Trip to Fall
by Lethe Seraph
Chapter Three: This feeling releases no one
He didn't know how long they had been standing there, or when the crowd had given up and dispersed.
He didn't know why the other hadn't broken away, or for that matter he himself hadn't.
He didn't know why he longed for it to continue.
But did it really matter…?
-
For the first time in a long time, Seto Kaiba was confused. He loathed the mutt with a passion; the only reason he graced Jonouchi with his speech was to tell him in no uncertain terms just why he was a doglike fool who would get no better lot in life than to flip hamburgers at a cheap fast-food joint, if he could learn how to do that properly. Which Seto doubted.
So why was he so reluctant to let go?
-
Jonouchi was drawn out of his reverie by a whisper at his shoulder. "…Jonouchi…?"
It was Kaiba's voice, he was sure of it – but it didn't sound like him at all. He could list quite a few reasons why:
One. He wasn't sure that Kaiba actually knew his name, as the taller boy seemed to be rather fond of calling him such derogatory terms such as 'mutt' or 'idiot'.
Two. Kaiba always spoke in a manner that irritated the hell out of him.
Three. That manner was usually brisk, to the point, and absolutely self-assured.
It was none of those things.
On the contrary, thought Jonouchi without thinking about it, Seto sounded doubtful. His whisper was one that made Jonouchi want to hold him close and reassure him – of what, he didn't know, but he wanted to nonetheless.
What could Kaiba want? He had everything, didn't he?
Not everything.
Money –
A caring brother –
A mansion that echoed so that it sounded large, and hollow, and nearly empty, though Jonouchi couldn't even begin to guess how he knew this.
Maybe Kaiba was lonely, realized Jonouchi for the first time.
Maybe when they bantered, it was somehow more important, more meaningful, because he was the one person Seto's age that conversed with him on a regular basis about topics other than work.
Maybe.
"Yeah?" replied Jonouchi quietly. He didn't move.
A pause. Seto's body was tensed, ready to pull back now. "Don't you hate me?"
Ah. There was a question that Jonouchi would like the answer to. Hadn't he, just barely ten minutes ago, been thinking about how lovely it would be to wring Seto's insides out, make a tennis racket with them, and whack the rest of his bodily parts over the Atlantic? Kaiba was a cold-hearted bastard who enjoyed putting Jonouchi down.
Here they were, though. Why? It wasn't like Seto was a girl.
And there was the key point: If he remained, he would have to dredge up topics that he had long since decided would be better off buried for the sake of his friends.
But Jou…
…didn't hate him…
"No," was all that Jou could manage. One word, barely able to choke its way through the tightened cords of his throat. Gods, he was nervous. Not because of the close contact – actually, it felt kind of nice – but, rather, because he feared the loss of that contact.
Too many deep thoughts.
His head hurt.
"Jou?"
Seto and Jonouchi both started out of their respective musings, turning to stare at the owner of the new voice and realizing that they would have to look down to do so.
In short: Yugi was still there. And he had seen the whole thing.
Jonouchi practically flung himself out of Seto's arms, as though he hadn't put himself there in the first place. "Y-Yugi! Hi!"
Yugi cocked his head to one side. His amethyst eyes were perplexed. "Are you okay?" After a moment, he added politely, "Good afternoon, Kaiba!"
Kaiba, who was currently looking like he had been thwarted somehow and didn't really know why, chose to answer with a small nod. "Good day. There are some things that I must attend to, so I hope you'll forgive me if I leave without conducting proper conversation." Business talk, cold and shuttered. Jonouchi wondered what he was thinking.
It didn't matter. Nothing Kaiba did mattered. Nothing at all. He was a jerk. Jonouchi repeated it within his mind: a silent mantra. He wouldn't ponder on the subject of Kaiba any longer.
He wouldn't think about why Kaiba hadn't pulled away.
He wouldn't think about why, in fact, Kaiba had deepened the contact.
He wouldn't-
Seto turned and swept away gracefully; gliding across the cracked concrete which should have been a crimson carpet, or perhaps a smooth ballroom floor of marble, reflecting a thousand tiny glimmers of light… beautiful.
Jonouchi repeated the mantra…
-
"So what was that all about?" said Yugi curiously.
Jonouchi blushed, bright red. He almost tripped – the two were walking back to Yugi's house, now. Then he composed himself and smirked. "Just pissing Kaiba off."
"Language!"
chastised Yugi, before continuing. "Anyway,
he didn't look very annoyed."
Jou sighed. "Yeah, that was weird. But at least I got a reaction, right?"
Yugi grinned and laughed. "Right! Maybe Kaiba likes you after all."
"WHAT?" Jonouchi began coughing. Yugi reached up to awkwardly pound him on the back. "No way! He's probably straight."
Yugi started laughing harder. "Jou! I meant as a friend! Now I know what you're thinking about," he added slyly.
Jou was about to respond with an outraged cry, when he calmed down just enough for his brain to get through and tell him, Jou! Baka! He's joking. Jonouchi laughed uncomfortably. "Yeah, right. Only in your dreams, Yugi."
"Why would I dream about that?"
Jou grinned.
Yugi turned pink. He swung his backpack up at Jonouchi playfully. "You're the one dreaming about my dreaming about you!"
"I'm what about what?" Jonouchi evaded with ease. "Hey, look both ways before you cross the street! Or were you too busy thinking about me to remember that?"
"No way. Anzu's much prettier than you are," said Yugi. He laughed when Jonouchi gave a small whistle.
"Oh, Yugi, you're too kind!"
"Anzu?!" The two turned around. Yugi's blush increased threefold. "Where did you come from?"
Anzu beamed at having startled them. "I've been following you since you left the school! Your minds were totally in the clouds – well, on each other," she amended with a devious grin.
Jonouchi gagged, and Yugi blushed.
Yugi was the first, surprisingly, to regain composure. "Glad you saw us! Do you want to come over? Jou and Honda are spending the night, and I'll bet Grandpa will let you stay until midnight if you want."
Yeah, because he's a perverted old man, added Jonouchi mentally, hands behind his head as they walked onward. "I hope you don't want to play Dance Dance Revolution or anything, though… I suck at that game."
Yugi and Anzu both gave Jonouchi a wicked look. "Good idea!" said Yugi. Anzu nodded eagerly.
-
What had that been?
Kaiba was so confused. Why hadn't he just shoved Jonouchi off? If he had been in his right mind, he would have without a second thought.
Obviously, something had overridden his mind – a hefty accomplishment, to be sure.
It couldn't have been his heart.
It couldn't have been.
Seto refused to believe that that was even possible. No, he was just…
Just what, Kaiba? What did you want, what were you waiting for?
Why were you so disappointed when Yugi appeared?
He put his hands to his head and moaned quietly, shaking it in a useless attempt to clear away the memories that were pushing at every fiber of his consciousness and demanding for attention, for examination.
"Is something wrong?" asked the computer automatically.
"Nothing. Go into standby," answered Kaiba in the same tone.
"Yes, sir, Kaiba," it said before the monitor dimmed with a small beep.
He couldn't work. He couldn't think about anything else.
He was so confused – for perhaps the first time in his life. What could he do? What did he think?
All of the images rushing at him, again and again and again –
"Jonouchi," he found himself whispering, before he caught his voice. It had slipped out unbidden.
The focus of this turmoil…
…centered on him.
And he just couldn't stop thinking about it…
Schedule forgotten, he rose from his chair.
He would go for a walk; maybe all he was lacking was fresh air.
Or maybe, what part of his brain that still functioned properly suggested to him, he hoped that Jonouchi would be there.
No.
Work laid aside without even noticing…
…he left.