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Chapter 4: Please, Suffer
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Damnit!
Kaiba went back and fixed his fifth typo in the same paragraph, then leaned back from his desk, swiveled his chair, and gazed out one of his floor to ceiling windows. All he could see was the featureless facades of all the neighboring corporate skyscrapers. He was too far from ground level to see the street.
Before his desk were two leather couches flanking a coffee table. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, doing his homework on the coffee table, was Mokuba. Feeling Seto's gaze, Mokie looked up.
"Something wrong, Seto?"
He briefly shook his head and hunched over his computer once again. His fingers danced over the keys with minimal supervision from his brain.
No matter what I'm doing, I invariably wish I were doing something completely different.
Why can't I ever be satisfied?
He looked out the windows again, wishing he were out flying his Blue Eyes White Jet.
Why is everything wrong?
o o o
Ryou's voice was so cold and blunt, no one who knew him would have recognized it.
"What's wrong?"
Malik rubbed his eyes and slowly got to his feet, sniffing. He showed Ryou his palms. They were covered in dry, scabbed blood, which was encrusted with bits of gravel.
Ryou's widow's peak twitched. "What happened?"
"I was coming to see you, and I got hit by a car."
"Why haven't you been to the hospital?"
"I'll be okay. I just... You're more important." He took a step towards Ryou, who jerked backwards.
"Where are all your friends?"
"They won't be here for a few more hours. I caught an earlier flight because I wanted to see you."
Ryou's stomach was flip-flopping. All he wanted to do was go inside and get ready for his date.
His mouth opened, but he stopped himself from yelling at Malik. They had been lovers, true, but Malik had never seen Ryou's true face. He was in the dark about that, same as Yugi-tachi.
Ryou allowed his cold expression to melt into a sad, but compassionate grin, as if he felt bad about how things had turned out between them.
"I should look at those wounds." He led Malik into the house.
o o o
The motorcycle raced down Main Street, weaving through the traffic, ignoring all the irate honking.
Jouno wanted to see his sister, and he knew Kaiba had the resources to make it happen.
That's why I'm going to see him, he told himself, at least for now. I can ask him why he's been acting so weird some other time.
o o o
Malik looked around the livingroom and sensed emptiness. He almost asked where Bakura was, but stopped himself. Ryou led him to the couch and gestured for him to sit down.
"I'll be right back." He went upstairs.
Malik sat quietly, shivering. He'd hoped Ryou would be okay by now, but he seemed colder than ever.
I honestly didn't think I was doing anything wrong... But it looks like he won't forgive me. I've lost him.
Fresh tears fell down Malik's face.
He dried them quickly when he heard Ryou coming down the stairs. Without a word, Ryou set down some bandages and a bottle of alcohol, then turned and went into the kitchen.
Left alone, Malik wondered if he was expected to treat his own wounds. He looked at the alcohol bottle and saw that it was caked with years of dust, and the aged, yellowed label was peeling off. It was old-fashioned and would burn a hell of alot more than the blue stuff he knew Ryou kept on hand for Bakura.
You want me to suffer, don't you?
Ryou entered with a tray. On it was a pitcher, a bowl, and two towels. He set it on the coffee table near the alcohol and gauze, then knelt before Malik.
"Let me see your hands." There was an amiable smile on his face, but it held no meaning.
"These look very bad. You should have at least rinsed them off."
He poured some warm water from the pitcher into the bowl, then dipped the first towel in and used it to gently clean away the gravel. Alot of the scabbing fell off, too. Ryou's hands worked with careful patience.
Malik said, "You would make a great nurse." Ryou didn't answer. He set aside the moist, bloody, and gritty towel, then took up the second towel. He unfolded it once and had Malik lay his hands down, then folded the towel around them and gently patted them dry. Malik looked at Ryou's eyes, but Ryou averted his gaze.
He didn't have any cottonballs for the alcohol. He held Malik's hand and simply poured it over. It fizzed up horribly and Malik's eyes welled up with pain, but he didn't make a sound. He took it as punishment.
