wasn't interesting to him, either, but that was so far from the truth.

"But Yugi was there. I wonder what he was doing here?"

"There was a competition that he came to watch," said Kaiba.

"But he came all the way from Japan?" Mokuba shook his head. "Nii-sama, I know you are hiding information from me. You're a terrible liar."

"I haven't lied," Kaiba pointed out, "anything else you're looking to accuse me of doing?"

"Don't get upset." Mokuba chided as he got up, opening the door to the bedroom and standing in the middle of the door frame, "I'll get you some water. If you shower up, I'll take you to breakfast and then we can discuss how you want to spend the rest of your week since your dear little brother has finally came over to visit you. Sound like a plan, Nii-sama?"

"Yes," Kaiba stressed, "sounds like a plan."

He did as Mokuba dictated, as odd as that was to think of himself. Not to say he'd never listened to Mokuba-in fact, Mokuba took strong stances with him so infrequently that Kaiba couldn't recall a time that he'd deemed it appropriate to decline. But it was odd to be cared for, especially for such embarrassing reasons.

As he fixed his hair after his shower, he tried to predict what Mokuba's line of questioning might be. He had a feeling his little brother didn't plan to let the subject of the night before drop. He was being lighthearted about it, but Kaiba knew how discussions like this tended to go with them. Mokuba would facetiously press until Kaiba was visibly upset, and then would start asking in earnest, and Kaiba didn't have the heart to chase Mokuba off his line of questioning with the silent glare he'd use on others.

So, with what presence of mind he'd managed to regain, he determined that he'd act as unaffected by the situation as possible in the hope that Mokuba would lose interest in his investigation. Besides, they had time to spend together for the first time in far too long-why start it by playing interrogation games?

"I'm functional," Kaiba announced as he left his bathroom, straightening his button-up, "or at least appear to be."

"And how do you feel?" asked Mokuba innocently. "Well enough to go out and eat?"

"I'm groggy, not sick," Kaiba grumbled, "and breakfast would probably be the best thing for me right now."

"Okay, great!" Mokuba answered. He left the room with Kaiba following after him, grabbing his coat and keys. "I'll drive, as long as you don't try getting all bossy on me. Not that I think you could do much better right now," laughed Mokuba as he opened the door to the hallway. Kaiba grumbled in response. "The cafe isn't that far from here, you'll like it."

The drive was silent. Mokuba was a fast but very careful driver, so Kaiba tried his hardest not to comment. Instead, he closed his eyes and thought about nothing... or tried to, at least. He was always thinking about something.

Yugi had taken care of him the night before. Should Kaiba even say something to him about it? Show appreciation and thank him or just pretend it never happened in the first place? The Kaiba from five years ago would have put the entire situation in the back of his mind already, however, Kaiba was much older now and he did actually care about what Yugi thought of him.

As much as he hated it, too, he cared about what Jonouchi thought of him. The Jonouchi who never once thought of speaking to him the entire night, but went off to flirt with some nobody at a hotel bar and presumably left with after to go fellatio for shits and giggles.

"Nii-sama, we're here." Mokuba interrupted. He parked the car by the side of the street, giving Kaiba a careful glance when he didn't respond right away. "You're clenching your jaw. What are you thinking about?"

"How much I dislike parties," he replied, hoping he at least didn't sound evasive. It was true that he wasn't much one for parties, but he didn't normally think about them the day after and grit his teeth at the memory. He withheld a sigh as the two of them left the car and stepped onto the sidewalk. He got the impression that Mokuba wasn't especially convinced, but that was to be expected. He'd been less than forthcoming about his thoughts all morning.

He didn't take much note of the restaurant they entered. Nothing was offensive to his senses, and due to his busy mind and physical debilitation, he disregarded details. He could smell food and hear coffee brewing, and this was a rare occasion when that meant something to him. He didn't care what it was, he just wanted some. It occurred to him that he should have given his stomach something to care for itself with the night before, but he hadn't been thinking about consequences at the time.

At least Mokuba had taken him somewhere he could get breakfast that wouldn't challenge his comfort zone. There was plenty on the menu, but Kaiba ordered a black breakfast roast, toasted wheat bread, and a fruit bowl with yogurt. Mokuba snickered, probably thinking what he'd always thought-that it was a dull set of selections. Kaiba thought it was perfectly fine. He had functioning taste buds, and didn't need garbage to make his food enjoyable. That, and he wouldn't be taking his mind off of his waistline anytime soon.

When he thought about it, the only time he'd really branched out food-wise was when he ate with Jonouchi. Even then it had been on the reluctant side, but it had happened all the same. He wondered if Jonouchi knew that, but wondering only made him upset, so he aggressively abandoned that train of thought before his displeasure could show on his face.

Mokuba ordered a small pile of crepes and coffee for himself. Coffee with creamer. He always had a sweet tooth, and Mokuba grinned when Kaiba raised an eyebrow at his order.

"I didn't know you even drank coffee..."

"I learned to like it," admitted Mokuba with a small smile. "It reminded me of you, Nii-sama, after you'd been gone for so long. You're such an addict.

