PRE A/N: If you haven't noticed yet, this is AU. I'm making new shit up because I wanted to.
Finally. I sigh as the digits reach 00. I clock out, grab my things, and head to the bathroom to change into my school uniform. I pull my coat on before I leave for the morning, turning my collar up to the cold that's crept back into Domino.
Only a few weeks left. I realize happily. It was almost time for graduation. Only a few more weeks before I can finally stop sleeping at school after these shifts. I'm still not sure what I want to do after graduation, but I almost had options now. With my grades improving over the past few months I might have a good enough score to get into an art school. Though with all the money I still have to pay I might just have to get a third job instead.
I walk toward school thinking about all the what-if's and the could-be's. It takes me a while before I notice the small black car driving behind me. One that's probably been there for a block or two. Shit. I grumble to myself.
"Get in." An icy, dry tone barks from the driver's window. "Now."
"Hell no, jack ass. I ain't gettin' in ya car." I snap, trudging down the sidewalk.
"Jounouchi, get in." The suddenly all too familiar voice repeats.
"Listen, moneybags, I ain't want nuthin' to do with you today." I'm too tired for this! Couldn't we have talked all the other times I tried to talk to him?
"Just get in the damn car." He snaps, stopping the car and leaning out the darkened window. "It's 6 in the morning and you're more than likely freezing."
"What do you care?" I snap back at him. "You haven't said two words to me in over a month."
"I know." He replies tersely.
"Get lost." I grumble, turning to glare at him. "Get lost if you ain't goin' to admit you've got a problem."
"Get in and we'll talk about it." He replies, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"You think you can just deny everything, but you can't, you have to talk to me eventually." I continue, ignoring him.
"I said we could talk." He repeats.
"And you'll have to admit, wait, what?" I ask, doing a double take. "You wanna talk?" I stare at him like he's grown two heads. Maybe he has for all I know.
"You have 30 seconds to decide to get in this car and talk or to walk away. Either way, quit wasting my time." He barks at me.
It takes me another 10 seconds to stop gawking at him and another five to close my mouth. "Okay." I agree, walking robotically around to the passenger side door. He barely waits for me to close my door before he throws the small car into gear and begins to drive rather quickly.
After a few moments of uncomfortable silence I awkwardly start to ramble. "I didn't know you had this many cars. How many do you have? Like a hundred or just the ones I've already seen or-"
"Shut up, Jounouchi." Kaiba sighs, turning left. "Of course I have more than a handful of cars. Having a few, recognizable cars would inhibit my ability to drive around without being followed." He explains in a rather grouchy manner.
I roll my eyes at his short explanation. Of course, Jounouchi, who doesn't have 1,000 cars? Ass hat. "You're going the wrong way." I comment absent-mindedly.
"No." He disagrees, driving even farther away from the school, not even commenting on the sudden change of topic.
"School is in the other direction." I argue, rolling my eyes. "I thought you were supposed'ta be a genius or somethin'."
"I am." He replies. I can practically hear his ego purring. "I'm not trying to drive to school." He says slowly, as if talking to a small child. "We have almost 2 and a half hours before school starts."
"What else is there to do then?" I challenge, crossing my arms.
"Eat." He replies, as if that were the only possible answer in the world.
"Eat?" I ask dumbly.
"Yes, Jounouchi, eat." He sighs, clearly losing his patience with me. "Unlike you, I like to live on a schedule. It's time for breakfast."
"Oh." I blink, feeling really dumb. "Where are we going then?"
"Mae's." He turns down another random street, by this time I've stopped paying attention to all the twists and turns.
"What's Mae's?" I ask, still a little dumfounded.
"A café." He replies, still speaking more slowly than usual, probably still treating me like a child. With a sick feeling I realize I'm completely broke. I spent my last bit of yen yesterday on my heating bill.
"Look, Kaib', I don't want any trouble from ya and I don't want ta eat breakfast with ya." I make up, refusing to admit to being completely strapped for cash.
"Not up to you." He replies coolly, turning again.
"Like hell it ain't." I snap, turning to glare at him. "You don't get to decide when it's convenient for you to talk to me and when it's not. You don't get to laugh in my face 'cause you got a problem and then ignore me for weeks on end. You don't get to tell me what to do, I ain't your puppet." I say, breathing unevenly by the end.
"No, you're not." He agrees, nodding his head. "But, I don't have a problem." He disagrees, parking his car in front of a small-looking restaurant.
"Like hell you don't." I grind out, ripping my seatbelt off. "I'm outta here if you're just gonna lie to me some more." I snarl, grabbing for the door release.
"If you come in, I'll talk to you." He says softly, eyes still trained forward, a strange look on his face. It almost seemed painful for him to say that. "But, I don't have time to sit around and wait for you to decide again." He adds, checking the clock. "You have another 30 seconds, make your decision."
"You can't even tell if 30 seconds has passed on that clock." I grumble, rolling my eyes. Why is he bein' so ridiculous?
"20 seconds." He replies calmly. "19…18…"
"Fine." I snap, pushing my door open. "I'll stay for a few minutes." I trudge towards the doors without looking behind me. I could hear the faint sound of his door closing, and the lock clicking, before I open the door to the café.
"Good morning, sir, may I… oh, hello, Seto." A plump, cheerful woman at the counter greets us. "Would you and your friend like a bar seat or a booth, dear?" The woman's thick Chinese accent blended well with her cheerful attitude.
"Booth, please, Ting-san." Kaiba replies politely.
"Booth 3 is open, dear. I'll bring you both some coffee and some scones in just a second." She smiles at him and disappears into the kitchen door.
"How often do you come here?" I ask, shock clearly written on my face.
"Often enough that I seat myself." He replies, leading the way to what was supposedly booth 3.
"I don't want nothin'." I grumble, plopping down on a bench.
"Since when do you not want food?" He challenges, sitting in the booth opposite of me.
"Since I'd rather be sleeping than eating." I reply grumpily, attempting to hide my embarrassment. Though it is half true, I'm completely exhausted.
"That's what coffee is intended for." He replies smoothly, folding his pale hands together on the table top, fidgeting his fingers.
"You know twitching is normal for cocaine users." I say darkly, crossing my arms to glare at him. "I tried to ignore it before, but now I can't."
"Before what?" He asks still staring at his hands.
I was about to say "before we became friends" but it just sounded really lame. "Before the other day." I reply even more lamely, gesturing blankly to the air around me. "I don't know what you want from me, but honestly, I'm tired of tryin' to help ya."
"For the last time, Jounouchi, I am not addicted to anything." He snaps quietly, blue eyes bursting into flames as they bore in to mine. "It was funny the first time, now it's just gotten annoying."
"Then how do you explain what's happened to you?" I challenge, daring him to say nothin' was different. "How do you explain every-"
"Hold that thought." He commands, holding up a slender hand as Ting-san suddenly appeared.
