NEWTON'S THIRD by Kiraya
Gomen, gomen, I know it's been a long time. I've been running around like crazy the past couple months; what with finals and vacation and extra hours at work (about three times as many as normal), I've hardly have time to think, let alone write.
Anyway… I put something in here that I seriously never intended to, and kind of scared myself doing so. And Yuugi seems to be getting more and more OOC as this thing continues… There's additional pairingstuff in this chapter, friendship schtuff Anzu would be proud of, and a lot more angst than some of the more recent ones. That done with, here we go…fs
Blue September: Yes, they did have clothes on — mostly. smirk We're not talking indecent exposure here, but… well, I think you get the idea
"Kamisama!" Jounouchi, now conscious, groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Yami, I can't believe— I mean, you and him? Why Kaiba?"
"You're gay?" the dumbfounded Honda repeated for the tenth time in as many minutes.
"You got a problem with that?" Seto snapped, cracking his knuckles in a rather menacing fashion.
The dark-complexioned teen sweatdropped. "Uhh— No! Definitely not! Heh… right, Jounouchi?"
"—and they were making out…!" The blond moaned, clutching his face. "There's an image that's been permanently scorched on my—"
Yami simply sat there, silently staring at the floor. Seto wrapped his arms around him and held him close, pouring comfort through their link, and the pharaoh leaned against him and squeezed his hand gently, but wouldn't look at him.
Kaiba was an eternal pessimist; he had expected something along these lines to happen no matter how Yuugi-tachi found out. But he knew that this wasn't at all how his lover had envisioned their reactions. The King of Games had adopted his aibou's extreme optimism in this, and assumed that they would take the news as his small double had — calmly, without fussing about sexuality, without being upset by the fact that his lover was his greatest rival; indeed, with some degree of approval, however small it might have been. But instead… He growled to himself. ::Yami deserves better than this.::
"Jounouchi," he said brusquely, "I need to talk to you. Now."
The brown-eyed teen stopped his grousing and stared at the billionaire in astonishment. "Huh?"
"Come on." And, grabbing the blond by the arm, Seto dragged him into the next room.
After carefully closing the door behind them, he slammed Jounouchi up against the wall. "Don't you realise what you're doing to him?" he hissed, his face only inches from the other's. "You're his light's best friend, and you know how highly he values your opinion. Can't you see how much your reaction's hurting him?"
The blond refused to look at him. "I don't expect you to understand—"
"To understand what?" the billionaire snarled.
"To understand what I'm going through," Jounouchi said bitterly. "Have you ever had one of those dreams that are wildly unrealistic, but have some small ground in reality that won't let you give them up?" When the other gave him a blank look, the blond sighed. "I can't even begin to describe how it feels to have something like that shattered by… well, I suppose it really doesn't matter now, does it?"
There was a pause. "I'm sorry, Jounouchi," Seto spoke quietly. "I—"
"Please don't," the other interrupted roughly.
Another period of silence ensued.
"Well," the brunet said awkwardly, "I know it's going to be hard for you to accept us as a couple — but at least try, for Yami's sake."
Jounouchi looked up, finally, an unfathomable hurt in his brown eyes. "For Yami's sake? You think this is about him — that I have feelings for Yuugi's other half?" He laughed bitterly. "I never would have guessed my subterfuge would be so successful." At the other's bewildered look, he began to explain.
"It must have started from the very beginning. There was just something about you that elicited a strong reaction from me after our first encounter in Yuugi's ojii-san's shop. You were so darkly nasty, so refreshingly abrupt. And, especially during the Death-T, so enticingly dangerous…"
A cold, heavy, suspicious feeling began in the pit of Kaiba's stomach. He wasn't sure he liked where this seemed to be headed…
"And then, when you defeated me at Duelist Kingdom, something… changed," the other went on. "I began feeling strange things, and I started having the most peculiar dreams…"
There was a long pause before Jounouchi finally continued. "They started out innocently enough. One of your Blue-Eyes would be chasing me, and then I would stumble and fall, and look up to see you looming larger than life in front of me, commanding me to sit at your master's feet, where you belong." The blond's voice dropped to a whisper, and he would not look at the billionaire. "But they became more and more… graphic… as time went on, and it frightened and disgusted and thrilled me, all at once, that I had these disjointed dreams of you tying me down and having your way with me, of leather and handcuffs and hot, furious sex…"
Feeling suddenly ill, Kaiba Seto shuddered and turned away. As interesting as it may be to know how one figures in others' dreams, some are better left untouched.
"I ached to submit to you, to let you master me. I still feel that lust… but lust is all it has ever been, I suppose. Infatuation with your good looks and the sheer force of your personality, your beyond-intense emotions…" Jounouchi shook himself abruptly. "I'm sorry. I know you're involved with Yami, now, so I just have to get over it."
Kaiba was staring at him somewhat stupidly, the overwhelming shock/disgust/terror he felt at this (characteristically) blunt revelation visible only as a tic in his left eye. "Er…"
The other drew closer. "Could you just do one thing for me?" he whispered huskily. "Kiss me… like you feel for me the way I feel for you. Just once, I want to taste the real Kaiba Seto."
