Chapter Three

Two Weeks Later

The best time to work always came at night. Kaiba Seto knew this, and that was why he always reserved a portion of his night to work alone, shutting his brother out by midnight and going until two in the morning. It wasn't like he didn't enjoy Mokuba's companionship, but it was much easier doing things without the distraction. The younger Kaiba wasn't as able to keep himself busy with the finer details like Seto could, and usually he lost interest trying to work after a few hours of shadowing his older brother.

This was fine. Kaiba needed the quiet.

He managed to get invited to a rival company's tech show convention and its after party at the Kaiba Hotel. Naturally, Kaiba wasn't very comfortable about his own hotel hosting a function for a competitor he did not get along with, but since the event was already confirmed, he would attend if only because he saw no reason in being impolite. It might turn into a solid opportunity to sabotage.

Not like the times he had before, but Kaiba knew his technology was better. His company hadn't revealed what they had in store yet, and as soon as Kaiba Corporation's show was underway, it would blast their competitor out of the water. He just had to keep calm and look unmoved by the whole dog and pony show until fall arrived.

Then his chance would come.

Kaiba's shows were always the best, anyway, and he wasn't worried about winning the market's favor. He just didn't like being patient about it while everyone else around him boasted about what they had in development. Kaiba knew better than to take the bait, though. He kept his mouth shut, and he always made his annual shows a surprise.

No one would know what he had in store for them.

Now it was just a game of cat and mouse. Let the mouse squeak and make a show of itself; Kaiba knew his chance to silence it would come soon enough, maybe even for good. His competitor's new concept Duel Disks, despite being far more lightweight and economical, was of lesser quality and did not have the capability to make the monsters feel real. They lacked that extra touch offered by the Solid Vision hardware Kaiba modified into his new inventions. Technology that created the feel of a real creature: from the smell and heat down to the simple mechanics of their movement. No one else could copy that, and although many had tried, everyone lacked the ability to reverse-engineer his invention.

It was just too complex.

Kaiba just had to pick up his suit in the morning. He wasn't going to bring a date to the function; everyone knew he wasn't in a relationship, and trying to save face would not win him supporters. Far too confident and proud for that, he'd go alone. His own brother said he wouldn't be there for the actual show, but would probably come late to the dinner with a friend.

No matter.

The next day, Kaiba picked up his black pinstripe Gucci suit and got it on an hour before he was due to arrive to make sure the alterations were still good. If not, he'd wear something else, but Kaiba preferred to make an entrance. Try to steal some of the limelight away. But even after putting on the cool blue dress shirt and Rolex watch, he still didn't feel all that excited about the show.

People would be everywhere. Maybe even some of his fans. That was always a mild annoyance, since Kaiba no longer dueled, and some television newscaster was going to ask that inevitable question: "When are you planning on getting back into the dueling scene?" And he'd have to answer with a 'never' and skip off before anything else could be said.

It wasn't like he even showed interest in playing after high school. He gave it up—for good. Putting on his sunglasses and getting into the backseat of his Bentley, Kaiba wished that he could make that fact clear, but to his frustration, no one was going to believe him until he stopped producing Duel tech.

Mokuba promised to be at the dinner on time. The show at the convention center was nothing to write home about. The "new" products being shown had all been predictable, and Kaiba could feel himself falling asleep in his VIP seating, unable to keep himself interested while the self-important CEO droned on and on over his inspiration. It just looked like another thing Apple was going to sue them over, in Kaiba's opinion, and tuning out completely after the first half, he'd actually wished Mokuba was there to keep him from zoning out.

The woman next to him certainly didn't help, and she seemed almost offended each time Kaiba sighed and closed his eyes. He wanted to snap at her and tell her to mind her own damn business, but thankfully the show ended before he could. Everyone was quick to leave their seats, and he got to his limo rather briskly, shutting the door and waiting to arrive at the hotel.

From there, he could stay overnight in the executive suite. He didn't allow his "guest" that luxury—not his own private penthouse home away from home. Grinning over that fact, Kaiba felt a bit better about having to deal with him. There were very few businessmen he got along with, and Europeans were the worst. They had a way of completely wasting his time with their self-importance, and Kaiba found it incredulous that they had the nerve to insult his fellow Japanese and even the Americans...