"But I'm not as strong as you are, so I need some kind of dairy in my cup or else it's not drinkable."

"Wean yourself off," Kaiba suggested, "Or, I guess you can just wait until your body is so accustomed to your usual that you have no choice but to take your coffee black."

There had been a point, immediately after moving to America, when Kaiba had switched to espresso for "mornings that needed an extra boost". That quickly became daily espresso, then double, and it wasn't until he was regularly drinking mochas with fifteen espresso shots that he thought it might be time to detox.

No one had a good week while he was lowering his dose.

"On second thought," he muttered after returning to the conversation, "Go ahead and stick with your creamer."

"I will."

Mokuba ate with the appetite of a teenage boy. It was strange. He was a grown up man now, almost as tall as Kaiba, with the same exact features. His eyes were similar in shape, but more grey than blue, and they had the exact same frame as well. They were so similar, yet Mokuba stood apart from him by being probably one of the happiest people Kaiba had ever been around. He always seemed happy, sometimes for no reason at all.

Not unlike another person Kaiba knew very well...

"Who was at the party last night, Nii-sama? Did someone rattle you?" accused Mokuba. "Tell me, who shook up your sensitive equilibrium?"

"No one in particular," Kaiba lied outright, trying his damndest to play it cool. "I was celebrating all on my own like I usually do, and I got out of hand."

Kaiba knew he was losing when Mokuba didn't speak, but leaned back and crossed his arms with a stubborn and expectant expression instead. As Mokuba continued to watch him silently in disapproval, he felt like he was shrinking internally-much as Mokuba knew he was, that brat-and he set his coffee down with a sigh.

"Your right eye always twitches when you aren't telling me the truth, Nii-sama."

Kaiba's face twisted up in disdain, but he filed that information away for later-now he knew one of the tells, at least. There must be more, though. Mokuba wasn't stupid enough to tell him how to defend himself in these situations.

He glanced around them in the restaurant to see if anyone was looking at them, or nearby enough to overhear quiet speech if they understood Japanese. Seeing that neither was the case, Kaiba was left with no excuses not to explain himself. He silently stared at his cooling coffee for several seconds first, his elbows on the table. This was the last thing he wanted to deal with, save for Jonouchi himself showing up, but he hoped he'd paid his dues enough that Karma wouldn't bite him that hard.

"I was upset because Jonouchi Katsuya left the after-party very briskly with a-with a man," Kaiba tripped slightly while speaking. He'd almost said with another man, but that was not what he wanted to let out of his mouth. He didn't meet Mokuba's gaze after speaking.

"And why would that even matter to you?" asked Mokuba incredulously. "I thought of all people, you'd be the least likely to judge. It's not like Jonouchi's romantic life is any of your business. I know you got this weird sort of disdain for him going on, but seriously Nii-sama, you're old and it's kinda ridiculous."

Mokuba stared at Kaiba, who wouldn't look him in the eyes. They were at an awkward impasse as Mokuba sipped his drink, swirling his mug as he waited for someone to break. Kaiba knew even before it happened that it would be him-everyone broke under his will, and he broke under Mokuba's. It was a law of nature. He wasn't made any stronger by the fact that deep down, he really, really wanted to tell someone. Much as he didn't want to deal with letting it out in the open, he was sick of stewing alone, and there wasn't anyone else to tell. Mokuba wouldn't be in the country for long, and it wasn't a conversation he wanted to have on the phone.

"I-" He began before realizing he had no idea how to begin explaining. Especially if it was going to require words he wouldn't even say to himself. He took a deep breath. "I've been spending time with Jonouchi over the past months, and…"

He trailed off again when he felt his courage failing. Mokuba looked utterly confused, which made him realize that for once his little brother couldn't read him like a book. That gave him a small sense of victory. It was greatly overshadowed by the conversation, however.

"...At some point I developed feelings for him," Kaiba finished quietly, sighing as he let his gaze fall to the table. He felt like the words hung in the air after they left his mouth.

Mokuba was silent for short time, drinking quietly, which Kaiba could only assume was because he was processing the confession. His face was unreadable. Surprisingly, Mokuba maintained a complete poker face, gaze never breaking and no emotion betrayed before he inhaled and finally spoke.

"Just because you might have feelings for him though doesn't mean he owes you something, Nii-sama. It's not healthy to obsess."

"I'm aware," Kaiba replied, frowning, but Mokuba gave him a stern look when he tried to be challenging, so he conceded. "...I'm aware, and it doesn't change anything. I know better than to think I'm owed."

His frown deepened into a genuine scowl.

"But I still got very jealous, especially when he ran off with some stranger to-"

He cut himself off abruptly when he realized he was only driving Mokuba's point home. And embarrassing himself, to boot. What was even happening to him anymore? Surely, he was capable of stopping himself from caring. Even with his feelings for Jonouchi, he shouldn't care what he did with other people when there was no commitment between them. He felt himself getting sulky again and scarfed some fruit, hoping the sugar and serotonin would stop his thoughts from diving.