"Here's your coffee, dears." The plump woman smiled brightly at us. "We have both blueberry and pumpkin today, Seto-dear. Your two favorites!" She places two coffee cups on the table, one in front of me, the other in front of Kaiba. "I brought them both for you, I'm sure your friend won't mind sharing with you? I didn't think to ask what kind he would like. It's good for him you're such a sweetheart." She says absently, placing two large scones in the center of the table. "You know to call me if you need anything!" She winks to Kaiba before bustling away quickly.
"How did you-?" I ask pointing to Mrs. Ting's retreating back. "You're not even facing that way!"
"Practice." He replies calmly as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "Blueberry or Pumpkin?" Kaiba asks, pushing the plates toward me.
"I already said I wasn't hungry. What kind of flavors are those anyway?" I ask, rolling my eyes.
"Western cultures usually prefer these flavors, or flavors like them. I'm surprised you didn't know that."
"I knew about blueberry, but pumpkin? The hell is that?" I ask, staring at the weirdly orange triangle.
"Try it." He orders, picking up the triangle with deep purple spots and breaking it in half. "It's not like I can eat both of these." He adds, breaking pieces off of the other scone and popping them into his mouth.
"No way. Besides, you still haven't answered my question. What happened to you?" I repeat, refusing to back down.
I stare at him for a few moments, watching curiously as he eats half of what's in his hands before setting his hands on the table.
"You can't even eat half a scone." I sigh, getting irritated. "You think I haven't noticed?" I stress the point. "The weight loss, the tremors, the strange behavior, the missing of classes, the hospitalizations, and let's not forget the fact that sometimes you can barely walk you're so high." I rub a hand quickly across my face. "You're a genius, you should know better!" I hiss, leaning against the table to scowl at him.
"It isn't drugs." He repeats again, speaking slowly. "I'm very aware that I'm a genius, but I never expected you to be this idiotic." He hisses back at me. "I'm sick." He admits grudgingly, as if every syllable was tearing at his chest. "I'm diabetic."
"You're what?" I stare at him now thoroughly confused.
"Diabetic." He repeats slowly for me. "I was diagnosed four years ago as a Type I Diabetic when I collapsed after not eating for 24 hours."
"Err," I say, my face forming into a frown. "Like you can't eat sugar?" I ask carefully.
"Right," he confirms, "but that's not the entirety of the disease."
"Is that why you said Type I?" I ask, scratching the side of my head.
"My body can't produce insulin like it should." He went on explaining, "it helps process glucose- it's also called sugar- and it's what gives your body energy from the foods you eat."
"Oh." Is all I can say, my anger slowly dying, confusion taking its place.
"It wasn't too bad in the beginning, but as the past two years have passed I've progressively gotten worse. I've begun to experience infrequent and acute side effects of the disease." I couldn't stop staring at him as if he'd grown two heads.
"What about the times when you walk around like you're high? Sometimes you bump into things, how is that diabetes?" I challenge, feeling the need to understand everything.
"Retinopathy and cataracts." He replies robotically and sighs when he sees my confused expression. "I have damage to the blood vessels in my eyes from the retinopathy and cataracts blocks out light. It's a repercussion of my blood pressure from the stress of the life I live."
"So what, you're going blind?" I ask, intrigued by his story.
"Essentially." He grimaces, sipping his coffee. "It's worse some days than others."
"And that's why you'll occasionally be sitting around doing nothing? At school and stuff?" I ask, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Sometimes." He says, twisting his coffee cup with his hands. "I also have peripheral neuropathy. Which means my hands often hurt." He explains without waiting for me to ask. I get the sense that he's really dumbing it down for me, but I'm too tired to feel insulted. "It can hurt badly enough to the point that they're useless. I can't even hold a pencil, let alone do anything else." His face cringes as he stares pointedly at his cup of coffee. "It's clearly not a strength of mine." He says softly.
I stare at his pale face for quite some time. Neither of us moved for what felt like hours. "Why?" I ask him after another minute of careful silence.
"Why?" He asks, frowning as he looks at me. "Why what?"
"Why did you tell me?" I ask, shrugging awkwardly.
"Of all the-" He asks, sighing deeply as he scratches behind his right ear. "You really are dense." He tells me, pausing a moment before explaining. "It's not that it matters to you, but it matters a great deal to me that you aren't spouting off this nonsense that I'm addicted to drugs. I have an image to maintain."
"Right." I roll my eyes, resting my head in my hand as I stare out the window. "That ain't a reason, 'I have an image'. Bullshit." I defy, tapping the fingers of my free hand against the tabletop, refusing to meet his gaze. "It's not like I've been sayin' anything to anyone. You'd know if I had; I know you're smarter than that."
"Hn." He sighs. I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, intrigued as the corner of his mouth curls upwards in a small smile. "You truly are an idiot." He tells me simply.
I close my eyes, counting to five slowly in my head. I need to think. Why in the hell would Kaiba tell me? That ain't like him. Image or not, no one would believe me if I said he was addicted to drugs anyway. Why can't I think? Why can't I clear my head? Damnit! Why am I always so tired?
"Wake up." Kaiba commands after a few more minutes.
"M'not sleepin'." I mumble tiredly. My eyelids feel almost too heavy to slide open again.
"Open your eyes then." He orders, I can hear the gloating in his tone.
"No." I tell him childishly. "Think better in dark." I mumble. I'm not sure if I'm able to formulate a clear sentence or not, but I'm not sure I care anymore.
"You idiot." He tells me softly. I hear a slight rustling sound followed by a crinkling sound.
"M'not." I mutter sleepily. "Ahh!" I cry out as he jerks my body sideways and I fall over backwards onto the seat.
"C'mon." He tells me, pulling me off of the seat. Did I really get so thin a sick Kaiba could drag me around? I sleepily stumble after him as he leads the way back to his car. My eyelids are too heavy to open as I feel him sitting me down and buckling me into the seat.
"S'time for school?" I mutter sleepily as I hear my door slam shut.
"No." He tells me after I hear his own door open and shut. "No school today." He says as the small car hums beneath us. "You wouldn't make it."
"Would, mom." I tell him, curling in the seat on my side and drawing my knees up. "Could totally go to school."
"Can't." He tells me. I vaguely recall him saying something else, but the world got really fuzzy for a while. Everything happened in a dark, warm fog. I can remember driving for a while and a lot of unfamiliar sounds until we were in a dark, warm room. I didn't even try to fight him as he lead me somewhere. I could hear him say something about me being a fat ass and I'm pretty sure he dropped me onto something soft, but all I can remember is feeling like I was on a soft, sweet smelling cloud. I was too tired to care or think.
Unfortunately, my dreams weren't on the same relaxing page as the cloud. I would much rather forget these memories.
"What? Too busy fer yer old man?" Pops growled at me.
"No, dad, I've gotta go ta school." I sigh and shove my feet into my shoes. "I'll be back later like I always am. Just try'n get some rest." I tell him, tying my shoes as fast as I can.
"Tch, I bet ya ain't even goin' ta school, are ya? Sometimes I feel like ya ain't the smartest bulb in the box." He began to cough and gag loudly, leaning over and wheezing out shallow breaths.