The taller youth held his gaze for long moments before he was forced to glance away with a sigh. "I can't do that for you, Jounouchi Katsuya. I'm sorry."
There was a long pause, and then the blond nodded slowly. "I understand," he murmured. "Thank you for being honest." With one last lingering look at the other, he left the room.
Seriously unnerved, the brunet took a moment to regather his wits before opening the door to the other room.
"—maybe not totally unexpected," came Honda's voice, "but… well, you have to admit it would be a rude awakening for anyone."
Seto's heart leapt at his lover's laugh. "I have to agree; I know both of us would have preferred that the three of you found out in a different way. But… it really doesn't bother you?"
"Of course not," the other assured him. "As long as it feels right for you…"
"It does — more than you could ever know." Yami's small smile broadened as he saw his koibito enter the room. He rose and embraced him wordlessly.
"Yami," Jounouchi interjected. "Se— Kaiba. I just want to let you know — as long as you're happy with each other, I'm happy for you." His gaze flickered to the brunet. "Both of you."
"Thank you," Seto responded absently.
Yami quickly looked up at him, startled by the sincerity of his tall lover's statement. He'd never heard the billionaire use that tone of voice with Jounouchi. Explain? All manner of unworded questions accompanied the thought.
::Perhaps a little later,:: the other responded silently, not letting any of the uncharacteristic sympathy he felt for Yuugi's best friend slip through.
"Well… I really have to be going now," the blond said after a moment. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Need a ride?" his dark-haired friend asked.
The other nodded, and they made their farewells to the couple and Yuugi's grandpa as they left through the shop.
"I'm sorry," Honda said simply.
His friend blinked. "Huh?"
"I guess it must've been pretty hard… finding out he was taken that way."
Jounouchi stared at him for a moment, then ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. "Was it really that obvious?" he asked wryly.
The other smiled slightly. "Nah," he demurred. "When you've known someone as long as we've known each other, it just gets a lot easier to read 'im."
There was a pause as they both got on the motorcycle that was Honda's pride and joy.
"You can hang at my place for a bit, if you want," he offered. "I know you don't exactly have such a great family environment that you want to rush home right away."
The blond smiled crookedly. "Thanks."
"Any time, my friend. Any time."
Breathing heavily, Yuugi jogged around the bend of the park trail — and there, finally, was the object of his search, sitting on a bench with her head down and her knees drawn up to her chest. He quietly took a seat beside her. "Anzu?" he ventured.
"How could I not have figured it out?" she sobbed. "I should have noticed it in their body language, at least — the way they always stand so close, the way they so often accidentally touch, the way they look at each other… why didn't I see it before, Yuugi? Why?"
"Sometimes," he murmured, moving closer to put an arm around her shoulders, "when you love someone, you can become so caught up in your own emotions that you don't even realise when he — or she — loves another." Yuugi rose to his feet again, taking the blue-eyed girl by the arm. "I know what you're going through, Anzu — I've been living through the same thing. Let me walk you home… and we can talk about it on the way. If you want."
She looked up at him, her face tearstained. "All right," she managed finally, rising.
As they started walking, she softly added, "Thank you, Yuugi."
He smiled a little. "I'll always be here if you need me, Anzu. Always."
It was a few hours after sunset.
Yami sighed, leaning back against his lover as he tightened his arms around Yuugi, and they sat together wordlessly for long moments, letting the drowsy peace they all felt flood their link.
"Well," the billionaire commented finally, "it has certainly been an interesting day. They took it rather better than I'd expected, all things considered."
"I still can't believe Jounouchi-kun!" Yuugi said for the dozenth time. "Who'd've thought he, of all people, would have the hots for you?"
"Please," Seto said plaintively, "can we talk about something else? Just thinking about it makes me want to scream for my Yami."
The King of Games smirked as his lover held him closer. "Does it, now…?"
Yuugi, too, grinned evilly. "Ne, hentai… hate to burst your bubble, but I think the sort of screaming he's talking about is more along the lines of save me, save me than fuck me, fuck me."
Yami sighed petulantly. "Spoilsport."
The tall CEO laughed in spite of himself and buried his face in the gamesmaster's hair, nuzzling. "Kami-sama, Yami… I do love you."
A satisfied expression slid across the shorter duelist's face as he leaned up to kiss the other's cheek. "And I you, Seto-koi. I'll always love you."
20 July 2003.
To be continued.
Kiraya: disgusted Why did I do that? I hate Seto/Jou!
Zekoi: casually buffing his claws You really don't like BDSM much, either.
Kiraya: jabs him in the chest with a finger You know, this is all your fault, muse! Seto-sama tying Jounouchi down and fucking him senseless… shudders And you couldn't even help me come up with something better to put in there! You're so twisted!
Zekoi: raises an eyeridge So…?
Kiraya: ..
Zekoi: I'm just more surprised you put the Yuugi/Anzu bit in there. You won't even spare a glance for het fics… why write one with the stuff?
Kiraya: It follows Myrrekaessin's Writ of Writing — no matter what, always leave room for a sequel. And I've had a rough idea marinating in my mind for some time now ..
Zekoi: Oh, gods u..u;