Real life has been busy. I bought a pony finally, after so many years of wanting a horse to call my own. He's a rescue who I've named Darcy. Can't wait to get out of the Navy so I can go back home and see him.
I apologize again for being so untimely about updates.
It was weeks before Kaiba managed to make contact with Jonouchi again. At first, the time apart was excusable-Jonouchi had a job and, Kaiba assumed, other activities in his life that he did when Kaiba wasn't around.
But after an entire week of hearing Jonouchi's answering machine continually, Kaiba became perturbed. Perhaps his messages started to reflect on that, because Jonouchi called him back finally full of apologies... at a time that Kaiba would most definitely be at his office, unable to take personal calls. Jonouchi left him a message asking to plan an outing. Kaiba did so, even going so far as to do the research and find both food and activities in town that Jonouchi would probably be interested in.
They agreed on a day (through messages, but still) and Kaiba rested slightly easier with the knowledge that he'd be seeing Jonouchi again soon. If he'd agreed to see him, that probably meant things were fine between them. Right? Jonouchi wouldn't go through the trouble of playing phone tag with him if he didn't want to see him.
But then Jonouchi left him a message in the middle of the night a day before they were supposed to meet, saying he had to cancel for one of a set of reasons Kaiba had come to know as defaults for flaking. He was highly insulted by the pitiful attempt from Jonouchi to spare his feelings, as well as the fact that Jonouchi was bailing in the first place. Kaiba tried reasoning with himself that it wasn't unusual to go a few weeks without seeing a friend, but that didn't change his feelings. Admittedly, he was hurt. Whether it was personal or not, that was how he took it.
Kaiba was a little less than gracious about the situation. Jonouchi had said in his message that they should take a raincheck and suggested Kaiba call him with a day in mind. Kaiba didn't call. He didn't call, he didn't text, and as much as possible, he didn't think about Jonouchi at all for the next several days. It was vindictive, yes, but he knew he wouldn't be able to feel like the slate was clean unless he had some kind of recompense.
While Kaiba was busy not thinking about Jonouchi, he got to thinking about...well, Jonouchi. Namely, why this event was happening in the first place. If Kaiba had been describing the situation to an outsider, he probably would have felt and sounded very silly. He was getting worked up over something completely ordinary. People had plans fall through all the time, it was a normal part of being friends with someone.
But the context now made things less casual. The last time Kaiba had seen Jonouchi was following their tryst, something that was still rocking Kaiba's boat if he was honest with himself, and while they hadn't parted on bad terms, there had been a feeling of irresolution hanging in the air. Jonouchi was uncomfortable with him and Kaiba didn't know why. Kaiba was uncomfortable because of it, and for the part of it that Jonouchi knew, he didn't seem to really care about it.
Along with that mess, there was the fact that Kaiba had even been unable to run into Jonouchi at the usual bar they frequented together. It was possible for them to have missed each other every time, of course. But Kaiba considered himself skilled at avoiding people and situations he didn't want to be around, even those that were omnipresent, and he could recognize it when someone else was doing it to him.
His thoughts about Jonouchi changed over the course of their few weeks apart from anxiety and concern, and near pining for his company, to determinedly waiting him out. One of the many voices in his head remarked that it was counterproductive to give the cold shoulder to someone who was avoiding him. That was true, but it was making Kaiba feel better, if only because it tricked him into pretending he had conscious control of the distance.
It was the only way he could think to cope with being ignored.
By the end of the week, Kaiba had transitioned to the point that he considered the silence lengthy enough, and was determined to be the one to resolve it. Now that he was done being begrudgingly distant; he'd be damned if he let Jonouchi get away with blowing him off any longer.
Kaiba didn't bother with the phone. He wasn't going to subject himself to being a number of missed calls or voicemail messages. What would he say, anyway? He wasn't going to beg for Jonouchi's time, and it wouldn't do any good to leave him passive-aggressive remarks, either. No, Kaiba chose to go to the bar. He went early, maybe an hour after they opened, and he stayed there patiently for several hours to wait for Jonouchi to show up. Because he knew he would, eventually.
Kaiba thought he'd have to repeat this process for several days, but whatever gods had decided he'd have shit luck were merciful to him this time. Jonouchi appeared sometime after nine, fortunately before Kaiba had time to eat enough yakitori to really start hating himself. At least he'd been smart enough to sip on the same drink for the past few hours, even if he couldn't nibble through the food that slowly.
Jonouchi didn't see him when he came in, which was odd, since his eyes were obviously scanning the bar nervously. Kaiba frowned when his suspicions were confirmed, but he schooled his expression as he stood from his table. Even though he was barely keeping frustration under the surface, his thoughts diverted for a moment as he wondered how Jonouchi could possibly have not seen him. He didn't stick out in a Japanese bar as much as Jonouchi did, but he didn't exactly blend in either, even if he wasn't so tall while sitting down on a chair.
When Jonouchi was seated at the bar, Kaiba approached him deliberately from his blind spot until he was within a few feet. Jonouchi immediately noticed his approach in his peripherals and looked over his shoulder curiously, his eyes widening a bit when he saw who it was. Kaiba only glanced at him for a moment before taking the seat beside him.
"Konbanwa," he greeted in a tone he knew was expectant. He'd used it on Mokuba plenty of times in the past whenever they were about to indulge in a verbal spat. Kaiba knew that feigned civility was petty, but it was a resource he was comfortable using. Outwardly hostile behavior would just frighten Jonouchi away, anyways.