"There's breakfast on the stove for ya if ya want it." Sometimes pop just doesn't know what he's saying. When he's like this I try my best to ignore his rants.
"What, that miso shit again?" He mutters and hauls himself off the couch. "Tastes like watery piss." He grumbles, heading to the kitchen.
"Then don't eat it." I huff under my breath and snag my backpack off the floor.
"What are you mumbling about over there?" He growls from the kitchen. I wince listening to the clatter coming from the kitchen. I just cleaned that, dammit!
"I said I'll see you later." I roll my eyes and tug the front door open.
"Bring back something better to eat." He orders while slamming cabinets in the kitchen.
"I'll try." I call out and slam the door behind me. "Yeah right." I tell myself, kicking at a pebble on the ground. "If we weren't spending everything on your damn issues we could probably eat something other than miso and rice!" I exhale loudly and ruffle my hair. "Whatever." I head across the road hoping to find relief at school.
I was grateful when my mind went blank again. It's been a while since I thought about what life was like with pops. Damn glad I ain't livin' there anymore.
"Honestly, if you don't wake up soon I will gouge your eyes out." My cloud tells me sometime later. I know it's been several hours, but it only feels as if moments have passed.
"No no, Mr. cloud." I mumble sleepily, nuzzling the soft texture with my face. "Sleepy." I tell it.
"No." The cloud tells me. It's starting to sound more and more familiar as time passes. "Get off." It orders.
"So comfy." I tell it, snuggling further into the cloud.
"Get. Off. Of. Me." The cloud snaps and reality crashes down around me. My eyes pop open and all I can see is blue. I can hear a gentle heartbeat underneath my ear.
"Kaiba?" I ask the cloud, turning my head up, looking into dark, angry blue eyes. "What ch'ya doin'?" I ask him sleepily, still confused.
"I'm trapped." He sighs angrily. "I couldn't get you in the house by leading you, so I practically had to drag you. And when I tried to help you onto the couch, you fell over on top of me."
"So you stayed there?" I ask him stupidly, my chin still resting against him. There's somethin' about this situation that doesn't make sense yet, but I can't get my brain to work. Why was my comfy cloud a very grumpy Kaiba?
"Honestly," He says, his voice sounding rather strained. "You were too heavy to move and I was too tired." He grinds out between his teeth. "You're still too heavy."
"Oh." I mumble, blinking stupidly. I just took a nap on top of Kaiba Seto. "Well, this is weird." I tell him.
"Just get off." He sighs, rubbing his face with his hands. "I need to eat."
"Off?" I ask as I look down again and then back up. "Ohhh." I sigh, rolling to the right and promptly falling off the couch, Oof." I wheeze out as I hit the ground. "This carpet's rather soft." I mumble, stretching my arm out to feel it.
"That was foolish." He tells me, sitting up on one arm to scowl down at me. "Next time get up like a normal person." He rolls his eyes, pushing off of the couch and stretching.
"Normal?" I ask him, sniggering. "Nothin' about this was normal. Nothin' about anything that happens to us is normal."
"My life used to be normal." He grumbles, kicking me in the leg with a sock covered foot. "C'mon lazy." He tells me, as he slides one hand into his pocket and ruffles his hair with the other.
"Does your hair always look like that when you wake up?" I ask in awe, his chestnut hair perfectly settled around his head.
"Yes." He replies, heading in the direction of what I guess will be the kitchen.
"That's not even possible!" I grumble and push myself into a sitting position. Damn Kaiba, always looking so perfect.
"Clearly it just happened." He calls back, his voice growing more distant.
"Bah." I huff and scramble to my feet. If he gets any farther away I'd probably just get lost.
"How articulate." He chides, leading the way down the stairs.
"BAAAAAH." I loudly repeat.
"Ever feel like the blond sheep in the pack?" He mocks. I'm not sure if he's making a joke about my intelligence or about my family life…
"Never." I reply. "M'not blonde." I lie smoothly. "I dye my hair every weekend." I tell him stopping just in time, belatedly realizing he has stopped going down the stairs. He stares blankly at me, his face only inches away. He slowly lifts an eyebrow, his expression never changing. "What?" I ask, crossing my arms.
"You're a terrible liar." He tells me, his face still blank.
"Oh? And how do you suppose that?" I ask, shifting my arms.
"You're trying to be recalcitrant and it isn't working." He crosses his own arms and leans his hip against the railing.
"If I knew what that meant would I shove you down the stairs?" I ask, my eyes narrowing slightly, my expression as falsely mean as I can manage.
"Obstinate." He supplies. He rolls his eyes when I poke him in the chest slowly. "Obdurate." He drops his hands to his sides and shakes his head after the second poke. "Headstrong, mulish, difficult?" He rests his elbow against the railing and motions me with his hand. "Pain in the ass?" He offers at last.
"Was not." I reply, deciding I'm satisfied with his new choice in vocabulary.
"Were too." He argues, his face straight.
"Was not." I shake my head defiantly.
"Were too." His face is still blank.
"Not." I say right back. "Huh, we're finally the same height." I comment a second later, completely forgetting what we were arguing about in the first place. I slice an open palm above his head making a whoosh noise before floating it above my own head. "Neat." I grin, which gets wider with his sarcastic expression. I make the whoosh noise again before he places a hand over half of his face, turns, and continues down the stairs.
"Idiot." He grumbles and quickens to his normal pace. I hold back a laugh and scramble to keep up.
"So, what ch'ya havin'?" I ask cheerfully hoping the tone will irritate him.
"Don't know." He replies, he doesn't sound any more irritated. I should try harder.
"Why not?" I ask, honestly curious, while maintaining an obnoxious tone of voice.
"Haven't decided what I'm making." He ruffles a hand through his hair again, the strands never tangling.
"You're makin' it?" I ask in surprise.
"Of course." He replies with the same tone of voice. "Who else would?"
"I dunno, one of your many indentured servants? Ohhhh, sorry, I meant willing and well paid employees?" I grin cheekily as he gives me a rather dark glare over his shoulder.
"I prefer my own cooking." He says, turning and continuing into the kitchen. "I refuse to pay for someone to make my food if I make it better and actually have the time to make it. If I don't, I order in or get take out."
"Huh." I reply, scratching my chin thoughtfully. "You any good?" I ask, wondering if his food would even be edible. Everyone knows he'd never say he was bad at anything.
"Better than you." He says smugly.
"You tryin' to be obdurstant?" I ask, using his own stupid word.
"Obstinate or obdurate." He replies smoothly, flicking the kitchen light on, bathing the massive room in a bright, white light. I wince as the light reflects off the many, many gleaming and shiny surfaces.
"Whatever," I roll my eyes.
"I was, but it's still true." He replies to my earlier question, pulling the fridge open. "Pancakes or tamagoyaki?" He asks, shifting the things in the fridge around.
"Either." I tell him honestly, jumping onto one of the island stools and leaning my elbows against the tabletop.
"Pancakes then." He mutters and sets to work collecting ingredients. I watch in fascination as he moves about the kitchen with complete grace. It ain't fair, I tell ya. "Just ain't fair." I grumble under my breath while he sets a pan on the stove.
