(Homemade Porn)
There was an emergency at Kaiba Corp. sometime around 9 AM, and that meant both Seto and Mokuba needed to get to work. It was just Seto's luck that Mokuba had his cell phone turned off; that meant he had to go to the apartment to retrieve his brother.
After a few minutes of knocking on the door and receiving no answer, Seto tried to open it. It was unlocked. Seto tsk-ed to himself, appalled. When he got inside, he was unhappy but not at all surprised to see the place in disarray: there were dirty plates and empty bottles on the coffee table; laundry thrown over chairs and on the floor; there was some video game console on the floor in front of the TV, which was resting on a large wooden crate that didn't look too sturdy; and was that Jounouchi passed out on the couch, dog-ears askew? Seto rolled his eyes. He seriously doubted it was safe to let his younger brother stay with Yuugi so often.
He went to the window on the far wall, opening the blinds and letting in the sunlight.
Jounouchi didn't even flinch.
Seto frowned. He went over to the couch and shook it. "Rise and shine, mutt," he said icily.
"Mother fucker," Jounouchi grumbled, not moving. "Do you have any respect for those of us who need sleep?"
Seto responded, "You weren't sleeping, you were passed out. At least you had the luck not to pass out on your back."
"Didn't your mom ever teach you that if you don't have anything nice to say, shut yer fuckin' mouth?"
Seto scoffed, "Some rules only apply to humans."
"Goddamn, Kaiba, what do you want?"
"I'm looking for Mokuba. Where is he?"
"Prob'y in Yuug's room, sleeping like a normal person." Jounouchi nestled his face in his the crook of his arm, hiding it from the sunlight. "Would you close the fucking blinds?"
"Hmph." Seto walked towards the first door he saw. He had it halfway open when Jounouchi murmured, "That's my room, dipshit. Yuug's is the other one." With that, Jounouchi started snoring. Seto was amazed at how quickly the other man fell asleep. Must have been the hangover.
Seto knocked on the door. The only response was a muffled groan. "Mokuba Kaiba," he called sternly.
"Shit," he heard his brother's muted groan. There was silence, then some stumbling movements before the door opened, revealing Mokuba in a nightshirt (or perhaps just a large tee shirt; Seto couldn't tell) and schoolgirl stockings bunched around his ankles. Seto spied the circular red marks around his brother's wrists and resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow. Was THAT why Mokuba had handcuffs in his purse? What a little pervert. "Seto, I just went to sleep an hour ago."
Seto looked at his watch; it was nearly 9:30 AM. "What were you doing until eight?"
"We didn't even get home until nearly four."
Another evasion. Seto would have to let his brother know he knew the truth sometime soon. It would save the seventeen-year-old the trouble of pretending he was abstinent. He glanced into the room; Yuugi was still lying face-down on the bed, face buried in a pillow. The room was in disarray as well, cards and clothes and papers scattered all over the floor. There was even a desk chair tipped over. What had his brother done? Finally, Seto remembered that his brother was still standing, staring and waiting for an explanation for his sudden awakening.
"Work beckons."
"Now? I'm supposed to be off today. I'm underage, I shouldn't be working such hours," Mokuba whined.
Seto smiled wryly. "I was working CEO of Kaiba Corp at fifteen."
"Spare me," Mokuba groaned, his voice resigned. "Fine, but I need to shower first. Can Kaiba Corp hold off for half an hour?" Seto nodded and Mokuba retreated into the room, closing the door behind him. Seto found his way to the kitchenette, glancing at the sleeping blond on the couch. Jounouchi was snoring softly, but other than that, there didn't seem to be any sign of life from the prone male. Seto probably could have thrown him out a window and he wouldn't have noticed. Seto sat at a small kitchen table, amusing himself with the mental image of Jounouchi falling out a window. He saw Mokuba cross the hall to the bathroom, clothes in hand as he closed the door. Seto was bored, looking around the apartment for something to focus on for half an hour. His eyes were continuously drawn to Jounouchi's half-open bedroom door. What sort of living space did the dog inhabit? Damn it, where had that curiosity come from? Hadn't he decided last night that he was indifferent about everything that had to do with Jounouchi?
