Feel free to shoot me – please, do. I've been naughty and letting other plot bunnies run away with me. Tell you what – if any of you have livejournals, mine is set as my homepage and it'd be very easy to nag me there. Really – I cave under pressure so constant nagging is the best way to make me actually do anything (ask my teachers XD)

Anyway – bit of a borderline chapter here. Implied lemon and self pleasure. And, oh my God, Seto and Ryou are actually in this chapter together! For a Seto/Ryou story, they don't feature much, do they?

888

"Oh God, sweetie, how did you get down there?"

The whitenette gave a low groan, opening a tiny crack of his eye, looking up to see a very familiar face peering down at him worriedly. Blonde hair fell forwards over one shoulder; a slim hand paused in the motion of pushing said hair back as the woman leant over him. He let his eye fall back closed when he finally focused enough to see that the woman was Mai and he just waved a listless hand at her.

"Ehh…lessons…stretching…models need to be, heh, fit and, ouch, flexible," he managed to say, croaking over the first few words before he frowned, feeling cool hands lifting him up into a sitting position.

"Translation, please," Mai remonstrated gently, blowing her fringe out of her eyes as she pulled Ryou up easily – the kid was smaller than her, probably lighter as well and it was odd to see him so…limp and lax. Where was the quiet energy he normally had?

Ryou just gave a slightly insane sounding chuckle as he finally opened his eyes, rubbing a sweat-streaked face with his hand. "It's these private lessons – they're killing me! Three hours. Three hours of stretching and limbering exercises, most of which involve him shoving my face into the ground while I try and stop my legs from tearing out of the split he made me try. I ache all over, I haven't had a drink all day and I think I've got carpet burn on the insides of my thighs…ouch."

Violet eyes blinked as Mai watched her young friend rub petulantly at his slim side, amusement pulling at her lips until finally she started chuckling. Chuckling escalated into chortling and chortling crescendoed into full laughter as Ryou sent her a startled look, his hand still resting on his belly.

"Mai…" he asked tentatively, clearly unnerved by her sudden bout of laughter. "You alright?"

Abdomen still spasming with the occasional bubble of laughter, Mai struggled to contain her amusement as she slapped a hand lightly down on Ryou's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Bambi…it's just funny to hear you like this." In response to his questioning look, Mai squeezed her eyes shut in teasing humour. "You normally scramble around to please everyone else – it's a new thing to hear you complain for once."

Ryou's cheeks instantly burnt scarlet as he ducked his head, automatically lapsing into his customary mumble. "Oh, I wasn't complaining really…I was just…just…"

An arched eyebrow on Mai's part. "Pissed off at Kaiba?"

"Nononono!" Ryou's flustered attempts to look perky only succeeded in re-starting Mai's chuckles as she sank down onto her knees in front of him, demonstrating surprising ease considering the height of her boots and the shortness of her skirt. "Kaiba's being so kind to me – he's helping me…he really is."

"And this 'help' ends up with you on the floor?" Mai laughed at the peevish look on her friend's face as he struggled to come up with some plausible explanation for his ground-boundness that didn't revolve around the idea of Kaiba working him until his muscles were limp noodles – why didn't the kid just admit it and get over it. Her face darkened momentarily in private worry, but it was perfectly bright by the time he looked up again, mumbling something incoherent about lying on the floor being good for your posture and all that…she offered him a hand and he shut up, looking blankly at it. "C'mon Ryou – let's go get you some coffee."

Those limpid brown eyes of his lit up and you could almost see the perkiness flowing into him. "Coffee?" he asked hopefully, letting the taller woman pull him to his feet. "Really?"

Mai laughed, pushing her golden braid over her shoulder as she looped a careless arm around his shoulders, steering him towards the main room the employees used in their spare time. "You're easily pleased," she commented lightly, even as she suppressed a frown at his slight limp. What was Kaiba thinking pushing him so hard?

"I think I've come to realise that coffee is lifeblood around here," Ryou commented, a slightly wry twist to his lips as he shyly twined an arm around his friend's waist. He was blessed to have her, he realised and she seemed so…willing to help. And she had coffee!