"I was born this great." He informs me, turning to mix the batter with quick, even motions.
"Born-dis-great" I mock in a higher pitched voice than usual. He only smirks in response. I stick my tongue out at him.
"Why don't you set the table." He orders, dropping a slice of butter into the pan.
"Fine." I grumble and begin my search through the many cabinets for the proper supplies.
"And grab me a serving plate." He requests, his pushy tone absent. This is as close to pleasant as Kaiba gets.
"Sure." I rummage around, selecting a random plate that seems large enough, setting it down on the counter next to the stove.
"Middle cabinet." He says, and I'm assuming that's where eating plates are located. I grab two and begin opening drawers to find chopsticks.
"No, the third drawer." He guides as I open a drawer at random. "It's the third from this side, not that one." He adds and I shift toward the end.
"Right. Knew that." I tell him, opening the proper drawer.
"Stalker." He replies absently, like he's not really paying attention. I glance over at him as he picks up the spatula with his left hand and twirls the thing. I doubt he even knows where he's at, looking lost in thought. My eye twitches as I watch him flip a perfect pancake, in the damn air. The bastard even looks cool flipping damn pancakes. Fuck you, Fate.
"Stop staring." He commands, his attention clearly back to reality. He removes the perfectly round cake and begins the process over again.
"Jerk." I mumble, looking at the random utensils in the drawer. "Uh," I begin, not seeing a single stick anywhere.
"Grab two forks and stick them on the table?" He questions with the same tone of voice I'd just used.
"Sure." I tell him, grabbing two random forks and walking them over to the table.
"There're cups in the cabinet on the end here and beverages in the fridge." He informs. I walk over and grab two glasses. I decide to have milk with mine and he's getting' the same. No sense thinkin' too hard, besides, he loves the stuff almost as much as I do. "Hope you're cool with dairy." I tell him unnecessarily.
"Hn." He replies and quietly goes back to cooking. I roll my eyes and hop back onto a stool and sip my milk quietly. "There's chocolate syrup in the door." He says randomly and I grin broadly, jumping up to make two quick glasses of pure awesomeness.
"So what are you gonna tell the school?" I ask curiously as I slide the fridge door closed.
"Hmm?" He asks, turning the stove off and carrying the plate of pancakes to the table.
"You know, it's practically 1 in the afternoon." I say, waving a hand to the clock above the stove.
"Nothing?" He asks and picks up my plate, putting several large, fluffy circles on top.
"Eh?" I ask, raising my eyebrow.
"We simply failed to show up in favor of participating in a much more particularly interesting activity." He tells me, placing a plate of pancakes in front of me.
"So we ditched?" I ask, lifting my eyebrows as I take another swig of the much improved milk.
"Yes." He tells me, shrugging. "No sense calling in what they've already deduced from our absences."
I laugh easily and pick up one of the forks he'd had me grab earlier. "You're crazy." I tell him, poking at a pancake with the fork.
"No." He sighs, as I look up to see him staring at me like I was hopeless again. "How do you not know how to use a fork?" He asks me, pointing at me with his own fork. "How dense can you be?"
"Why can't you just use chopsticks?" I counter, waving the fork around.
"They're pancakes." He tells me as though it should be obvious.
"Yeah?" I ask, stabbing at the fluffy circle. "Your point?"
"They're eaten with a fork." He states, his tone suggesting this as universal, undeniable truth. Like he's explaining gravity to the Apple Guy, Johnny or whatever. "They're also easier to eat with a fork." He says as if it's the most basic thing ever.
"That's just crazy talk." I say, lifting a pancake with the fork. "How's this easier?" I ask, shoving the entire pancake into my mouth.
"How did you even manage that?" He asks. I'm not sure, but it almost sounded like awe before the familiar tone of disgust colored his words.
"Mahd skells." I tell him, my mouth full.
"Don't talk with your mouth full." He scolds effortlessly. I can't help but grin as I chew. Good ol' Kaiba, always an ass.
"And I'm not an ass." He tells me as he pops a small square of pancake into his mouth.
"But I didn't-" I begin, as I swallow the pancake.
"No," He agrees, taking a drink from his glass of chocolate milk. "But you were thinking it."
"You're still trying to dictate my thoughts?" I ask, savagely spearing another pancake.
"Correcting." He counters instantly. I shake my head in response and pop the second pancake into my mouth, whole. "Disgusting." He tells me, putting a new stack of squares in his mouth.
"Jehlis." I tease, mouth overly full. I swallow the lump with little difficulty and furrow my eyebrows when Kaiba frowns and places his fork down. "What?" I ask as he calmly stands up and walks back towards the stove.
"Medicine." He says shortly, pulling a cabinet open and taking out a black box.
"You keep it in a box?" I ask curiously, swinging my feet under the table.
"No, the test strips are in here." He says, confusing me further. "I have to test my sugar levels before eating." He mumbles and closes the lid without doing anything. "Never mind." He mumbles again sliding the box back into the cabinet.
"But isn't it important?" I ask feeling more concerned than I'd like to admit.
"Sort of." He shrugs vaguely. "I considered taking it, but I've eaten too much for it to be a good idea."
"Too much?" I ask hotly. "You've barely eaten anything." I narrow my eyes at him. "Say, what were you doing with opiates?" I challenge, the easy mood vanishing. I can't believe I'd forgotten about the drugs under his desk! Diladoo and that meperdah? No, that's not it..
"Excuse me?" He asks venomously, his blue eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Er," I say awkwardly, realizing why I hadn't said anything.
He slowly crosses the room to stand right in front of me, or behind me really but my chair turned around and I feel like that's important but it isn't and, oh my god please don't kill me!" I mentally scream, my eyes bulging in my head.
"Opiates?" He hisses slowly, dangerously.
"Uh huh." I nod my head, my eyes meeting his for some unknown reason. I know I should probably run or at least duck…
"And why, Jounouchi, do you ask about opiates?" His voices lowers just a hint as he says the final word.
"Because you have them." I tell him honestly. "Or maybe had." I offer when he grabs the front of my shirt.
"And why were you under my desk?" He demands, his eyes quite literally freezing over.
"Because it was the perfect opportunity to snoop." I answer honestly again. "You really are doing drugs, aren't you?" I ask sadly, my face falling. I'd really wanted to believe him when he said he was sick. I really wanted to. "AHH!" I cry out and flinch when he jerks suddenly. I nearly fall from my stool as I realize he's only pushed me backwards. I slowly regain my breathing hardly noticing he's walked away from me to stand on the other side of the room. His hands are resting against the preparation island on either side of him, his shoulders slumped.
"And what if I was?" He asks softly, his fingers curling around the countertop.
"It makes me sad." I tell him honestly, my eyes dropping to the floor, my hands gripping the stool between my legs. "Why did you lie to me?" I ask him, feeling empty.
"Lie?" His voice sounding cold, questioning.