At least the Americans were enthusiastic about working with him. They did whatever they could to accommodate him and even went so far as to treat his brother and spoil him. Sure, it was ass-kissing, and Kaiba was well aware that they were just trying to win his favor through gestures of kindness, but it worked a little.

The Japanese were good at meeting deadlines and didn't waste his time with bullshit. They spoke his language, after all, and even if they did backhanded crap sometimes, well, Kaiba couldn't lie and say he didn't use the same tactics. It was a familiar world for him.

But damn, the Europeans...

Getting out of the limo, Kaiba was glad to still have his sunglasses on, as cameras started flashing in his face. He didn't even try posing for them, just readjusting his frames and walking down to the main entrance, looking back briefly to catch Isono following. The trusty bodyguard went nearly everywhere with him when he left the house or office, and once they were shoulder to shoulder, Kaiba allowed himself to be ushered into the ballroom.

That was when he finally took off his glasses, and he was surprised to find Mokuba already there along with a familiar face. Kaiba couldn't lie and say he wasn't annoyed to see the stray dog following after him. He didn't quite understand why the Germans would invite him, either, but... It didn't matter. As long as the bumbling idiot left him alone, Kaiba's cool could remain, and he'd mingle for the two-odd hours he was required to stay before he could disappear to his room...

Jonouchi was about as impressed with the social gathering as Kaiba was, if that. He was beginning to wonder what had made Mokuba invite him. Maybe he'd wanted a break from the sea of stuck-up businessmen and passive-aggressive competitors. Not that the kid wasn't smart enough to deal with it, but Jonouchi imagined that having a friendly face around was nice.

That said, he was annoyed by how hard Mokuba seemed to be trying to keep him from talking to people. Jonouchi ended up seated on a bench that was shoved up against a corner wall. It was probably intended for more private conversations or as a resting place if one was too drunk to function any longer. Which was entirely possible, since everyone in the place was ingesting alcohol like there was no tomorrow. Probably to make things more interesting.

Jonouchi leaned against the convenient but extremely uncomfortable arm of the bench. He was bored. That might not be such a problem if he could get away with drinking, but he'd had to provide ID at the entrance. That probably wouldn't have stopped him, if not for the sunglass-covered eyes of Kaiba's men in black stationed all around the room. He couldn't see their gazes, but Jonouchi had encountered enough police and security to know that they were always on the lookout. Always waiting for misdemeanors to happen.

So he sat on the bench like a well-behaved child that had been dragged to a grown-up party with their parents. Or, in this case, Mokuba. Where was he, anyway? And his brother? Neither of them seemed to be around, but it was possible that Jonouchi just couldn't see them through the crowd.

Tch. What was he saying? Kaiba was so tall, he was impossible to miss. There weren't enough German businessmen in the place to hide him, and there was maybe one other Japanese man in the room who was about his height.

Jonouchi began tapping his heel against the floor impatiently. He wanted to get up and find Mokuba instead of waiting there for whenever the kid felt like taking a break from the party. Jonouchi had the idea to just leave, but something stopped him. He'd probably feel bad for it later, if he did. He'd just have to wait for Mokuba to return and talk to him about ditching him in a corner.

When Mokuba did finally appear in Jonouchi's vision, it was all Jonouchi could do to not jump up and approach him. He managed to contain himself and wait until they inevitably made eye contact. When they did, Mokuba smiled at him and walked over.

"Sorry, I got called away by some associates."

"'Associates'?" Jonouchi snorted. Funny word for a fourteen-year-old to use for a bunch of stuck-up and half-drunk adults he barely knew. It was like business came to the Kaiba brothers naturally.

"I've been here waiting for you, ya little jerk. It's boring over here," Jonouchi sighed, making an expression of faux tragedy.

"I'd get you something to drink, but I'm pretty sure my brother would bust my ass if I tried," said Mokuba, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "He doesn't think it's okay for me to try to get away with stuff like that, even if I can..."

Certainly not at the Kaiba Hotel, where the staff all knew who he was and would have their jobs on the line if Kaiba found out his brother was served alcohol illegally. It was unfortunate for Jonouchi, who was just under the age limit and had to sit out on the fun because of it.

"If you want, I'll have more food sent over."

