Closer

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Honda

Coming to Terms

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Three weeks went past before Honda and Jou really spoke about it again. The week after the meeting was pretty busy, with graduation and end of the year parties and family (On Jou's part) and a million other little things.

The next week was uneventful in the sense that Jou spent it with his mother and they were forced to forgo the next meeting, not that Honda exactly minded. And the next week…well, he was pretty much hiding from the rest of the world.

Honda spent that entire week at home, in the bed, curled up with his kitten. He'd rescued Ace from the animal shelter a few months prior, thinking that he needed someone else in the big empty house to keep him company. Ace was solid black, save patches of gray fur covering the tip of his tail, his left front paw, and around his right eye, and was about four months old.

Honda's parents would disapprove of him having a pet no doubt, but it wasn't like they were around enough to know about him anyway. Ace was an affectionate kitten, as well as just slightly lazy, and so had no problem spending a week doing nothing except being petting and coddled by his owner.

He scratched Ace behind the ears lazily, smiling at the soft purr he got in reply. Cats were so easy to keep happy; feed them, make sure they have water, pay attention to them when they wanted it and they'd love you forever.

He'd never really thought about it before, the whole being willing to devote most of his time to keeping his cat happy and wanting nothing but the occasional happy purr in return but now he wondered if perhaps it meant something more.

Then again maybe he was just looking too deeply for implications and signs that probably weren't even there. He just…wanted to know if he was completely insane or if there was actually something behind all of it. Jou seemed to accept it so easily and was just…excited for something to happen where Honda couldn't help but want a better grasp of it all.

How could the blond just want to jump into something like this when so much could go wrong? Normal relationships were hard to maintain, living as someone's slave had to be that much harder. The more he looked the more conflicted he became. He was almost willing to admit that he was interested…more than interested, part of him wanted to try it so badly it was insane.

And not just in 'weekend scene' kind of way. He supposed that could be kind of fun, maybe, but it didn't really appeal to him. Hooking up with some stranger, or even a not stranger, and saying 'Okay, you get to tell me what to do for a few hours and then it's back to life as usual' just seemed…kind of pointless. Like he'd just be pretending to be something, when really he was something else completely, and Honda had never been one for complexities like that.

He had always been what he was and didn't think he could just lock part of his personality away to take out and play with occasionally. He was always either all or nothing and didn't really believe in the 'middle ground'.

Some people liked to refer to that as stubborn. Honda liked to think of it as 'brutally honest about himself no matter what'.

But at the same time didn't that mean giving up who he was? Letting go of everything he wanted to focus on someone else? He would have to…not pursue what he wanted and give up all of those dreams he had, wouldn't he? To be someone else's pet meant that he wasn't his own person anymore and Honda really wasn't sure he could go that far.

"So this is where you've been!" He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Jou's mildly triumphant voice coming from his doorway. Ace just yawned and crawled up his body, thin claws scrapping against his chest, before lying down. Jou chuckled as he walked over and crawled up the length of his bed to stretch out next to him. "You been hiding out?"

"Kind of, I guess. Thinking." He didn't bother asking how Jou got in, guessing he'd either found the spare key under the mailbox or he'd just popped the lock. Honda really didn't want to know how he'd gotten in, mostly because of the latter option.

"Ah." Jou nodded some while reaching out to rub Ace lightly. The cat mewled appreciatively before closing his eyes, apparently about to drift off. "So what's up?

"Just…I don't know." He smiled wryly. "I've spent a week doing nothing but thinking and reading and thinking and I've still got nothing."

Jou smiled up him. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong and I'll use my amazing genius to help you come up with a solution."

"Well I'm fucked." Honda deadpanned.

Jou snorted. "Not with an attitude like that you aren't."

Honda stared at Jou who stared back evenly before shrugging his shoulders and shifting so his head was resting on Honda's shoulder. Honda had to resist the urge to push him away. It wasn't a matter of comfort, because he didn't mind Jou being there, so much as a matter of intimacy. He hadn't been close to anyone like this since he and Jou had decided they made better friends than boyfriends and he didn't want Jou playing with him like this.

