Disclaimer: Still don't own the show. Big surprise. You'd figure a non-rich girl like me would do that after all this time, right?
Warning: The FLUFF! Oh my God, the fluff in this chapter is overwhelming! Then there is also usage of bad words (mainly on Jous side as usual...), boy loves another boy, long dialogoues, bad writing, OOC-tendencies, an unsure Kaiba and cheerful Jounouchi.-sarcastic- Yay! Doesn't it sound grand?
Note: This chapter... is the fluffiest of them all, I tell you! But I am quite pleased with it (which means you people will hate it. Because whenever I am displeased, you are pleased. So it has to go the other way now I suppose). And if you want to know what day it is in the fic: It's Thursday.
Unheard Love
Chapter 11
by Growing Pain
The two teenagers stood outside their classroom door in the hall, the blond one talking and the brunet listening with a bored look.
"So when the teacher asks 'Well, Kaiba, is it true?', then you say 'Yes, Jounouchi and I spent the morning together' and I won't get a detention!"
"You do realise that people can misinterpret that?"
"Misinterpret what?" Jounouchi asked confused. Seto sighed at the shorter ones oblivion.
"Whatever. Let's not drag this out anymore." The CEO said in a frustrated tone, having heard the boy ramble around ten times on how they should convince the teacher properly. And before his companion in the empty hall could protest, he opened the door, stepped inside, glared at the teacher and sat down in his seat. A few seconds later Jounouchi walked in, blushing slightly. He was obviously worried if anyone was going to believe his lie or not.
"S-sorry for being late." He said, talking to the teacher while scratching the back of his head. Seto grunted at Katsuyas inability to keep a straight face.
"What is your excuse?" The teacher shot back, her voice was sharp and her eyes looked accusingly at him. Kaiba on the other hand was not paid any attention to. Everyone always assumed he had meetings to attend when he was gone.
"I… I… Me and Kaiba… we…" Katsuya shifted his weight as he stood in front of everyone, trying to be believable.
"Did you fight again?" The teacher asked, used to the problem. Though that habit had died out months ago. But people would obviously remember for eternity it seemed.
"No no!" Jou defended, feeling helpless and looked at Kaiba with a desperate look. Seto sighed as he reluctantly opened his mouth.
"Look you woman, I am creating a new product for teenagers. I took this test subject in to see if it would have any chance of getting popular and make profit. So stop the accusations, which have no liable ground, and continue teaching." Seto said with cold eyes, tired of how dragged out this seemed to be. Katsuya immediately grew with confidence in front of the teacher and had a smile planted on his lips.
"Yeah, so I had to test a bunch of games and stuff and answer a lot of questions. So that's why I'm late." He stated proudly, before walking nonchalantly to a seat and sitting down. That seat happened to be next to Kaiba, but the brunet did not object, as he was too busy glaring at the teacher.
The teacher on the other hand, angry with being told off, glared back at both of them for a few seconds before returning to the lecture held before they came in.
Not seeing a point in taking notes since they had missed most of the lesson, neither Jounouchi nor Kaiba took our their books and simply stared in front of them. But, Jou seemed to be growing bored and eventually started to whisper.
"Hey, we did that pretty good, didn't we?" Seto smirked while looking at the face that had inched forward, breathing on his ear just seconds ago.
"I handled it perfectly. You on the other hand…" Seto said, his voice trailing off, letting the silence do the talk. Katsuya seemed unmoved by that and inched forward again to whisper.
"Who cares! I didn't get detention, this happiness could last forever!" The blond said in a joking tone, his face parting from the brunet after having said his sentence. The CEO started to notice that weird feelings were taking place in his stomach just as Katsuya had breathed on him. Great… was the turning into a love-sick girl now? If he could he would rip his feelings away. To his dismay, he was unable to do so.
"Pay attention to the teacher." The CEO said in hopes of ending this intimate conversation and not having Jounouchi come so close once more.
"But she's boring!" The blond pleaded, this time not inching forward but keeping a distance.
"It's not as if I will entertain you more." Kaiba said.
"Yes you can." Katsuya said with an encouraging smile. His heart skipped a beat. How pathetic of him…
"Do you want a detention for talking instead?" Seto asked. Katsuya sighed and leaned back in his chair instead while appearing to pay attention at the teacher. Well… at least it worked.
Satisfied with the result, he too looked at the front of the classroom, not really thinking about anything. His mind wandered freely as letters, numbers, words and such were being written all over the blackboard.
And those thoughts he had were all about one thing; Katsuya. For unknown reasons his mind could not let go of the fact that they had been so close. He had felt Jounouchis breath on his ear and cheek…! He must learn to control his thoughts. After all, how disgracing wouldn't it be if he walked around thinking about Jounouchi all the time! No, even if he would stop pushing him away, it did certainly not mean he would pull him closer. Just… let him be and do whatever the blond chose to do.
What if he was going to whisper to him like that through all their lessons! If he forbid him to do it, the blond could probably figure out that he had feelings towards him. No, he decided, he would prove to himself that he was strong. Jounouchi could whisper all he wanted, he would never give in. And that feeling in the stomach was only because of hunger anyway, he never did eat any breakfast…
He grunted inwardly. Who was he kidding? It is important not to be in denial! Then you can't even help yourself. He was not going to get that pathetic that he had to try and lie to himself to feel good. Instead, he should struggle onward with this new tactic.
