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Jounouchi
There were three things I've never been any good at resisting: good food, good movies, and good kissers.
It figured that I had all three in my apartment, and two on my bed. Mokuba and I had made the "date" to sit around my apartment and watch movies. In true lazy bachelor fashion, I usually didn't put my bed away – that is, my folding couch bed – but in hindsight, it would've been a really good idea. Mokuba had taken it as an invitation and sprawled out while I had been popping popcorn. My only real option had been to find a place beside him.
"Jou," he said lazily, eyes not leaving the TV screen, "do you want anything?"
I gave in to what was probably the millionth once-over in twenty minutes; he had one arm as a pillow as he slowly munched on popcorn with his free hand. Maybe. I shook my head and focused on the movie. "No, I'm fine. Thanks, though."
"No problem."
Despite my resolve to watch the movie, I found myself watching him out of the corner of my eye, following the path of his hand as it went between the popcorn and his mouth. I wanted that popcorn. And while I was thinking about it, I wanted that mouth too. It was all so wrong – weird as it may have been, Mokuba was my boyfriend, and it wasn't like he was naïve or innocent; I'd kissed him before. Goddamn it, Kaiba! Internally I shouted every swear word I knew, and then made up a few new ones, just to make sure the full extent of my anger was unleashed. Externally, I just stared at the movie.
And just who did Kaiba think he was, ruining what could have been a perfectly normal relationship? It wasn't like I intended to rape the kid, and it wasn't like we'd ever get married and Kaiba would have to call me brother… I sighed and reached for the popcorn, only to have Mokuba pull it away. "Nuh-uh," he sing-songed. "You said you didn't want anything."
"I didn't know popcorn was included in your offer."
"Well, it was."
I put on my best pout and said, "But I want some now." I reached for the bowl again, but Mokuba lifted it a bit and rolled away, settling on his back and setting the bowl on his stomach. He laughed and popped a few more kernels into his mouth.
"Too bad."
It was instinct more than it was intent – just as the popcorn was reaching his lips I leaned forward to catch it with my own; the kiss was more of a nice side effect of the action. Before I knew it, the bowl toppled over on my bed, forgotten as he yanked me down against him. I backed away grinning. "Teach you to steal my popcorn," I teased, pushing myself upright, hoping to get away from him. He didn't give me that opportunity; instead he sat up on his knees, leaning in hesitantly to kiss my neck. "Hey, kid, what are you – " I suppressed a soft sigh as he moved down a bit, finding the spot where my neck and shoulder met. There was something cute about the way he was going about it: slightly unsure, almost nervous… "What are you doing?" I tried again.
"Isn't this the sort of thing boyfriends do?" he asked, one hand coming to rest flat on my chest.
"Well, yeah…" I could feel my pulse quickening, and I added, "but – "
"But what? I'm your boyfriend, so this is normal." He moved to kiss me again, and I gave up resisting, pulling him closer. He straddled my hips, moaning under my lips as my hands traveled down his back, over his ass. He gasped as I squeezed, jerking him against me, and I felt bad when he pulled away – not far, but enough for me to know he had been surprised. Maybe I was going too quick about it… I was on the verge of apologizing when he leaned back in, kissing me eagerly and repeating the motion. His movements were a little jerky, and his nails dug into my shoulder.
Maybe it wasn't too fast after all.
"Oh god, Jou," he breathed, breaking our kiss; his head bowed, resting against my shoulder. There was something about the way he spoke, the way he said my name…
That was the exact moment Kaiba ruined it – just because I remember he existed. I remembered his promise: Anything I did with Mokuba, he'd do with Shizuka. And there I was, my hands on the kid's ass, grinding against him. All of a sudden I imagined Shizuka in his bed, imagined them… I made the most undignified noise of horror I've ever heard and pushed him back. Somehow in all my scrambling I slipped off the bed, landing on my back and hitting my head. I groaned and closed my eyes.
I hated Kaiba right then, more than I had ever hated him before. He had always insulted me, and there were a few times I had imagined his face on a dartboard, but now he was ruining my sex life too? There really was no justice in the world.
"Jounouchi," Mokuba said from on the bed, and I could hear the irritation in his voice. "What the hell are you doing?"
"I… I… Uh…" I couldn't think of what to say! If I told him, Kaiba would tell Shizuka, and she would be devastated (not to mention she'd never forgive me for not telling her to start with). If I kept going with him… Well, hell, I didn't know when or if I would stop, and I didn't want to get the phone call from my baby sister about how she was knocked up by Kaiba. I shuddered.
Come to think of it, even if I wanted to break up with him, I couldn't without the risk of seeing Shizuka hurt. But Mokuba was a good kid, and I did like him; I didn't want to do that. But not having the option if I needed really bugged me.
"Well?" he asked testily. Damn – he was cranky. Then again, I was a little pissed too, just not at him; being cut off like that…
"It's all moving too fast," I lied, saying the only thing I could come up with.
"What?"
Hopefully my little gulp wasn't too obvious as crawled back up on the bed. At that point, I couldn't change what we had already done, I just had to make sure I didn't make it any worse and hope that Kaiba wouldn't find out about any of it. I touched his cheek and kissed him softly; he practically melted against me.
I am the man.
"It's too fast," I said softly, trying my best to sound like I meant it. "You're not THAT old yet, and I don't want to prove that asshole right by – "
"Don't talk bad about Niisama," Mokuba scolded – it seemed sort of funny, being chastised by someone who was cuddled against me. "He's not an asshole."
