(Stupid)
"We're okay, Yuugi, really," Mokuba assured.
Mokuba's words were wasted; Yuugi was teeming, and there was no calming him. He gripped the phone so hard his knuckles were white. "How did someone break into your house, anyway? You're security is supposed to be flawless!"
"I know," Mokuba conceded. "That's why I called; they want us to stay somewhere else until security can figure out where the breech was. I'm not supposed to call or see anyone while we're in 'hiding', so it could be a few days or so before I get a chance to see you again."
"What?" Yuugi swore. "Where are you staying?"
"We don't know yet."
"Stay here." Yuugi said it as though it was a stroke of genius.
"No good; Seto and I can't be separated."
"Kaiba can stay too."
Mokuba laughed, but he didn't sound the least bit amused. "Ha! Seto and Jou under the same roof. Have you lost your mind? Besides, I don't think Jou likes me anymore."
"That's not true," Yuugi answered soothingly.
"He hasn't talked to me in two weeks!"
"He's just embarrassed. Look, I'll convince him it's a good idea for you and Kaiba to stay; you just worry about your brother."
Mokuba was hesitant. "Okay, but I don't promise anything."
"Fair enough." Yuugi hung up the phone and went immediately to Jounouchi's door, walking in without knocking. The blond was lying in his hammock, blankets covering his unmoving form. "Wake up," Yuugi demanded.
"No," Jounouchi answered, and it was obvious that he was awake.
"Jou, did you hear the news?"
"No."
"Someone broke onto the Kaiba estate. Security didn't catch him until he was already in the house."
Jounouchi turned his head and grinned at Yuugi. "Was he trying to kill Kaiba?"
Yuugi shrugged. "No one knows. But security wants Kaiba and Mokuba out of the house for a while, and I thought they could stay with us."
Jounouchi groaned, "Both of them?"
"They can't be separated. Please, Jou? They'd be safe here, and if they go somewhere else I won't see Mokuba until they whole thing is fixed."
Jounouchi winked at Yuugi, smiling despite his evident irritation with Yuugi's proposal. "You just want to play house with Mokuba."
With a blush on his cheeks Yuugi protested, "AND I want to see them safe."
"Fine," Jounouchi sighed. "But so help me god if Kaiba crosses my path-" He was cut off by Yuugi running over to hug him, nearly tipping over the hammock.
"Thanks. And why are you ignoring Mokuba? He's really upset by it."
"I…" Jounouchi was stuck. "He… Kaiba…"
Yuugi cut into Jounouchi's stammering, "Don't be mad a him for defending Kaiba; he'd even kick my ass if I messed with his big brother."
Jounouchi conceded, a smile gracing his features. "I know."
Seto scowled at the security guard who was standing in the doorway, leaving final instructions before he departed. "Do not leave unless someone leaves with you. I'll send someone to got to school with Mokuba in the morning, as well as someone to go to work with you." Seto was tempted to remind the man whom he worked for. Still, he was listening obediently, ignoring Jounouchi and Mokuba talking in the kitchenette, ignoring the image from the corner of his eye as the blond hugged his little brother and ruffled his hair, completely ignoring…
When had the security guard left?
"So, where would you like to sleep?" Yuugi was asking him. Right, focus on the short one beside him. "You could sleep on the couch, or in Jou's room." Seto was ignoring the death glare that Jounouchi was giving Yuugi.
Mokuba chimed in, "I gotta warn you, Seto; their couch is the horrible. Hatred aside, I'd sleep on Jou's floor any day of the week."
"Hey!" Yuugi protested. "It may not be the best couch, but I've made a lot of fond memories on it."
Mokuba blushed, licking his lips and looking away, a light blush covering his cheeks. "Uh, yea. Good point."
Seto stared at Mokuba and said icily, "I don't care where I sleep."
Yuugi looked lost. "Uh, well then…"
Mokuba practically ordered, "Just sleep on Jou's floor." To Jounouchi Mokuba was saying, "Seto's a fitful sleeper when he does sleep. He'd probably fall off the couch."
"Fine." Jounouchi was agreeing, and Seto internally swore. He wondered if he could change his mind… Pride told him not too; what sort of person said one thing, and then said another? Not Seto Kaiba. Besides, he wasn't afraid of the mutt or his floor.
Seto ended up idling away his day. He'd tried to get some work done on his laptop, but it was hard to concentrate over the din of Jounouchi and Mokuba playing games. Mokuba retired to bed around ten - his usual bedtime for school - and Yuugi was suddenly very tired fifteen minutes later, retiring to bed himself… convenient that Yuugi and Mokuba were sharing a room. Jounouchi went to bed about the same time as Yuugi, giving Seto some silence to work in… but by eleven he was tired himself, and he decided to try and get some sleep. The first time in a long time he'd actually wanted to go to bed. When he entered the room Jounouchi was sitting on the floor, tape in hand; he looked thoughtful. Seto recognized the box Jounouchi was sitting in front of and turned away.