"To what, have his own private victory party?" laughed Mokuba. He sighed when Kaiba didn't laugh, scratching and shaking his head. "I know it sucks, but unless you two actually had something together, he's not doing anything wrong. You don't have a reason to be mad at him except for the fact that your feelings got hurt. Which is okay," Mokuba admitted, "I get hurt when girls blow me off, but there will always be more girls. Jonouchi isn't the only man in California from Japan, if that's what you're after."

"I'm not after men," Kaiba huffed, mildly offended. He took a moment to realize why. It wasn't because Mokuba assumed he liked men-that was fairly obvious at this point, surprising as it was even to himself-but rather because he was making light of the situation. That realization only made him feel embarrassed. "I'm after Jonouchi. If I were to pursue men or women, Japanese or not, it wouldn't change the fact that I want him, and that's why I'm in this mess."

"Did you ever tell Jonouchi that?" asked Mokuba with a tone of seriousness Kaiba hadn't heard before. "Does he even know how you feel about him, or did you assume he'd just figure you out?"

Kaiba grumbled in his throat and averted his gaze. It was true he hadn't told Jonouchi about how strongly he felt. He'd even denied any attachment like that when Jonouchi asked him. It was another thing he had only himself to blame for.

"He doesn't know much," Kaiba stated, unwilling to admit to anything explicitly. Mokuba would understand. "I don't think I should tell him."

"Why not? He might like you back and you were too self-engrossed to notice," reasoned Mokuba, "It's not like you're an easy person to read. I can only understand you because you are my brother, and poor Jonouchi has tried being your friend in the past, so... maybe you should just be honest with him about your feelings. He's too nice a person to get stupid about it, Nii-sama.

"And if he doesn't feel the same way, at least then you'd know and could start working to move on."

"Your reasoning is sound," Kaiba agreed, though internally he had all kinds of reasons why he would still struggle to be honest with Jonouchi about it. For starters, he wasn't sure he could move on, and that was so frightening he was hesitant to even try. There was also the fact that being turned down would be incredibly painful, and he knew it. The thought hurt, so the experience could only be worse.

That said, he still knew Mokuba was right. And with that admitted to himself, his long-held excuses lost weight. A little, at least. It didn't make the prospect easier to face.

"I mean," Mokuba asked more quietly, even though no one was around to listen, "do you think there's a chance that he might feel something for you at all? I mean, if he likes men and he actually likes hanging around with you all the time, that must mean something." Mokuba gave a goofy grin before sticking out his tongue. "Maybe he thinks you're ignoring him again."

Kaiba paled at the thought. He hadn't even taken into account the idea that Jonouchi might have been interested in him, and was avoiding doing anything revealing because Kaiba had worked so hard not to show romantic attraction. Then he felt his face heat up with a blush because he realized there might have been a lot more to their fooling around than he knew.

It made sense, to an extent. Jonouchi was a hit-and-run lover. It was strange that he'd want that kind of interaction in a long-standing relationship, even if it was allegedly a friendship. Kaiba clasped his hands together on the table in an attempt to look more composed than he was, but he felt torn between hopeful realization and mild horror. Horror because he wondered if he had really been so self-absorbed this entire time that Jonouchi was giving him blatant signs, and he'd missed them.

"Well Nii-sama, why didn't you talk to Jonouchi at the party if you like him so much?" Mokuba had a silly grin on his face. Kaiba hated him a little bit for it. "I'm sure Yugi wasn't that much of a distraction."

"We weren't on good terms," he stated. He immediately shook his head and sighed. "I... was avoiding him."

"Okay, why?"

"A short time ago, we met for breakfast," he half-lied. They didn't meet for the breakfast, that was for damn sure. "I told him I liked him as more than a friend."

"Your eye is twitching again," Mokuba sighed. He rolled his eyes and finished up his plate of crepes, shaking his head once more. "Okay, I get it, you don't want to tell your little brother the full honest truth, but you need to man up and face Jonouchi already and stop moping around. I got a week in the United States and then I go home, and I don't want you hanging around me looking like a kicked puppy the entire time."

"Fair enough," Kaiba snorted, though his gaze was absently turned toward the window. He sat in pensive silence for a few seconds before resuming, and when he did, his mouth was open for a moment before sounds came out. "The fault is mine, if I'm honest. Jonouchi... came to my apartment, and the next morning at breakfast, I dumped my announcement on him and left as briskly as possible."

"Hmm..." Mokuba was quiet, appearing to be thinking before he looked up, "How did he appear when you told him?"

"A bit surprised…?" Kaiba muttered. "I don't know. I didn't stay to watch his reaction."

"Why did he turn up at your apartment?" asked Mokuba unflinchingly.

Kaiba's eyes were still on the streets outside the cafe, but they rolled sideways so he could scrutinize his brother with narrowed eyes.

"You know why he turned up," Kaiba accused, though no impish sparkle of the eyes or mouth twitching into a smirk had appeared yet on his brother's face. "He wanted company."

