A/N: It's summer! You know what that means!!! Less updates! -shot- I mean, MORE updates. Lol! Unless my schedule gets really messed up—I've got lessons and outings! Oh, and L-O-V-E is a really old song by: Nat King Cole!
Warning: Shounen Ai, OOC, Mild Cursing and OC.
Disclaimer: You'd think the two would've been making out in Kaiba's jet by now.
Pairing(s): Seto/Jou, Yami/Yugi, Bakura/Ryou and mentions of Mokuba/Shizuka.
Story Notes:
1) -.-.-Page Break-.-.-
Courting the Dog
Then Neglect Him
Amidst all the students, his brown eyes hid behind his blackish-brownish hair as he watched a certain happy-bouncy blond enter the classroom and cross the aisle, onto the seat right behind his own.
His body stiffened as Jou's arm brushed against his side, sending him electric sparks all over. What could he do? He liked Jou.
"Hey," The voice behind him called.
Flinch and blush.
"Y—yeah," He asked, composing himself as he turned to meet honey brown. "Something you need?"
"Nothing," Jounouchi smiled, dropping his bag. "Just wondering if you were okay. You look kinda red, y'know…"
"It's—" But sadly, he couldn't finish… knowing that Katsuya would leave soon enough as he heard the familiar cat-like steps of...
"Set'!" The other yelled. "Hey, talk to you later." He smiled towards his front mate, leaving.
It was always like that, even back then when the two would rather argue.
He hated it.
And he hated Kaiba for it.
-.-.-
Mokuba giggled as he leaned back on the cushiony leather seat.
Ironically, earlier that moment, his brother was stressing. And this time, it wasn't about work… rather, it was their (his and Jou's) first monthsary… which was strange. The whole world knew that the brunet would rather lock himself in Kaiba Corp., than to celebrate some stupid ritual.
Then again, if the multi-millionaire was stressed over it… then the monthsary wasn't as stupid as he thought.
The raven pre-teen laughed—his brother was in love and yet he still doesn't know!
Talk about smart.
But that was the least bit of the reason why Mokuba was currently laughing his butt off.
Seto was like a normal teen that was going on his first date, moving swiftly about the house as he looked for things he doesn't need—in a way which still hid behind the cold demeanor.
And how could Mokuba tell?
The CEO was his brother. That, and the guy moved stiffer than usual.
"This is gonna be fun!" He exclaimed silently—though he couldn't help but feel weird. Everything was going fine, too fine.
-.-.-
"Hey, Seto…" Jou quietly called as he neared the CEO's table. "Here."
The brunet's head then turned towards the small lunchbox that had been wrapped neatly in blue cloth. At this, his eye brow rose.
"And this is?" He asked as he watched the blond put it on the table.
"Food," Katsuya happily replied. "… Dad kinda wanted me to make you lunch. The guy's weird like that."
Well, it was true anyway. Earlier that day, he was forced out of bed and pulled into the kitchen… just to make the Kaiba Seto, who may have the best chefs in Japan, lunch. LUNCH! And the younger Jounouchi was sure that his boyfriend will never eat anything made by his hands.
"Are you sure there isn't any poison." Deadpanned Seto.
Supportive, much?
"Geez, Moneybags." The blond gave an annoyed (disappointed) sigh. "Can't you just let go of the ass-ness for a teeny bit?"
"No."
Jou's face soon grew a frown as he left, the lunchbox still resting on the brunet's table—right beside Kaiba's laptop.
And the blond was saddened, for you see; there was another reason why the blond had done this. One, his dad and two his dad's dumb test…
"If he eats your bad cooking even if it's… bad, that means he really loves you!" His father's words sounded in his brain. Katsuya never believed in those kinds of things, they meant insecurity! And Jounouchi Katsuya was never insecure. "Damnit!" He stomped, failing to notice that he dropped his keychain not to far off for Seto to see.
"The… hell?" The CEO whispered as he saw the fallen item—it was a keychain alright… but it was a keychain of him.
-.-.-
Jou returned to his original lunch table, which was very far from his boyfriend's. Yes, Kaiba still doesn't want to be friends with the 'Geek Squad' as he called them.
Taking a seat in between Bakura and Yami, the blond sighed.
"What's up, Jou?" Yugi chirped as he passed his juice box to Yami.
"The ceiling." Came Jounouchi's un-Jounouchi reply.