He poured out tiny amounts at a time, not caring if it got on the carpet. Frothy white bubbles fizzed up again and again. Malik's hands trembled from the pain.
o o o
Kaiba's intercom buzzed.
"Master Kaiba, you have a call from Mr. Jouno Wheeler."
He stabbed the speaker phone button. "This had better be important."
"Konnichiwa to you, too."
Kaiba sighed and closed his eyes. "What do you want, Wheeler?"
Jouno leaned against the payphone out in front of Kaiba's building. "Wanna be my Valentine?"
Mokuba looked up from his homework.
Kaiba blanched and picked up the receiver. He told Mokuba to get back to work, then growled into the phone: "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Geez, it was just a joke. Don't get your boxers in a twist."
"Wheeler, I've got a corporation to run. I haven't got time for crank calls."
"Don't hang up, don't hang up!"
Kaiba stopped in the middle of doing just that. "What do you want?"
"I need a favor, Kaiba. Not a small one, either. You're the only one that can do it."
Kaiba closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. How do you do it? How do you speak to me so casually after everything that's happened?
A lusty sigh: "Wheeler..."
Jouno's eyes widened and a shiver went down his spine. "Kaiba?"
He blinked and shook his head. "Roland will let you in." He hung up the phone and noticed that Mokuba was looking at him.
"What? What do you want?"
Mokuba got to his feet. Kaiba thought he was going to run off, but he was wrong. Mokuba circled the desk and stood before Seto's chair, gazing at him with sad smoke colored eyes.
"What is it, Mokuba?" He leaned closer and Mokuba cupped Seto's face in his hands. He used his little thumbs to wipe away tears Seto had shed without even realizing it.
"It's okay."
"What?"
"You don't have to lie to me, Seto."
"What are you talking about?"
"You can be with Jouno if you want to. You don't have to hide it from me."
"I.. How.. You don't know what you're talking about."
The intercom buzzed and Seto jumped.
"Mr. Wheeler is here, Sir."
"Let him in."
A spark ignited in Mokie's eyes. "Tell him you love him!"
"Go finish your homework."
"But it's the perfect day. I bet that's why he's here!"
"Stop spouting nonsense and get back to work," He said as he checked his face in a nearby mirror.
What the hell am I doing? He stopped himself and got back to his chair just as the double doors opened and the blonde entered. Kaiba glared Jouno down as he marched up to the desk.
"Hey, Mokuba."
"Hi, Joey," Mokuba uttered before quickly leaving under the burden of his hastily gathered schoolbooks.
As soon as Mokuba was gone, a thick blanket of tension fell over the room.
Kaiba glared at Jouno as if he hated him. "Hurry up and tell me why you're here, Wheeler. I do have a life, you know."
"Look, Kaiba, I didn't come to bother you or start a fight. I need your help."
"Why don't you ask Yugi?"
Jouno shook his head. "I need to borrow one of your helicopters."
Kaiba's eyelid twitched.
"I was supposed to see Serenity today, but our mom up and decided she couldn't come over. I need to see her, Kaiba. I miss her so much."
Seto glowered. "Ever heard of a train?"
"I'm broke. I got nowhere else to turn."
So I'm your last resort. Great.
"You didn't have plans for today, did you?"
Kaiba's silence screamed volumes.
"Then please, Kaiba..." Jouno bowed and kept his head down.
"Why should I," he wondered aloud.
Jouno lifted his head enough to make eye contact. "Because friends help each other out."
Oh Dear Ra save me from another friendship speech. He jumped out of his chair and grabbed his coat. "Fine. I'll tell Mokuba and we'll take the jet."
As he passed by, Jouno grabbed his hand.
"Hey, Kaiba..."
Kaiba twitched and looked into soft chocolate colored eyes.
"Thanks."
He smiled warmly, and Seto's pulse quickened.
4
please, suffer
finish
Kimyo: Thanks for the plushie, Irichi! Thanks also go to Bakura18, OBSESSED Uber Rei, Lily Bob, and Lothwen the Harpist! See ya next update!