Jonouchi immediately frowned, apparently feeling the tension between them. "I hope you weren't waiting for me to show up," he started, picking at a nail awkwardly before sighing, "I've been kinda busy lately. Sorry for being unavailable, it wasn't on purpose."
"Mm," was Kaiba's only response for a few seconds. It certainly felt intentional, and he didn't feel like letting that feeling go just yet. "I suppose it's in the past. What are your plans for tonight? I assume you're here because you're free."
"Yeah," Jonouchi answered before putting in an order for a bottle of beer. His face appeared strained and Kaiba could tell that he was not in a good mood. His eyes were avoiding looking Kaiba in the face, for one, and he wouldn't stop fidgeting in his seat.
"So, how have you been lately?" It was the worst starter Kaiba had ever heard, but at least Jonouchi was trying.
"Stable," Kaiba replied simply. That wasn't completely true, but he'd definitely been in worse states. "It's been monotonous at work, but nobody is kidnapping my loved ones or illegally usurping my chair."
"That's a relief," Jonouchi snorted, "do you like running Kaiba Corporation?"
"Of course," Kaiba looked at Jonouchi, his irritation momentarily forgotten due to his surprise. "It's not exciting day to day, if that's what you're asking, but it's what I want to do. The kinds of things I can do as head of Kaiba Corporation are what I've wanted to do all my life. Even on the most boring, grating days, I can't ask for much more."
Jonouchi hummed and sipped his beer. "Must be nice then," he replied, "to know exactly what you want in life and already have it so young."
"That aspect is nice, yes," Kaiba agreed, though absently. He was analyzing Jonouchi's body language. "The road to getting it wasn't especially wonderful. I think what I gained in short time, I lost in sanity..."
Sometimes he wondered if he lost a part of his personality along the way, too, but Kaiba tried not to think about it too much. The person he'd become was the person he needed to be, and he accepted that reality. Pondering alternate realities wasn't something he wanted to even begin entertaining in his mind...
"I get the impression that you say that with your future on your mind," Kaiba pressed. He couldn't help but be slightly curious about it. It was Jonouchi's business, though. He could be as forthcoming or not as he wished. But Kaiba was interested, and that didn't happen very often when it came to the futures of other people besides himself. Kaiba wanted to know about Jonouchi's future plans, but at the same time, didn't want to seem desperate to know them. In case Jonouchi made something of his enthusiasm.
"I do, a little," admitted Jonouchi with the wave of his hand. "I mean, I like what I do now. It's decent money, the hours are good, and I'm great working with my hands. I like getting dirty and being on my feet and spending my day working on mechanics.
"But I also know that's not something I want to do for the rest of my life. I'm not studious, I know college isn't for me," Jonouchi sighed. "I barely got through high school. I don't want some white-collar office job and I don't care about being rich, either. If I could play duel monsters professionally, that's the only thing I'd want for the rest of my life. And I'm still trying right now, but the money is so hard to come by."
Kaiba hesitated before speaking, mainly because he found it difficult to choose how to respond, and even more difficult to offer sincere compliments to people, but he forced it out of himself for the sake of getting the downtrodden look off from Jonouchi's face.
"There's no need to look so discouraged," Kaiba muttered, playing with his glass before finally flashing his eyes directly at Jonouchi's frowning face, "You're a good player. You've never placed lower than third in an honest championship. Even if it takes a while, I'll be surprised if you couldn't manage to make a professional dueling career."
"I wish someone with a desire to give me money would notice me already," laughed Jonouchi darkly, "that's the biggest issue. I can't play if I can't afford the upfront costs of registration."
"The professional circuit can get expensive," Kaiba nodded, "especially if they require frequent equipment upgrades."
He was actively biting his tongue. It had occurred to him to offer Jonouchi a small sponsorship more than once, but he'd played that conversation to death in his head, and it always ended the same way. If he asked, Jonouchi would decline. No matter what. Kaiba knew that, and he respected that. He also knew that if he pressed, Jonouchi would be insulted, and then Jonouchi would probably in turn insult him. So the whole ordeal was best avoided.
Still. There was something very trying about being able to provide a solution, but not being allowed.
Mainly because they'd had a sexual relationship. If they hadn't done anything together, Kaiba could probably manage some kind of agreement and not have to worry about any kind of ethics dispute, but now... Jonouchi had blown him, and if that knowledge ever got out, someone could say that Kaiba was giving him the sponsorship in exchange for sexual favors. Neither of them would be able to live through the shame of that kind of scandal.
Kaiba would have to think of something else. He'd never be able to give Jonouchi money up front, at least, without the risk to both of them.
He pulled himself from his thoughts. All that could wait for another time. He wanted to stay focused on the task at hand, which was picking at Jonouchi until he explained his behavior. Maybe it was something he should let drop, but he just wasn't that kind of person. Besides, it wasn't unfair of him to want an explanation, was it?
"Jonouchi," he addressed, his voice quiet. He kept his tone neutral, but the fact that it wasn't conversational seemed to be enough to make Jonouchi look nervous. "Why have you been so busy? I understand you have things to do, of course, but I could always get ahold of you before. Did something new happen?"
He was feigning curious interest, but in fact he was preparing to be accusing. While he would like to know if something had made Jonouchi ignore him for weeks, and what that thing could be, he had every intention of being offended that he was pushed aside for some new exciting whatever Jonouchi had found.
"Well yeah, kinda," answered Jonouchi awkwardly. He was blushing profusely now and scratching the back of his head. "I, um, I'm not gonna lie Kaiba, this is going to sound terrible..."