After much indecision he stood, going into the room. Jounouchi was too deep asleep to notice.
The most glaring oddity in the room was the hammock that spanned nearly an entire wall. Seto was amazed. How did Jounouchi sleep in that? There were blankets and pillows hanging off the meshed bed, and it was complete with a nightstand and lamp within arms' reach. Then Seto noticed the order to the room; while it was apparent that Jounouchi was a packrat, everything was shoved into organized piles or boxes, most of which were under or near the hammock, presumably so that the little space NOT taken up by the bed could be used for something besides storage. One of those boxes drew Seto's attention. It was in the middle of the floor and half-filled with porn. He remembered Mokuba's comment about porn over breakfast the morning before and flushed, his hand hovering just inches from the box. How ridiculous that he was curious about what sort of pornography Jounouchi kept. Despite his own logic, he looked, kneeling down beside the box and riffling through it slowly. It was nothing extraordinary until he reached a homemade tape; the label was written in some strange lettering that Seto couldn't read. He examined it closely, making a mental note of the symbols. Maybe he would recognize them later. He went to place the tape back in the box when a batch of pictures fell from the inside cover, landing on the floor. Seto swore softly and picked them up, and was immediately shocked by what he saw. The top picture - a somewhat crude snapshot taken with an instant camera - showed one of Yuugi's friends, the white-haired one, with fingers gripping slender hips, mouth wrapped around another man's cock. Seto blinked. How old were these pictures? If memory served, the young male - Ryou, Seto believed his name was - had died a few years ago. Seto wondered who had taken the pictures… and who was the other man in these pictures, the one with the small male knelt blissfully between his legs? He looked at the next picture and dropped the whole series of them, eyes wide. The second picture showed the male Ryou was pleasing: a blond that Seto knew all too well.
Despite the dancing display the night before, it was somehow impossible for him to understand that Jounouchi was like that, that Jounouchi was …
"Seto! Ready to go?" Seto cringed, hastily putting the pictures back in the video cover and returning the video to the box. He exited the room swiftly, but the image of Jounouchi with his hands curled into Ryou's hair, body bent in ecstasy, burnt in his mind. "What were you doing in Jounouchi's room?"
"Admiring his hammock," Seto answered dryly as they left the apartment. He noticed that Mokuba locked the door behind them. How domestic and sweet.
"Yea, it's pretty amazing. I hate that thing. I ended up sleeping there one night on a dare, and I think Jou's insane for liking it."
Seto nodded. After a few minutes of silence, Mokuba cleared his throat.
"Seto, you're awfully quiet, so I guess that means you're a little upset," Mokuba said nervously. "I guess you should have every right to be, since I never said anything about me and Yuugi…" Mokuba paused, blushing. "I guess that's the least I could have done."
"Hm?" Seto asked, sparing a glance at his brother as he stopped at a red light. What the hell was Mokuba babbling about? "What do you mean?"
"That we... we, uh…" Mokuba was blushing a darker shade of pink. "I mean, I guess if I answered the bedroom door like that, there's really no way to deny it anymore…"
Seto spared a small laugh. Well, there went his plan of scaring his brother before telling him that he knew. "That." He paused, faking a serious and upset expression for a moment. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mokuba shift nervously, and he flashed a small smile. "Don't get so worked up. I've known you've been having sex for a long time now."
Mokuba's jaw fell open as the light turned green and Seto sped up. "What? You always give me shit about not having sex before I'm 18…"
"I liked watching you try to cover it up."
"Sneaky bastard. How long have you known?"
Seto smiled, despite the fact that the memory provided visuals he could have lived without. "Your 15th birthday party. Your bedroom door wasn't closed all the way." Seto shook his head. "Then again, even if the door had been closed, I swear you screamed loud enough to shake the foundations of the house."
"Oh!" Mokuba laughed. "I remember that! I kind of hoped no one had noticed…"
"I was just down the hall, how could I have not heard?"
"I didn't think of that at the time!" Mokuba snickered softly. "No one else seemed to know what was going on. I take that back: Jou knew. Later he told me that he was in on the whole thing. Would you believe that was sort of my birthday present? It was my first time." Mokuba sounded nostalgic. "Well, it wasn't really my gift… come to think of it, I don't know what Yuugi had planned to do; I asked him if he wanted to have sex before I got a chance to find out. But, Seto! The whole time I was-"
Seto blushed against his will. When was the last time he had blushed? "Too much information, little brother," he interrupted. He was nearing the parking lot of Kaiba Corp., pulling in through the guard station.
