It was several weeks later before I spoke to Jounochi again. I had started
helping around the house and running the card shop and I talked Yugi and
Yami into rearranging their lives a bit. I've always had a talent for
productivity.
I helped them clean out Yugi's late grandpa's room, moving Yami into it. Yugi took his room back over and I agreed to sleep on the couch. It was a good deal for the time being. I knew it would be awhile before I was ever going to go into my house again. I donated some cards to their--our--shop and fixed things up a bit. I was quite proud of it, actually.
I was running the register while Yugi was at school and Yami was running a few errands when Jounochi burst into the game shop. "Jounochi?" I sat up, looking at him startled. "What are you doing here?"
There was a pain look on his face and he seemed to be searching for something as he looked around. "Is...is Yami here?"
"No, but he should be back in about an hour." I got up from the stool and brushed my annoying bangs back. "Jounochi? What's wrong? Shouldn't you be at school?"
"I'm skipping," he murmured.
"Skipping? Come on, mutt, what's wrong?" Ooo, slip up, I hadn't meant to call him a dog.
"Nothing, MISTER HIGH-AND-MIGHTY!" he burst out.
"Jou, I'm sorry. Calm down. Do you need Yami for something or do you need to just...talk?"
"Talk," he said, heaving a large sigh. He pushed his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall. "He listens good."
"Well. He listens 'well.'"
"Whatever."
"Come on, Jou, I can listen, too. I have ears."
"Really big ones."
"Jounochi, why are you so difficult? Why can't you let me just... I'm trying, godamnit! Fuck, I know making friends ain't easy, but for god's sake, do *you* have to make it so difficult?!"
"Me? Friends with me?" He pushed himself off the wall and walked over to me, a grin stretching on his face. "Okay, you really want to listen?"
"Yeah, sure, I guess."
"No, this ain't no guessing. What I'm about to tell you, you have gotta promise to tell no one, not even Yugi. Understand?"
I looked at him a bit startled. "Are you sure you want to tell me?"
"Yeah, of course. I can't really talk about this with anyone else. They ain't gay. Kapeesh?"
"Who are you, Tony Soprano?" I asked dryly. Imagine, Jounochi. With a New Jersey accent. Next you'll be telling me his name is really Joey.
"Well, you know..." he trailed off. He sighed. "I'm dating Otogi."
"That's disgusting."
"Shut up. Whatever you think, that fact remains that me and Otogi are...fucking..."
I raised an eyebrow but stayed silent.
"And it's been quite enjoyable and everything, though I know he doesn't like me and I don't really like him."
Well, wow, the mutt wasn't as stupid as I thought.
"But we're still faithful to each other. And we've both...been with other people."
"Um, look, sorry, but I have to interrupt. But how can you be faithful *and* fuck other people?"
"It's just how him and me work. We tell each other before anything happens. He gets a little pissed when I call him at midnight, but he got even madder when I didn't tell him."
"Okay, so where's this story going?"
Jounochi sighed, rolling his eyes. "What I was going to ask Yami was if I should ask you."
"Ask me what?"
"Do you want to be in a threesome?"
I started choking. I fell off the stool and he caught me, holding me close. "What?!" I burst out in his face.
He rubbed his ear. "Oww, god... Look, I don't think it's a good idea, but Otogi says I fantasize about you enough anyway..."
"Is that true?" I asked really quietly.
"Um...I plead the fifth."
"This isn't America."
"But it's how they do it on the court TV shows."
I sighed. "I'm not sure if I want my first consensual time to be a threesome."
"Look, to put it simply, we both think you're sexy. And he's been wanting to do a threesome. If you say no, I understand."
"I'll do it," I whispered. I was still in his arms and it wasn't so...bad...
"Huh?" he asked dumbfounded.
"Look, I'll do it. But you have better not tell anyone and make sure he knows it, too."
"You like Yugi, huh?"
"What does that have anything to do with anything?"
"It's just...well... Otogi's always liked Honda. And I've always liked..." he mumbled something.
"Who?"
"No one."
"Me?"
"No, I've just jerked off to you, okay?"
"Thanks, Jounochi." I stood up, not wanting him to touch me suddenly.
"What, do you expect me to like more than your looks? Not from where I'm standing, but you're starting to be more than just a pretty face."
"Yeah, I'm the pretty face that's going to kick your ass."
"I've always sort of liked Ryou. But I never had the guts to say anything."
"So you're saying this threesome will solve all of our little wants?"
"Nah, it will give me and Otogi the chance to fuck you and you the chance to stop being such a prick. Marik always said you just needed to get laid."
I rolled my eyes. Asshole. Who I'm going to loose my virginity to. Geez...
"Tomorrow night good? It's Friday and me and Otogi don't have school on Saturday this week."
"Yeah...um...Jou?"
"Yeah?"
"You're not going to expect me to know anything, right?"
"Of course. Don't worry your little brunette head at all. And we want is for you to show up. At his apartment. At eight."
"Eight? Isn't that...early?"
"No, just a good time. And plan to stay the night, okay?"
I nodded. What else was I suppose to do? He knew what he was talking about.
I didn't.
~~~
I looked at Yugi through the corner of my eye. He is...cute. Adorable. But really sexy, too. He turned to me and smiled. "So Jounochi said he invited you over. I think that's really nice. You want to be friends with him?"
I continued stocking the shelves with new booster packs. "Well, I'm trying." I turned around and gave him a half-smile. "You don't feel left out, do you?"
Yugi smiled. "I'm a big boy, Kaiba. I have plenty to keep me busy while you and Jounochi hang out."
"Who's hanging out?" Yami asked, peeking his head out from the back storeroom.
"Kaiba's going over to Duke's to hang out with him and Jounochi."
Yami raised his eyebrows at me, then went back into the room.