"You mean those little toothpick-stabbed olives?" Jonouchi laughed. "That's not really 'food,' kid. If anything, it just makes it worse. No wonder rich people are so damn skinny. You guys wouldn't know party snacks if someone force-fed them to you."

Couldn't they have just ordered some rice balls? Most people liked rice balls. But he supposed it wasn't "refined," or whatever bullshit these people liked to call everything they did. Jonouchi felt distinctly out of his element. Maybe he was thus far unnoticed for the most part, but he knew he stuck out like a sore thumb. Probably the only reason no one had accosted him yet was because they thought he was staff.

"There is a huge sushi platter near the bar, you monkey," snorted Mokuba, "And normal, traditional small bites are fine—it just means you can't stuff your face full like usual."

"Man..." Jonouchi sighed, but he stood to go to the sushi bar anyway. Some rolled seaweed with rice and fish would at least appease his hunger a little better than the alternatives. And he could sneak it into the corner so no one would notice his lower-class eating habits.

"Where's Kaiba, anyway?" Jonouchi asked, realizing that he still hadn't caught sight of him. He craned his neck and looked around the room. "Is he ditching his own party?"

He started grabbing sushi to put on a plate. There wasn't that much at the bar. Probably enough for people to graze, but it definitely wasn't a meal's worth. Jonouchi had been half-hoping that he could mooch enough food at the party not to need dinner. It would have saved him some money.

"Nii-sama is probably hiding somewhere drinking away his mood," laughed Mokuba, picking up a sushi roll and stuffing the entire thing into his mouth shamelessly, "I wouldn't go poking at him here, if I were you; he's always more testy at social gatherings...

"And don't worry about dinner, I got you a hotel room here so you wouldn't have to go home late, and you can order room service if you want."

"I don't want to 'poke at him,'" Jonouchi grimaced, leading the way back to his little corner, "but thanks for the offer. I'm not gonna complain about free room and board for the night."

Especially if it meant free food and avoiding the thug activity in his neighborhood. The prostitute who lived next door had warned him that there was some other gang that had been getting under Rintama's skin, and there might be a fight that night. Jonouchi didn't know how high the chances of that were, but he didn't want to be caught between the new local gang and some assholes from the next city over trying to fuck someone's shit up.

He gazed around the room, watching people socialize now that he had some food and company. Everyone was dressed so well that it was making Jonouchi embarrassed. The black slacks and button-up that Mokuba had provided for him was probably the nicest thing he'd ever worn, but he was hardly dressed as well as everyone else. The people at this party looked like something out of a movie, and it was even worse when he recognized a couple of them.

Sigfried Schroeder, for starters. That guy was like a less successful and even more self-entitled version of Kaiba. Of course, Kaiba probably would have turned out just as rotten if it wasn't for the little dose of tragedy in his past. Schroeder had always had things easy, despite some family pressure.

At least he'd dumped that pink pinstripe suit. Hopefully in the trash. Instead, Schroeder was wearing a dark navy suit that better complemented his light strawberry blond hair. It was styled less strangely than it had been during the Grand Prix, but it was still long as hell. He looked like someone out of a German metal band had put on a suit and tried to pass as a business professional.

Jonouchi observed with interest as Schroeder started meandering his way across the room. Mokuba was watching, too—probably for lack of anything better to do—and both of them kept rapt attention. Especially when they discovered that Schroeder's destination was the opposite corner of the room, where Kaiba had apparently hidden himself away. As if he could disappear. Everyone in that room was probably just waiting for a chance to kiss his ass.

Things got interesting when Kaiba's chestnut hair appeared above the heads of those in attendance. He and Schroeder were exactly the same height, and while Jonouchi couldn't see Schroeder's face, judging by the pointed glare and expression of disgust Kaiba directed at the other businessman, he Schroeder probably looked pretty offended. Jonouchi saw Kaiba's mouth moving rapidly but in strange shapes—he must have been speaking German. Schroeder's posture got increasingly tenser and a little timid by the time Kaiba brought his glass of expensive sake to his lips and sat back down, still glaring as if he'd been personally affronted.

Well, what had Schroeder expected? It wasn't as if their first meeting had been pleasant.