"So you gave it to him, huh?" Mokuba blinked before drinking up the rest of his coffee. "Well, maybe your problem isn't that you are infatuated with Jonouchi but that you haven't set the terms to what you two are. You can't be sleeping with him casually if you want more if he doesn't also want the same."

"That's why I told him what I did," Kaiba replied over the rim of his coffee cup. It was getting cold while he sat feeling uncomfortable. "And don't get the wrong idea. I wanted his company. It wasn't as if he came around just to solicit me."

He paused when his memory returned to Jonouchi's complaint that he hadn't seen Kaiba around the bar for a while. It still tied him in knots, especially coupled with his new knowledge that Jonouchi might be struggling with attachment of his own.

"It was my intention to distance myself until he decided how he wanted to respond," Kaiba explained, setting his drink down. His eyes flitted to his nearly-untouched yogurt. He'd get back to it when they were discussing something less important. "But so far, he hasn't approached me at all, so I don't know what to think."

"Maybe you've been too unapproachable. Walking out on him probably didn't help much," continued Mokuba, "You might want to apologize for that first. Then see where it goes from there. Who knows, he might be pinning after you just as much as you are him." Mokuba let out a tiny little laugh after that. "I would have never imagined this happening..."

"What? Me giving myself an ulcer over some man I shouldn't even want around?" Kaiba scoffed. "Neither would I, a few months ago."

"You shouldn't want around?" echoed Mokuba. Then he laughed sharply, tsking with a pointed finger. "Nii-sama, you are such a classist snot. Do you honestly think you're better than him?"

"No," Kaiba replied more sharply than he intended. "But several times during the last six months I've been wishing I thought that. I wish I had a publicly acceptable sexuality, and wanted some vapid, wealthy broad with a name that was good for business. But I suppose I've always been predisposed to doing things the hard way."

For the sake of a better outcome, his brain added with a surprising level of encouragement. He disregarded that initially-he'd thought getting himself and Mokuba adopted by Gozaburo was for a better outcome. Maybe it had been. He didn't make a habit of looking back down a road he'd traveled. He could definitely say it hadn't been easier than letting the government file him and Mokuba nice and neatly into separate foster families. It hadn't been easy to overthrow Gozaburo instead of being his puppet. It hadn't been easy to destroy Kaiba Corporation and build it back up from the ground.

Those things had been worth it, in the end. Maybe his agonizing over Jonouchi would be, too. But that remained to be seen. He sipped his coffee.

"Does Jonouchi make you happy?" asked Mokuba softly.

Kaiba was mildly surprised by that question. He was hesitant to reply, not because the answer was no, but because the answer was embarrassing to think. Saying it would only be worse. But there was no point in withholding information now.

"In a word," he stated, meeting Mokuba's gaze. "If I wanted to be accurate, I'd have to say... being with him makes me feel right. So that makes me "happy"."

Mokuba sighed loudly. "Nii-sama, when you are with him, does that make you feel happy?"

Kaiba had to pause to think about it. He definitely kept hanging around Jonouchi for a reason-that being, it felt nice-and what little scuffles they'd had were never a deterrent. Even with all his internal turmoil, he still enjoyed Jonouchi's company.

"Yes, if that's what you're looking for," Kaiba admitted, "What is your determination with whether or not I feel happy?"

"Because I love you," Mokuba said before sticking out his tongue a second time, "I want what's best for you. And if Jonouchi's what's best, then you need to go and try harder. Can you do that? For your own sanity's sake?"

"If it'll help me retain some shred of mental stability, then yes," Kaiba snorted, "And because now that you've badgered all this out of me, I doubt you'll leave me alone until it's settled. Am I right?"

"Exactly right," smiled Mokuba.


FIVE MONTHS PREVIOUS


Kaiba had been surprised when Jonouchi invited him to karaoke night at a bar. Not that it was a private event that warranted insider invitation, but Kaiba definitely wouldn't have thought to attend something like that on his own. He still wasn't really going for the karaoke, which anyone who knew him would have guessed. He was astonished that Jonouchi had thought he'd be interested.

Then again, he had accepted. He hadn't even thought it over first. He sure as hell wasn't interested in karaoke, and while the showman in him wasn't totally opposed to the concept itself, his personality wouldn't allow for that kind of behavior. Still, he could watch Jonouchi do it, and more importantly, he could spend an evening in Jonouchi's presence when normally he would have been at home.

When he arrived at the address Jonouchi had specified, he realized that the bar was, specifically, a karaoke bar. He'd assumed he was attending karaoke night at a regular kind of place, where he could safely sit at a bar stool with his back to the drunken wailing. He understood immediately upon walking inside that this wasn't a watering hole-it was a hotspot. It was a hip establishment targeted toward young people, and successfully so. Everyone inside was under twenty-five and dressed in nothing less stylish than Kaiba would buy himself.

What made him actually stop in his tracks for a moment was the fact that the first face he actually took note of was Thai. And the next Chinese. And the next Vietnamese, Korean, Filipino, and any combination of the group. He thought he spotted a Laotian in a corner with what looked like his entertainment for the night.