"Compared to the kind of news I've had in my life, I'm sure this won't be that bad," Kaiba scoffed, unsure if he should be insulted. He decided to wait and find out what Jonouchi was going to say before getting upset about it.
"Okay then," Jonouchi sighed, "so I met this girl and-"
"Girl?" Kaiba reiterated, interrupting Jonouchi almost immediately, his eyes wide. "What do you mean-girl? I thought you were-what?"
"You thought I was gay?" Jonouchi snorted as he took a swig of his beer before breaking into a brawdy laugh, "God no. At least, I don't think I am. I mean, there's certain things I'll allow when I'm fooling around with a guy, but I wouldn't, you know, let a dude fuck me or something. I like women just fine, and I'll chase after one too if she's worth the effort."
Kaiba side-eyed Jonouchi narrowly at first, his lips parted as he prepared to speak, but he decided against it. He had all sorts of questions and accusations, but he was sure they'd just roll off Jonouchi's back. Besides, Kaiba realized not too long ago that he didn't know that much about sexuality, so it was probably best not to turn his nose up when discussing a topic he was unfamiliar with.
But it did make him wonder if Jonouchi had only done anything with him for the sake of getting off. Could it possibly be that meaningless to him? Kaiba stared at the bar for a few moments as he suppressed the burning in his chest produced by that thought, but the fire showed itself a little when he spoke.
"So, what?" He began with an unpleasant smirk that was something of a twisted parody of humor. "You got bored with me, and decided to blow me off to go chase a woman?"
"Huh?" Jonouchi started, his eyes growing hostile as his mouth began to twitch irritably. His cheeks grew red again, only this time it wasn't from embarrassment. "I don't know what kind of nonsense you got stewing in your head, Kaiba, but I'm allowed to go hang out with other people. You might be my friend, but you don't own me. And last time I checked, you weren't my boyfriend, either."
"You can do whatever you like, Jonouchi," Kaiba replied with deliberate, measured neutrality. It took a lot of effort. Venom was trying to fly from his tongue. "But I don't like being blown off by anyone, for any reason, and I'm even less pleased when someone lies about it. Next time, instead of making plans you intend to break and playing phone tag with me, just be up-front."
If Jonouchi really thought he shouldn't care (which Kaiba did, a lot) about him going after some chick, then why did he feel the need to be such a flake about it? Why didn't he just at least say he was busy and he'd call when he was free? Not that it would have been much easier on Kaiba's ego, but at least the reveal wouldn't have been compounded with the fact that Jonouchi had been doing the friendship edition of stringing him along.
"I'm sorry," Jonouchi said quietly. "Are you going to be able to forgive me?" He tapped Kaiba's leg with his foot before giving him a goofy grin. "You're not allowed to be mad at me tonight."
Kaiba did his damndest to stare Jonouchi in the face with an expression of absolute indifference, but he broke down and sighed when Jonouchi started tapping him again. Their knees bumped. Kaiba was unable to salvage his icy demeanor, but he moved his leg out of range before Jonouchi had a chance to realize he had true power.
"I can't exactly say I won't forgive you, since you at least apologized…" he grumbled reluctantly. He didn't like forgiving until someone had their comeuppance, and in this instance, he was being forced to drop it. It gave him a strange lack of closure. "Why am I not allowed to be mad at you, exactly?"
"Because you'd rather have fun with me tonight than sit here and sulk," answered Jonouchi with a grin. "I'll make it up to you. Open bar on me tonight. How about it?"
"How dare you tell me to have fun?" Kaiba argued in a tone of mock offense. He rested his elbows on the bar. "Fine, I won't hold a grudge all night. But I'll pay for my own drinks, thanks."
He understood why Jonouchi had offered, but much as he claimed he was relinquishing his anger, he still wasn't in the mood to owe him anything. That, and something about being treated by someone who very obviously had less to spare made him feel dirty.
"So," Kaiba sighed after ordering his first round, "who's this girl that has you blushing and preoccupied?"
He didn't know why he was asking. He didn't care, and for what little he did care about, he didn't want to know. So why ask? To be a supportive friend? This friendship gig was shaping up to be a serious ordeal.
"Oh, I don't think you want know about her," Jonouchi laughed, "but fine, since you asked!" He grabbed a stick of yakitori off Kaiba's plate before sticking a piece into his mouth, chewing on the meat before swallowing. "She's a foreign exchange student, from South Korea. Super hot, and she's a college sophomore at the university. I've been tutoring her in Japanese."
Kaiba started drinking down the scotch he'd ordered to excuse himself from answering immediately. Too much had been explained. Jonouchi had been unavailable because he was tutoring a Korean girl in Japanese. Kaiba could only imagine how that went, since Jonouchi's grasp of their native language was considered to be on the bad side. He was probably teaching her to speak in his low-class accent, too, which wouldn't do her any good…
But he seriously doubted they were really meeting that much for Japanese tutoring.
"And how did you meet her?" asked Kaiba, thinking it was a pertinent question, and deftly avoiding having to remark on the initial answer.
"At a bar," Jonouchi grinned, "that's how I meet everyone. That's how I met you," he snickered, reaching out to kick Kaiba again before he could pull away. "There's an interesting college club that my friends from work like to go to. She came over to me first."
"I see," Kaiba hummed noncommittally. His drink was almost gone. He finished it. "So, does she know you're sweet on her, or are you waiting for her to succumb to your charms before actually doing something?"
