Title: Life's Lessons
Ha--changed the title but didn't fix it in the first two chapters... oops. Both titles suck anyway :(
Author: Cincinnatus C.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): Jounouchi/Kaiba, a little Yugi/Anzu
Spoilers: no
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the YuGiOh universe. Duh.
Summary: All Jounouchi wants to do is sink into the ground and disappear forever--but he can't let his friends see. He can't let anyone see. He feels useless and somehow life, consciousness, and sanity all seem to spiral away. Kaiba's cruelty doesn't help either. When Yugi & co face a new enemy Jounouchi thinks that he finally understands why he's alive and Kaiba learns that sometimes, you don't realize how important something is to you until it's gone.
CHAPTER THREE: ART
"All art is quite useless."
Ouch. He hurt all over. That could only mean one thing. He was in hell. It wouldn't hurt in heaven. He opened his eyes. Yes, definitely hell--he hated hospitals. He closed his eyes again.
"Jou?"
Wait, that sounded like Yugi. Jounouchi opened his eyes and turned to face the source of the voice--who was, indeed, his little friend. Honda, Ryou, and Anzu were standing behind him. Jounouchi stared at him in confusion.
"How are you feeling Jou?" Ryou asked.
"I'm not in hell?"
There was a collective silence, then Anzu said "you're not dead Jou, and even if you were you would never go to hell!"
"Oh, I dunno. I am gay and I had sex before marriage, before datin' even," Jounouchi chuckled mirthlessly. Suddenly, his face turned serious, even a little pensive. "It hurts. I figured it wouldn'ta hurt in heaven."
Yugi sniffled a little and hugged Jounouchi. "We were so worried, Jou!"
"I'm sorry I worried ya, Yug," Jounouchi said softly.
---
Honda had taken Anzu to her work on his bike and Ryou had wandered off muttering that "Bakura was demanding 'entertainment,'" leaving Yugi and Jounouchi alone.
They sat in silence for a fairly long time before Yugi spoke up.
"We called your mom and dad--your dad stopped by but he had to go to work. Your mom... she said... what's going on between you and her?"
"She tinks I'm my Pop and she can't stand him. She tinks I'm a bad influence on Shizuka. She tinks I can't do anyting right."
"Is that why... when you said... what did you mean?" Jounouchi stared at his friend, not understanding what Yugi was asking. Yugi continued. "Before you destroyed... that thing, you said you were 'being useful.' What did you mean?"
"I don't wanna talk about it."
"Jou-"
"Drop it, Yug," Jou said harshly. Yugi looked at his friend worriedly but moved on to other subjects anyway.
---
Jou had been out cold for two days--Friday and Saturday. He had spent Sunday recuperating, and now he had to go back to school. He didn't want to, but what was he supposed to tell his father? "Oh, sorry, can't go--almost got blown to bits by a magical plate?" His friends had offered to walk with him but Jounouchi had declined--he wanted some time to think before he got there.
When he entered the school yard he expected everyone to start pointing and whispering. It took him a moment to remember that no one knew what had happened over the weekend or before, all they knew was that he had been sick last week. It was kind of early anyway, so not a lot of people were around. It was probably the first time Jounouchi hadn't squeeked in right before the bell--or right after, as often as not. He quietly made it to his first period class. As he was heading in, someone grabbed his arm. It was Kaiba, gripping him so hard that it hurt and staring at his face in disbelief.
"Puppy?" he asked in wonderment.
Jounouchi's eyebrows knitted together. "Don't tell me nobody told you?" Kaiba just stared at him. Jounouchi grew uncomfortable. "Um... well, as you see, I'm not dead." He laughed awkwardly.
Suddenly, Kaiba's grip tightened even more. "You're a fool, you know," he hissed. Jounouchi was surprised at the venom in his voice, it was like he had attacked Mokuba or something.
"Jeez, sorry, thought ya'd be glad not ta be dead! It shouldn't matter ta ya anyway, I'm jus' a useless mutt, right?" Jounouchi responded angrily. He pulled his arm out of Kaiba's grip.
"Wait," Kaiba choked out. Jounouchi paused. There had been emotion in that word--pain. He turned around curiously.
Kaiba opened his mouth, but couldn't say it. He couldn't say he was sorry, not to the mutt. He actually wanted to, but he couldn't. After a moment of waiting, Jounouchi turned back around impatiently to enter the classroom. Suddenly, a group of unexpected words tumbled out of Kaiba's mouth.
"I'm glad you're not dead," he whispered. Jounouchi paused and looked at him. After a moment's hesitation, he smiled. Kaiba felt a little wave of relief wash over him and smiled as well. Jounouchi finally walked into the classroom, a bemused smile fixed on his face. Kaiba followed, sitting in a desk several rows in front of Jounouchi.