Mai shook her head in mock sadness, eyes glistening with her own brand of pointed humour. "How we've corrupted you, child…" Ignoring his protesting squawks, she ushered him over to the coffee machine. A rather familiar group was congregated around it and the two were greeted with three pairs of welcoming eyes; one amber, one crimson and one lavender.

"Well, don't you two look like a regular couple of lovebirds," Marik drawled as he sipped at a steaming cup of coffee, an eyebrow arched towards Mai and Ryou. The latter blushed and ducked his head, while the former just laughed and tugged Ryou all the closer.

"Jealous, Ra?" Mai asked innocently, bringing the blush on Ryou's cheeks to new levels.

"Aren't we all?" Yami's statement was accompanied by a lecherous look, with perfect class of course. "And there I was thinking you were a man's man."

Jou burst into laughter at that, though cackling might have been a more appropriate term. "Bambi? He's as bad as the rest of us."

Ryou blushed and looked down at the floor, starting slightly when the blonde's arm found its way over his other shoulder. "Nothing ta be ashamed of, Ryou," Jou murmured against his ear, seriously enough before he straightened up, squeezing the smaller youth's shoulder companionably. "He sets his sights high enough anyway."

"I second that," Marik said and Yami nodded, the two touching their cups together in a silent toast of agreement while Ryou looked adorably confused.

"Huh?" High sights? What were these crazy, beautiful people on about?

"You mean you don't wanna get into Kaiba's pants?" Now that made Ryou splutter and he missed the reproachful glare that Mai sent the blonde on the other. Narrowly avoiding a fountain of coffee from his nose, Ryou coughed helplessly on his mouthful of hot liquid until Jou pounded him on the back. Gasping for breath, Ryou turned large, startled eyes towards the puppyish man.

"Kaiba? Why would I want to get into Kaiba's…um…" If possible, he flushed darker, the cue for the group to chuckle wickedly.

"Are you kidding me?" Marik asked with forthright brashness, leaning against the machine. "You've been having 'private' lessons with him for a week now. Kaiba's never done that before…"

"He hasn't?"

"No. Besides," Yami shrugged, folding his arms across his narrow chest. "You're always watching him – we figured there was some sort of interest in the guy and I can't blame you." White teeth bloomed in the slight man's tanned face. "The guy's hot!"

"Hot and an ass," Marik corrected, looking down at his smaller, spiky-haired friend.

"An ass with a hot ass," Yami finished, sending both of them into peals of laughter while Ryou absently wondered if the floor would be so kind as to swallow him up there and then.

"Get your minds out of the gutter, you two," Mai chided, still with her arm around Ryou even if it meant she made contact with Jou. Despite her parental look, she couldn't deny that Ryou's attempts to covertly watch the brunette all the time were fairly amusing even if it worried her.

"What they're tryin' ta say, Bambi," Jou offered helpfully, raking a hand through his artfully messy hair, "Is that you've got a thing for our resident Dragon."

"What?" Ryou's voice squeaked in sheer panic, but he barely noticed as he rushed onwards, words tripping over themselves in his hurry to get them out. "No, no – I wouldn't, I mean I'm definitely not, I mean Kaiba…"

"You Bakura?" A bored voice startled him out of his vocal ramblings and he turned to blink up at the dark suited, indifferent looking man who'd just tapped him on the shoulder. Behind him, he could sense the other's looking on curiously, but his own gaze was focused on the envelope the man thrust towards him after he nodded, confirming that yes he was Bakura Ryou. "This is from Pegasus."

"Really?" Ryou asked as he reached for then envelope tentatively, weighing it in his palm whilst looking to the man for confirmation. Not that he received any, since the dark man was already stalking off, probably to scare the shit out of someone else…

"Lessons with Kaiba and a letter from Pegasus," Marik said after the stunned silence in the group proved to last too long. "Well aren't you the popular one."

Jou elbowed the platinum blonde, clearly itching to find out what was in the envelope Ryou was only turning between his hands. "You gonna open it, Ryou or just play with it?"

"Do you have no shame?" Mai asked the blonde man, getting an innocent smile as her answer. Her own smile was just as bland, only livening up when she turned back to Ryou and grinned. "He's right though – open, open, open."

So he did.

"Whoa…" Ryou's eyes, if possible, got that much larger as he looked at the cheque that slithered out onto his palm, not even noting the scrap of paper that fluttered to the floor. "That's…a lot of money."