"C'mon, Kaiba!" I shout, my head snapping back up to glare at his back. "Why can't you just admit it? I've seen the drugs and the needles! I've seen the track marks on your arms! I saw you in the damn hospital last spring for an OD!" I yell at him. "Why won't you just be honest with me?" I demand. I shouldn't feel this upset, but I do. I shouldn't care this much, but I do. I shouldn't have wanted to believe him so badly, but I did.
"Honest?" He questions again, his tone changing slightly.
"Yeah, Kaiba, the thing where you tell someone what's happening rather than covering it up?" I glare at the other side of the room. I can't look at his back anymore without feeling the need to say something I'll regret. The silence grows between us before there's movement on his side of the room. I don't have to look at him to know he's turned to face me. I don't need to look at him to know he's glaring holes into my head.
"Why do you automatically assume the worst in me?" He asks, his voice sounding differently than I can ever remember. My eyes snap back to his face and I feel all the anger leave me at his expression. I'd never seen him look like this. Never seen him look so, so…. So sad.
"It's not-" I try to say before he stands up straight and heads for the door. "Kaiba!" I call after him, reaching out to him. He stops in the doorway, his hand against the door.
"Izine tried to convince me to take the Dilaudid pill and the Meperidine oral liquid for any pain I might have. The needles are for the insulin injections I take throughout the day. Last spring I'd ignored my condition in order to finish one of my many important business contracts I'd agreed to do. I barely ate for days, didn't' sleep, and survived on granola bars and coffee. I collapsed 12 minutes after the final meeting with that company's board of directors. Izine wouldn't let me off with a home stay, he and Mokuba were more worried than they needed to be, but I went for them. I was even in school during those days, or did you really not notice?" He asks before he gently pushes the door open and walks out of the room calmly and without looking back.
"Oh." I mumble, dropping my right hand back on top of my left. I let my hair fall about my face. I never thought I'd see the day I'd make Kaiba sad and feel guilty doing it. "Damnit, Kaiba." I curse, jumping down from my stool to follow after him, hoping he hadn't gotten too far yet.
I try retracing my steps back the way we came the first time- speaking of which how'd he get me up the stairs anyway- but to no avail. I can't seem to remember how to get back there. This plan seemed like a great idea in the kitchen… I sigh tiredly pushing open the 20th door and looking around inside. "Kaiba?" I ask gently, closing the door behind me when no one replied.
"Kaiba?" I call out hoping he'll respond. I continue down the hall periodically opening doors and glancing inside. I run into three maids, two random people who I think were gardeners, and one man who seemed to be just as lost as I am. None of which had seen Kaiba and none of them asked why I was looking. It must be nice to have enough money to buy this kind of silence. It don't come cheap and I know it.
"KAIBA?" I yell at a random door, at the end of the hall on the third floor standing in a room I'd thought was a closet. A closet I'd only entered because it sounded suspiciously noisy.
"What?" The missing brunet yells back. I can hear many noises in the room, some of which sound like music and others that sound like someone moving around.
"KAIBA!" I shout enthusiastically, more than excited to have finally found him. "Hey, I just-" I say barging into the room without knocking. I stop in my tracks staring at a freshly showered, nearly naked, and grumpy as fuck Kaiba. "Was just going to wait outside for you to finish." I cover, slamming the door shut without giving him a moment to say something. I turn awkwardly away from the door and shuffle a few steps away before the door bangs open and a hand pulls me back inside from the back of my shirt.
"What the hell are you doing?" Kaiba demands slamming the door shut again and shoving me to the side. He drops his toothbrush back into a cup and uses another to rinse his mouth out.
"Trying to find you." I say in exasperation. "This place is seriously too big." I tell him, crossing my arms and leaning against a low wall. "How you managed to actually get from one end to the other with enough time to shower is beyond me." I grouse putting my hands up.
"Seriously?" He asks in a bored, flat tone.
"Yeah!" I huff and use my arms to lift myself onto the wall. "Who in their right mind would willing live here? You'd need a friggen car to get from one end to the other if you wanted to actually get anywhere that day." I exaggerate a little. And I mean only a little.
"Do you think before you talk or just let this spew out?" He asks, the words sounding vaguely familiar.
"Spew." I answer honestly. "No sense in thinking in my head if I'm going to be sayin' it out loud in a second anyway. Seems like a squander of time to me." I think he said that once, or something close to it.
"Are you mocking me?" He asks, his voice short.
"Eh?" I ask, looking up to see his expression. "AHH!" I cry noticing how close he was. I lean backwards and my arms pinwheel in an attempt to gain my balance. I, of course, lose this battle and fall backwards off the wall to land on hard, cold- hot water? "Ack!" I spew water from my open mouth and flail my arms, flinging water everywhere. I stop flailing around long enough to notice I've fallen into Kaiba's massively, oversized bath.
I look up to meet his cold, stony gaze. We stare at each other, him in his mostly undressed state and me in my water-logged attire. His normally perfect hair was messy from being towel dried and my normally messy hair, which is still messy, is plastered to my face and sopping everywhere. We stay this way for what could have been less than a second or more than a year before he loses it. Kaiba's laughter fills the bathroom and lights up his face. His normally cold, and or sarcastic face softens with his laughter. He looks better when he isn't scowling at the world. His laughter is lighter, more carefree, and definitely without his usual Kaiba-meanness.
"Oi!" I try my best to feel angry. "This ain't funny." I scowl at him, not really feeling the anger.
He shakes his head and walks away still laughing. He grabs another towel and chucks it to me before walking through a second doorway, still laughing. I smile gently, holding the soft towel in one hand, as high above my head as I can manage. I use the traitorous half wall, which I now know is the divider between the room and the bathtub, to pull myself up from the water. I wince as the water makes a ton of noise and begins to pour from my body and my uniform clings to my skin. I stick my tongue out at the doorway Kaiba had just disappeared into, his laughter coming back with the noise.
"Don't walk in here soaking wet." He threatens as I shake one of my legs experimentally. "And you might want to try shaking your whole body that way." He says and my head jerks back up. "That's how it's done." He says, leaning against the door frame wearing clean, gray pants and a towel around his neck.
"For the last time, I ain't a dog!" I growl, my face heating up having been caught trying to shake water from my person.
"Hn." He replies, his face still smiling. I can tell he's resisting the urge to laugh and is losing.
I grin devilishly and tilt my head down, shaking as hard as I can, sending water flying everywhere.
"Stop!" Kaiba yells out. I stand up to see his clean pants covered in water droplets and he's wiping water from his face. I laugh at the sight and point a finger at him. His lips quirk into a smile and his eyes crinkle. He holds out for a second longer before joining me in laughter. I'm pretty sure we've both snapped.
"Kaiba-san?" A soft voice echoes through the doorway a second later causing Kaiba to stop laughing and his face to go blank.
"Yes?" He questions, disappearing back into the room, pulling the door mostly closed behind him. I roll my eyes still able to hear the conversation, something about preparing his clothes for some meeting. I quickly strip out of my own clothes knowing he'd make me stay here until they were dry otherwise. I cover my good bits until I'm decent enough and stroll into the mystery room like I'd been doing it all my life.