"I almost feel bad for that guy," Jonouchi smirked in an entirely unsympathetic way as he ate his sushi. Mokuba snickered beside him. "He should know that Kaiba's never gonna forgive him for what he did. He's lucky he agreed to see him at all..."

From what Jonouchi had heard people in the room saying, Schroeder was trying to become a distributor for Kaiba Corporation. Jonouchi could only assume that meant Schroeder wanted to sell Duel Disks, but he doubted that would happen. Kaiba jealously guarded his patent brand, but Jonouchi supposed that made sense. If another company started building them for Kaiba Corporation, it would make the originals far less prestigious against the knock off brands, wouldn't it? Everyone wanted a Kaiba Corporation original Duel Disk.

Jonouchi shook his head, chuckling quietly. It was fun watching Kaiba get short with people who weren't him. Returning to scanning the room for other familiar faces, Jonouchi thought, but wasn't quite sure, that he'd caught sight of that guy from the other day. The one that Kaiba had kicked out. Jonouchi really didn't want to deal with that creep right now, and he was hopeful that the corner Mokuba had hidden him in would keep him safe.

"Are you all right?" asked Mokuba, "Did Nii-sama spot you here?"

Mokuba was laughing, because his brother was drinking himself stupid in silence, as he usually did in social gatherings, and would soon disappear to sleep alone and wake up to a terrible hangover. Kaiba was a terrible drinker, and Mokuba knew this but said nothing about it. No one was watching how much sake the man was consuming by himself.

"N-no," Jonouchi found that his voice was off, and he shook his head. He wasn't going to turn into some mess just because he noticed the creep from before. If he had to talk to the guy, he didn't have to be friendly. "It's that guy your brother kicked out of his office before. The one who was saying weird shit to me, remember?"

Ugh. Not that he hadn't been hit on by older men before, but Jonouchi hadn't really noticed until recently, and even then they at least had good manners. Subtlety. Class. They didn't just throw some blatant compliments and lewd suggestions at him. Most people were too decent to do things like that with strangers, anyway. Then again, the creep seemed to be at least part American. The texture of his hair, the shape of his face, and the broadness of his torso made it obvious that he was foreign. If he'd lived in America, that would explained his terrible game...

Jonouchi kept his eyes on the foreigner, hoping he wouldn't be noticed. Then again, if the man did happen to notice him, making eye contact would probably be bad. Jonouchi had learned that by chance at a couple of clubs he'd been to in the past.

So he averted his gaze, looking at Mokuba instead of the crowd. He'd originally been searching around for familiar faces, since it seemed like every other person he knew was either rich or famous, but it wasn't worth risking a confrontation.

"Do you think Otogi is here?" Jonouchi asked. That businessman claimed to represent him, after all. Perhaps Otogi himself had actually attended this time around.

"I think so. He was looking around for Nii-sama earlier, if that was him with the ponytail. I don't know, I haven't really been paying attention to people, since I'd been getting flocked until I ran off to see you again."

If Otogi was anyone of importance in the gaming technology world, he'd be here. Somewhere. There were a lot of people, all dressed in blacks, greys, and blues, so maybe he was caught in the swarm. While Kaiba, antisocial as ever, enjoyed being swallowed up and forgotten, most did not.

"And if that loser tries talking to you again, well," continued Mokuba, flipping his hair with slight arrogance not unlike his older sibling, "just blow him off and say you're here with me."

Jonouchi raised an eyebrow, smiling at Mokuba in amusement. It was very obvious during their last encounter that the aforementioned "loser" had very little regard or respect for Mokuba, but maybe if the kid tried, he could pull something. Jonouchi knew Mokuba could be spiteful, especially if he was feeling angry or protective. That said, he had only rarely seen Mokuba pushed to that point.

"Thanks for being my wingman, Mokuba," Jonouchi snickered, "I should bring you places to protect me more often."

There was a slight gap in the power that Mokuba and Kaiba could hold over people. Mokuba, the notoriously bratty but no less intelligent one, had probably just as many strings to pull as his brother, but had less reputation due to his far higher reluctance to pull them. Conversely, if Kaiba told someone to back off, then they'd probably trip all over themselves trying to get out of his way while they apologized for inconveniencing him with their existence. Most people did, anyway. But Otogi's representative hadn't been affected that way at all. And Jonouchi usually wasn't, but he knew Kaiba as more than a celebrity CEO and card game champion.