Yami looked over the whitenette's shoulder and whistled in admiration. "You lucky dog – what's that for?"

Ryou looked perplexed, flustered even as he held the cheque uncertainly – this was more money than he'd ever held at one time and he didn't quite know what to do with it. It was as much as two month's wages back at his old job in the restaurant, even plus tips. "I have no idea…"

"I do." Everyone turned to look at a jubilant-seeming Jou who was holding the forgotten note, bouncing from foot to foot in a jig of delight. "He won – the little guy won!"

"You what?" Marik asked blankly trying in vain to swipe the note from the blonde, but he was moving around too much, cackling in amusement.

"He won!" Jou repeated, nearly crowing now, such was his excitement. "Ryou won the Monthly Award and on his first try as well – he must have beaten some of the big guys as well." Jou paused in his antics just long enough to count names off on his long fingers. "Isis went in for it, I know that; so did Raphael, Amelda and Varon so there was some tough competition. Honda as well, that squirt Rebecca, so he beat them, plus Mako, Dartz…"

"Don't forget you, Mutt."

All eyes swivelled towards that oh so familiar mocking voice, greeting the owner with varying emotions. Marik and Yami were merely amused, eyes rolling towards each other before watching the scene before them with avid interest. This was bound to be good…

Mai's smiling face darkened stormily, her eyes like cold, cut gems as they bored into the smirking brunette. Still, if you looked close enough and knew what to look for, you might just have seen a glimmer of deference, of tenderness towards this stony man.

As for Jou, his face was painted with a scowl, hackles on edge after the Mutt comment.

"Excuse me?" he asked shortly, flipping the note abruptly to Ryou who barely caught it, fumbling the toss. "What was that supposed to mean?"

Kaiba just smiled, icily, stalking that much closer to the happy (or not so now) little group. "You're taking it very nobly, dog – I know you and Ryuuji were hoping to have you win this time." The smile didn't reach those eyes of his, chilling in their intensity. "Beaten by a green model, how shaming…"

Having effectively rendered Jou speechless with rage, the man turned his attentions towards Ryou who was inching behind Mai in an effort to escape the scene. Walking forwards, he was blocked by the blonde woman who didn't move an inch until he met her eyes. Violet irises were steady, defiant…until they dulled slightly and her head dropped almost imperceptibly as she moved her barring shoulder, letting Kaiba pass.

Ryou resisted the urge to cringe, Kaiba's own words coming back to him. Think tall – every second of every minute, think tall. Maybe that way, your body language will stop screaming victim…The words were harsh, but the slender young man took them to heart as he straightened up, looking towards Kaiba, only expecting to find indifferent malice…

…Instead he found a sultry smile.

"You've been learning well," Kaiba nearly purred as he leaned in predatorily towards Ryou, earning him confused looks from Marik and Yami and suspicious ones from Mai and Jou. "You're doing your teacher credit…"

And what was he supposed to say to that? Ryou's throat suddenly went tight, noticing (and not for this first time) just how beautiful those glacial eyes were. "Thank you…" he managed to say finally, fingers knotting and loosening as a sign of his agitation.

Think tall – every second, ever minute, think tall.

Kaiba's eyes glimmered briefly with a suddenly sly look as he lifted one, long finger, letting it hover in front of Ryou's face.

Maybe that way, your body language will stop screaming victim.

The whitenette nearly went cross-eyed as he tried to watch the finger moving inwards, but his vision went blurry, pixellated and he lost it. Instead he felt the pad brush the bud of his upper lip, swiping something away and as his vision refocused, all he was aware of was Kaiba's lips closing sinfully slowly around the pad of his finger.

"Coffee moustache," the man said silkily, shooting both Mai and Jou triumphant looks before he sauntered off, smooth and suave as ever, leaving a very dazed Ryou with a very quick heartbeat.

Think tall…

888

Otogi ran a tired hand through his hair as he waited for the elevator doors to slide open. He was exhausted – the meeting with Pegasus had run on longer than he had expected or wanted and all he wanted to do now was fall into bed.

Problem was, as soon as he walked into his bedroom, he could tell there was someone already in it.

"Jou?" he asked softly, spying a head of messy blonde hair and stroking it gently as he perched on the edge of the bed. "What are you doing here?"