Kaiba hummed as he absorbed that, but he was more concerned with finding Jonouchi than profiling the locals. He nearly didn't recognize Jonouchi when he did find him-his shock of golden hair didn't stick out so much in a crowd of other trendy Asians, and for once, he looked like he'd gone out of his way to dress like an adult who'd been somewhere classier than the mall.

Kaiba approached him, though his pace was slowed by both the crowd, and his slow analysis of Jonouchi's appearance. He was standing in such a way that Kaiba got a good profile view of him, and he noticed that his dark wash jeans were visibly more fitted than his usual denim. They hugged his hips, which was made more obvious by a shirt that hugged his broad chest and teased with the outline of his abdominal muscles.

He wasn't sure what to think-he assumed that Jonouchi normally slapped whatever on himself and went out the door. Now he looked like he was trying to look good, and that led him to wonder. He saw that Jonouchi was speaking to some men Kaiba recognized from the garage, but they made parting gestures and walked away just as Kaiba was reaching Jonouchi's side. It was probably for the best. He wouldn't be able to feel comfortable with them around, and he had a feeling his presence would only give them incentive to tease Jonouchi. And possibly him, as well.

"This is not what I was expecting," he announced as a greeting once he was close enough that Jonouchi was sure to hear him over the surrounding noise.

"Yeah?" answered Jonouchi with a smile before he laughed and nodded his head, "It's a bit busy in here, but I like the vibe. And I thought someone like you would enjoy being surrounded by young people instead of a bar full of depressed businessmen."

One of the guys retreating from Jonouchi's garage looked back and made a gesture at them, which made Jonouchi laugh and give him the finger. Kaiba just frowned.

"Guys from my work," explained Jonouchi, "they are extremely nosy about my personal life. I still haven't explained to them who you are exactly."

"I appreciate that," Kaiba snorted, "Given how they were talking when I came to the garage, they'll think I'm your John if they find out who I am."

"Maybe not John," smirked Jonouchi, "They know I'm not a hooker. I just have a lot of fun.

"So Kaiba, do you sing before or after a lot of alcohol?"

"Neither," Kaiba replied flatly, "I hope your motive for bringing me here wasn't to hear me sing. I can guarantee that no one wants that."

He paused in thought for a split second as he watched Jonouchi's undeterred face.

"If you brought me here to get me shitfaced, though, I'll cooperate that much," he joked, though in the back of his mind he wondered if getting that drunk tonight would be a good idea. He wasn't sure how serious Jonouchi was about getting him to sing, and after enough alcohol, Kaiba didn't even want to admit to himself how easy it could be to get him on the karaoke machine. He couldn't get embarrassed about it if he could barely see straight, and he was a natural show-off in his way.

"Okay then, come to the bar with me and I'll buy you your first round. But after that, you're on your own," declared Jonouchi, "I know your pockets are far deeper than mine!"

They went to the bar, and Jonouchi ordered Sapporo beer for them both plus two shots of tequila. He drank his shots fast, downing them quickly without even wincing before sighing and making a look of satisfaction before sipping out of his bottle of beer.

"Are you going to make complaints about the selection of alcohol in the United States tonight?" asked Jonouchi wearily, "or are you prepared to have some adult fun with me?"

"I won't claim I haven't moaned about it before," Kaiba huffed in mock offense, "But even a snob knows that when the goal is being as drunk as possible, ten dollar wine is the same as hundred dollar wine. I'll drink whatever they serve as long as it works fast."

He started on his own drink while waving to the bartender for another, but as the beer initially touched his lips, his eyes widened in heavily delayed realization. He continued to drink as he stared ahead of him, but his mind had backtracked to Jonouchi's initial question and was stuck there. Adult fun? He'd normally assume just what he had-that Jonouchi meant getting plastered. But it was Jonouchi, and knowing what kinds of fun he got up to made Kaiba wonder if he'd just failed to respond to a dirty joke. Or if Jonouchi was flirting with him. That seemed unlikely, though. He hadn't done that sober, ever.

Kaiba was stunned to find his beer bottle empty as his train of thought came to a stop, so he quickly tossed back the tequila. It wasn't awful, but it certainly tasted inexpensive. He gestured toward vodka when the bartender gave him a questioning look, and ordered six shots. Both the bartender and Jonouchi assumed they were to be divided equally, but when they arrived, Kaiba delicately slid all of them in front of himself. He smirked at Jonouchi's surprise.

"Tell me what you want, and I'll order it for you," he offered.

"And what do I have to do after?" Jonouchi asked with a raised eyebrow, "You've never been charitable just for the sake of friendliness. Or are you really just trying to help a poor friend out?"

"Let's say I was deeply touched by your gesture of buying my first round," Kaiba shrugged nonchalantly. "You're obviously trying to get drunk, so you may as well do it on my tab while I'm not in my right mind enough to care about spending money."

"How generous of you," laughed Jonouchi. He asked the bartender for some silly drink he called a "blow job" before being given a large shot full of Bailey's and Kahlua topped off with whipped cream. Jonouchi stuck out his tongue at Kaiba playfully before putting his hands behind his back and taking the entire thing with his mouth, swallowing it without losing a drop before putting the glass down and licking his lips.

