Jounochi followed me at my heels. "Are you okay? You were crying and the
next minute, you blacked out."
"I'm fine. I just have things to do."
I quickly had it scan my eyes as I hurried into the computer. "You stupid fucking prick," I muttered, booting up the computer.
"Excuse me?"
"You. You're a stupid fucking prick. Either you like me or you don't. Either you want to leave Otogi, or you don't. Make a decision and deal with the consequences."
//That's not very nice, Seto.//
~Shut up,~ I thought.
Jou was quiet a few minutes, processing the information. "I like you. And I want to leave Otogi."
"All right then, we can plan a confrontation later."
"What are you doing?"
"Working," I said, dismissing him as I typed in code after code of MS-Dos commands. "Crap," I whispered, getting into the original Kaiba Corp. mainframe. I had never been able to get into it. ~You have the password?~
//...take a wild guess, genius.//
I typed in Noa Kaiba. It worked.
//Now download it.//
I sat down, waiting as it loaded.
"What's happening?"
"I'm downloading the virtual world Noa was in."
"Why?"
"So I can upload Mokuba in it."
"You realize how dangerous that is?"
"Noa's different now," I whispered, rubbing the bridge of my nose. I looked up at him, tiredly. "You wanna do it now?"
"It?" he asked, red-faced and bewildered.
"Get your mind out of the gutter. Do you want to talk to Otogi?"
"Will you be there with me?"
"Of course," I said softly. I typed in a command, then got up. "Lets go."
//It's very possible to balance family life and social life, Seto. I hope you see that now.//
~~~
Otogi opened the door, a very angered look on his face. "Yes?"
"Jounochi wanted to talk to you. He brought me along as moral support."
Otogi stood there for a minute, acting as if he wasn't registering any of it, scanning us with his piercing green eyes. "Alright," he finally said, holding the door open for us.
We sat down on the couch, facing him in the chair. He folded his legs and arms, burning holes into Jounochi with his eyes.
Jounochi, to his credit, stared him in the eyes and said evenly, "I'm breaking up with you."
"Really?" Otogi asked, amused. "For how long this time?"
"Forever. I'm done with this."
"And when Kaiba no longer wants you? What then? Will you be crawling back to me?"
I suppose I didn't know all about their relationship. But it was a personal thing, so I didn't even bother asking afterwards.
"I WON'T be crawling back to you, because there's NOTHING to crawl back TO," he said in a really controlled voice, mind the few words he emphasized. "You have nothing to offer me that I want anymore."
"So you don't want sex?"
"Not with you. Not with someone who doesn't care about me and treats me like-- like-- like...the way you do." He shot a sidelong glance at me. "I'm done with it all," he whispered.
"It won't ever be over, Jounochi. You crave sameness; that's what I gave you! You love repetition and predictability and that's why you stayed with the fucking drunk you call your father! You didn't need to 'shake things up.' Do you honestly think anyone will ever offer you that? I HAVE what you need. That's why you argue with Kaiba, smoke, never tried to let anyone get into your life you didn't know. Because you could count on it happening! You need things to stay the same and hell, I was willing to give you that! What do you want, Jounochi? You can't expect things to be just a certain way with other people. People are unpredictable. Look at Kaiba right here, for your damn proof. He can't even decide on a damn coat color!"
"Shut the hell up."
"Kaiba... Kaiba has..."
"What, Jounochi, what does he have? A change of pace?"
Jounochi dissolved into a crumbling, crying mess.
"You don't have what he needs, Kaiba, I'm sorry," Otogi whispered. He really did seem sorry.
"Stop making Jounochi miserable to be with you, Ryuuji," I warned. "Either you will have a real relationship with him, or I won't let this continue."
"Do you really think you have a say in this? Jounochi's going to stay with me no matter what happens. He's never slept with anyone besides me. I was shocked when he actually asked you. Of course, it figures he didn't even go through with it."
I stood up, trying to control myself. I wasn't going to strangle Otogi, and I wasn't going to yell at Jounochi. "I'll show myself out," I said evenly, turning from the "happy couple."
I walked down the sidewalk, hugging myself tight from the cold in my body.
//I'm sorry,// Noa whispered.
