Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Thanks! I always wonder what Kaiba would have been like if he had been raised more normally. I tried to show some of that here.
Also readers, shout out for Kitty-Guardian. If you aren't reading Endearment and Enmity, you should be!
Chapter 50, Piece 14 * * * * * * * *
"Jou?" Yugi peeked into the guest room to find it his friend sitting on the bare floor. "What's wrong? We're ready to go."
"My sketch pad's gone."
"On the bus, maybe?"
Jou shook his head. "I had it last night. The composite is almost finished."
"Did you look..." Yugi's voice faded as he realized that in the traditional-style room there was no furniture to look under. "Maybe the maid?"
"Checked. They took the trash to the dump this morning. Paper goes in an incinerator. If she took it Yug, it's gone."
"Jou -"
"Almost two years. I been workin' on that thing since I saw the tablet in Egypt. Wanna hear the killer?" Jou didn't wait for his friend's response. "I finally got an appointment with Industrial Illusions. One of their guys was at the career fair. I finally got an interview with the art department. Next week."
"But you have other-"
"Nothing that good! This dragon project, it was my best, Yug, the best thing I'll ever do."
"So you can re-do it."
"No, I can't." Jou shook his head. "And even if I could, I won't have it ready for next week. That was my shot. That sketch was my shot and I lost it."
"Maybe Kaiba-sempai saw it." Yugi said. "He had to leave, but -"
"Damn straight he had to leave!" Jou huffed. "Asshole."
"What did he say this time?" Yugi frowned. "I thought he'd stopped with all the 'dog' comments."
"Not what he said, what he did."
"What did he do?"
A warm shiver passed through Jou's body as he remembered the moment he woke, the erotic feeling of a warm body pressed against his own - before he realized it wasn't just a particularly good wet dream. What did Kaiba do?
"Nothing I wanna discuss." Jou changed the subject. "So, you and Ryou?"
Yugi turned bright pink.