"I like it when they chase after me," Jonouchi smirked. "I know she likes me. She texts me all the time. I've taken her to all the good clubs in town and I've met some of her friends. All Koreans, of course." Jonouchi rolled his eyes a little. "She's from a rich family too, so you know she's only here to get that diploma before shipping herself back home to get herself a rich husband."
"That could make it all the more likely that she'll fall head-over-heels for a working-class Japanese guy with street smarts and a nice smile," Kaiba noted, though he was staring into the glass the bartender had just refilled for him, speaking more to himself than Jonouchi. He sincerely hoped he was wrong, as much as he shouldn't. Obviously, Jonouchi wanted this girl in some capacity, and Kaiba was supposed to be his friend.
But he wasn't feeling especially supportive. Being neglected on more than one level for some college girl Jonouchi was going to stupid lengths to hump and dump made him less than positive about the whole thing. Why should he have to deal with Jonouchi disappearing for weeks to go chasing tail?
The part of his mind that wanted him to have no peace from himself wondered jeeringly if he'd be so upset if he and Jonouchi hadn't done all that shit in his apartment. And the answer was no, he wouldn't, but what difference did it make? His qualms were valid, even without the fact that Jonouchi was calling him a friend and then effectively getting off and ditching him like he would a hookup.
And then acting like it was nothing when Kaiba finally tracked him down.
"If you think she's just going to go back to Korea and marry someone of her class, then why spend weeks chasing her?" Kaiba asked, keeping the accusation from his voice. He tried very hard to sound simply curious, perhaps humored, but he wasn't that great a liar. He was a damn good sneak, and he could fake, but lying didn't come naturally to him. Especially not when he was barely in control of his emotions.
"Because it's fun," declared Jonouchi with a smile, "I like the chase. I enjoy dating and it doesn't matter to me if it lasts just a night or for months after. If it makes me happy, why not? It's not like I'm being dishonest about my intentions. I've never done anything to anyone without some kind of consent, so it's not even that big of a deal."
Kaiba didn't know what to say. The first thing he had to do was suppress a horrible, sinking disappointment that made him feel heavy and cold. He needed help with that, so he sipped on his drink. After the sting of alcohol relieved the oncoming sadness, he felt offended. He wanted to rationalize that there was nothing inherently wrong with Jonouchi's philosophy, since he hadn't said anything untrue.
But that understanding didn't make Kaiba feel any better. If nothing else, it made things worse because now he felt like an idiot for thinking their impromptu tryst had been an indication of anything at all. He wasn't asking for a relationship. God, no. But some acknowledgement of significance would be a little something. Jonouchi being willing to actually talk about it instead of avoiding the topic like it was dirty would be nice.
Jonouchi hadn't been dishonest about his intentions, but nothing had prepared Kaiba for how aloof he was. How casually he treated the fact that he did what he did, but how reluctant he was to speak about doing it. The fact that immediately after, Jonouchi was taking no calls and chasing a woman for a relationship that was destined not to last.
"What?" sighed Jonouchi, the word stressed as he dropped his shoulders and frowned. "Are you judging me right now?"
"Not judging," Kaiba replied absently, but honestly. "Marveling."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean," shot Jonouchi as he got up from his seat, "what's your damn problem? You act like I'm doing shit to hurt you on purpose, but it has nothing to do with you, Kaiba. I'm sorry if I gave you some mixed signals..."
"I don't understand how you're capable of being so detached," Kaiba stated flatly, "That's all. If that's how you do things, then fine. But I don't work that way and I hardly expected it, so pardon me if I'm a bit distracted mulling it over."
"What exactly were you expecting?" asked Jonouchi then, his eyes wide as he began tapping on foot nervously against the bottom of the bar stool. "Do we really need to have some play by play of what we did together to make you feel more at ease, Kaiba?"
"As much as I'd love to require the one thing I know would make you most uncomfortable, no," Kaiba replied in a low tone. He didn't want to make a scene, but he was sure it showed on his face that he was about to cross that line, much as it showed on Jonouchi's. "Don't get defensive with me just because you don't want to deal with the fact that the way you act about your little system is wrong. You can't start treating me like a fling that's going to disappear just because we fooled around. I'm not going to forget it happened or skirt around mentioning it like it's some tragedy."
Kaiba stood as well, peeling his eyes away from Jonouchi, who looked as livid as he was shocked and scandalized. He pretended not to care, and continued speaking as he aggressively pulled bills from his wallet to pay for his drinks.
"All I'm expecting from you is to be respected as your friend regardless of what's happened between us. I don't care who you go chasing after, but if you plan to treat me like I'm as temporary as your college girl, I will be," he warned, though his tone was more one of finality. He didn't look at Jonouchi, nor did he wait around to give him a chance to speak (or splutter) for himself. Kaiba had the last word, and planned to keep it. He took quick strides out of the bar immediately after he was done talking, and as predicted, Jonouchi didn't come after him.
Not that Kaiba wanted him to. Assuming Jonouchi didn't run out to try beating his ass on the sidewalk, he would probably be either throwing insults or apologizing, neither of which Kaiba wanted to deal with. He didn't want to deal with Jonouchi at all, at this point, and was truly wondering why he'd just spent weeks in a state of anxiety over him. What a waste of time.
He was still simmering when he got home, so he poured himself another drink to sip on while he sat in an armchair and tried to make himself relax. It was after a few minutes alone in the low light and quiet that his anger fled with unpleasant swiftness, and was replaced with the awful realization that Jonouchi probably hated him now. And he had a right to, at this point.