The lump stirred and Jou's head rose, blinking sleepily as he stifled a yawn. "'Togi?"

The black haired man nodded, moving some of that adorably messy hair off of his lover's face, looking vaguely concerned. "Are you alright, Jou? I thought you were going out with your sister tonight."

"She cancelled," Jou mumbled, eyes losing their sleepy look as he sat up groggily, rubbing the nape of his neck. "Kaa-San says her headaches are getting worse – she's getting' dem nearly every day now…"

Mutely sympathetic, Otogi placed his hand over the blonde's feeling fingers grip his almost desperately. The matter of Shizuka's sight always made Jou this vulnerable, this low and it was painful to see the vibrant young man with such a dull look in those glorious eyes of his. He didn't say anything – they'd said it all before and words couldn't ease the pain he saw in Jou's face.

"I'm sorry…"

The cracked whisper came, surprisingly, from the blonde in question as he rested his forehead against the smaller man's shoulder, facial muscles slack with mental turmoil. Otogi frowned, squeezing Jou's hand all the harder.

"What for?"

"For not getting the monthly award…"

Otogi's eyes flashed with understanding and he pulled away from Jou, holding him tightly by the shoulders. "Jou! There is no way in hell you should be apologising to me about something as trivial as that!"

"But we needed it," Jou said persistently, meeting Otogi's green eyes fervently. "We need everything we can to pull ahead-"

"What we need," the black haired man interrupted, motioning for the blonde to hush up. "Is for you not to worry and stop guilting yourself out over it." Sensing the unease in his lover's face, Otogi looked intently at him. "Hey….don't be like that. We're doing great as it is and we're almost there. Pegasus has to make a decision soon and we're doing so well…we'll have enough for your sister's operation soon. I promise."

Jou's eyes were overly bright as he nodded, chest suddenly tight. "Yeah…you're right."

"I'm always right," Otogi said with just a hint of cockiness before grinning and pulling Jou into a hug. "So no more worrying, okay?"

"Am I allowed to worry about Ryou instead?" the blonde muttered against his slender partner's shoulder, earning himself a sharp look as Otogi slowly pulled back from the hug.

"We've been over this, Jou…" he said carefully, tugging absently on the dice shaped earring that served as a focusing tool.

"I know, I know…" Pathetic depression was gradually escalating into aggrieved anxiety and Jou started fidgeting, playing with the corner of the silk bedsheets. "But ya didn't see him today, with Kaiba – he's falling for the bastard so hard an' I don't wanna see him hurt. Not like this."

As his blonde lover lapsed into silence, Otogi sighed, flopping back down on the pillows and looking up towards the shadowy ceiling with unreadable eyes. "Jou…I warned you this would happen."

"You did, but I'm not like you 'Togi!" Jou snapped suddenly, eyes flashing as he sat up on his knees, staring down at the sprawled out man on the bed. "I can't just turn off my feelings like you can – I see Ryou an' I just wanna keep him away from Kaiba for good, so that he don't get hurt and he don't get his heart stomped on. He's my friend for fuck's sake and can you blame me for wanting ta try ta save him?"

"I'm not saying that you shouldn't want to," Otogi said soothingly, reaching up to rest a hand on Jou's hip, fingers rubbing gently at the rise of bone he found there. "I like Ryou as much as you do, but this is business now. And we both know that with what Kaiba's doing, Ryou isn't going to be Ryou for much longer."

Jou shook his head, as if in denial, but his shoulders slumped in something akin to defeat. "He's too sweet ta have to be drawn into this…no-one should have ta be used like that."

Green eyes glimmered with wry amusement, the stroking on Jou's hip becoming all the more languid and lazy. "Some people say that I'm only using you to make money."

Jou snorted, despite the grin creeping over his mouth as he shifted that little bit closer. "Course not – you're just using me for sex."

"I've been accused of that as well…" Otogi said glibly, hand shifting upwards so he could pull Jou down towards him, appreciating the lanky frame resting on top of him. "And I thank God every day for having found such a willing victim." Jou smacked him. "Sorry, did I say victim? I mean sex-toy." Another hit. "Fine, fine, fine…" Nibbling delicately at the base of Jou's throat, Otogi smiled, a hand creeping up under the blonde's shirt. "I love you…"

"You say that to everyone you charm into bed." Jou's words may have been flippant, but his eyes glowed darkamber, only closing when Otogi kissed him, effectively distracting him from his sister, Ryou and Kaiba.