It was one thing to admit that maybe he could be a sub, it was something completely different to think of himself as a Dom, which he knew was what Jou was looking for now. And even if he could have been, which he knew (just knew deep down in pit of his stomach) that he most certainly couldn't be, dominating Jou?

It couldn't happen. Ever.

He couldn't be that person.

"Jou-"

"Honda you know I still…you and I…it's…you know." Jou's words were halting and nervous and a blush was working its way up his face. "I just…want you to know that…and…I suck at this. Man, I don't even know how to do this."

Honda smiled slightly. "I know what you mean."

And he did. He felt the same way. Honda had a lot of friends, being a fairly friendly guy, but none of them were even close to meaning as much to him as Jou did. Jou was, really, a lot more than his best friend. Honda trusted him completely and he knew Jou trusted him as well. It was like there was this bond, or this place that could only stretch to hold them and no one else could get in or begin to understand it because it was really just for them.

It was…deeper than just friendship. What exactly they should call it Honda wasn't totally sure, but he knew it was more than friendship.

It was a shame they couldn't do anything about it.

"Oh, good." Jou did look an infinitely amount more relived by that. "Cause I was thinking about what Lisa said, about us being a packaged deal? Maybe we should be…together I mean. We'd be able to look out for each other and there'd be less chance of anything bad happening and maybe it'd what we need to be together." Jou had given up on petting Ace and was instead touching Honda with feather light and almost nervous caresses.

"You think if we're together, with someone else, we'd be able to stay together?"

Jou looked up him with wide amber eyes and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess I do."

Honda stared at his friend before licking his lips and sighing. Jou had a point. He imagined he'd be a lot more comfortable doing this with Jou at his side, instead of alone.

"How so? Like…a long-term person? Or just a person sometimes?"

"No, not…sometimes. I don't want sometimes. I want all of the time." He was blushing again and his eyes were down, almost like he was ashamed to even be saying the words. In a strange sort of way Honda felt better; at least he wasn't the only unsure one. "Is that completely fucked up?"

"I guess not. I feel the same and I know I'm not fucked up so…" He shrugged slightly, expecting a sarcastic retort. Jou just smiled and his hand slid down over his torso before resting above his navel. Jou's legs moved, draping over his own, and then he had a blond half on him. "How would we find someone?"

"Um. I don't know." Jou laughed sheepishly. "I didn't think you'd agree so easily."

"Sorry." Honda said though his intended sarcasm died halfway through the word. "Think about it. How does a sub usually find a serious Dom?"

"The 'net, meetings, classified ads. Just like other people. Then there's that courtship thing. The Dom…well, courts the sub. It's something like Victorian era dating. You should only go to well populated places, never be alone together, keep the talk away from sex, and the Dom is supposed to…make a pitch I guess, so the sub will choose them. They'd give a collar of consideration while courting so no other Doms try to make a play for the sub."

"Why do you know that?" Honda was both surprised and impressed by the way Jou kept springing all of this…knowledge on him. He also felt a little…well, stupid. They'd both started considering this at the same time and it already felt like Jou was so far ahead of him.

"Lisa told me. We talk about a lot of stuff." A shrug went along with this statement. "Lisa said that a lot of people have…expressed interest in playing with us or…um, watching us play with each other and had come to Yukito to ask if anyone was seriously interested in us yet."

Honda didn't need to look down to know Jou was once again blushing. He knew the other was blushing because he was blushing. He couldn't believe people were so bold about that sort of thing, just going up to someone and saying they wanted to 'play' with someone.

"The problem, I think, is finding someone who wants two completely clueless slaves and wouldn't mind training us from scratch. Most slaves know a little something, even if it's just from play scenes or watching demonstrations." Jou continued after a pause.

"You don't seem clueless to me."