"No shit, Sherlock!" Bakura cursed, rolling his eyes in the process. "Now be a good dog and tell us what the hell's wrong 'cause I ain't got all day!"
Yami glared.
"'Kura!" Ryou pouted, ringing his British accent it. "One more time and you go on the couch tonight!"
"What?!"
And with that the Pharaoh laughed… with no sound.
"Shut the hell up, Midget!"
"Couch!"
"Damnit!"
The taller tri-colored laughed harder, still no sound coming out of his airway. He looked like a mime.
"At least, I can talk!" The meaner albino exclaimed as he stuck his tongue out.
Crimson eyes flared.
"Yami," Yugi cooed. "Be nice, or you'll be sleeping in the couch too."
The other blinked. Then smiled, raising his index finger up—symbolizing the number… one?
"What's with him?" The blond teen asked.
"He got jinxed." Honda shrugged. "He hasn't been talking the whole time, since no one was saying his name."
"Thanks to Yugi," Otogi cut. "He's just gonna have to wait for two more people to say his name."
"Oh," Jou blinked and sheepishly smiled towards the ecstatic Pharaoh. "Sorry to hear, Yami."
Now, two fingers were raised.
"Forget about Yami," Anzu intruded as the said teen let out a loud whoop. "Spill, we know something's wrong."
"Yes, Jounouchi." Yami said, using his almighty voice. "Tell us."
"It's nothing, I promise."
"You lie!" Bakura sneered in a mocking tone.
"You do to!" The blond snapped back. "Anyway, I'm fine! Life's better… and Seto's… well, he's great…"
Silence soon overcame the group as they notice the Jou's voice faltered.
"It's about Kaiba?" Anzu asked, worried for her friend. "What happened?"
"Nothing happened."
"Did he hurt you? Why, I—" Honda growled, only to be shushed by certain Otogi Ryuuji.
"Down, cowboy…" Otogi warned. "Blondie's not done."
"So," Yugi asked. "Why seem distracted? Tell the truth, Jou."
"I told you, Seto's great…" His voice was silent as he propped his head on the back of his hand. "Too great."
"What do you mean?" Ryou asked as he pushed his tray aside to lean onto his hands.
"I mean, Seto's too great that it seems fake. And ever since the media backed off, he's been distant… he isn't the guy who courted me anymore."
"He went back to the same old Moneybags, huh?" Honda said.
Jounouchi could only nod.
"I knew it!" Yami's angered tone rang along with the sound of the crushed box in his hand. "He is up to no good!"
"Does that mean we're taking someone to the Shadow Realm?" The taller albino grinned.
"No one's taking anyone to the Shadow Realm!" Jou pleaded as he stood. "Just don't touch him, okay? I'll get through Seto."
"Whatever you say, Jounouchi." Anzu solemnly smiled. "But if you need help, we're just here…"
"Thanks."
"Oh, and Jou?" Ryou called. "Kaiba's a strange guy, so don't tire yourself just because you want to figure him out."
"I know." And with that, the blond left.
-.-.-
The bell rung as thoughts rose through Kaiba's mind. 'Why the seven hells is the Mutt avoiding me? Was it because of the lunchbox incident?' His lean body moved along the flow of students that hurriedly exited their classroom. 'Would he really be disappointed because of that?'
Soon enough, with his briefcase in his left hand and a dangling keychain in his right… and an amused look that filled Kaiba's features as he watched the mini-him dangle on a string while he leaned his body back onto the wall. Seto was waiting for Jou.
'Childish.' He smirked as he continued to watch the toy dangle. But his thoughts quickly faded as he looked onto a familiar blond mop that had passed him by with his backpack limply slinging on his shoulder.
"Your lunchbox…" He silently said as Jou halted. "…It tasted alright, for a Mutt."
Jou turned his head towards his so-called 'boyfriend', trying to forget the 'Mutt' part. "Thanks."
Then there was an awkward silence as the both of them stared at each other.
"Two questions." Seto started.
"Shoot."
"What is this?" The CEO asked as he brought up the keychain to Jou's eye level.
"Eep!" Was the blond's reply as he swiftly grabbed the toy and shoved it into his pants. "Where'd you get it?"
"You dropped it." Deadpan. "So, what is it?"
"A keychain, duh!"
"I know! But why do you have a mini-me?!"
"Oh," Brown eyes blinked as smiled. "Shizuka made it for me… sort of like a friendship thing, like how you and Mokie have those card-lockets."
"Friendship thing?"