"Aw, but brothers talk about stuff like this. Man, do I have stories to tell you…"
"We're on work grounds. Time to be serious," Seto said sternly as he found his parking space, slipping into the comfortable demeanor of his work attitude, which provided the perfect excuse not to hear Mokuba's sex stories. He had made it clear to Mokuba when he began working at Kaiba Corp. that once they were in work zones, they were work associates first and brothers second… unless it was serious.
"That's an evasion," Mokuba teased. "But fine, let's get serious." Seto parked the car, and Mokuba unbuckled his seat belt. Before he got out of the car he said, "But since I have to be serious, I can't tell you about what we did in this car last week." With that, he got out of the car and closed his door, walking nonchalantly towards the building, leaving Seto watching him with wide eyes for a moment before he turned off the car and followed.
"I don't want to go," Jounouchi said firmly, sitting at the table and eating his breakfast cereal.
"C'mon," Yuugi pleaded from where he stood, across from Jounouchi. "It'll be fun."
"Yea, but I gotta be under the same roof as Kaiba. He's such a dick! Did I tell you what he did the last week?"
Yuugi nodded. "Several times. Chances are Kaiba is just as disgusted with the idea of spending time with you as you are, but Mokuba invited everyone over, so it's not like the two of you will be alone. It's only a few hours." Jounouchi turned away as Yuugi gave him that big-eyed look. Damn it, he hated when Yuugi tried to use that one against him… "Please?"
"Damn it, Yuugi. I hate when you beg. You're twenty years old, aren't you a little old for the puppy-eyes thing?"
"Not if it works," Yuugi said smugly. "So are you going to come over?"
Jounouchi frowned, and then smiled. "Only if you answer me one question."
"Anything!" Yuugi answered elatedly.
"Where you looking through my porn?"
Yuugi blushed, his eyes wide in shock. "No; why would I? It's all guys and girls in there, right?"
It was Jounouchi's turn to flush and he stared down at his cereal. "Erm, not entirely… ya see, I got some… other stuff in there… and that was the stuff that was out of order…"
With a soft laugh Yuugi asked, "Order?"
Jounouchi nodded. "Easy to find what I need that way."
"You need a girl, Jou. Or a boy. Just someone of more substance than your overactive imagination and right hand." Yuugi was shaking his head and stood from the table. "Anyway, we'll leave around 2, okay?"
Jounouchi nodded, but he was still thinking about his pornography. Who would have been messing around with the pictures of him and Ryou? The mere thought that someone might have seen them made him blush. Maybe Mokuba had stumbled across them on accident… Yea, he would ask Mokuba later if it had been him.
Seto sat in the corner of the living room, scowl on his face as he watched Mokuba's friends stumbling all over each other, playing and talking as though they were the only ones in the world. It gave him a headache to be in the same room with them. Still, Mokuba had all but gotten on his hands and knees, begging Seto to "have some fun" and watch a few movies with them, so Seto had agreed.
It was a shame he was finding it difficult to actually enjoy himself. Not only was he not particularly fond of pizza, but he was finding it difficult to look at Jounouchi, even to mock him. Every time he looked at the blond, Seto saw him in his mind's eye with his head tossed back, saw that other boy between his legs… it unraveled him, imagining Jounouchi like that.
"Hey! Who's going to go pick up the food?"
"I'll do it," Seto answered, his voice neutral. Everyone paused and turned to look at him.
Except Mokuba. His brother was excited. "Cool! What does everyone want?"
Seto cringed against the obnoxious noise the other males made, as they tried to make their opinions known. Mokuba was laughing, trying to get them to talk one at a time… Where did his brother get the infinite patience for their idiocy? What was it about them that his brother find alluring?
In his mind Seto saw a flash of Jounouchi on the night of Otogi's party, dancing evocatively with Honda…
"Seto!" Mokuba's voice jarred him from his contemplation. "What do you want?"