"And your suit… will…. be-" The girl was saying when her voice trailed off and her eyes widened slightly at my entrance. She stares at me for a good moment so I nod my head and come to a stop next to what I'm pretty sure must be Kaiba's bed.
"Will be-?" Kaiba demands, his voice as neutral-cold as ever when the girl continues to stare at me.
"Waiting for you in your customary suite, Kaiba-sama." She recovers quickly, her eyes darting back to the floor, never losing the round quality they'd adopted on my entrance.
"You may leave now." Kaiba informs her, his voice slightly colder than before.
"Yes, Kaiba-san." She says, bowing and hurrying from the room.
When the door clicks closed Kaiba clears his throat regaining my attention from pretending to clean dirt from my nails. "Hmm? What was that?" I ask him, pretending to be stupid.
"You're stupid enough without putting any more effort into it." He barks before striding over to a set of drawers. "Wear this." He commands, throwing me a set of black pants and a t-shirt? "Yes, I own t-shirts." He sighs, snatching a new set of clothes for himself and striding back into the bathroom. "Hurry up" He orders, the door clicking shut behind him.
I drop the towel and jump into the surprisingly soft material and tugging the shirt over my head. I scoop up the towel and sling it over the edge of the bed. Turning around, I leap onto the bed from the back landing face down, limbs everywhere. "Ohmygawdyerbehdistoocomfee!" I shout just as he walks back into the room.
"Do not get any slobber on those pillows." He orders. "Go home." He commands, his voice devoid of emotions.
"When I was little my parents got divorced." I say instead, sitting up on his bed. I tuck one foot under myself and let the other dangle over the other side. "My mom got my sister and I guess I got stuck with pops."
"I don't care." Kaiba tells me flatly, striding across the room and sitting down on the bottom half of the bed. He unrolls his socks and rams a foot inside one.
"My mom got a new job really far away so I never got to see Shizuka." I continue on. "She never wanted to see me either, my mom, I mean." I pick at my toenail softly, tilting my knee up to rest my head on it.
"Don't pick your feet on my bed." He comments, seeming to not be paying attention. He angrily shoves his other foot in the other sock.
I ignore him. "Pops was alright for a while. Not for any explainable reason, but because he thought she was coming back. He'd always been gamblin', but neither of us realized it was mom's income that kept us from bein' homeless." I rest my hands on top of my foot to keep from peeling the ends of the nails off to shorten them. Kaiba doesn't say anything this time.
"About a year after mom left dad lost the house. He said to me 'don't worry, Katsuya, we're just movin' somewhere smaller. We ain't got need for such a big place with just two of us!' but I knew he was lying. I knew we were in trouble. We moved into an okay apartment, on the west side of town. It wasn't too bad and I could still take the train to school."
I drum my fingertips against the top of my foot. "A year after that he started drinking. Six months later he lost his job and six months after that we were evicted from our apartment. We spent the next eight months moving from place to place, staying in cheap hotels, shelters, even at one of his old buddy's houses." I wrap my hands around my ankle and stare at the door. I ignore Kaiba shifting on the bed across from me. "We were lucky to find the dump we did or we'd have really been on the streets then." I snort and drop my knee to the side, placing my foot against my other thigh. "If you can call it that."
"Hn." Kaiba replies, somehow managing to sound like he still doesn't care. But I know better, he's listening. Or at least I really hope he is.
"The man who runs the apartment complex Pop's and I lived in runs an illegal gambling circuit for the Yakuza." I tell him flatly. "The same gambling my pops has been involved in for years. The man knew that if he kept him close, he'd be able to get his money back." I blink away the dark thoughts I'd had for years and glance over at Kaiba. I smile softly as I see him staring at the ceiling. Still looking disinterested.
"What's your point?" Kaiba asks.
"Oh, right." I grin sheepishly. "So pops gets a new job, one I suspect is running jobs for Tek. So I followed him one night when he said he was going to work. He did go to work, but it was for Yakuza like I expected." I say softly. "And if you ain't been, don't go." I warn him, sounding crazy. "The people the Yakuza deal with are nasty. But, to make a long side story short, I saved Honda from some gang and he saved me from pops by takin' me in and introducing me to the gang he was in."
"Saved you?" Kaiba asks sounding sarcastic.
"Sometimes on the streets, Kaib', it's better to have people who will have your back than be against everyone with no one." I tell him softly. "But I wasn't never any good at it. I wasn't good at stealin' like they wanted. The only thing I was good at was bullyin' smaller people than I was." I shrug and snatch a pillow from beside me. "But, this ain't the point." I tell him when I can feel him growing irritated.
"Then what is?" He snaps.
"Pops has a lot of addictions." I explain softly, fiddling with the pillow case. "He's addicted to gamblin', alcohol, cigarettes, and I don't care to know what else he's had inside the apartment while I lived there." I say darkly. "And each time he'd tell me some story. He'd tell me about something at work that made him need a drink to relax. Some new diet that would help him get into better shape. Some new rigged match that he could earn money off of. You name it, he's made a story about it." I say sadly. "I know what addictions look like." I close my eyes and fall backwards, laying there silently for a while. Neither of us speak and neither move. For a while I suspect he's fallen asleep. "I don't wanna believe the worst in ya, Kaiba." I explain, probably to deaf ears. "But I can't watch you fall apart if I can stop it. Even if I pay the consequences for the rest of my life, I ain't gonna let you down. Not like I let him down." I whisper, feeling sleepy. I yawn widely and curl into a ball. "'m sorry." I tell him, almost hoping he's asleep by now. "But I just ain't given up on ya." I mumble falling asleep again.
I woke a few hours later, a gentle hand shaking my shoulder. "Jounouchi-san?" A soft female voice breaks through the fog in my head.
"Eh?" I mumble, rolling onto my back.
"It's time to wake now, Jounouchi-san." She informs me and my eyes pop open.
"What time is it?" I ask sleepily, rubbing at my eyes.
"It's 3pm, Jounouchi-san." She informs me politely, bowing.
"3!" I cry, shooting straight up. I'd never get to work on time! I still have to run home and grab clean clothes and then run to work!
"Yes, Jounouchi-san." She says, her head bowed. "Kaiba-sama has instructed our staff to take you home now, sir." She informs me politely.
"Take me home?" I ask curiously, scratching my head.
"Yes, sir." She stands straight up and folds her hands in front of her. "He's also instructed me to give you a message."
"Alright then, what is it?" I ask, scrambling out of bed and looking around. "Where are my shoes?" I ask, realizing they wouldn't be in Kaiba's room.
"Kaiba-sama's message is 'to tell his current pain in the ass to hurry up and go home'."
I stare at her a moment and burst out with laughter. "I'm goin', I'm goin'!" I grin and shake my head. "About the shoes..?" I ask her again, hoping this new weirdest day from hell would make sense soon.
"Jou-kun?" Kanako asks gently, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Would you like a ride home?"
I let out the breath I hadn't even known I'd been holding. "No, it's alright." I whisper, rubbing at my eyelids. "I kind of need to walk, you know?" I breathe in deeply through my nose and shake my head. "I'll be okay."