Jounouchi watched him sit down. He wasn't quite sure what to make of that encounter.
---
Later that day, Jounouchi sat in the cafeteria, smiling and picking at his "food."
"What's up with you, Jou? You've been sitting around with this goofy grin on your face all day," Honda said as he sat down. Jounouchi tried to suppress his smile but couldn't. His friends watched this curious display.
Jounouchi shook his head and blushed. "Nothing." His friends stared at him incredulously. "Uh... I dunno?" he said weakly. They continued to stare. Jounouchi blushed more deeply and glanced quickly at Kaiba, across the room. Kaiba was watching him steadily. Jounouchi grinned and buried his face in his arms.
"What are you, an ostrich?" Ryou asked.
Yugi, Anzu, and Honda stared at him.
"What?" They continued to stare. "Oh, you know, an ostrich hides its head in the sand when it's scared, Jou was hiding his head in his arms... oh nevermind!"
"Hey. Where'd Jou go?" Yugi asked.
---
About a week later, Jounouchi was tossing a little rubber ball at the wall and letting it bounce back repeatedly. He was bored. One would think he would be enjoying the fact that he wasn't dead, but he simply couldn't think of anything to do. Honda was trying to fix his motorcycle (and failing miserably), Ryou was finishing a big project, and Yugi and Anzu were going on a date--apparently he had asked her out while Jounouchi was unconscious. Go figure. Suddenly, he heard the doorbell ring.
Jounouchi jumped up and raced to the door. When he opened it, the rubber ball fell out of his lifeless hand. His jaw dropped, leaving his mouth gaping open.
It was Kaiba... holding an enormous bouquet of red roses. The two boys stood where they were, staring at eachother.
"Water," Kaiba croaked.
Jounouchi stared for another moment, then his eyes narrowed. "Ya mean ta tell me that ya just stopped 'ere 'cause yer thirsty?"
Kaiba's eyes widened. "No! I--for the--for the roses. For you. They're for you." Kaiba jerkily thrust out his hands towards Jounouchi, whose expression softened immediately. He hesitantly reached out and took the flowers.
"Ya...ya wanna come in?" he asked. Kaiba nodded slowly and followed him into what was apparently a kitchen. Jounouchi pulled out a stool and stepped onto it in order to reach into a high cabinet. Kaiba couldn't help but stare at his butt--his incredibly cute butt--as Jounouchi rooted around looking for something.
"Why don't ya take a picture, it'll last longer," Jounouchi said.
"What?"
"Of my ass. Aha! Here we go!" Jounouchi exclaimed, pulling out what appeared to be a beer pitcher. Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Hey, it's all I could think of, we don't got any vases," Jounouchi said defensively. "And don't even try ta pretend ya weren't starin' at my ass."
"I may have caught a brief look because you were wriggling it around in the air, but I didn't-"
"Yeah ya did," Jounouchi interrupted.
"I..." Kaiba started, flustered.
"Don't worry about it, I don't mind," Jounouchi said, then ducked his head in embarassment. He filled the pitcher with water and then stuck the roses in. "Thanks, by the way."
"For what?"
Jounouchi smiled and looked at Kaiba. "The roses, of course."
"Oh. You're welcome," Kaiba said abruptly. He watched Jounouchi for a moment, who was smiling and blushing just a little bit. "Puppy... I--I don't think you're useless. I used to get angry with you, and I didn't understand why, and I said things... that weren't true."
Jounouchi didn't respond for a moment, then asked with genuine curiousity "Do ya understand why now?"
"Yes, I do. I--I've been thinking, you see. Well, of course I've been thinking, I always--what I mean to say is-what?"
"What what?"
"You're grinning like a damned jack-o-lantern. What's so funny?"
"Yer flustered," Jou explained. Kaiba glared. "Sorry," Jou continued, "it's just I've neveh seen ya flustered before. Uh... what were you sayin'? You'd been tinkin' about sometin' lately?"
"About why you made me angry."
"And?" Jounouchi asked, a bit nervously.
Kaiba took a deep breath. He had practiced this at home--something he would never admit to a single soul--but it didn't really make it any easier. His fists clenched and with great effort, Kaiba managed to force out:"You made me feel, something I've avoided all my life."
Jounouchi stared at him, his heart pounding like a rampaging herd of elephants. "What do you mean?"
"I... like you."
And suddenly, Kaiba was glomped with an inch of his life. Jounouchi covered him with chaste little kisses, then dropped back and stared up at him impishly.
"I like you too."