But Kaiba felt he had a right to hate, too. He couldn't stand being used. He'd done too much of that in his life, and the very reason he'd been so anti-social for so long was to avoid just that. Jonouchi was the last person he'd expected to put him through that kind of crap, but he had-intentionally or not. Jonouchi getting physical with Kaiba only to push him aside after the fact would be suspicious to anyone else, and with Jonouchi it was just…
Hurtful. It was a hurtful thing to do, and it definitely did hurt. Kaiba had no intention of being put through that by anyone. So no, he didn't feel too bad that Jonouchi might have had his feelings hurt. He knew it wasn't Jonouchi's intention, but that was what had happened due to Kaiba's own expectations.
He sighed and sat back in his chair, his eyes closed. The whole situation was messy. He wondered if it would have been better not to say anything. Maybe this was why Jonouchi was so aloof about his trysts. Even if one of them was with a friend.
Kaiba considered whether or not he should try apologizing to Jonouchi, but he decided against it. He wouldn't, not just yet. Maybe later, after Jonouchi came to him. Kaiba wanted to be the one to disappear for once.
THREE MONTHS FORWARD
In search of some way to make amends, Kaiba determined he'd find a way to sponsor Jonouchi. It wasn't as if it would be too hard to act as a benefactor without revealing his identity, and as long as he didn't tell Jonouchi he'd done it, Jonouchi would never know.
That also meant that Jonouchi would never know it was part of Kaiba making things up to him, but that was fine. It would put Kaiba's mind at rest a little, and he could start patching things up in Jonouchi's eyes by taking him to a celebratory dinner.
It was a regional championship. Jonouchi had been spending all his free time training for it, and Kaiba was very sure he'd win. Of course, as a many-time tournament host, he had access to the profiles of all the other active duelists in the region, and most didn't hold a candle. And those who did, Kaiba doubted could actually beat Jonouchi when it came down to it. If Jonouchi won this, it meant he would be able to compete in the national tournament Kaiba planned to run soon-though that was a company secret at present. A poorly-kept one, since everyone on the scene knew that Kaiba Corporation couldn't resist the chance to host the first big national circuit in the United States since Maximillion Pegasus, and the dueling stadium at KaibaLand wasn't there just to look pretty.
Still, Jonouchi at least seemed unaware, so Kaiba provided him with the sponsorship he needed to succeed through the regionals, so he could surprise him later with an invitation to the Kaiba Corporation Nationals. Not that Jonouchi making it in would be a surprise-he'd managed it in the past when he wasn't even registered in the tournament. But hopefully it would be a surprise that the tournament existed at all.
Kaiba had yet to outgrow his love for leaving people in awe.
Since Jonouchi didn't know Kaiba was the one sponsoring him, and they were on semi-good terms again, Kaiba opted to watch his duels through the small regional finals. He'd missed a lot of Jonouchi's victories while he was busy not talking to him, which wasn't something he could call friendly behavior. So now he was doing exactly what he'd always thought he wouldn't be caught dead doing-watching from the sidelines to cheer on a friend. Figuratively, of course. Kaiba didn't intend to make a whole lot of noise.
The duel was taking place in a small-ish, pre-existing arena. Kaiba did his best not to look like he was turning his nose up, but the building was obviously fairly old and the equipment was equally so. He knew everywhere wasn't going to maintain the standards he did, since they didn't have to in order to be functional, but he still felt insulted somehow.
Jonouchi didn't seem bothered by it. Kaiba was watching from the observation balcony that ran the perimeter of the upper floor. There were dozens of other people around him, either loitering and chatting as they enjoyed the atmosphere, or actively watching the game. Kaiba felt nervous for the first time that he might be recognized in a crowd, since some of those in attendance were duelists. He stiffened when he was approached by a woman holding a deck box who asked if he was himself, but all she wanted was a signature and to ask in mock sternness when he was going to host a new tournament.
After she'd gone on her way, no one else seemed interested in approaching him. Kaiba exhaled a quiet sigh of relief and turned his attention back to Jonouchi's duel. He was still getting his mind around how different it was here-he was out in public, surrounded by Duel Monsters players, and somehow not being badgered into duels or watching a line for autographs form or generally have to defend his person from affectionate assault.
Jonouchi was winning the duel without so much as breaking a sweat. He was prepared for everything the opponent did, even counters and neutralizers. He'd built his deck with near-perfect cohesion and optimized the steps he took every turn. His efficiency was made even more obvious by how disastrously amateur the other player was.
Jonouchi even got a little cocky and stopped looking at the field while the other man scrambled to figure out what move to make. Even Kaiba probably wouldn't have done that, but he took everything a lot more seriously than Jonouchi did. He didn't think too disapprovingly, though-Jonouchi had looked away to turn his gaze upward until it rested on Kaiba. He didn't grin too broadly, but his eyes lit up when he saw him in such a way that Kaiba felt the smallest flutter.
But it only lasted for a second, and then Jonouchi's turn arrived. It was to be the last, and everyone watching knew it. His opponent's life points were almost nil, Jonouchi had three powerful monsters and face-down spells to defend them, and he was superior skill wise to the point that even if he lost all that, he could still win.
The other duelist was aggravated and disappointed, but impressed, and asked Jonouchi for tips after the game instead of skulking off in shame. Kaiba made his way downstairs very briskly, determined to get to Jonouchi before anyone else so he could whisk him away. Luckily, Jonouchi didn't get swarmed by fans, and it only took a few seconds of Kaiba's best and most patient behavior for the players casually speaking to Jonouchi to disperse. Kaiba stepped in immediately.