As haughty as it sounded, he'd known Kaiba before he was cool.

"What's up with that guy, anyway?" Jonouchi asked, looking back at Mokuba. "I've never seen anyone stupid enough to disrespect Kaiba like that."

"He's American, for one," snorted Mokuba, rolling his eyes, "And he thinks he deserves a contract with Kaiba Corporation without having done anything to get it. I don't know. Nii-sama had security kick him out three times after what happened the last time you were around, and now they've blacklisted him from the building. If he wasn't on the guest list, he wouldn't be here..."

"Who put him on the guest list? I thought Kaiba would probably pick off anyone he didn't want to be bothered with," Jonouchi snorted, "I wonder what kind of idiot would do that. Kaiba's gonna get pissed if he notices him."

Assuming Kaiba wasn't too drunk to remember. Jonouchi caught glimpses of him once in a while, sitting in his corner and drinking. Where Kaiba was getting a refill, Jonouchi didn't know. He watched where he knew he'd be able to see Kaiba when there was a break in the crowd. The man was looking at those in attendance with an expression somewhere between irate and distressed on his face. Jonouchi stared at him for a few seconds curiously, but then their eyes met, Kaiba glared, and someone stepped in the way of his view.

"Well, you got in here, too, Jonouchi..."

"But I have a special ability to get into places Kaiba doesn't want me," Jonouchi grinned before scarfing the last of his sushi. He hadn't been invited to Battle City, either, had he? Yet, he'd been there right along with Yugi.

Watching the crowd, Jonouchi's hesitation about the businessman lurking around now disappeared. He did catch sight of Otogi, who was wearing a beige suit. Probably to stick out. He'd always been a little annoying about keeping up an image that could make an impression. Otogi was always a little annoying in general, really. At first meeting, he'd had Kaiba's arrogance without the track record to back him up.

Otogi stopped to chat with his partner. God, he was short in comparison. Jonouchi knew he was a little tall, so actually, Otogi was probably about average. Next to his American friend, however, he looked even smaller. Smaller in build as well as stature. That, and even next to Otogi, the other guy had such an overpowering presence.

They seemed to argue briefly about something before returning to regular conversation, and Jonouchi couldn't help but feel curious about it. Unfortunately, the two of them were some distance away, and the likelihood that he would ever find out what they'd said was low. Still, it was funny to see that the two of them couldn't tolerate each other civilly for more than a few seconds at a time. Otogi had an irritating personality, and the other one...well, he was a creep. A giant creep with a creepy way of looking at people and a creepy smirk to go with it. And since he seemed to be into men, it made Jonouchi wonder if the man ever made Otogi uncomfortable.

"You said you got me a room," Jonouchi blinked, removing himself from theorizing about other peoples' lives, "Do I need a key, or what?"

"If you go to the front desk, they'll have your key. It's a suite. Usually I stay there if Nii-sama isn't around, but since he is, I'm just gonna take over his room," smirked Mokuba, glancing at his brother before shaking his head, "I think he'll need it after tonight."

"Tch. Gonna help him drag his stupid drunk ass to bed?" Jonouchi muttered, remembering unpleasantly that he'd had to do the same on plenty of occasions for his father. "With how concerned he's been about his public image until now, I'm surprised he'd make a scene by getting drunk."

"No one in this country cares," snickered Mokuba, rolling his eyes for the second time that night, "And he doesn't even talk to anyone when he does. He'll just apologize when I come to collect him and sleep it off like he always does. He hardly makes a scene, not like how everyone else will in a few hours."

"Hmm," Jonouchi stretched. His legs felt cramped from sitting still too long, and he was feeling very restless from just sitting around and watching the party. He wished that he could drink. Maybe he'd try going out to buy something before he went up to his room...but no, that wouldn't work. Anywhere around that sold alcohol would require ID, and fakes were identifiable enough that he couldn't use one.

"I don't know how you stand these things," he sighed, "How long do these usually last?"

"Depends," answered Mokuba, "Until the drunks get too tired and need to sleep it off. So it usually ends around 2am, but I'm sure the hotel will be kicking people out around midnight, and the party will move on to nearby clubs. Usually there's some special after-after party somewhere else, you know?"

