Title: Stress Therapy 3?

Author: Telpei

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Seto/Jou

Beta: JennieB

Spoilers: None. This is AU.

Disclaimer: It's not mine. The idea's not even mine. But I'm going to use it all the same and have fun with it sticks out tongue So there! Muahahahahaha... (Many thanks, though, to calico1019, for offering up this delicious bunny for feasting! offers pocky)

Summary: Kaiba's work-related stress lands him in the hospital and the good doctor prescribes a month's worth of vacation. The first week doesn't go very well, so Mokie decides to step in and send his brother away so that Seto won't be anywhere near his company. But what kind of 'spa' has Mokuba chosen? Seto's in for quite a sexy surprise...

AN: This is for the TIGHaPBC challenge, plot bunny post # 16605.

Chapter 3 – The Phone

At first Seto had been wary about the prospect of going to Jounouchi's office. Something about the way the blond had suggested it had set the CEO's nerves on fire with anticipation. And yet, he didn't want to do anything he'd regret. Seto didn't want to do anything to ruin the relationship he was already building with the blond.

He was reluctant to admit it, but something had changed about how he perceived his therapist. When he'd been eavesdropping in the lobby earlier, Jou had been nothing more than a whore who didn't deserve Seto Kaiba's time or attention...but that image was slowly starting to fade. The way Jou rambled on about how great their masseuse was and how well-known their tanning salon was and how perfect the temperature of the hot tub was had Seto wanting to get to know him - to really know him.

Seto wanted to know why Jou went by a Japanese name yet spoke with an American accent. Seto wanted to know why the blond had come to work at this...place – why Jou had been unable to find something better to do with his life. Seto wanted to know what Jou thought of him.

Most of all, Seto wanted to know why he cared.

With a scowl, he sat down gracefully on one end of the black leather couch while Jou dropped himself onto the matching chair just beside him.

"Here, Kaiba," he said, reaching over onto his desk and grabbing a clip board. He picked up a pen from the table beside his chair and passed both to the brunet. "You gotta sign those. Jus' so that the Feel Good Therapy and Spa Resort won't be held responsible if you get yerself in over yer head," he said with a grin.

Seto's lips dipped down into a frown as he concentrated on the fine print of the contract. He reached into the breast pocket of his shirt and pulled out a pair of reading glasses. Slipping them onto his nose, he looked up with a raised eyebrow when Jounouchi started giggling. "And what exactly is so amusing?" he demanded, his ice blue eyes narrowing into a glare.

Jounouchi sniggered. "Nothin'," he replied, covering his mouth with his hand. "Nothin', Kaiba, honest," he insisted when the brunet's glare intensified.

The CEO was silent for a moment and when he finally spoke, he surprised the therapist. "My name is Seto," he said, his voice taking on an odd tone. Jou couldn't quite identify it as any single emotion. It seemed to be a mix of...regret, sadness...hope...

The blond wasn't exactly sure how such a mix of contradictory feelings was possible, but he didn't concern himself with that at the moment. No, his brain was much more preoccupied with Seto's exposed vulnerability. Jounouchi had a feeling that Seto didn't expose that vulnerability very often. Had he really made that much progress so soon? He took a deep breath to calm himself as he reached out to close the short distance between them, but he hesitated at the last moment as Seto's sharp eyes snapped up to meet his questioning amber gaze. "Eh...all right then, Seto," he replied with a huge, forced grin, pulling his hand back. He knew when he was being told to stop. Too much too soon could end things with this client; he knew he'd have to be careful with this job

"Good," Seto replied, his tone clipped. "So why were you laughing?"

"Eh? Oh, that," Jou took a second to remember what had been going on and then his grin widened. Seto noticed that it wasn't quite as phony this time. "Jus' that I never imagined ya with glasses."

"And that's funny because...?" the brunet inquired with a quirked brow.

Jou stuck out his tongue. "It just is!" he insisted, grinning again.

Seto found the gesture oddly unsettling. He grunted a dismissal of the subject and turned back to the papers. Deciding that his lawyers could work through whatever kind of a mess he might get into – not that he wasn't in a pretty good mess already – Seto signed the papers with a sigh, scrawling his signature over the dotted line a total of three times throughout the document. "There," he said, tossing the clipboard back to the blond. "It's done."

Jou grinned. "Perfect. Now we'll get a schedule set up and then we can start the real action – " The blond stopped abruptly as his eyes locked with Seto's. His heart stopped, his breathing stopped, his brain stopped...Seto was asking him something...if only he could figure out what it was! The look in those cerulean eyes was indiscernible but so very intense that Jou had to shift in his seat to relieve the discomfort between his legs. "Seto...?" he whispered, and the moment was broken. Seto's gaze snapped away and his back went ramrod straight.

Jou held back a groan, mentally hitting himself repeatedly on the head. He'd been about to take a huge step forward and then he'd gone and ruined it all! Rule number one, gain the client's trust! Even if the rule was only to avoid law suits for the resort, Jounouchi had made it his personal goal to be as honest and open as he could with each of his clients. Seto Kaiba was going to be no exception. "Ok, uh..." he stammered, trying to build a bridge across the canyon of silence between them.

"Schedule," Seto offered stiffly. "You were going to make a schedule."

Jou jumped in surprise as when the CEO spoke and the clipboard went flying. "Oh fuck," he cursed, bending forward to reach for it just as Seto did the same.