"I don't like pizza," Seto said. "Don't worry about it."
"Kaiba, you have to come up with something," Otogi chided with a grin. "You might find something you like."
Seto was irritated by Otogi's assumptions. "Doubtful." He turned his attention to Mokuba. "What else should I pick up besides the pizza?" The longer he could stay out of the living room… He saw the expression of displeasure on Mokuba's face and knew that Mokuba understood why Seto was being so generous with helping.
"I don't know, take someone with you to help."
"I'll help," Yuugi volunteered, and Seto cringed. Fuck. He almost would have preferred to take Jounouchi with him...
And that was how he ended up in the car - four different pizzas sitting in the backseat and Yuugi in the passenger seat, chattering on about what he needed to get at the grocery store. Seto was reminded of a time long ago when Yami had gotten into the very same car, and was tempted for a second to ask to speak with the spirit… God, if only it were that easy, if only he thought they would just talk! But what would they talk about, anyway? What was there to say? Without realizing it, Seto had slumped in his seat even as he was driving.
"Are you okay?" Yuugi asked. "You looked tired."
"Sure." He didn't want to bear his soul to Yuugi, didn't want to explain that he still missed Yami.
Yuugi sounded hurt when he burst out, "Why don't you like me, Kaiba?" Seto was surprised. He hadn't expected that Yuugi gave a damn.
"We're rivals." His voice sounded so bland, empty and meaningless. He didn't believe that. It had been at least two years since he and Yuugi had last dueled.
"Not anymore," Yuugi pointed out as though he could follow Seto's thoughts. "I've been with Mokuba for four years, and at least you stopped throwing things at me, but you've never really been warm to me."
"Does it matter if I'm nice to you?"
"It does if I'm with Mokuba. I'd like to think you like me at least a little bit."
"I like you just enough." Seto was mocking him, and - even worse - he was enjoying the opportunity to get the slight male get flustered, acting like an angry child despite his age.
"Jou's right, you are a jackass." Yuugi was glaring out the windshield when he added, "And it's not even about me. That's the worst part. If you've got to hate me, I'd prefer if you'd hate me."
Seto blinked. "I don't know what you mean." But he did, he followed what Yuugi thought…
"Bullshit. It's about Yami. You hate him - for whatever reason you've convinced yourself to - and therefore you hate me by association."
Seto focused on the road. They were nearing the grocery store.
Yuugi couldn't have been more wrong.
He sped a little bit as he turned into the parking lot, stopping the car at the first spot he could find. "I'll wait here." Yuugi glared before he left the car, going into the grocery store without looking back. Seto took that time to fold his arms over the steering wheel, leaning forward wearily, resting his forehead against his arms. Was that what Yuugi thought… what Yami thought? Did they think it was all about hate? God, he hadn't hated for Yami is so long… He remembered one of the last things Yami had said to him: "…I was just your replacement lover…"
Maybe Yami had been a replacement, but there could be no replacing Yami. That was the worst part of the whole situation, that knowledge that he would probably carry his love for Yami like a cross for the rest of his life.
Seto groaned against his will, wishing he could somehow erase his memories of those weeks, just enough to let him escape this inner angst he couldn't seem to let go of… He was supposed to be stronger than this!
He didn't move until he heard Yuugi get into the car. He began to the drive without speaking. He wasn't in the mood to talk.
Jounouchi grinned at Yuugi as he entered holding up a bag. "Great!" He took the bag, looking through the contents: beer, popcorn, and random candy. It was perfect. Anzu was peeking over his shoulder.
"Why do I feel out of place right now? This is like a boy's night…"
"You're one of the boys!" Yuugi protested, wrapping her in a hug. Anzu rolled her eyes.
"From anyone else, I might have been insulted."
Jounouchi bit his lip against a comment and took out a beer, tossing it to Honda. Honda grinned.
"Great, man! Thanks." Honda turned to Seto. "Want one?"
Seto shook head, standing idly by the coffee table where he had deposited the pizzas. "I don't drink."
Jounouchi gaped, and curiosity got the better of him. "Why not? I mean, I'm no alcoholic, but every once and a while…"
Seto sneered, "You looked like an alcoholic last time I saw you, face-down on the couch. Then again, I'm not surprised. I can't imagine you in that hammock of yours when you're sober, let alone drunk off your ass."