"Oh man," Jonouchi groaned, "Do you plan to sit it out for that long?"

Jonouchi didn't know if he had the patience. Watching everyone socialize and daydreaming about their lives and conversations were only so much entertainment. Eventually he wouldn't be able to preoccupy himself. Considering how often he caught sight of Otogi's friend, it was probably just a matter of time before he'd be recognized, too.

Jonouchi wasn't afraid of the guy, per se, but the last time they'd interacted, it hadn't been pleasant. He was probably in his early thirties at the oldest, and wasn't bad-looking, but he was disrespectful and had a way of looking at Jonouchi that he didn't like. Jonouchi was starting to understand how Anzu felt when he used to scheme ways to get a glimpse of her panties. Except he was pretty sure panties were more of a roadblock than a goal, in this case.

Jonouchi wasn't quite secure enough to examine that thought too much. Looking at other men was something he was still getting over. Not that he had to actively try to do it. More like he had to actively try not to stop himself from noticing. Men got his attention. Particularly one or two that he knew personally, but in cases like that, Jonouchi refused to acknowledge physical attraction. He could appreciate how someone looked without actually wanting to sleep with them, right? Kaiba, for instance. Jonouchi wasn't going to try to trick himself into thinking Kaiba wasn't attractive, but for fuck's sake. He'd die before he even admitted wanting to have sex with the man.

Jonouchi stared at things around the room: first at the artificial plants that were shoved into the corners of the room, and once their value was gone, his focus moved on to the wall-mounted lights in the room, the TV on the wall that was playing a rerun of some horserace in Tokyo, and then he stared at the expensive-as-fuck chandelier on the ceiling. Part of him hoped it would fall, so there would be a little more excitement.

He sighed and returned his attention to the people in the room. Everyone was a little more drunk than they had been twenty minutes ago. Not super drunk, since they were drinking some bullshit lite beer and what looked like white wine (and from tiny glasses, to boot). Still, people were getting tipsy. Smiling, laughing, trying to talk with each other even though half of the people there didn't understand the other half's language.

Everyone seemed a little more happy (aside from Kaiba, who was still sulking in a corner and looked like a shamed dog sitting in his kennel after getting in trouble). Jonouchi wondered if he'd be able to get away with wandering around the room and fucking with people, but no one was quite drunk enough.

Except maybe... Maybe Kaiba was drunk enough.

"Hey, I'll be back," Jonouchi grinned, leaving his seat to cross to the opposite side of the room. He had to find out what Kaiba was like drunk. Even if he was still an ass.

After he navigated his way through the crowd and stood before Kaiba, he grinned again, trying to be as friendly-looking as possible. It was more out of habit than anything, since he knew no amount of friendliness would improve Kaiba's mood. Might make it worse, even.

"What are you hiding over here for?" Jonouchi asked, sobering a little when Kaiba's only response to him was a frown. A slightly less hateful one than usual, even. Maybe he was just too drunk to hate. Ha, as if that would happen. He was probably just drunk enough to hate less.

"I dislike people. Clearly."

"Yeah, what else is new?" Jonouchi laughed.

Kaiba was off. His voice was more slurred than usual, and he spoke very slowly compared to his normal speed. It didn't seem like he was doing it out of drunkenness. It was more like he just didn't care enough to make the effort. "It makes sense for a guy like me to hide in a corner at a party like this, but you shouldn't be."

So Kaiba disliked people. It hadn't stopped him from trying to network in the past. Maybe he just didn't think there was anything he could get from the people at this particular party.

"It's not my party," Kaiba replied, rolling his eyes and swirling his drink, "I shouldn't have to entertain anyone. What do you want?"

Jonouchi stared at Kaiba for a few seconds, meeting his eyes stubbornly.

"What have I ever wanted from you, Kaiba?" he muttered. "If you haven't figured out that much, then you're either too pig-headed to function or not as smart as you think."

That didn't make him any less goddamn attractive. Even being drunk beyond reason wasn't enough to change that. Kaiba's face was more relaxed than usual, his lips a little darker from the stinging alcohol and pouting as he continued to glare pointedly.