"She has a Mokuba one too." Smile. "She thought that since we're both dating Kaibas; why not make them our friendship thing."
… They were friendship things?!
"Second," Kaiba breathed as he shrugged the thought of being a 'thing' off. "Do you want to go somewhere tonight?"
"Why?"
"Wow, Pup." Seto rolled his cerulean eyes. "I thought, you of all people would remember our first monthsary."
How could Jounouchi be stupid? He forgot about their monthsary!
"…Sorry." Came the other's sheepish grin. "Sure, let's go somewhere."
The taller smirked as he went towards his Puppy, only to be disrupted by a certain cell phone that had rested inside his pocket.
"Hello," He greeted in a tone of ice as he left Katsuya to enter some place private. Yes, he didn't excuse himself.
And the blond was along in the hall, whilst a stranger's smirk widened as he got the perfect opportunity.
-.-.-
"Yes, well, I won't be around tonight." Kaiba seethed as he shut off his phone. "Incompetent workers."
"Bad day?" A sinister voice rang with his back leaning by the doorway.
"And you are?" The brunet turned only to meet some random person who casually talked to him as if there was nothing to care about.
"You don't even recognize your own classmate." The other rolled his dark brown orbs. "L.V. Cross' the name. Yes, I know, nice to meet me."
L.V. Cross, if the CEO could remember he was that pale kid who sat in front of Katsuya. But no one really paid heed to the teen, he wasn't special. His looks were ordinary; his grades were average, no physical attributes or musical. He had a lanky body but if he stood straight he'd be at least three or four inches taller than Jou. So why the hell should the brunet care about him, let alone, know him? The kid was nothing. Or so it seemed.
"Care to give me a reason to acknowledge your presence."
"I really don't know why Kat' likes you…" L.V.'s voice was sinister his eyes glared. "It's quite obvious to the world that you hate him." He smiled as if he knew something.
The CEO was uneasy, though he seized to show it.
The two men stood from corner to corner of the empty classroom, their gaps very distant. The atmosphere, very thick. Yet for L.V. it was amusing—watching Almighty Kaiba Seto hide his squirming soul before him.
"Yes," The smaller smirked. "I'm on to your little gig."
"You say one word and you have law suits coming at you."
"Defensive." L.V. whistled.
"What the hell do you want?"
"Set Jounouchi free," Cross said. "He doesn't deserve your fake love."
"I don't know what you are talking about." Seto replied.
"Come on!" Brown eyes rolled. "You can't just say you love Jounouchi right after the day you told him you hated him!"
Kaiba wore a frown—Cross just went over board. But the CEO couldn't help but feel that the latter was right.
'Shit.'
"I believe your exact words were: 'God be damned if I ever get stuck with the likes of you!' Then the next day you 'confess'." Came venomous words. "If I didn't know better, you were doing this because of the Media."
"You know nothing." The CEO gritted.
"Ever since they backed off, you've treated him like trash again!" L.V. yelled. "You don't even call him by his name! You're using him!"
"Shut up!" And there, Seto lost his composure.
Everything was supposed to be silent from then on, but it was broken when a thud-like sound emitted from the open doorway right beside the other teen who now stood upright.
And the thud revealed very anxious Jounouchi Katsuya, resulting to two pairs of wide eyes.
"… Is it true?" The blond's voice quivered as he waited for a reply.
None came. Even though the tallest wanted to speak, no words came out of his mouth—he could've lied or, better yet, make the Mutt face the music.
But he couldn't.
"Heh," Jou chuckled, sourly. "I knew it was too good to be true."
With that, he left… he did not run. He walked. He walked a broken path.
L.V. could only glare at the CEO as he followed the pained blond out of the classroom, leaving Kaiba glued stuck to the floor.
"Mutt."
-.-.-
Katsuya did not quicken his pace. He didn't even try to run. All he wanted was to slow down time or rewind everything… back to that day where he used to loathe the brunet he came to love dearly.
The teen could only smile a bitter smile.
Kaiba Seto isn't and was never the man who courted him. Not once, not ever.
To Be Continued
A/N: I… am sorry (if you hate me, hate the chapter or hate L.V.), but hey! At least Kaiba gets to suffer? Not the best chapter or written chapter again! Sorry about that too! If you wanna see a picture of L.V. Cross, go to my profile, under the rant area! I made a doodle of him! He's my OC in "Mechanical Wings", an Original that I've been working on! Review, please!