"When have you ever seen something like that in Japan," asked Jonouchi with a wide smile, "You should try it."

Kaiba side-eyed Jonouchi for several seconds in silence as he tried to dismantle what he'd said and figure out what he meant by it. The first couple of times had been ignorable, but now he was definitely feeling like he was getting unexpected attention. He hummed and tossed back a couple of shots.

"I don't think it sounds like my kind of thing…" he declined politely. Jonouchi looked so impish that he had a feeling he'd only contributed to whatever amusement he'd already been feeling. "Do all the drinks have names like that?"

"No, only the best ones do," Jonouchi answered with a sly smile, "You should try at least something new."

"If you insist," Kaiba replied as he topped off the fourth shot. He knew (and Jonouchi probably knew) that he was feeling cooperative, and insistence wasn't required, but Jonouchi was polite enough not to call him on it. "Can you suggest one that I might be interested in? I'm not a big fan of cream."

"A sake bomb," suggested Jonouchi, "We can do it together."

"I won't argue as long as there's alcohol involved," Kaiba responded in kind, then was immediately surprised at himself for doing so. He finished what vodka he had left, though he realized afterward that vodka was already leading him down a dangerous, uninhibited path where his mouth let words escape that shouldn't. And where he might end up doing karaoke. He grumbled to himself.

"It's even Japanese," Jonouchi giggled, "Well, kind of. It's like a shot of sake that you place on top of a beer that's held up with chopsticks. When we're ready, we pull out the chopsticks and try to drink everything up as fast as we can. It's a contest," dared Jonouchi as he pointed at Kaiba's chest a bit aggressively, "and I'm gonna beat you."

"Keep telling yourself that," Kaiba snickered, excited by the competition-even if it was a small one. In reality, he'd win whether he was fastest or not. He'd still be more drunk by the end of it.

The drinks arrived. Kaiba rested his fingers on the chopsticks, ready to pull them away when Jonouchi gave the signal. Jonouchi, on the other hand, had his palms on the bar. Kaiba was going to accuse him of giving a handicap, but then he started counting down. Kaiba focused on preparing to pull the chopsticks away. He wasn't too drunk yet, but his reaction time was already going down the tubes.

When Jonouchi nearly yelled "San!", Kaiba immediately let the sake cup fall into the beer, but Jonouchi slammed his fists into the bar. The force shook the chopsticks and made his cup fall into his beer before Kaiba's did. He gave Jonouchi an accusing glare, but only for a moment; Jonouchi had already started chugging, and Kaiba didn't intend to give him too much of a head start.

Kaiba shut his eyes as he drank urgently, and when he opened them he felt very disoriented. Four chopsticks were on the bar, and Jonouchi was sitting beside him with a triumphant smirk. Kaiba scowled.

"You cheated," he stated the obvious, knowing perfectly well that it made no difference to Jonouchi, who appeared to be reveling in his misbehavior. "You're just full of tricks today."

"I'm full of skills," Jonouchi corrected. He pumped Kaiba in the shoulder, smiling at him before flashing his eyes at him, "Okay fine, since you're upset about it, I'll buy us both buttery nipples. They taste like dessert, you can't not like them. How about it?"

"I don't feel so bad about it that you have to buy me a present," Kaiba rolled his eyes, though in reality, he knew he'd only been cheered up because Jonouchi had offered appropriate homage to make up for his transgression. "I'll buy. But I don't think I can say no to trying a "buttery nipple" now that I know they exist…"

"You'll like it," Jonouchi said again. Two glasses were placed in front of them. Jonouchi took his first, drinking deliberately before glancing Kaiba's way with curious wide eyes. When he finished, he licked his lips again and sighed before bumping Kaiba again playfully.

"How was it?"

"You were right, I admit it. Calm down," Kaiba commanded, though a pretty stupid smile of amusement was crossing his face as he did. Jonouchi had definitely been right, and the drink had kicked his borderline drunkenness into actual drunkenness by the end. He couldn't control his responses as well anymore, and even if he could, he was drunk enough to try to excuse himself by blaming alcohol.

"I think you should probably close out your tab now," said Jonouchi as he began taking out his wallet. The bartender was quick. They paid while Jonouchi continued to grin before finishing, and all of a sudden Kaiba was being hauled away from his stool over to a line of people waiting to use the karaoke machine.

"Think of a song," Jonouchi began, "You got to pick our first song for tonight. I'll go alone because I'm confident and shit," he explained, "but I know you're scared, so we'll just have to sing a duet together."

"I'm not scared," Kaiba protested, though he was actively resisting Jonouchi's tugging. He didn't succeed. He could barely stand, and even if Jonouchi were to release him, he'd probably just end up stumbling into the nearest table or chair he could lean on. He frowned all the way to the karaoke machine, and at Jonouchi's encouragement, absently flipped through the available songs. He didn't know anything about pop music, and nothing on the list was familiar. Things that were familiar, he would die standing if he tried to perform.