"Alright." She pats my shoulder and stands quietly next to me. It's been three hours but I can't make myself move. I can't make myself walk away. I can't even believe this is happening.
"I can't really believe it happened so fast." Kanako stated behind me. "He was just laughing with me three days ago. It's hard to believe he's really gone." She sniffles and her dress rustles. "I'll see you again soon, I hope?" The sound of her shoes on the grass and the click of her heels on the flagstone as she travels farther and farther away brings me no comfort. The closest thing I have left to family is gone.
"You were supposed to get better." I sob, leaning forward on my hands, bowing my head as the tears flowed from my eyes. "You weren't supposed to die." My shoulders shake as I think about all of our happier moments together. "You were so happy yesterday, why didn't you tell me?" I cry, pounding my fist against the damp grass. "If I'd known that was the last day I'd ever see you I would have said so much! I would have told you how much I've learned! I would have told you what I plan to do with my life! I would have told you how grateful I am to have ever met you. How much I'd miss you, and how much like family you've grown to become."
I stay here with Kanse's grave for hours. I'm really not sure how long I've been or when I'll leave, but I don't have the heart to move.
"Are you sure, Jounouchi-san?" Takei asks with a gentle voice.
"Hai, I think I am ready." I smile sadly, ruffling my hair. "I've gotten a really good promotion at my other job and I won't be able to work both jobs anymore." I shrug and stare down at the floor.
"You could always change your shift, if you chose, Jou. But, I can also sense your heart needs to move on." Takei places his hands upon the desk and I glance up to see his face, feeling comfort in the look of understanding in his eyes.
"I've learned so much here, Takei-san. I'm truly grateful for everything you have taught me, and how much you especially have looked out for me. Forgive me for leaving." I humbly bow my head once more.
"No, Jou, forgiveness is not needed. I am grateful for what you have taught me and for how dedicated you have been throughout your time here, especially for one as young as you." My head shot up and eyes widened.
"Eh?" I ask him.
"My boy, you barely look 17." Takei's voice shakes with laughter. "If only I'd been as dedicated as you when I was, what was it, 23?" I can tell from the look in his eyes he never believed I was older than what I am. I grin sheepishly at him and shrug. "Well, dear boy, you have been more than helpful this past year. If you ever wish to come back you need only ask."
I smile broadly and bow my head, "Arigatou." I reply before standing up and stretching. "What's on the agenda for these last two weeks then?" I ask feeling very much relieved.
"It would be most helpful if you would start on the third floor today." Takei smiles at me. "If I can get one more excellent cleaning on each floor from you it'll make parting easier." He winks at me.
"You got it." I grin and head up to the third floor.
I huff as I run down the street, my hair flying everywhere. Why am I always late? "Sorry!" I cry and dart around a couple and dash between two strangers.
"Jou!" Yugi waves excitedly to me as I hurdle over a low shrub. "It's about time!" He tells me, grinning. "Anzu's up next."
"Perfect." I gasp and bend over. "Where's Honda?"
"Right here, man." I cough loudly as his hand whomps me in the back.
"'Ey!" I shout and stand up swinging to my right. "Rude. That's real rude right there." I huff and adjust my shoulders.
"Hurry up, you two, we have to get somewhere we can see properly!" Yugi urges and tugs us forward.
"Alright, alright!" Honda and I call out in sync as we let Yugi drag us forward.
"Here, this should be perfect." Yugi beams.
"Not bad." I shrug craning my neck to see the back of the stage.
"She better win." Honda says, adjusting his shirt. "Especially after all of those practices she forced me to help her with." He grumbles.
"Ha! That's your own fault!" I gloat and poke him in the chest. "That'll teach you to space out during math."
"Whatever, least I didn't have to wash and fold her clothes!" He shouts and stomps his foot. "Ever heard of staying focused in history?"
"Hey, you two, pay attention, I think this round is starting!" Yugi pulls on our sleeves.
"You got this, Anz'!" I holler and pump my fist in the air as Anzu and her partner step on the stage.
"Yeah! You'll be great!" Honda yells, holding a fist in front of himself.
"Good luck!" Yugi calls out, waving his arm over his head.
We all stand nearly holding our breath as the music begins to play. I have to really hand it to Anzu, the girl's a phenomenal dancer. "How does she manage to look so graceful?" I ask Honda, taking a deep drink from the soda I'd snatched from him.
"And girly?" He adds, shoving his hand into my bag of pretzels.
"Did you two bring food with you?" Yugi asks, appearing skeptical.
"Uv cors." Honda says with a full mouth.
"Guys gotta eat." I say with a shrug handing Honda back the soda. "Want any?" I hold the open end of the bag out to Yug.
"Uh, no thanks." He smiles politely, turning back to the performance.
"Yes! Nailed it perfectly!" Honda calls out, leaning over the banister.
"YEAH!" I cry out, whistling loudly after Anzu's bow.
"That was great!" Honda and I high five over Yugi's head as Yugi claps loudly with the other spectators.
"Let's go find her?" I suggest, popping another pretzel in my mouth.
"Are we allowed back stage?" Yugi asks, glancing up at me.
"Why not?" I grin. "Just have to look all casual. Like we belong or somethin'."
"Try not to mess it up." Honda laughs and pokes me in the ribs with his elbow.
"Shadd'up!" I throw a pretzel at his head as I lead the way to the stage.
"Looks like it's blocked off by that rope." Yugi points out.
"And that oversized official looking guy in the suit." Honda tacks on.
"Damn." I sigh. "May as well find some seats while we wait to congratulate her then." I shrug and head off towards the seats.
I exhale loudly and plop down onto my couch, envelope in hand. "Now what are you, mystery letter?" I ask the ordinary bit of paper.
I flip the envelope open and pull out a letter in small, neat handwriting.
Jou,
In death we are defined only by our choices. Where we came from, how much money we had, or when we lived weren't things we could control. It's where we chose to go, what we spent our money on, and how we lived out our lives that mattered. These are what people remember us by, the people we were are based on these memories. For once we are gone it is not by our mouths or minds that we shall be spoken of.
Death comes for us all, some sooner than others. I have lived a happy life. I know you cannot yet understand why I chose to forgo treatment, but one day I hope you can be at peace. I hope this decision is never yours to make nor this illness one for you to suffer.
I hope that by the time you've gotten this letter you have left your sadness behind and only the happy memories persist. I haven't much else to offer you in the way of comfort than these final words. I shall miss our time together along my next great journey, but I hold what you have shared with me in my heart.
You brought me companionship on my last few days of this life. I can never express enough gratitude or words of thanks to convey what this has meant to an old man like me. I haven't much to offer you in return other than what I have enclosed with this letter. It's too late to refuse to accept this gift either, so just hold onto it if you don't know what else to do.