"I'm going to pack my bag, okay, Yugi?" I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a hug. "See you tomorrow."
~~~
I helped them clean out Yugi's late grandpa's room, moving Yami into it. Yugi took his room back over and I agreed to sleep on the couch. It was a good deal for the time being. I knew it would be awhile before I was ever going to go into my house again. I donated some cards to their--our--shop and fixed things up a bit. I was quite proud of it, actually.
I was running the register while Yugi was at school and Yami was running a few errands when Jounochi burst into the game shop. "Jounochi?" I sat up, looking at him startled. "What are you doing here?"
There was a pain look on his face and he seemed to be searching for something as he looked around. "Is...is Yami here?"
"No, but he should be back in about an hour." I got up from the stool and brushed my annoying bangs back. "Jounochi? What's wrong? Shouldn't you be at school?"
"I'm skipping," he murmured.
"Skipping? Come on, mutt, what's wrong?" Ooo, slip up, I hadn't meant to call him a dog.
"Nothing, MISTER HIGH-AND-MIGHTY!" he burst out.
"Jou, I'm sorry. Calm down. Do you need Yami for something or do you need to just...talk?"
"Talk," he said, heaving a large sigh. He pushed his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall. "He listens good."
"Well. He listens 'well.'"
"Whatever."
"Come on, Jou, I can listen, too. I have ears."
"Really big ones."
"Jounochi, why are you so difficult? Why can't you let me just... I'm trying, godamnit! Fuck, I know making friends ain't easy, but for god's sake, do *you* have to make it so difficult?!"
"Me? Friends with me?" He pushed himself off the wall and walked over to me, a grin stretching on his face. "Okay, you really want to listen?"
"Yeah, sure, I guess."
"No, this ain't no guessing. What I'm about to tell you, you have gotta promise to tell no one, not even Yugi. Understand?"
I looked at him a bit startled. "Are you sure you want to tell me?"
"Yeah, of course. I can't really talk about this with anyone else. They ain't gay. Kapeesh?"
"Who are you, Tony Soprano?" I asked dryly. Imagine, Jounochi. With a New Jersey accent. Next you'll be telling me his name is really Joey.
"Well, you know..." he trailed off. He sighed. "I'm dating Otogi."
"That's disgusting."
"Shut up. Whatever you think, that fact remains that me and Otogi are...fucking..."
I raised an eyebrow but stayed silent.
"And it's been quite enjoyable and everything, though I know he doesn't like me and I don't really like him."
Well, wow, the mutt wasn't as stupid as I thought.
"But we're still faithful to each other. And we've both...been with other people."
"Um, look, sorry, but I have to interrupt. But how can you be faithful *and* fuck other people?"
"It's just how him and me work. We tell each other before anything happens. He gets a little pissed when I call him at midnight, but he got even madder when I didn't tell him."
"Okay, so where's this story going?"
Jounochi sighed, rolling his eyes. "What I was going to ask Yami was if I should ask you."
"Ask me what?"
"Do you want to be in a threesome?"
I started choking. I fell off the stool and he caught me, holding me close. "What?!" I burst out in his face.
He rubbed his ear. "Oww, god... Look, I don't think it's a good idea, but Otogi says I fantasize about you enough anyway..."
"Is that true?" I asked really quietly.
"Um...I plead the fifth."
"This isn't America."
"But it's how they do it on the court TV shows."
I sighed. "I'm not sure if I want my first consensual time to be a threesome."
"Look, to put it simply, we both think you're sexy. And he's been wanting to do a threesome. If you say no, I understand."
"I'll do it," I whispered. I was still in his arms and it wasn't so...bad...
"Huh?" he asked dumbfounded.
"Look, I'll do it. But you have better not tell anyone and make sure he knows it, too."
"You like Yugi, huh?"
"What does that have anything to do with anything?"
"It's just...well... Otogi's always liked Honda. And I've always liked..." he mumbled something.
"Who?"
"No one."
"Me?"
"No, I've just jerked off to you, okay?"
"Thanks, Jounochi." I stood up, not wanting him to touch me suddenly.
"What, do you expect me to like more than your looks? Not from where I'm standing, but you're starting to be more than just a pretty face."
"Yeah, I'm the pretty face that's going to kick your ass."
"I've always sort of liked Ryou. But I never had the guts to say anything."
"So you're saying this threesome will solve all of our little wants?"
"Nah, it will give me and Otogi the chance to fuck you and you the chance to stop being such a prick. Marik always said you just needed to get laid."
I rolled my eyes. Asshole. Who I'm going to loose my virginity to. Geez...
"Tomorrow night good? It's Friday and me and Otogi don't have school on Saturday this week."
"Yeah...um...Jou?"
"Yeah?"
"You're not going to expect me to know anything, right?"
"Of course. Don't worry your little brunette head at all. And we want is for you to show up. At his apartment. At eight."
"Eight? Isn't that...early?"
"No, just a good time. And plan to stay the night, okay?"
I nodded. What else was I suppose to do? He knew what he was talking about.
I didn't.
~~~
I looked at Yugi through the corner of my eye. He is...cute. Adorable. But really sexy, too. He turned to me and smiled. "So Jounochi said he invited you over. I think that's really nice. You want to be friends with him?"
I continued stocking the shelves with new booster packs. "Well, I'm trying." I turned around and gave him a half-smile. "You don't feel left out, do you?"
Yugi smiled. "I'm a big boy, Kaiba. I have plenty to keep me busy while you and Jounochi hang out."
"Who's hanging out?" Yami asked, peeking his head out from the back storeroom.
"Kaiba's going over to Duke's to hang out with him and Jounochi."
Yami raised his eyebrows at me, then went back into the room.
"I'm going to pack my bag, okay, Yugi?" I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a hug. "See you tomorrow."
~~~