Kaiba became aware that he'd been standing on the platform staring at the track list like it was something of great importance. In reality, he just couldn't choose a song, partly because his focus was shot to shit, and partly because he didn't know what any of them were. He decided to punch a number into the machine at random and hope for the best. He knew nothing about pop, American or Japanese. Any song was as bad as another, right?

He realized he must have thought wrong when Jonouchi's eyes lit up in response to the selected music. He gave Kaiba a worryingly teasing, knowing look as the intro music started. Kaiba had no clue what to do or think as he grasped the microphone Jonouchi handed him, but he resolved to let Jonouchi lead. It wasn't like he had any idea what was coming.

Jonouchi knew exactly what was happening, and started singing enthusiastically practically before the verse had time to start. Kaiba's brow scrunched in confusion and disapproval as he read the words, but he almost had a sniggering fit when he heard Jonouchi's (normally quite good) English failing. It might have been just because he was so drunk, but Kaiba still found it unduly funny.

His composure came back unpleasantly quickly when Jonouchi reached the chorus and looked at him expectantly. He gestured for Kaiba to join, and Kaiba shook his head in a panic before even thinking about it. He'd heard what Jonouchi had been saying so far, and he didn't want any part of it. What tacky music. Just his luck-he'd chosen some garbage from the turn of the century.

Jonouchi continued without him, unaffected, swaying back and forth with the music. He was getting progressively less coordinated and didn't really seem to care. Kaiba felt slightly less isolated in his embarrassment when people in the bar around them started singing the song as well. Obviously, it was well known-everyone was either interacting with it, or rolling their eyes and looking less than nostalgic.

"My loneliness is killing me," Jonouchi continued as the chorus repeated. Kaiba knew it by now, but was unenthusiastic about the idea of contributing to the song. Jonouchi started bumping against him in an increasingly violent fashion until he was annoyed (and guilty) enough to quietly participate. Not that he had to be especially quiet to be unnoticed beside Jonouchi's confident singing. He noted to himself that Jonouchi wasn't a half-bad singer, even if he was obviously goofing off.

By the beginning of the second chorus, Kaiba had managed to gain a piece of Jonouchi's sense of humor by association, and was clumsily joining him (if less vigorously) in performing the song. He tried not to think too hard about the lyrics or the eyes of people around them. Jonouchi certainly didn't seem bothered by them. He acted like he was singing in the car or shower, not a crowded place.

"My loneliness is killing me; I must confess, I still believe," he repeated, his eyes sparkling with the grin that had been present on his face nearly since Kaiba finally joined in. Kaiba couldn't figure out what had him so elated, aside from the alcohol, until he noticed his own face felt sore. He was flashing Jonouchi a toothy smile against his will every time their eyes met, though he hadn't been trying to. He was too drunk not to. The combination of embarrassment and a weird, inappropriate, but genuine level of enjoyment made it happen.

When the song was over, Kaiba was overcome with a deep sense of relief, and a teeny bit of triumph. He vaguely noticed people in the bar applauding, facetiously or otherwise, but his attention was on Jonouchi. Jonouchi looked far less like he'd suffered an ordeal, and in fact had already started looking through the songbook again. Kaiba's eyes widened.

"What are you doing?" He asked, slightly panicked. He'd been able to do one song, and that had been hard enough, but now Jonouchi was trying to prolong his trial.

"Look Kaiba, everyone loves us," Jonouchi snorted as he bumped Kaiba with his hip. He turned his attention to picking another song. "We can't quit now. One more song. And I promise, we won't be listening to Britney Spears this time. Don't be a buzzkill, we're having fun."

Kaiba didn't respond, but he didn't complain, either. It was true that he wasn't in any extreme discomfort, but he'd much rather be not singing pop music in front of a crowd. It wasn't so bad with Jonouchi there, though. The thought of doing it alone was...impossible. It was a non-issue because it would never, ever happen. Everyone knew that solo karaoke took a hell of a lot of bravery, or the confidence of someone who'd had lessons.

So in a way, he supposed, Jonouchi was making him braver. But that was a weird thought, so he discarded it.

Kaiba was also unfamiliar with the song Jonouchi chose. Jonouchi knew exactly what song it was and was tapping his foot along with the intro, shooting Kaiba the most ominously impish looks he'd ever seen in his life. He braced himself for humiliation, but no amount of bracing was enough to withstand the power of the second hard wave of embarrassment he felt when Jonouchi sang the first words.

"I'm bringing sexy back," was all Kaiba heard for a few seconds. He zoned out for the rest while he was wondering how he got himself into this situation. His drunk mind was astonishingly happy about the fact that he was there, and he was there because being around Jonouchi always forced him to leave his comfort zone and do normal human things. That was an unhelpful thought, so he stopped thinking and prepared to join in on the chorus.

He ended up stopping short because he both didn't know the chorus yet, and didn't think he could bring himself to say those things. Jonouchi was perfectly happy to belt them out, and to make it worse, he looked deep into Kaiba's eyes as he did so. Kaiba couldn't look away. He just kept steadily meeting Jonouchi's gaze with a dumbfounded expression.