"I know. Even Kaibas have to except defeat," I whispered.
"I'm fine. I just have things to do."
I quickly had it scan my eyes as I hurried into the computer. "You stupid fucking prick," I muttered, booting up the computer.
"Excuse me?"
"You. You're a stupid fucking prick. Either you like me or you don't. Either you want to leave Otogi, or you don't. Make a decision and deal with the consequences."
//That's not very nice, Seto.//
~Shut up,~ I thought.
Jou was quiet a few minutes, processing the information. "I like you. And I want to leave Otogi."
"All right then, we can plan a confrontation later."
"What are you doing?"
"Working," I said, dismissing him as I typed in code after code of MS-Dos commands. "Crap," I whispered, getting into the original Kaiba Corp. mainframe. I had never been able to get into it. ~You have the password?~
//...take a wild guess, genius.//
I typed in Noa Kaiba. It worked.
//Now download it.//
I sat down, waiting as it loaded.
"What's happening?"
"I'm downloading the virtual world Noa was in."
"Why?"
"So I can upload Mokuba in it."
"You realize how dangerous that is?"
"Noa's different now," I whispered, rubbing the bridge of my nose. I looked up at him, tiredly. "You wanna do it now?"
"It?" he asked, red-faced and bewildered.
"Get your mind out of the gutter. Do you want to talk to Otogi?"
"Will you be there with me?"
"Of course," I said softly. I typed in a command, then got up. "Lets go."
//It's very possible to balance family life and social life, Seto. I hope you see that now.//
~~~
Otogi opened the door, a very angered look on his face. "Yes?"
"Jounochi wanted to talk to you. He brought me along as moral support."
Otogi stood there for a minute, acting as if he wasn't registering any of it, scanning us with his piercing green eyes. "Alright," he finally said, holding the door open for us.
We sat down on the couch, facing him in the chair. He folded his legs and arms, burning holes into Jounochi with his eyes.
Jounochi, to his credit, stared him in the eyes and said evenly, "I'm breaking up with you."
"Really?" Otogi asked, amused. "For how long this time?"
"Forever. I'm done with this."
"And when Kaiba no longer wants you? What then? Will you be crawling back to me?"
I suppose I didn't know all about their relationship. But it was a personal thing, so I didn't even bother asking afterwards.
"I WON'T be crawling back to you, because there's NOTHING to crawl back TO," he said in a really controlled voice, mind the few words he emphasized. "You have nothing to offer me that I want anymore."
"So you don't want sex?"
"Not with you. Not with someone who doesn't care about me and treats me like-- like-- like...the way you do." He shot a sidelong glance at me. "I'm done with it all," he whispered.
"It won't ever be over, Jounochi. You crave sameness; that's what I gave you! You love repetition and predictability and that's why you stayed with the fucking drunk you call your father! You didn't need to 'shake things up.' Do you honestly think anyone will ever offer you that? I HAVE what you need. That's why you argue with Kaiba, smoke, never tried to let anyone get into your life you didn't know. Because you could count on it happening! You need things to stay the same and hell, I was willing to give you that! What do you want, Jounochi? You can't expect things to be just a certain way with other people. People are unpredictable. Look at Kaiba right here, for your damn proof. He can't even decide on a damn coat color!"
"Shut the hell up."
"Kaiba... Kaiba has..."
"What, Jounochi, what does he have? A change of pace?"
Jounochi dissolved into a crumbling, crying mess.
"You don't have what he needs, Kaiba, I'm sorry," Otogi whispered. He really did seem sorry.
"Stop making Jounochi miserable to be with you, Ryuuji," I warned. "Either you will have a real relationship with him, or I won't let this continue."
"Do you really think you have a say in this? Jounochi's going to stay with me no matter what happens. He's never slept with anyone besides me. I was shocked when he actually asked you. Of course, it figures he didn't even go through with it."
I stood up, trying to control myself. I wasn't going to strangle Otogi, and I wasn't going to yell at Jounochi. "I'll show myself out," I said evenly, turning from the "happy couple."
I walked down the sidewalk, hugging myself tight from the cold in my body.
//I'm sorry,// Noa whispered.
"I know. Even Kaibas have to except defeat," I whispered.