Damn guilt. He hated guilt. He wasn't supposed to feel guilt, hadn't in years, not since… "I'm sorry," he said quickly, his voice near monotone. There. He said it. No more guilt. He crossed the room to the corner where some blankets and pillows were piled, assuming that was where he was to sleep. He had just set on organizing the blankets when Jounouchi interrupted him.
"Come here." Seto turned to see Jounouchi staring at him. Curious (and unwilling to admit it) Seto went to him, kneeling down. When had he started taking orders from the mutt? To cover his submissive actions, Seto glared as though irritated. That would hide his curiosity. "You're smart, right? What does this say?" Jounouchi was holding that tape out to him, the one with the strange markings. Seto stared down at it.
"You don't know?"
Jounouchi shook his head. "Ryou wrote it, told me that if I was meant to figure it out I would. He had a strange sense of humor."
Seto took the tape; his hand brushed Jounouchi's. He examined the writing - even though he had already done so once before - and tried to discern something familiar from the shapes. Jounouchi was leaning in to examine the tape himself, face only a few inches from Seto's. His hand had fallen onto Seto's thigh.
"Well?" His breath was hot; Seto could feel it. All the closeness bothered him in ways that he couldn't - or rather, didn't want to - understand and he handed the tape back to Jounouchi.
"I don't know," he said coolly. He was shaken, and he refused to show it. He stood and murmured something about taking a shower, leaving the room quickly. When he returned the lights were out, and Jounouchi was snoring loudly, limbs splayed every which way.
Terrific. He was sharing a room with someone who slept like a monkey. With a resigned sigh Seto organized his little corner so he'd be able to sleep. He didn't mind sleeping on the floor; it was actually sort of nice. Firm. Absolute. Uncomfortable. He didn't want to be comfortable, not when Yami - via Yuugi - was so close by. He lied down and pulled the blanket up over his head as though the fabric would keep out the world.
Seto didn't know what time it was when he bolted upright, waking violently from sleep. He was sitting stiffly, gripping the blankets around him as though his life depended it. He looked around frantically, resisting the urge to groan. It was another one of those dreams, the sort of dreams that had plagued newly pubescent boys since the beginning of time. The sort of dream that made Seto realize how much it really did suck to be abstinent for long periods of time. Seto Kaiba or no, he was still a man, and that meant all the pitfalls that came with manhood.
Damn, was the room hot, or was it just him?
He was alone… well, not alone, not if he counted Jounouchi, who was still sleeping in his hammock, his snores replaced by occasional grunts and groans.
Stupid. That was the only word that Seto could think, sophomoric as it was. Stupid. Stupid erotic dreams, stupid him for agreeing to stay in this apartment, stupid him for giving into Mokuba's pleas…
Stupid him for loving Yami in the first place. For letting Yami haunt him. In the end it was all in his head; he should have been able to control it.
The mutt grumbled in his sleep, rolling a bit to his left. The hammock tilted, and Jounouchi was precariously close to the edge. Seto stared, hoping to see Jounouchi fall. That could lift his spirits a little bit.
He ignored the small part of him that was tempted to help.
But Jounouchi didn't fall. Rather he continued to mumble in his sleep… actually, he wasn't just mumbling. Seto blinked as he realized the suggestive noises that Jounouchi was making in his sleep, sighing and moaning softly. Apparently Jounouchi's dreams weren't any purer than his. He flushed and kicked the hammock. He only meant to jar it enough to make Jounouchi shut up… but instead it tipped completely, depositing Jounouchi to the floor with a loud thump.
At least Seto got to see him fall.
"Ow," Jounouchi whined, stretching out from his place on the floor. He was tangled in his blankets, and didn't show signs of getting up any time in the near future.
"Dumb ass." Nothing like starting a fight in the wee hours of the morning to sooth the spirit.
"Oh, fuck you. Do you get some sick pleasure from waking me up rudely?"
"What makes you think I woke you up?"
Jounouchi snorted. "Am I supposed to believe it's coincidence that the first time I've fallen out of my bed in three months just HAPPENS to be the same night that I share a room with the biggest asshole on the planet?"
"Is that supposed to hurt my feelings?" Seto sneered. "It shut you up, so I don't care how pissed you are." Jounouchi apparently decided to ignore him and set to untangling himself from his blankets, standing to rearrange his hammock. Seto averted his gaze.
Nice tent in your shorts there.
He cringed. What a horrible thought. "Can't you dress decently?" he snapped. Because you look a little too good undressed for my tastes. That thought wasn't any better.
"Eh? Oh, quit being a blushing virgin; it's something you should see every day… unless you're ill-equipped." Jounouchi seemed to find this tremendously amusing and was laughing.
"Wouldn't you love to find out?" Seto growled, making sure that his blanket covered his lap properly; he had his own minor problem to deal with the first chance he got the chance to sneak out.
"Psh. That's one dick I'd pay money not to see."
