I Dreamed A Dream
The thing at the beginning about Kaiba glancing back like a girl who has . . . etc. is an allusion to a horror story where a girl is left in the car while her boyfriend goes for gas, and takes a nap. There's a mad killer guy on the loose. When she wakes up the car is covered in some red stuff. Then a police car comes up, and the guys take her out. While they're driving away they tell her to not look back. She does, and her boyfriend's hung on the tree, and it's his blood that was all over the car. Dun dun dun. For some reason I felt like telling that story.
Warning: This fic contains shonen-ai, naughty words more likely than not, and has characters that are not mine. Obviously, this is so, or else this fic wouldn't be in would it?
Driving home that night, he keeps glancing back occasionally. Okay, possibly more than occasionally. Let's just say enough time to almost get into four car accidents.
As you can tell, he's minutes away from a complete nervous breakdown. Kaiba Seto doesn't glance back like a girl who has a policeman telling her to not look back. He might throw back a smirk at some defeated loser, but never a fearful glance back. So, in conclusion, Kaiba Seto feels like he's going mad.
The logical part of Seto is asking why he is even peeking back when he's in a car. The rest of Seto ignores the question and keeps looking back. Every part of him lets out a sigh of relief when he finally pulls up into the driveway. Scrambling—if he would let you say the word describing him without throwing you a silencing glare—to the door, he shoves his key into the lock, and twists it. No looking back Kaiba Seto, he warns himself. He's not there.
"Hey, Seto." Seto jumps, and the key in his hand goes clattering to the floor. He doesn't want to turn around and face him, but he knows he has to. He's got his pride, and it's whispering for him to face his fear once and for all. After all, his logic says simply, it's not really him.
"You."
Katsuya Jounouchi—no! The stupid leprechaun, yes leprechaun—is smiling, but it's a guarded smile, ready to flit away as soon as there's trouble.
Seto wants to kiss the smile right off, but he restrains himself. After all the leprechaun's not—
"How can I not be real, Seto?" He looks down at himself, his brow furrowed, and the thin smile gone. He pats himself—on his chest, his face, his legs—and chokes out another few words. "I remember dying, but here I am." He looks up at Seto and there are tears, actual tears, in his eyes.
That is the last straw for Seto. He strides over to the puppy and pulls him into his arms. It's that peculiar and familiar scent of his that he breathes in. It's been so long. "Don't cry," he whispers into the leprechaun's hair.
"Don't you cry, tonight, 'cause I still love you baby. Don't you cry, tonight." It has to be him. Who else would randomly start singing at such a moment? A Guns N Roses song, no less. It's his favorite American band. Seto had to live through their blaring music the whole time they were been together. Jounouchi only made an attempt at English when he was singing.
"You're the one crying, you idiot." Seto reaches up with a shaking finger and wipes away the stray tears on his puppy's cheeks. He wants to move away, but he doesn't. He wants to get closer. But—
"I can't help it. You keep telling me I'm not who I remember being, and I'm starting to think you're right." Seto can hear in his voice that he's going to start bawling in a bit if Seto doesn't manage to stop him in the next five seconds. He gladly takes up the challenge.
Seto presses his lips roughly to Jounouchi's, surprised at his own vigor. But now his puppy's pressing back, and these thoughts flutter away gently. It feels so odd, to feel a dead man's tongue in his mouth, to feel a corpse's hands around his waist, a cadaver's body pushing against his own.
Even with these thoughts in his head, it's Jounouchi who pulls away.
"Why don't you think I'm real?" Jounouchi is still holding him tightly, but his eyes are serious and lack the fire of desire. Seto relaxes in his grip, and sighs.
"Because you're dead. I saw your corpse, you know." He rests his head on Jounouchi's shoulder, and lets out another deep breath. "You were horribly mangled. I didn't allow the wake to be an open casket because I knew that Yuugi and Mokuba would be traumatized for life if they ever saw your body."
"Please, Seto, don't joke around with this." Jounouchi sounds almost hurt, which is strange. Jounouchi rarely ever let Seto know he true feelings, covering up his intentions with insults and kisses.
"I'm not joking." Seto doesn't want to let go of him. He doesn't care if someone drives up and sees them. It feels like it felt in the beginning, when it was a secret, when it was special and hush-hush. The puppy has come back to his master, wagging tail and all.
"The last thing I remember is the car going out of control . . . " Jounouchi begins in a slow voice, as if Seto had asked something. But he doesn't want to hear the memories. Why can't Jounouchi show some sort of intelligence for once and shut up!
"Shut up, puppy." Seto growls lowly into Jounouchi's ear.
Jounouchi obeys silently. Seto grins at the familiarity of the situation. Only Jounouchi would comply with him so readily. "Just forget it."
"I can't, Seto. Don't be an idiot. You can't possibly expect me to forget something like dying, can you? I'm not you after all." Jounouchi burrows his have into Seto's coat, and sighs, his whole body shaking from the effort.
"Fine, don't forget it. Ignore it."
Jounouchi chuckles lightly. "I thought I was some sort of dead thing."
"You are." Jounouchi winces against his chest. "But I'm willing to forget that. I need . . . " Jounouchi's breath catches, but Seto stops himself before he can finish. No. He's being far to open. After all this isn't Jounouchi, it's a leprechaun. He's not going to tell him he needs him. Kaiba Seto doesn't need anyone. " . . . to get laid. "
"Oh."
A silence falls upon the two of them like a blanket on a small child's sleeping body. Seto feels awkward for having covered up his feelings so sloppily.
"Seto . . . I've died and somehow I've returned. And all you can says is that you need to get laid!" Somewhere between these words Jounouchi pushes Seto away roughly. His eyes are wet with fury and his hands are balled into fists. "You do think I'm some sort of zombie! You think I don't feel," he slaps his chest as he says this, "in my heart? God, you are such a fucking asshole!"
Seto just stands there, his expression stony and his body still. What is it the leprechaun expects from him? Does he expect Seto to stand there and welcome him with wide-open arms? Seto would never have done that for the real Jounouchi, much less for some wannabe leprechaun.
"Get out."
"What!"
"I said, get out. Are you among the living impaired? Do you really need me to elaborate!" He glares at the leprechaun and patiently—he thinks—waits for him to leave. The leprechaun simply shoots him back a matching glare and whirls around, stalking off angrily.
Seto is left standing there, unsure as to whether he's sad the leprechaun has left, or glad.
The man chuckles to himself and takes off the headset he has on his head. He opens up a laptop and with a press of a finger turns it on. The black screen brightens, although it's stilly black, and it flickers gently as a slight hum emits from the machine.
"Kaiba Seto . . .you'll give in. But maybe . . . I should be more persuasive." Another laugh.
"Dear Kaiba Seto. Have you enjoyed the little gift I sent you?" The sound of fingers typing rapidly accompanies the man's drawl, and giggle. "If you'd like to see more of the same, please contact me. And do not make an attempt to contact any authorities. Don't underestimate me, Kaiba Seto." There's the sound of a mouse clicking, and then the man rubs his hands together, as if he's cold.
"Come on, Kaiba. I'm making you an offer you can't refuse."
I don't know why he calls Jou a leprechaun. Also, this is a short chapter, isn't it? Please forgive me.