The best of wishes, my dear boy,
Kanse
I blink away the hot tears filling my eyes. I rest my arm over my eyes, clutching the letter to my chest. "I miss you." I tell the empty room. I shove the letter and envelope under my couch. "I don't need no gift." I grumble at the carpet. "You were my family, old man." I scrub the tears from my eyes and shuffle to the kitchen in search of a snack. "Let's try eating my feelings." I mumble aloud, puling the fridge open.
"ORDER UP!" I shout, slamming the large door open and letting myself inside. "One mandatory lunch break coming up as needed." I grin and jump over the back of the seat and plopping onto the couch, propping up my feet.
"Get your dirty shoes off of my desk." Kaiba icily replies. "And who let you in here?" He demands, shuffling papers from one end of his desk to the other.
"Puh-lease, princess. I've got these security guards wrapped around my finger." I grin cheekily and set my feet on the floor. "Besides, they don't even ask me what I'm doing here after the last time you ripped into them for asking questions when they hadn't noticed you were there with me."
"Fools." He pinches the bridge of his nose while typing with his free hand. "What are you doing here?" He sighs impatiently.
"I've come to see if you wanted to get lunch." I grin broadly at him. "I'll bet you've been here all damn day and haven't had anything more than toast and coffee for breakfast."
"So? What's wrong with toast and coffee." He rolls his eyes and lifts up the large stack of papers next to him before setting it right back down.
"It's 130 in the afternoon." I smile dryly. "It's time for you to eat." I inform him.
"I do what I want." He says distantly, picking up another stack and setting it down.
"Here." I hand him the small stack of papers from the very top of his desk.
"Hn." He replies accepting the papers and flipping through them.
"You've got about 60 seconds to stop working before I wipe this desk clean and send all of these papers flying." I threaten casually, staring at a rather nasty hangnail I've managed to acquire.
"There's medication and therapy if you're feeling suicidal, you know." He replies without slowing down.
"49, 48, 47…" I reply tapping my hands on my pants.
"I will literally end you." He growls, typing even faster, if that's possible.
"31, 30, 29…" I crack my neck and roll my shoulders preparing myself.
"It will be a slow and excruciating death." Kaiba's fingers fly across his keyboard, his eyes darting from one end of the screen to the other.
"13, 12, 11…" I stand up and stretch towards the ceiling.
"Mutt." Kaiba growls as he fiddles with his mouse and keyboard.
"3, 2, 1," I reach forward, hand atop the pages as Kaiba snaps his laptop closed.
"Remove your flea ridden paws from my desk before I put you down." He exhales, nostrils flared.
"Perfect!" I grin broadly and stand up straight. "Where would you like to go for some grub?"
"Cut the merriment. It's giving me a headache." He grumbles and grabs his jacket from the back of his chair.
I can't help the size of the smile as it spreads across my face. "Eh, I do what I want."
"No." He disagrees shortly. "Hurry up before I leave you at the pound." He orders, taking large strides towards his office door.
"Aye, aye, cap'n!" I grin cheekily, shoving my hands into my pockets.
"Cheeriness." Kaiba snaps.
"What about it?" I ask, slipping my hands into my pockets. Such sweet, sweet lint down in these pockets, if anyone was wondering.
"Fix it." Kaiba grunts and jabs the elevator key.
"So there's a cow, a man, and rabbi walking into a bar," I reply, stepping into the elevator.
"Stop." Kaiba sighs, rubbing behind his ear. "I want the cheeriness to cease to exist."
I lean against the back of the elevator and give Kaiba my best goofy grin. "I know." I tell him, crossing my left foot over the right as the elevator whizzes past floors on the endless journey to the ground floor. "How're you feeling today?" I ask, tilting my head to the side.
"Irritable." Kaiba replies, closing his eyes and resting his head against the elevator wall.
I'm pretty sure I have brow burn on my forehead from the speed at which my eyebrows lodged themselves into my hairline.
"Stop staring." Kaiba snaps without opening his eyes. "You hardly count as a person."
"Sure, Kaib'." I smile, shaking my head. "Your head wouldn't hurt so much if you were eating properly." I lecture, crossing my arms across my chest.
"Funny, the headache only started to come back when you arrived." He drawled, massaging his temples with his hands.
"Very funny." I reply shortly. "Seriously though, we're going to have to get you on a better and healthier schedule."
"We aren't going to be doing anything of the sort. I am more than capable of taking care of myself." He uses his shoulders to push off the wall and rests his arms back at his sides as the elevator reaches the ground floor and the doors ding open. Without wasting time he strides quickly towards the exit.
"Unfortunately for you, I happen to be an excellent caretaker and friend." I tilt my nose into the air as I fall into step beside him. Fuck Kaiba if he doesn't list me as a friend because dammit, he's a friend o'mine.
"Whatever you are it doesn't matter." Kaiba replies, ignoring the man at the front desk and easily shoving open the front door. I jump to avoid getting stuck in the door and fall back into step. "I don't need to be taken care of!" He snaps, walking down the sidewalk.
"Sure, sure. Anyway, we need a better system to help you keep track of time on Sundays." I press, kicking a small rock out of the way.
"What part of 'mind your own business' was confusing?" Kaiba insists stopping at the corner of the street.
"Look, I know you're new at this friend thing, but this is what friends are for." I tell him, shrugging my shoulders awkwardly. "It's like what you did for me with Hikizan." I explain, running my hand through my hair. "Or the time you wrote extra explanations on my notes for me before our last math quiz. Or any of the times you did more work than you had to in order to help me with school work."
"It was nothing, school work is easy." Kaiba barely waits for the last car to leave the crosswalk before venturing forward.
"Yeah, but that don't mean ya gotta spend your, and I quote, 'precious time' on me to help." I gently punch him in the arm. "Stop tryin'na shut me out."
"Touch me again and I'll have your hand removed." He threatens making me grin.
"I'll take that as a sign you're going to work on this." I smile, shoving my hands in my pockets.
"I don't need your help." He replies shortly, glancing down the street with a frown on his face.
"But you do!" I push. "You're clearly not taking enough care of yourself."
"Jounouchi I swear-," Kaiba stops suddenly to glare at me.
"Swear that I'm right?" I interrupt, crossing my arms. "Since we're going out to lunch did you grab your medicine?" I ask, dropping my arms as his face goes blank. "Mmmhmm. What about your testy machine thing and those damn strips?" I continue. "And your stupid meeting at 330? I bet you-"
"Alright!" Kaiba snaps, jaw tightening. "What's your point?"
"My point," I sarcastically emphasize my words, "Is that you can't do everything by your damn self." I pull his small black kit from my back pocket. "Your testy thing, meds, and pointy thing. And before you get all upset about it, I swiped It off your desk when you were taking so long to leave." I mumble, feeling embarrassed from the look on his face. Maybe I am pushing too hard.
"Hn." He replies, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Thank you." He grunts.
I blink in surprise. "You're welcome." I stammer, a broad grin spreading across my face.
"Ugh, stop. Stop with your damn feelings and the friendship shit. It's annoying." Kaiba snaps, rolling his eyes.
"All I said was you're welcome." I grin slyly, "You're the one bringing up friendship again."
"Shut up." He replies, heading across the street.