The blond laughed and raised his head up some to smirk at him. "Asking a lot of questions and having a general idea and seeing some kinky pictures doesn't make me an expert on anything. There's still a lot about training I don't understand and I can't even begin to comprehend how we find a Dom who thinks he can handle the two of us at once."

"Training?" He knew a little bit about it…or about the collaring process. He'd found an article about the three levels of collars and he knew one was Training.

"Umm…well, it comes after Consideration. If the sub wants the Dom then things move on to the next level. Training is the big thing. Laying down rules, setting up limits and responsibilities, and just…getting a feel for each other I guess. Things usually get psychical and the sub might move in with the Dom."

Honda nodded his understanding, though he still wasn't completely sure he got it. His mind went back to his earlier problem, of losing himself under the rule of someone else. Here he was going along with Jou as if he didn't have a concern in the world and he still didn't know what the hell he was doing.

But it wasn't like they were going to find someone interested in them tomorrow so for now he was content to relax, sit around, and do a lot of nothing for however long he could manage. Hopefully, by the time anything actually happened, he'd have a better grasp on things and understand what he was getting into.

He knew he was okay with this, on a basic level, but he didn't want to lose himself in the process. If this actually happened. For all they knew no one would even consider them seriously.

That thought, which was somewhere between comforting and disappointing, in mind Honda closed his eyes and let himself fall asleep. Things would eventually sort themselves out; they always did in the long run.

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Seto

Plots

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For Seto devising a way to get Honda and Jou proved to be easier said than done. While, over the years, their dislike for each other had cooled into something resembling cool friendship he was sure they were far from liking him.

He supposed he could appeal to their more…base urges but thought that might kind of defeat the purpose. He wanted to do this properly, not win them over with the promise of sex. Besides building any kind of relationship, and especially a Master and slave one, on sex was a very bad idea.

To be someone's slave you had to trust your master completely. To just fuck someone didn't even begin to call for the same kind of feeling. That was the point of the Courting, to show the would-be slave that the Master could be trusted.

Gaining the trust of the younger teens was going to difficult, Seto had no illusions about that, but he was sure he could do it, with time and patience.

It was just a matter of getting it started. They had to know of their intentions and accept their attention or else nothing could happen. Otogi claimed he was thinking too much about and that they just needed to lay their offer out on the table. Jou and Honda would either accept or refuse and there was nothing they could do if they were going to go for the latter except accept it.

Seto had ignored him.

Otogi would probably have an easier time at it. They already trusted him somewhat, at least enough to be friends with him in spite of the fact he was dating a guy they'd professed to hate for years. He did seem more into the idea now that he'd had time to think about it, though he still had his doubts.

All of which were perfectly valid and Seto found he couldn't blame his lover for not being completely sold of the idea just yet. Sleeping with friends led to complications if it didn't work out, trying to make them your pets could only led to serious problems if it didn't work out.

"I think I've found a place." Otogi announced to him about three weeks after the meeting they'd seen Seto and Jou at. The green-eyed man strode into his office and sat on the edge of his desk before he resumed talking. "It's downtown, so close to both of our offices. Three bedrooms, two baths, big kitchen, office and the guy who owns it is more than willing to let us do whatever we want with the place for a little extra on the monthly."

Seto smiled wryly. "How nice, considering we could easily buy the entire building from him."

"I thought so." Otogi's smile was a touch on the sardonic side. "So, what do you think?"

"I trust you." Seto shrugged slightly. "If you say its good I believe you."

Otogi's eyebrow went up slightly. "Huh. Did you figure out how you intend to get Jou and Honda yet, or are you still trying to work it out?"

"I think," Seto pushed his chair back and stood up. "I may be over-thinking things. Maybe the direct approach is what we need to do and if they refuse then they refuse."

"You mean…that thing I suggested two weeks ago?"

Seto rolled his eyes. "Yes, that. Don't gloat, it's unbecoming."