"I just wanted to talk. But I'll stop trying since you're being as unfriendly as ever," Jonouchi sniffed, turning and weaving his way back through the crowd before he could hear Kaiba get a word in edgewise. Part of him wanted to stay and keep trying, but that had always been futile with Kaiba. Either Kaiba felt like wasting breath on someone, or he didn't. Usually he felt like it at either the best or worst times possible.

It seemed like everyone else was drunk now, or at least pretty damn tipsy. There was a lot more laughter happening than what seemed right for the stuffy people he'd been surrounded by just minutes ago. Jonouchi was trying to get a hold of Mokuba again so he could hopefully get out of there, and was almost back in his corner when he physically collided with someone.

He supposed it was only a matter of time before avoiding would be impossible. Jonouchi knew his luck was strange, always running out when he needed it the most. In this instance, he it had apparently depleted, because otherwise he wouldn't have crashed straight into the creep like he had, almost stumbling over from the impact. Jonouchi would have blamed his own clumsiness if it weren't for the fact that he was the one who'd been on the receiving end of the collision.

Once they'd both recovered, Jonouchi faced the assailant with a horror-struck expression on his face. He didn't speak, hoping he wouldn't be recognized, but Jonouchi could see in the man's eyes that such was not the case.

"Fancy meeting you here," the businessman smiled, and the expression surprisingly reached his eyes. Unlike before, when it had seemed more cold than anything.

"I gotta go-" Jonouchi started to stammer, but was cut off.

"I never did get your name, the last time we talked," the man stated, looking almost apologetic. Jonouchi was a little taken aback. Was the guy acting nicer because he was tipsy?

"Well, I don't remember yours," Jonouchi admitted, glancing around the room briefly. Dammit, where was Mokuba?

"That's fair enough, I suppose," laughed the other man. Jonouchi had expected him to be offended, in all honesty. "Allow me to re-introduce myself. Kitamura Noeru."

"Jonouchi," he replied, still refusing to look him in the eye for appearing to be busy instead. Considering "Kitamura's" social status, Jonouchi probably should have bowed, but he didn't care. "Nice meeting you again and everything, but I need to go..."

His eyes drifted to Kaiba's corner, and he caught a glimpse of two sharp blue eyes glaring at him. Kaiba had the most disapproving look he'd ever seen. Especially since he usually didn't care enough about anything to disapprove. Only brazenly hate.

"Where to?" Kitamura raised an eyebrow, looking interested. "It's a little early to look for clubs, isn't it?"

"I'm not going clubbing," Jonouchi started to actually pay attention to the conversation. He could still catch sight of Kaiba here and there, staring at him. So now he was worth the attention? Whatever. If it pissed Kaiba off, it was worth fucking around with Kitamura for a moment or two before Jonouchi escaped to his room. "I have a suite here for the night, actually."

"Oh? How did you swing that?"

"What?"

"I mean, how did you get a room?" Kitamura corrected his strange application of slang. Jonouchi shrugged, deciding not to mention that Mokuba had hooked him up. That was his own business, anyway.

"It was good luck, I guess. But yeah, I don't really want to stay here any longer. If I can't get drunk like everyone else, then I'm going upstairs."

Jonouchi's face fell a little when he saw wheels turning in Kitamura's head. He'd probably said too much. His own fault for not focusing enough, trying to find Mokuba. Where the hell did that kid have to go that was so interesting, anyway? He couldn't be having that much conversation with a bunch of drunken adults.

"I think we could both have a decent evening if we combine our resources," Kitamura offered, a small smile crossing his face. Jonouchi observed him suspiciously. "You want alcohol, and I want somewhere to spend a few hours while I sober up."

"So, what are you saying?" Jonouchi intentionally avoided the subject. He knew what was coming, and he still wasn't quite comfortable with it. Kitamura wasn't directly hitting on him, per se, but Jonouchi wasn't stupid. And Kitamura was doing it with a much less friendly expression on his face that moment, too.

"I'm saying..." Kitamura laughed. He didn't have a bad laugh. It wasn't as condescending as Jonouchi might have expected, plus he had a fairly deep voice. "I'm saying that I'd like to spend some time in your hotel room hanging out, if that's all right. In return, I'll bring you some alcohol, since you seem sore about not getting any."