Their heads collided and Jou reeled back with a yelp of pain.

"Huh," Seto muttered, touching his hand to his own injured forehead. "You even cry out like a dog."

"Hey!" Jou protested. "I ain't no dog! An' I certainly don't cry out like no dog either! Are you listening to me, Seto Kaiba!" Jounouchi's jaw dropped when he realized that Seto was laughing. Laughing! It wasn't loud and it wasn't out of control, but the brunet was definitely sniggering. The blond grinned in triumph. "HA!" he insisted. "You do have a sense of humour!"

Seto gave a dry grin, grabbing the clipboard from the floor and passing it to Jounouchi. "I don't know what you're talking about," he insisted, but the therapist could definitely detect a hint of amusement in those deep blue eyes.

The blond gave a massive grin, turning a page on the clipboard and preparing to fix up a schedule. He was interrupted when an electronic sound filled the room.

Seto's eyes narrowed worriedly and he pulled his cell phone out of his slacks. He stared at the caller ID screen for a moment before he flipped it open. "Kaiba," he answered curtly. "What is it?"

Jounouchi frowned. If he remembered correctly, then Seto wasn't supposed to have any connection at all to his company. But how was he to know if Kaiba Corp was on the other end of the line? And if someone calling the CEO out here, it was going to be long distance; the blond didn't want to interrupt if it was something important. So, he set about fixing up the schedule while non-discreetly listening in on the conversation and watching Seto's reaction.

The CEO was calm at first – tense, but calm. And then his jaw tightened. "Can you idiots not even handle things for a week? I told you to leave Kaijawa-san in charge of production!" He fell silent for another moment and then growled, "That's it, I've heard enough of your rambling."

Jou winced. It sounded like whoever was on the other line had just cut Seto off. And cutting Seto off couldn't be a good thing, especially from the look of the twitch developing in his right eye...

The therapist frowned. Twitch? Hey wait...this was a place to relax! Kaiba shouldn't be twitching! "Hey, Seto," he called out, holding up the clipboard. "We've got things to do here, so-"

"I have more important things to deal with than you, mutt," Seto interrupted him warningly, instantly turning his attention back to his phone.

Jounouchi growled. Acting on instincts, he made a lunge for the phone...and managed to catch Seto by surprise. They both toppled onto the floor, each scrambling for the electronic communications device. The person on the other end of the line was calling out to Kaiba, yelling to see if he was still there...

"You damned mutt!" Seto growled, flipping them over and trying to pry Jounouchi's fingers from the iron grip the blond had on his phone. "Give it back! You're ruining important business and acting completely childish!"

"Well, I don't see you tryin' ta find a diplomatic solution!" Jou argued, kicking with his legs and managing to topple them back over and rolling them a couple of times across the floor. Seto ended up on top again, but the phone was still in the therapist's clutches.

With a primal cry, Jou finally tugged free of Seto's hands and snapped the phone closed with a triumphant grin. "Ha! That'll teach ya to take business calls on my time!"

Seto glared. "You insignificant little fuck, that was an important phone call! My business takes top priority in my life and you could have seriously damaged my corporation!"

"Ah, ah," Jou replied with a knowing smile, rather enjoying his position beneath the brunet. He ignored Seto's taunts and insults with some difficulty, but he had a point to make and he wasn't going to ruin this by lashing out at the CEO. "Is your company top priority?" he asked. "What about that brother of yours?"

Seto's mouth snapped shut and he fell silent. Jou pressed on, but his voice was gentler now. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't love Mokuba. He needs you, Seto; more than your company ever will."

Several moments of silence passed, but Jou had never felt closer to anyone. Their eyes were locked, and Seto was searching him, again asking him for something but Jou couldn't hear the question. The blond opened his mouth to say something, but Seto covered his lips with a slender finger. "How is it," the brunet asked, his voice barely above a whisper, "that you can understand me so well when you've known me for such a short period of time?" Jounouchi tried to answer, but Seto wouldn't let him speak. "Now let me try to understand you, Jou. You work here because you want to help people. I'm guessing that you chose this job. At first I thought you landed here for money, but I have a feeling that's not true. And judging by the kiss you so eagerly bestowed on dear Liz, I'm guessing you live on physical contact..."

Jou gulped; his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. Seto was getting closer with each word and he could smell the CEO's cologne, taste warm breath on his lips...And then their lips were touching and Jou was floating on cloud nine. He arched up into the touch, one hand tangling in the hair at the base of Seto's neck and his other hand pressing against the CEO's chest. He was pushing the brunet away and pulling him closer at the same time as his fingers curled in Seto's shirt. He moaned in the back of his throat as the young man's tongue swept across his lips.

Jounouchi suddenly came to his senses, and he broke away from the kiss with a gasp for air...eyes widening in surprise as Seto started kissing and licking and sucking his way down the blond's slender neck. "Seto...Seto stop, wait..." he protested, pushing weakly against the brunet's shoulders. "Seto...you have to be sure you want this! If you jump into it...ah! too quickly – qui-quickly then the therapy...doesn't...have its pro-proper effects!"

"I read the paperwork, Jou," Seto murmured against the therapist's ear. "I know what I want. Besides...this is your job, right? To satisfy my needs?"

Jounouchi gulped as Seto started sucking on his earlobe. This was going too far too fast...and by the looks of it there was nothing he could do to stop it.

TBC