Otogi laughed and slid off of the des before falling instep beside him. They left his office, Seto pausing to inform his secretary he was leaving for the day and would probably be in late the next morning, and stepped into the elevator. Otogi leaned against him, sighing. Seto smiled at him then tilted his head off to the side.

"Since you're just so smart, what do you suggest we do next?"

"How about dinner? Simple, non-threatening, and the tabloids shouldn't feel the urge to jump all over it." He looked thoughtful as he spoke and was winding a strand of hair around his finger. "They should either be at the Game Shop or Honda's place."

Seto had to admit he was a little surprised Otogi knew the other teens well enough to guess where they might be. Otogi had never seemed to pay that much mind to Honda and Jou, but perhaps Seto just hadn't noticed before.

"I should call." Otogi said after a pause. He straightened up and reached into his back pocket for his cell phone. Seto stood, silent, and watched as his lover dialed then put the phone to his ear. Another pause and then Otogi smiled. "Hey, Honda, I was just calling to see if you were at home. …Nothing much, I just wanted to run an idea past you and Jou. Is Jou there by chance? Really? Great. I'll be around soon."

With that he ended the call and put the phone back into its place. He flashed Seto a smirk.

"See, the direct approach is always the best one. You geniuses really just think too much."

Seto just rolled his eyes but managed to keep from retorting. It would only end badly, he knew that already. Both were just too stubborn to even consider backing down and fights between them could last for weeks.

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Honda, Seto reflected as the brunette stepped aside to let them into the house, didn't look like he'd been expecting him to come along with Otogi. He looked surprised, but not upset, over his presence and evil smiled mildly before gesturing for them to follow him into the living room. Jou was stretched out on the couch, a small kitten in his lap. Honda sat next to him, leaving Otogi and Seto to sit on the loveseat.

"So…what's up?" The brunette questioned.

Otogi glanced over at him, as if silently asking if he wanted to do this. Seto shrugged then leaned forward some. "Before we say anything, I need to ask that you don't say anything until we're done and refrain from pointless panic."

Honda and Jou both blinked then nodded, giving their apparent agreement. That was good; they at least listened somewhat already.

"Otogi and I saw you at Yukito and Lisa's cafe three weeks ago. We aren't going to tell your friends or family or anything like that, so don't be worried." In spite of his words both Jou and Honda looked a little pale, not to mention surprised. "We were there for the same reason as you only…reversed. For a little over a year we've been going and do, on occasion, take a sub home."

Otogi broke in here, probably sensing he was going to make this long and drawn out as he sometimes had a tendency to do. "The short version is that we want you."

Jou and Honda looked at each other again but it was Jou who spoke. "You two...want us? To…I mean, like a play scene?"

"No."

Amber eyes widened almost comically. "Like…as pets then?"

Otogi nodded. "Yes."

Honda made a noise then put a hand over his eyes before reaching over and tugging Jou towards him. He whispered something to the blond who nodded slowly, eyes darting over to them for a moment, and then straightened back up.

"We're…you don't even like us." This was directed more at Seto then Otogi and so he replied with a slight shrug.

"I don't dislike you. And I find you both very attractive." He paused for a moment, trying to think of a way to reassure them. "I don't know if I could like the two of you, to be honest, but I'm willing to find out."

"It's not like you have to decide now." Otogi said with a small smile. "We want to take you out, tonight, and see how it goes."

Again they looked at each other; seemingly communicate with just their eyes. Finally Honda shrugged and Jou smiled at him faintly then turned tot hem and nodded.

"Okay. Just to see how it goes. Nothing to lose, right?"

Otogi flashed another disarming smile. "Right. We'll be back in…like an hour."

"Okay." Honda looked a little hesitant but was nodding nonetheless. Seto had a feeling he'd be the harder one to win over. Jou seemed to be the more enthusiastic, or at the very least willing, of the pair.

But that okay. Seto could be a patient man…when the situation warranted it anyway.