"Well-" Jonouchi couldn't believe he was actually thinking it over. He should have just said no. This was like every stupid thing he'd ever heard about people doing. Like every stupid thing he'd sometimes helped along, back when he ran with the Rintama gang.

His eyes wandered past Kitamura's right shoulder, and Jonouchi was surprised to see Otogi standing not too far back. He looked more than disapproving. He looked like he was in disbelief, or even disgusted. Like he had any right to be. Otogi had never been shy about the fact that he went both ways. Jonouchi felt a little insulted, really. Otogi and Kaiba both, staring at him like they couldn't believe what he was doing. So what if he let some rich queer pick him up? It was his decision, wasn't it? And it wasn't like he was an unattractive man himself—it made sense that some businessman would want to perv on him.

Kitamura wasn't even bad-looking. And to be fair, he hadn't been anything but amiable so far that night. If things kept up like that, Jonouchi wouldn't mind having him in his hotel room.

"-Sure. When is a good time for you?" he replied, turning back to Kitamura. Part of Jonouchi's mind was screaming no, demanding what the hell he was doing. He was getting picked up. He was being subtly asked for a night in. And here he was, accepting like it was nothing.

Jonouchi mentally shook off his conflict and tried to look more confident than he felt. After all, he was a tad curious.

"If you're going upstairs, anyway, then...I can be ready with something in about twenty minutes," Kitamura replied, grinning. The corners of his mouth made his cheeks wrinkle up a little bit when he smiled.

"That's fine. I'll see you then, I guess," Jonouchi smiled and turned, heading toward the lobby. His head snapped back when his wrist was grabbed.

"Wait," Kitamura demanded, looking urgent, "I don't know what your room number is."

Jonouchi didn't know, either. How embarrassing.

"Uh, actually I don't know, either. I still have to get my key at the front desk," he admitted, grinning so that his humiliation would be less evident. So much for feigning confidence. Fortunately, Kitamura didn't seem deterred in the slightest. They made their way toward the front desk. Jonouchi asked for his key after giving his name and gave his room number to Kitamura.

"Isn't that Kaiba Mokuba's suite?" Kitamura asked, raising an eyebrow. Jonouchi wasn't sure what to say in reply, but he didn't have to speak. "No matter. I'll meet you in twenty, if you think that's enough time to shower and whatnot."

Jonouchi resisted snapping. Who did Kitamura think he was, telling him to take a shower? Or at least, assuming he was going to...

Then again, Jonouchi had pretty much accepted Kitamura's very clear intentions. Looked like Kitamura was going to be in for a disappointment. But he'd probably be so drunk by the end of the evening that it wouldn't matter to him if they fooled around or not.

Jonouchi watched Kitamura return to the party, and he'd almost crossed the lobby to the elevator when he heard someone call his name. He turned and saw Otogi approaching, looking as agitated as Kaiba.

"What is it?" Jonouchi asked before Otogi was upon him.

"You know perfectly well!" Otogi hissed, his green eyes narrowed. "What do you think you're doing? I don't know what came over you, Jonouchi, but you need to call this hook up of yours off."

Jonouchi felt more insulted than anything. Otogi was probably only telling him partly for his own good but mostly for personal reasons. Why was everyone so okay with being in his shit?

"Otogi, I appreciate you looking out for me, but I know what I'm doing," he lied, his own mind refuting him even as he spoke, "So butt out."

Otogi looked surprised. Jonouchi couldn't really blame him—he was probably getting a lot of shockers tossed at him tonight. That someone he'd known for years turned out to be a little flexible, and furthermore was probably on his way to having a tryst with some stranger...

Well, not if Jonouchi had anything to say about it. But he knew how it looked. He'd intended it to, hadn't he?

Jonouchi heard the elevator ding behind him, and looked back just as the doors were opening. He stepped inside, disregarding Otogi for the sake of avoiding further argument, and pressed the floor number that would lead to his suite.

"Jonouchi."

He looked up, meeting his old companion's eyes. Look at that. Otogi seemed genuinely concerned.

"Be careful," was all Otogi said before turning around, though he looked like he wanted to say a lot more. He probably had a lot of questions, too, but Jonouchi didn't feel like he owed anyone any answers.

Not yet, at least.