"The feeling is mutual, so could you wear something besides boxers while I'm forced to sleep in this room?"
"Does this mean you'll get offended if I start beating off?"
Seto gaped. "Vulgar." He realized that the mutt was getting him flustered on purpose, and was enjoying it. Seto growled to himself. Stupid him for starting a fight when he wasn't prepared to be hit below the belt. "I'm sleeping on the couch. Nothing can be worse than a room with you." He stood, holding the blanket firmly around him.
It was an unfortunate accident; in his rush to leave he tripped over the edge of his own blanket. He stumbled forward, running into Jounouchi and sending them both to the floor. Seto almost laughed in triumph as Jounouchi's head hit the floor, but all victory was lost as Jounouchi stared at him with widened eyes. He looked… bothered? Come to think of it, Seto was bothered himself, and in all the wrong ways. Any other day he would have been disgusted, would have brushed the whole event off, but now - when he was already aroused from completely unrelated reasons - being pressed against all that flesh, feeling every movement and contour of that body was enough to make Seto ready to take what he could get and not care who it was from.
"I'm indecent?' Jounouchi challenged suddenly. "You're molesting me!"
"I am not!" Seto pushed himself away, sitting on his knees. What had he been thinking? His mind was not run by sex, his mind was not run by sex…
"What do you call that?"
"Embarrassing." He glared at Jounouchi. "And you'd be begging for it if I were molesting you." There; just enough taunting to repair his bruised ego.
"Yea right. You couldn't make a whore moan."
Seto bristled. "You'd be lower than a whore."
"So says you. Ice isn't something I find kinky."
"Then we're even. Bestiality is wrong."
Jounouchi growled, "Kaiba, there ain't no one here to stop me from hitting you."
"Give it your best shot," Seto taunted, giving a short disbelieving laugh. Jounouchi tried to tackle him, but it only got him back on the floor, pinned down by Seto. That wasn't to say that Jounouchi was going down without a fight. In the frenzy of the moment he bit Seto's arm.
It made Seto pause. There was something about the strange bolt it sent through his already-sensitive nerves…
For a moment he forgot it was Jounouchi.
For a moment he forgot they were fighting.
In that moment he lost an ounce of his control, grinding against the body beneath him. Jounouchi gasped, and Seto bit back a groan as the mutt's body bent up to meet his. He closed his eyes, moving against Jounouchi almost automatically, craving nothing more than sensation. Jounouchi wasn't fighting him, wasn't doing anything to bring their bizarre situation to an end…
If anyone had asked Seto how it happened later, he wouldn't have been able to explain it. He honestly wasn't sure exactly what had been done, or how, only why: blind lust, flesh seeking its own pleasures, leaving the mind behind. He had taken Jounouchi for all he was worth, and - the oddest of all - Jounouchi had enjoyed it, leaving bruising fingerprints on his skin and teeth marks on his shoulder. All Seto knew for sure that he never kissed Jounouchi, had kept enough of his sense to know that he would never want to kiss Jounouchi.
The only thing that Seto remembered moment for moment was what it was like when all was said and done. He had pulled away like he was burnt. Jounouchi hadn't reacted much better… actually, Jounouchi hadn't reacted much at all, lying on the floor with his eyes closed, sweat-damp hair falling back from his face. He didn't look like he felt anything. How could he seem so calm when Seto himself was on the verge of being ill? He couldn't understand what had come over him, why he had needed to do something, why then…
Eventually Jounouchi sat up, and to Seto's surprise he put on a t-shirt and pajama bottoms before he finished righting the hammock and returned to sleep. He didn't talk. Seto didn't talk either, going to his own resting place. He lied on his back and closed his eyes. He had no idea how much time passed as he thought, confused. There it was, that moment of finality that he had hoped would never come.
He had sex with someone else. Seto was moving on… and he didn't know how to feel about that. He let that thought sit, let it raise a feeling of sickness in his stomach and horror in his head… and then he regained his composure. No more mental flailing, no more trying to figure out why he felt so sated and so torn at the same time. Seto Kaiba didn't get overwhelmed by his emotions. Hell, nothing overwhelmed Seto Kaiba. If one part of him was ready to move on, the rest could follow. It had to happen eventually… but Seto would have preferred if it hadn't been with the mutt, of ALL people…
How stupid of him.
At least it was over. He closed his eyes and forced sleep, determined to leave the night and all it's half-remembered events behind.
- author thoughts… -
I came to the conclusion that stoic as he is, Seto is still a guy… déjà vu? Hmm… But in any case, that means he'd still have those guy thoughts… like they say: man has a brain and a dick, but only enough blood to run one at a time. Or something like that. ^^
This part… was such a bitch. I want to kick it really really really hard. I had to rewrite the second half 3 times… because nothing seemed to work, and I finally figured out why. This scene had to be mindless, nondescript, completely just…out there. I hope I pulled it off okay… Mm, primal-ness.