"I'm glad to see you've only improved with time," Kaiba noted as way of greeting, meeting Jonouchi's eyes as he spoke. He realized his voice was a bit quiet. Admittedly, he was a little nervous that something he said would set Jonouchi off, but he tried not to let it show. "I don't think the other players in this region are ready for someone on the professional level."
He said that in favor of Jonouchi, but it could be bad for the championship. People liked to watch tense, high-skill matches, not a bunch of newbies getting crushed by a single contestant. Then again, Jonouchi was only the regional victor-there would be other low (and high, hopefully) skilled players from other regions when the championship happened.
""Everyone starts somewhere," Jonouchi remarked with a small smile, "I still had fun playing, even if it wasn't high stake. Besides, I'm sure the National Championship will be much different."
"Maybe," Kaiba nodded, "Since it'll be a competition between the best of each region. There's no date set for the championship yet, though."
He wondered briefly if Jonouchi had caught wind of anything, but didn't think too much about it. Jonouchi would probably be more obvious if he knew Kaiba was already preparing for the championship. He was the only official venue for Duel Monster's tournaments that could get away with not setting a date and location at the beginning of a season, and he enjoyed it immensely.
"Enough about that, though. What about now?" Kaiba queried. "You're the regional champion. Don't you want to celebrate?"
"Are you asking me to go out with you?" asked Jonouchi. He bit his thumb, his eyes trailing away towards the stadium, "I mean, I don't have any plans for tonight..."
"Well, now that I know you don't have any plans, then I'm definitely asking you to go out with me," Kaiba replied, unable to stop the small smile that crossed his face. He tried to brush it off by gazing at the ground for a moment. He couldn't school his expression while he was looking at Jonouchi. "Anything you want. My treat."
"I don't know what I want," Jonouchi chuckled, scratching the back of his head in that goofy manner of his before he crossed his arms and thought out loud, "I haven't really been out for a while, and I have no idea what kind of food I want tonight. Give me an idea. What are you willing to eat, Kaiba?"
Jonouchi hadn't been out? That was a strange thought. But Kaiba knew better than to ask about it just now, so he didn't dwell.
"You haven't steered me wrong so far," Kaiba shrugged, "Hell, you got me to eat tacos. I'll pay for upscale if you want it, and I won't complain about junk food if you just want to find something on the street. Or both, if you think your stomach can handle it."
"I don't think I could handle both," answered Jonouchi with a laugh. "How about some burgers and then we go to the bar? I want to drink."
That seemed like a reasonable option. Inexpensive, probably because Jonouchi didn't really want Kaiba spending money on him, and unfussy. Kaiba wondered vaguely what he'd decide to eat, just because hamburgers tended to be so greasy, but Jonouchi looked so pleased with his answer, he didn't fret over it for long.
"Are you going to drive me in one of your fancy cars?" asked Jonouchi with a smirk, bumping Kaiba with his elbow to get his undivided attention.
"Of course. What's VIP treatment without a fancy ride?" Kaiba smirked, gesturing toward the exit of the building. People were bustling to get to the dueling field next, and Kaiba didn't see a reason to stay around since they knew where they were going.
"Where should we go for burgers?" Kaiba asked once they were both properly seated in his car.
"Five Guys is good and they're all over the place," Jonouchi replied with certainty, "Just drive and I'll give you directions to one near here."
It was a short trip. Jonouchi was out of the car and trotting to the building almost before Kaiba had the engine turned off. He'd never been inside this particular restaurant before, but it smelled good outside the doors.
He didn't know what to think when he walked in. It had an American 50's diner vibe, which seemed to be very trendy in the States, but the music was too loud for his liking. He didn't totally understand why there were bags of Idaho potatoes stacked in the entryway of the store, or why on the side of the aluminum bars containing them there were self-serving bulk peanuts. Jonouchi was already scooping some into a cardboard boat for the purpose. There were soft drink dispensers off to one side, and the place where the burger frying happened was visible from any part of the restaurant.
Kaiba wasn't sure what they were going for. Jonouchi offered him a peanut, looking overjoyed that they were available, but Kaiba declined. He was planning to take a chance on ordering from a new place, so there was no reason to ruin his appetite with nuts.
He ordered a basic burger with fries for himself, and Jonouchi asked for a double bacon cheeseburger with everything on it, and fries. Kaiba was used to this kind of thing by now, and didn't take note of it until the food was delivered to them and he saw both the generous burgers and heaping orders of fries. The bottom of the bag was wet.
"If you don't look, it's less painful to eat," Jonouchi teased, "don't make me eat this entire bag by myself."
"Foiled again," Kaiba snorted in mock disappointment. He had definitely been thinking about getting Jonouchi to top off his portion, but Jonouchi had grown wise to his tricks after the time they'd spent together, it seemed. "It smells good. I'm just worried it won't feel good."
"It'll feel fine if you'd stop eating like a rabbit everyday," snarked Jonouchi. "A little junk food won't kill you, as long as you don't make it a habit. You need to relax and enjoy your food for once instead of just eating so you don't fall over and die."
"I appreciate your patient attempts to re-educate me," Kaiba snickered, finally grabbing a potato fry, "But it might take a little while to work."
He'd been very well programmed for a considerable amount of time. It wasn't a good reason, but it was his reality. His humor fell slightly as he actually tried the food. It was pleasant. He deliberately steered his thoughts away from the grease making a mess of his burger bun and the salt on the fries and concentrated on the fact that the taste made him feel good.
Jonouchi seemed a little satisfied when Kaiba ate without further complaint, if slowly.