Kaiba smiled.
Ha--changed the title but didn't fix it in the first two chapters... oops. Both titles suck anyway :(
Author: Cincinnatus C.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): Jounouchi/Kaiba, a little Yugi/Anzu
Spoilers: no
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the YuGiOh universe. Duh.
Summary: All Jounouchi wants to do is sink into the ground and disappear forever--but he can't let his friends see. He can't let anyone see. He feels useless and somehow life, consciousness, and sanity all seem to spiral away. Kaiba's cruelty doesn't help either. When Yugi & co face a new enemy Jounouchi thinks that he finally understands why he's alive and Kaiba learns that sometimes, you don't realize how important something is to you until it's gone.
CHAPTER THREE: ART
"All art is quite useless."
Ouch. He hurt all over. That could only mean one thing. He was in hell. It wouldn't hurt in heaven. He opened his eyes. Yes, definitely hell--he hated hospitals. He closed his eyes again.
"Jou?"
Wait, that sounded like Yugi. Jounouchi opened his eyes and turned to face the source of the voice--who was, indeed, his little friend. Honda, Ryou, and Anzu were standing behind him. Jounouchi stared at him in confusion.
"How are you feeling Jou?" Ryou asked.
"I'm not in hell?"
There was a collective silence, then Anzu said "you're not dead Jou, and even if you were you would never go to hell!"
"Oh, I dunno. I am gay and I had sex before marriage, before datin' even," Jounouchi chuckled mirthlessly. Suddenly, his face turned serious, even a little pensive. "It hurts. I figured it wouldn'ta hurt in heaven."
Yugi sniffled a little and hugged Jounouchi. "We were so worried, Jou!"
"I'm sorry I worried ya, Yug," Jounouchi said softly.
---
Honda had taken Anzu to her work on his bike and Ryou had wandered off muttering that "Bakura was demanding 'entertainment,'" leaving Yugi and Jounouchi alone.
They sat in silence for a fairly long time before Yugi spoke up.
"We called your mom and dad--your dad stopped by but he had to go to work. Your mom... she said... what's going on between you and her?"
"She tinks I'm my Pop and she can't stand him. She tinks I'm a bad influence on Shizuka. She tinks I can't do anyting right."
"Is that why... when you said... what did you mean?" Jounouchi stared at his friend, not understanding what Yugi was asking. Yugi continued. "Before you destroyed... that thing, you said you were 'being useful.' What did you mean?"
"I don't wanna talk about it."
"Jou-"
"Drop it, Yug," Jou said harshly. Yugi looked at his friend worriedly but moved on to other subjects anyway.
---
Jou had been out cold for two days--Friday and Saturday. He had spent Sunday recuperating, and now he had to go back to school. He didn't want to, but what was he supposed to tell his father? "Oh, sorry, can't go--almost got blown to bits by a magical plate?" His friends had offered to walk with him but Jounouchi had declined--he wanted some time to think before he got there.
When he entered the school yard he expected everyone to start pointing and whispering. It took him a moment to remember that no one knew what had happened over the weekend or before, all they knew was that he had been sick last week. It was kind of early anyway, so not a lot of people were around. It was probably the first time Jounouchi hadn't squeeked in right before the bell--or right after, as often as not. He quietly made it to his first period class. As he was heading in, someone grabbed his arm. It was Kaiba, gripping him so hard that it hurt and staring at his face in disbelief.
"Puppy?" he asked in wonderment.
Jounouchi's eyebrows knitted together. "Don't tell me nobody told you?" Kaiba just stared at him. Jounouchi grew uncomfortable. "Um... well, as you see, I'm not dead." He laughed awkwardly.
Suddenly, Kaiba's grip tightened even more. "You're a fool, you know," he hissed. Jounouchi was surprised at the venom in his voice, it was like he had attacked Mokuba or something.
"Jeez, sorry, thought ya'd be glad not ta be dead! It shouldn't matter ta ya anyway, I'm jus' a useless mutt, right?" Jounouchi responded angrily. He pulled his arm out of Kaiba's grip.
"Wait," Kaiba choked out. Jounouchi paused. There had been emotion in that word--pain. He turned around curiously.
Kaiba opened his mouth, but couldn't say it. He couldn't say he was sorry, not to the mutt. He actually wanted to, but he couldn't. After a moment of waiting, Jounouchi turned back around impatiently to enter the classroom. Suddenly, a group of unexpected words tumbled out of Kaiba's mouth.
"I'm glad you're not dead," he whispered. Jounouchi paused and looked at him. After a moment's hesitation, he smiled. Kaiba felt a little wave of relief wash over him and smiled as well. Jounouchi finally walked into the classroom, a bemused smile fixed on his face. Kaiba followed, sitting in a desk several rows in front of Jounouchi.