888

The pounding water with its driving heat washed the traces of Ryou's frustration, liquid swirling down the drain. The white-haired male leant against the tiled wall, narrow chest rising and falling rapidly as he closed his eyes in something resembling shame. It had haunted him – that brush of skin and callous eyes, even if he did have the feel that nothing would have happened if Kaiba hadn't been proving something to Mai and Jou…

But it didn't matter, whatever the cause because he could still feel that finger against his lips. Even here, in his shower, with every fibre of his skin being assailed by hot water, he could still feel the cold, impersonal touch and it chilled him while exciting him at the same time.

The viscous evidence was currently being swept away, out of sight, but not out of mind.

Panting from his exertion, Ryou flipped wet hair out of his eyes, the snowy incandescence not dulled by the water soaking into it. Why? Why was he so desperate as to crave such an impersonal touch?

Brown eyes looked around despondently as he finally roused himself from the depressing afterglow, a pale hand groping around until he found the shower handle, turning it until with a sullen rattling, the flow of water shutting off gradually.

"You've really gotten yourself into trouble this time, Ryou," he muttered to himself, stepping out into the steamy bathroom and reaching for a towel to twine haphazardly around his waist. "Kaiba? Kaiba who everyone doesn't like? Kaiba who seems to want to work you to death half the time? Kaiba who's the most beautiful person you know…?"

Ryou sighed, swatting his own forehead as he shook himself vehemently, water flying everywhere. "You're an idiot," he told himself ruefully, looking up into the mirror. The surface was obscured with steam and condensation, so he reached out to wipe it away with one long fingered hand.

He examined the face that looked back at him, just trying to see the thing everyone else seemed to see. A delicate face peered out from the mirror, mouth set with tension, cheeks flushed from the heat. Brown eyes; confused as always, white hair; messy as always, a look that did indeed scream victim…

"And you think you're a model…" he grumbled to himself, letting the mirror steam back up again. "You're a fool…"

"Ryou?" A knock at the door startled him and he flinched, hurriedly stepping away from the sink as if he had something to be ashamed of. "Are you alright in there?"

"I'm fine, Malik," he called and even to his ears, his voice sounded strained.

The chef made a disbelieving noise as he shook his head in aggravation, turning and walking away from the bathroom, carrying his heavy groceries. "You've been in there for a while – dinner's almost ready." Malik could hear the sounds of his friend rushing around in the room behind him and stifled a sigh. Models really were crazy…

888

Reviews:

Elle-Fatex-: Interesting's one word for it – it would be more interesting if I actually concentrated on the main plot for once, ne?

Incoherent: Nods Viruses are definitely evil – they threw my writing schedule right off track! Shush! No one's supposed to have noticed that Mokuba isn't here yet. Flattens ears I really need to get the plot moving, don't I? Anyway – isn't fluffy Ryou kitten just the darndest? XD

BobGod – who isn't BobGod anymore, but I dunrememberhowtospellyournamesoyeah…: I hope Egypt was good and don't worry about delayed review – delayed chapter on my part. Anyway…Kaiba is pretty scary. Looks sheepish Someone attacked me because my Seto was always more indifferent than scary, so this was the result!

Repmet: I always have more than enough plot – I'm one of those people who needs to have every single detail set out in their mind before they can write anything XD

Happiness's Deceit: Looks mysterious All shall be revealed about Mai in the next few chapters…

Kitsune's Grrl: Yeah, I did some pretty rapid plot changes in the middle of writing this, but I hope it turns out well! Crosses fingers

Miyosuke: Blushes You're so sweet – I'm glad someone thinks my story's a masterpiece Is very proud now Anyway – I really need to have more Seto/Ryou interaction in this story. Maybe I should make a midyear resolution or something…

Trempush: I'm sorry you had to wait so long for this chapter. I'm infamous for my random update times. Anyway – random point, but I read your 'Darcy' fic. A Tintin reader! Chortles I recognised the Haddock lines and had a good giggle over it…

Next chapter, the modelling crew meets our Bambi's roommates…