"So, did you come to the tournament to watch me play?" inquired Jonouchi. "You didn't say anything last time I saw you about going to the regional championships. I was honestly surprised to find you sitting in the stadium, when I thought for sure you wouldn't be interested in such a small competition."
"Of course I came to watch you play," Kaiba stated, "Why wouldn't I? I didn't say anything because I thought my attendance would be assumed. And if not, I like to surprise people, so either way it seemed better not to bring attention to my plan.
"I normally would ignore anything lower than nationals, but it is the deciding tournament for who of this region competes in the championship, and I wanted to watch you win."
"Hmm..." Jonouchi glanced down at his burger before taking a bite. He was silent, his eyebrows wrinkling a little in thought before he stuffed a handful of fries into his mouth. "Yugi's going to come back to town to watch the National Championship, I'm sure of it. He'll want to know who he'll be facing in the International Duelists Tournament. Playing for Japan, of course," Jonouchi huffed. "Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be meeting him head on!"
"You will," Kaiba responded simply before realizing his confidence might make Jonouchi uncomfortable. "You'd better, anyway. I'll be hosting the international circuit, and I'll be damned if I have to include some amateur instead of you."
"Not everyone here is an amateur," Jonouchi stressed as he rolled his eyes, "There are some good players in this country. I mean hell, Duel Monsters started in the United States. It belongs to the Americans, you know?
It just so happened that Mutou Yugi, the most genius of all players, happened to be born Japanese.
"It's not that I assume all Americans are amateurs," Kaiba chuckled, "I know better than that. I mean that tournaments of this scale are newer here than in Japan. Here, there was one national tournament before Yugi got on the scene. In Japan, I was able to shut down an entire city to allow for tournament preliminaries. There's a difference in hype.
"Because of that, it would negatively affect the game if at least some prior victors weren't involved. Games die on a commercial level when all the pros leave at once. So if nothing else, it's best for my business if you make it to the championship."
He paused and watched Jonouchi to see if he followed. It seemed like he didn't completely, but he got the gist. Kaiba inhaled and continued.
"From a personal standpoint, I feel like it would be wrong if no prior champions like you or Yugi made an appearance. I know that's because I like things to be same and familiar, but that's how I feel about it.
"That, and I've been watching the rosters. You're going to make it into the nationals, Jonouchi."
Tasting the bitterness of the beer, Kaiba peered down at Jonouchi before shaking his head. He was already drunk. Kaiba had covered the tab for the bar. Jonouchi was less reserved about taking advantage of that than food, so he tore through shots and novelty drinks like he didn't have to walk home that night. Which he didn't, assuming he didn't have qualms with Kaiba driving him. But considering they'd shared the bed when Kaiba showed up to apologize, he doubted there would be any contention.
He drank more sparingly. He needed to be able to drive, and one of them had to keep up with Jonouchi. He was in high spirits, but didn't seem willing or able to concentrate on one thing for more than a few seconds. Their conversation's topic changed rapidly. Kaiba mainly found it amusing, but he was starting to wonder just at what point was too much for Jonouchi and how he would be able to tell.
"I don't know how you can have such low tolerance, but high capacity to store alcohol in your body," Kaiba remarked, quirking an eyebrow.
"I don't have a low tolerance," sputtered Jonouchi as he laughed, "you don't see me all red in the face like the Chinese, Kaiba. I'm fine. I can drink like a real man!"
He was going in and out of English, Jonouchi's words beginning to slur as he drank his bottle of beer. It was better that way. Kaiba didn't want him chugging down anymore hard alcohol, so he started buying him Sapporo instead. If Jonouchi was upset about it, he didn't mention it.
"Do you think you'll need time to recover before the Nationals?" asked Kaiba, still nursing his second drink. He was in a good mood, so there was no real reason to drink heavily, and he wasn't trying at all to party. Kaiba wasn't a binge drinker at heart, really. He did realize he'd taken it up after things with Jonouchi got out of control, though. But that was a train of thought for another time.
"It's not like it's gonna happen tomorrow first thing." Jonouchi snorted before playing with the condensation on the bar counter top. "Besides, I've done this shit probably way more than you have. This is my usual thing. I can hold a lot in me before I get sick."
"I meant more whether or not you were going to burn out if you put your nose right back to the grindstone after the regional finals," Kaiba snorted. "I'm not foolish enough to doubt your drinking ability. Last time I did that, I ended up singing karaoke."
Never again.
"Do you always test yourself to see how drunk you can get?" Kaiba queried, though his real question was whether or not Jonouchi was binging to sickness frequently. And if so, why? He could understand here and there, but there was no reason for both of them to have been gambling with their livers.
"Sometimes," Jonouchi smiled, "when I'm with friends." He winked at that. His cheeks were all rosy and his lips were dark from sucking the bottle. "I'll be ready to get back to practicing once this weekend is over. I want to take a small break, but after that, I'm gonna start going hard and really making waves. I want all the other competitors to know who I am before I even make it to the stage!"
"You already made an impression by winning this tournament," Kaiba nodded, "so I'm sure your reputation will precede you when the nationals start. Maybe they'll start running when they see you, like they did Yugi back in the day."
"Doubtful," chuckled Jonouchi as he shook his beer bottle in his hand, "I might be good, but I'm still no Mutou Yugi."
"The National Championship will be the judge of that," Kaiba sniffed, "besides, it probably helped Yugi's case that people had heard he had Exodia."