Wait, how had Seto known he had a hammock? Jounouchi remembered Seto coming over, remembered Seto opening the door to his room…
No, that wasn't anywhere near logical. Seto wouldn't go in his room, had no reason to…
But he had never told Seto about his hammock. That could only mean… That son of a bitch! It must have been him! Jounouchi flushed with anger.
"You were in my room," he accused. Seto looked at him and seemed to be caught off guard for a moment. If that hadn't been enough to assure Jounouchi was right, the way Seto couldn't meet his eyes did. Rashly he lunged at Seto, wanting to hit him, to cause him harm… but that wouldn't stop his embarrassment. Of all people, it HAD to be Seto who had gone rifling through his room. That was his fucking luck.
Jounouchi was aware that Seto was fighting back. After all the time of sharp words thrown back and forth, they had finally come to this, exchanging blows. It was surprisingly exhilarating to hit Seto; he had wanted to do it for so long. The moment was short-lived before hands were pulling them apart, shouting. Jounouchi was panting, glaring at Seto. He wasn't just embarrassed, he was furious that he didn't know what Seto was thinking. It was doubtless that he thought Jounouchi was some sort of whore, and he hated that. Sure, general contempt was one thing, he could handle that… but he was no man's whore, and he wanted to make that very clear. His voice was full of bitterness as he snarled, "Those pictures were none of your business."
Seto scoffed. "As though I cared about them." Well, at least he wasn't trying to deny it.
"You shouldn't have gone in there!"
Seto showing indifference… that was almost as insulting as him thinking Jounouchi was a slut.
"And I don't intend to again, so drop it." Seto looked at Mokuba, who was standing in front of him, holding him in a hug. Jounouchi simply didn't understand what Mokuba saw in Seto. Damn, he wished his friends would let him go. Seto was tender with Mokuba, pulling him off slowly before leaving the room.
Mokuba looked at Jounouchi, and it was clear he was livid. "I want an explanation. NOW."
Seto heard Mokuba arguing with Jounouchi down the hall. He had ducked into his office, and even though his computer was on, he wasn't working; he was listening to Mokuba.
"What are you yelling about back there? Pictures? Big deal! You don't just attack a man in his own home!" Mokuba was shouting.
"I'm sorry," Jounouchi answered, "but it was more than just pictures… they were personal."
"Oh, how fucking personal can pictures be?"
Jounouchi's voice was seething, and Seto felt the urge to go protect his brother… even though he was sure everyone else was listening as attentively as he was; surely they would rush in if they suspected Mokuba would come to any harm. "They were pictures of me with Ryou."
"So? You have pictures of your friends all over the place."
"How dense can you be?" Jounouchi yelled. "Do I have to spell it out? Ryou and I were fucking!"
There was silence. The whole hallway - hell, the whole house - seemed thick with it. Finally, Mokuba said, his voice small, "The dead one?"
"Yes, the dead one. Do you know any others?" Jounouchi snapped.
Mokuba was stumbling over his words, and it came as a small comfort to Seto that he wasn't the only one who hadn't known. "I didn't… I mean… but STILL, you could have just, I don't know, asked for an apology or something…"
"I don't WANT his apology, I… ugh, fuck it, I'm outta here." Seto could hear Jounouchi stomping down the hall. The silence loomed again and Seto stared at his computer.
Jounouchi was right, it had been none of his business. It defeated him to know that he had been wrong, going into Jounouchi's room like that. He despised the idea of being wrong against the blond, even just once… Seto leaned back against his chair. How could such a small confrontation take so much out of him? His eyes drifted closed, just for a moment…
Blond hair; the vague sensation of being touched; a moan, a groan, a sigh of exultation…
Seto's eyes flew open.
And how was it that he couldn't get the blond out of is head?
- author thoughts... -
I like this part. As a matter of fact, I like just about everything that happens after this. ^_^ Just about. And I thought Mokuba was so cute, jumping to his brother's defense, even against Jounouchi.
And my beta… is probably tearing out her hair; all these parts are really long… yup, I think my poor Hanachan was on the verge of suicide. *kidding* So I hope everyone likes it….