I nodded, but I didn't mean it. If Mokuba only knew the half of it… "Right – I don't want to prove Kaiba right by doing something you might regret; then he really will think I'm using you."
Mokuba wasn't deterred – hell, he didn't even sound convinced. "But I know that you're not, and he's just worried that you'll leave me once I outlive my usefulness. If this is what we're supposed to do – "
Maybe I'm not the most logical person in the world, but I knew exactly what was wrong with what Mokuba was saying. "Humor me, okay? I don't want to incur Kaiba's wrath. Besides, this isn't about 'supposed to's; relationships are about doing things at your own pace." It sounded cheesy but it had the desired effect; Mokuba was silenced, looking at me as though he was deep in thought. He bit his lip and sighed, crawling off my lap and finding a place to lie on my bed, eying the popcorn spilled on the sheets.
"Fine," he finally said. He stretched out on his stomach and laid his head on his arms. I patted his back and stood up; I needed a drink, and a few seconds away from him. I felt guilty – not only was a lying to him, but in a way, I was leading him on. That bothered me; I hadn't been with the kid more than a couple weeks, and already I was lying. If there was one thing I hated, I hated lying to people I cared about. Kaiba was the only person who could get me to lie to someone I cared about, only because it was easier than telling the truth. If I told Mokuba the truth, I lost. If I told Shizuka, she'd be heartbroken. If I killed Kaiba, I'd end up in prison.
It was a no-win situation.
"You thirsty?" I called from the kitchen, getting a glass out of the cupboard.
"No." There was a pause, and I went to the sink, getting some water from the tap. "So I talked to Shizuka the other day at school."
The glass slipped from my hands, and I blinked. I didn't want Mokuba to get any cute ideas –
"I was thinking we should all go out."
– like that. I groaned and went back into the living room, falling backwards onto the bed, nearly landing on his feet. "You can't possibly think that's a good idea."
"Why not?"
Because if I see him lay a hand on my sister again, I'll break his fingers. "It's Kaiba. And me. You should know that's like lighting a match in a gas tank."
He kicked me gently in the ribs. "But I'll be there, and Shizuka will too – between us, we can keep you guys in control, eh? It'll be fun."
"About as fun as being castrated," I replied grumpily.
"Please?" he whined, turning pleading eyes my way. Damn it! "I really want you and Seto to get along, and I bet Shizuka does to. Don't you think that'd be best for everyone?"
My resistance lasted about five seconds – even if I ended up relenting, I was proud of that at least. "Fine. What do you have in mind?"
Mokuba
"The zoo?" Shizuka repeated, just like Jounouchi had when I told him.
Okay, so it wasn't the smartest thing – I probably should've called Shizuka and made sure SHE was okay with that whole double-date thing before I roped Jou into it, but… well, mostly, I wanted to be a pain in his ass, since he seemed to get such a kick out of being a huge pain in mine. And I knew that Niisama was just about as big a pain in the ass as it got for Jou. That's what he got for being such a tease.
It wasn't just that, though; I still couldn't put my finger on what it was about Shizuka that had Niisama so… I don't know, so not-himself. I'd heard him talking to her over the phone – and as if seeing Niisama on the phone wasn't weird enough (he hadn't looked very comfortable, though, which made it a little better), he was laughing, and being nice with her. So if I couldn't get it by looking at her, if I couldn't get it by talking to Niisama, then the last option was to get them together and see if maybe there was some chemistry that was only evident when they were near each other.
"Yeah, the zoo," I said.
"Isn't that a little… odd? I mean, we're not kids."
I shook my head, yawning. I was tired, really; it was past ten, and being with Jou… well, even without all the fooling around, and even if he was being stiff all night, he was still tiring. "There's other stuff to do there. There's a pond, and… I don't know, it's a big open space; think of it as an experiment." It wasn't entirely a lie. "We're going to see how well Niisama and Jou get along; if it works out, we can make our way to smaller places. Sound okay?"
That made her laugh… and it sounded nice, made me smile in return. No wonder Jounouchi spoke so fondly of her. "That makes perfect sense. Speaking of Oniichan, how has he been lately?"
An absolute prude. "Uh, good," I said, trying not to blush. That wasn't a lie either. "And Niisama?"
She giggled, and I just KNEW she was blushing. "The same." That was the most awkward thing I'd heard, given the connotation I'd meant when I said good. Maybe she misunderstood it, or maybe… I scrunched up my face, fighting a small noise of horror.
I loved Niisama, there was no doubt about that, but to imagine him and Shizuka… It wasn't right – maybe it was just because I was so used to Niisama as some sort of … I don't know, but I'd figure when it came to sex and that sort of stuff, he'd give a monk a run for his money. Maybe that's why it felt wrong to imagine Niisama with a girlfriend – and if it was all in my head, then there was nothing wrong at all.
I liked that idea. "Well…" Hope my brother is as good as yours.
"I've got to go," she chimed, luckily before I thought up any more clever comments. "But the zoo sounds great; tomorrow afternoon, right?"
"Yeah. I'll let Niisama know, you just bring Jou, okay?"
"Okay," she said. "Goodnight!"
"'Night." I hung up the phone and took a deep breath, going out into the hallway. That left one more hurtle… "Hey, Niisama!"
notes
Ummmmm............... Yeah. I've got nothin'. Transitional chapter, come to think of it. I never know what to say to those.