Jounouchi watched him sit down. He wasn't quite sure what to make of that encounter.
---
Later that day, Jounouchi sat in the cafeteria, smiling and picking at his "food."
"What's up with you, Jou? You've been sitting around with this goofy grin on your face all day," Honda said as he sat down. Jounouchi tried to suppress his smile but couldn't. His friends watched this curious display.
Jounouchi shook his head and blushed. "Nothing." His friends stared at him incredulously. "Uh... I dunno?" he said weakly. They continued to stare. Jounouchi blushed more deeply and glanced quickly at Kaiba, across the room. Kaiba was watching him steadily. Jounouchi grinned and buried his face in his arms.
"What are you, an ostrich?" Ryou asked.
Yugi, Anzu, and Honda stared at him.
"What?" They continued to stare. "Oh, you know, an ostrich hides its head in the sand when it's scared, Jou was hiding his head in his arms... oh nevermind!"
"Hey. Where'd Jou go?" Yugi asked.
---
About a week later, Jounouchi was tossing a little rubber ball at the wall and letting it bounce back repeatedly. He was bored. One would think he would be enjoying the fact that he wasn't dead, but he simply couldn't think of anything to do. Honda was trying to fix his motorcycle (and failing miserably), Ryou was finishing a big project, and Yugi and Anzu were going on a date--apparently he had asked her out while Jounouchi was unconscious. Go figure. Suddenly, he heard the doorbell ring.
Jounouchi jumped up and raced to the door. When he opened it, the rubber ball fell out of his lifeless hand. His jaw dropped, leaving his mouth gaping open.
It was Kaiba... holding an enormous bouquet of red roses. The two boys stood where they were, staring at eachother.
"Water," Kaiba croaked.
Jounouchi stared for another moment, then his eyes narrowed. "Ya mean ta tell me that ya just stopped 'ere 'cause yer thirsty?"
Kaiba's eyes widened. "No! I--for the--for the roses. For you. They're for you." Kaiba jerkily thrust out his hands towards Jounouchi, whose expression softened immediately. He hesitantly reached out and took the flowers.
"Ya...ya wanna come in?" he asked. Kaiba nodded slowly and followed him into what was apparently a kitchen. Jounouchi pulled out a stool and stepped onto it in order to reach into a high cabinet. Kaiba couldn't help but stare at his butt--his incredibly cute butt--as Jounouchi rooted around looking for something.
"Why don't ya take a picture, it'll last longer," Jounouchi said.
"What?"
"Of my ass. Aha! Here we go!" Jounouchi exclaimed, pulling out what appeared to be a beer pitcher. Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Hey, it's all I could think of, we don't got any vases," Jounouchi said defensively. "And don't even try ta pretend ya weren't starin' at my ass."
"I may have caught a brief look because you were wriggling it around in the air, but I didn't-"
"Yeah ya did," Jounouchi interrupted.
"I..." Kaiba started, flustered.
"Don't worry about it, I don't mind," Jounouchi said, then ducked his head in embarassment. He filled the pitcher with water and then stuck the roses in. "Thanks, by the way."
"For what?"
Jounouchi smiled and looked at Kaiba. "The roses, of course."
"Oh. You're welcome," Kaiba said abruptly. He watched Jounouchi for a moment, who was smiling and blushing just a little bit. "Puppy... I--I don't think you're useless. I used to get angry with you, and I didn't understand why, and I said things... that weren't true."
Jounouchi didn't respond for a moment, then asked with genuine curiousity "Do ya understand why now?"
"Yes, I do. I--I've been thinking, you see. Well, of course I've been thinking, I always--what I mean to say is-what?"
"What what?"
"You're grinning like a damned jack-o-lantern. What's so funny?"
"Yer flustered," Jou explained. Kaiba glared. "Sorry," Jou continued, "it's just I've neveh seen ya flustered before. Uh... what were you sayin'? You'd been tinkin' about sometin' lately?"
"About why you made me angry."
"And?" Jounouchi asked, a bit nervously.
Kaiba took a deep breath. He had practiced this at home--something he would never admit to a single soul--but it didn't really make it any easier. His fists clenched and with great effort, Kaiba managed to force out:"You made me feel, something I've avoided all my life."
Jounouchi stared at him, his heart pounding like a rampaging herd of elephants. "What do you mean?"
"I... like you."
And suddenly, Kaiba was glomped with an inch of his life. Jounouchi covered him with chaste little kisses, then dropped back and stared up at him impishly.
"I like you too."
Kaiba smiled.