"Dirty babe," Jonouchi crooned, his gaze sultry, his hips rocking in a way that made Kaiba feel more like he was being made an audience member than duet partner. "You see these shackles, baby? I'm your slave."

Oh, god.

"I'll let you whip me if I misbehave."

Kaiba was apparently the only person in the room who was positively scandalized. Everyone else was either amused, or completely disinterested. A few people were playing along with Jonouchi's exaggerated sexuality. Kaiba didn't even know what to do, but Jonouchi started nudging him again when the next verse started, and this time he was doing it with a deliberate level of pelvic rubbing. Kaiba joined him in song, but took a step away.

By the time they got to the chorus, though, somehow Jonouchi was within a proximity that forced their bodies together frequently, and Kaiba was too drunk, too stunned, and too embarrassed to find a reason to be upset about it. He was drunk enough that he even started mimicking Jonouchi's movements like a cobra, though he was considerably less blatant about it. Jonouchi looked extremely satisfied with the havoc he'd wrought on Kaiba's persona, but by the end of the song, Kaiba couldn't find complaint with it.

"Next time you gotta sing more," Jonouchi chided, "You made me do that almost entirely by myself. Maybe you just like the attention," he teased. Jonouchi sat on a stool, almost falling over as he laughed loudly. He was no longer aware of his own actions. Kaiba could tell. "I don't think we should drink anymore."

"I agree," Kaiba rested a hand on Jonouchi's back when he nearly tipped himself over. He only drove Jonouchi's point home further by doing that-normally, he wouldn't be presumptuous enough to touch someone like that unless they were really in danger of hurting themselves. Jonouchi didn't complain though; in fact, Kaiba realized after a few seconds that he hadn't righted himself because he was happy to lean into the touch. Kaiba gave him enough of a shove to get him upright in the seat. He wasn't unhappy that Jonouchi was comfortable with him, but hewasn't comfortable with how happy Jonouchi's comfort made him.

Kaiba had deemed himself drunk before, but this was the first time he'd felt too drunk. He wasn't in a stupor, or debilitated, but he was too impulsive. Sober, he'd be horrified by himself doing karaoke, and even more so by what he'd done with Jonouchi during. Right now, it wasn't bothering him. And he knew it should. He was too drunk.

"Hey," Jonouchi reasoned as he opened his eyes to flash them directly at Kaiba, the color of his irises bright in the light of the bar, "I have a great plan. My place is close. How about you come over? It's too early in the night to quit yet."

"Come over? To drink more?" Kaiba asked. He wondered why he was asking. Clarification? No. He knew what Jonouchi was talking about. At least, he thought he did.

"Noooo," Jonouchi laughed as he rolled his eyes. "Hang out. And stuff. Come on, it'll be fun. You've never seen where I live, anyways."

"You want to just... hang out with me? At your place?" Kaiba blinked.

"Yeah," Jonouchi reiterated. "Hang out. That's what friends do, you dork. You know you want to."

"Shut up," Kaiba laughed, though the obvious pleasure in his response made Jonouchi jump up from his stool. They started walking toward the door with awful coordination. Kaiba wondered how they would get to Jonouchi's place. Lean against one another? That would be funny to watch, but not so funny to live. Hopefully if it was actually close, they could sway and stumble their way there in decent time.

As it turned out, they could. Jonouchi's home wasn't a long walk from the karaoke bar. It was barely longer than it had been from their regular spot. Their regular spot. What a thing to think. There was something about it that gave Kaiba a little thrill, so he kept repeating it to himself mentally and smiling against his volition until Jonouchi leaned heavily into him.

"Uh," Kaiba grunted, but he lost the desire to complain before he could voice it. He could barely walk right himself, but it felt nice having Jonouchi there. His brain told him that was a good reason to protest, but he couldn't quite convince himself.

"You're the tallest, you have to help me," Jonouchi cried out pathetically, "that's your job now."

"Will I be making the same salary?" Kaiba queried with a laugh. "Or will I have to give it up in exchange for benefits?"

"If you're good, I'll make it up to you," Jonouchi grinned, "Money isn't everything, anyways. If you hurry up, we'll get there quicker and you can decide how you wanna cash in your check."

"I can't help but think that the goods and services to choose from will be a bit limited when we get there," Kaiba replied in a tone he knew was playful even though he wasn't sure he wanted it to be. Jonouchi hadn't been this blatant with him since the one time previously he'd flirted. He'd been drunk then, too. But Jonouchi had flirted with him earlier, at the bar, before the alcohol.

That, and now, Jonouchi knew who he was.

Jonouchi knew who he was and wanted him around anyways.

"Don't be difficult about it," Jonouchi laughed as he grabbed Kaiba's arm to lead towards the garage where his apartment stood above, "You know you're just a tiny bit interested, Kaiba. You just like pretending not to be."

"Yeah," Kaiba slurred as he looked up at the building with hazy eyes and a goofy smile, "I do."