And that Yugi had beaten Kaiba, who up until that time didn't even have to pay much attention to his opponents to win a match. He wasn't angry about that loss anymore, though, and it all happened so long ago, too, Kaiba no longer felt humiliated about it, either. At the time, Kaiba's humiliation had stemmed from his own overestimation of his intelligence. He was leaps and bounds ahead of other people in many ways, of course, but he wasn't infallible. Back then, he'd assumed he was, and in Duel Monsters, there hadn't been anyone around to prove him wrong until Yugi appeared.
"You realize that bottle you're drinking from is empty, right?" Kaiba asked amusedly as he noticed Jonouchi swirling it as if it had liquid inside.
"I know I shouldn't drink anymore," Jonouchi laughed, "so I'm going to pretend it's still full. Just leave me alone to my happiness, why you gotta break things up with reality?" Jonouchi tried to stand, shaky and grabbing the counter as a crutch before putting both hands on his hips.
"I'm ready to be escorted home!" he announced loudly.
"Heh," Kaiba snorted as he stood, but he spoke at normal volume after he paid the tab. "As you wish. Do you need assistance finding the car?"
"I don't think so."
Jonouchi turned towards the exit, not even waiting for Kaiba to join him before he started taking off, saying loudly, "it's the overpriced sport's car you paid too much money for, right?"
A man at a table was chuckling. Kaiba just rolled his eyes. Maybe he was used to seeing this sort of thing now.
"I don't pay too much money for things," Kaiba muttered in defense of himself, but he realized soon after starting to speak that he didn't want Jonouchi to hear that. It didn't seem like he did-his half-shambling step never faltered.
They not only made it to the car, but to Jonouchi's apartment in safety. Kaiba had to help Jonouchi getting up the stairs, but once there, he was capable of unlocking the door himself and even navigating into the kitchen to get a can of cat food. Kaiba slipped off his shoes and locked the door behind him. If it was presumptuous to do so, Jonouchi wouldn't be shy about telling him.
Jonouchi looked like he was trying to set up the bed, but he was too drunk to work it out. He eventually stared at Kaiba with a definite pout, so Kaiba obeyed the unspoken demand and helped with getting the bed ready. He wasn't sure if he'd be granted a place in it until Jonouchi stripped down to his boxers and fell in, sighing after his back hit the mattress.
He rolled over before pressing Kaiba's leg with his left toe. "Let me see you in your underwear," he teased before fluttering his eyelashes. "Strip for me."
Kaiba was stunned into silence at first, and watched Jonouchi to see if he was joking, but he wasn't. He was in good humor, but not joking. Kaiba felt slightly panicked for a moment, thinking that he had no idea how to do a strip tease, and was concerned about making a fool of himself. Then he remembered doing karaoke with Jonouchi and reminded himself that he was capable of many things he'd never tried before.
So he stepped back and undressed himself not like someone who was trying to get undressed, but like someone who was wholly unpreoccupied with getting undressed but whose body was continuing to do it anyway. He had the thought that something like this was better done with sexy underwear, but he brushed that off. He didn't plan to do anything like that in the future, even if he could.
As he walked back toward the bed, still in his underwear and looking curious, he met Jonouchi's eyes.
"So long as I'm taking requests," he began in a low voice, "would you like anything else?"
"I don't know." Jonouchi broke into a fit of giggles before climbing under the sheets and hiding under there. His cat came trotting over, sitting near his legs.
"Ugh, you're giving me too many options right now," laughed Jonouchi, his voice muted from having half his face covered by the bed sheet, "is there anything right now you want to do while I'm here with you?"
"Plenty," Kaiba replied a bit absently. He was looking at Jonouchi's half-hidden face, his closed eyes, his body half-curled under the sheets. He looked at the cat that was already aware of what was going to happen. He sighed and sat down on the empty side of the bed, pulling the sheets back.
"Let's go to sleep for now," he suggested, "you'll still be with me in the morning."
"But it won't be the same."
Jonouchi moved up towards him, laying by Kaiba's side. He touched his hair before breaking into a dumb smile, his teeth showing before reaching over and licking Kaiba on the tip of his nose.
"I hope you weren't expecting a kiss!"
"That's exactly what I was expecting, and you knew it," Kaiba grumbled in malcontent that was only half joking and flicked Jonouchi's nose. "If you aren't going to feel like licking my face in the morning, I think it'll be an improvement."
"I won't," Jonouchi snickered, "I'll probably feel like throwing up, actually. But I'll live."
He kicked Kaiba playfully before shutting his eyes. "Thanks for taking me out. It was nice."
"It was," Kaiba agreed. A small smirk crossed his face. "Maybe I'll take you to breakfast, too, since you're planning to lose your dinner."
"Oh, I don't even want to think about eating right now," bemoaned Jonouchi. "Pet my hair, so I can fall asleep."
"Pet your…?" Kaiba began, but before he could be fully incredulous, he realized he didn't really mind. Hell, the idea even sounded enjoyable. He obliged, which didn't appear to surprise Jonouchi at all. Kaiba tried and probably failed to avoid being on the sensual side, but what mattered to Jonouchi were the fingers in his hair running over his scalp. It didn't take long for his breathing to nearly match the slow rhythm of Kaiba's finger-combing.
He watched Jonouchi fall asleep, or watched him until he assumed he was asleep. After that point, he couldn't really stay awake himself, and transitioned into half-consciousness with his hand resting on Jonouchi's face. For a split second, he tried to wonder what on earth had gotten into Jonouchi, and why he hadn't capitalized on the chance to make that thing himself, but Kaiba decided to just stop caring about it until morning.