His eyes turned to his left and watched over the teenager sitting beside him. The blond had a dark expression on his face again, troubled. Why he could never mask emotions, the CEO didn't know.
Eventually, the shorter one of the two noticed the staring and looked to his right, meeting blue eyes. They were cold as usual. Seto continued to look, and the brown eyed boy appeared confused. Then a knowing half smile grew on his lips.
"I was only thinking about my sister." Katsuya explained, having realized the CEO was wondering what he was doing.
"I know." Seto declared, recognizing his expression from when he mentioned it earlier that morning.
"So… why were you staring?" Good question. He wasn't really sure himself. But his inner debate was not visible on his face, and he appeared calm and in control as usual. He gave a very slight shrug before talking back in a low voice.
"The teacher was boring me." Katsuya smiled.
"Yeah, she's boring me too."
Deciding that should be the end of their conversation, the brunet averted his gaze to the front of the classroom. Though looking awake, he was extremely bored. All he could think about was how much valuable time that had gotten lost by just sitting there and doing nothing. Instead of doing that, he could go and do some real work. His eyes were locked on the clock hanging on the wall, and he waited for it to release him.
Of course, he could just leave. But… the boy next to him always seemed to follow whenever he did that. There wasn't much point then, because with the easily bored Jounouchi next to him he would not be allowed one second of work since the blond would want attention.
Might as well make sure he could work as soon as possible, he thought. Before he had finished thinking he grabbed his briefcase, only to open it and pull out his laptop. Then the typing began.
The rest of the students heads turned and looked at him, either with disbelief or simply glaring. First, he comes late to the class. Then, to disturb it even more, he starts to type without any consideration to his fellow students.
He felt the looks on him. The hatred burning. For some reason he loved it all, smirking at the situation. Over his control over these people. But they did nothing to stop him. Granted, he was more powerful than they would probably ever be, but it was he who was breaking the rules. They had the right to demand him to shut the laptop down.
Yet… they didn't.
Cowards, perhaps. Or maybe they just don't care. But if that was the truth, then why is everyone looking at him?
"Mr Kaiba, what are you doing?" The teacher, even more aggravated than before, asks. Seto raised his head up slowly from the screen, looking straight into her eyes.
"What does it look like?" He made sure his voice is controlled, that it would not contain any anger nor resentment. It was more fun to play with people when he used no emotions.
"Well, since you seem to be so keen on working -" Her voice went up, clearly hating the disrespectful student of hers. "I order you to come up here, right now, and write about the France Revolution on the blackboard!" His History teacher folded her arms, showing off a cocky grin. Seto still looked at her unfazed. This was interesting… But before he could defy her, another voice started to talk.
"What! That's totally unnecessary and uncalled for!" Jounouchi defended, earning a surprised look from the CEO.
"My way of teaching is none of your business Jounouchi. Besides, I was talking to Kaiba -"
"It's not his fault you're so boring it just makes you want to fall asleep!"
"That is it! I have had it with you! You're in for one big detention Jounouchi Katsuya!"
"Not according to the school rules, he's not." Kaiba uttered, who had now gone back to his emotionless facade, speaking in a monotone voice. "And your judgement should not be clouded due to whether or not he finds your way of teaching boring. Having opinions does not mean he should be getting a detention." He defended, making the woman at the front even more upset.
Since when did Jounouchi and him defend each other anyway? He questioned himself with afterthought. Perhaps he was weaker than he thought…?
No, of course not! He could say he only did it because the teacher had attacked him, and he wanted her to be embarrassed. Yes… that could work. Jounouchi would believe that. Because he would not tell the truth, that he was sure of.
"Out!" She roared, her arm stretched out and her index finger pointing at the door. Since it would further his interest in being able to work, he closed down his computer, a shining smirk visible on his face, saying he got just what he wanted. This angered the teacher even more, if possible, but at least she wouldn't have to deal with him for the rest of the class.
"But -" The blond said protest just as the brunet had rose up from his chair. The CEO turned and looked back with his cold eyes, wondering what he wanted. Those brown eyes looked at the teacher as he continued. "It's not fair of you to -"
"Don't." The brunet said, not wanting to be defended. It was certainly peculiar. He was not used with people standing up for him, especially when he had acted wrong. But if Jounouchi could read his mind he would have understood that getting thrown out was only a part of his plan.
The blond's head turned from the teacher to look at the brunet, his face protesting against the order, yet keeping quiet.
"That is enough! Jounouchi, you too, out!" The blond only lowered his head and sighed before walking out the door a few steps behind the brunet, who walked proudly out of the room.
And just as yesterday, they stood outside in the hall once more. Alone. Was this going to be a habit?
Jounouchi closed the door behind him and looked up at the blue eyes. The brown pair of orbs looked angered. Seto could only assume it was because of being sent out. He should be lucky he wasn't given a detention though.
Not bothering to analyse, the CEO started to walk away heading towards the library. There were both silence, little amount of people and tables. A perfect working setting.
A pair of feet started to move and jogged, catching up to where he was, and eventually walking alongside with Kaiba.
"What did you do that for!" Jounouchi asked angrily, glaring at the taller man as they both walked.
"Did what?" Seto asked, not knowing what had upset the blond this time. So small things could do that to him. And here the other one claimed he himself had problems. Ha. What a joke.
"Took out your laptop just like that! It was just plain rude!" Confused, Seto frowned, still walking though, and avoiding eye contact.
"If you believed it to be wrong, then why did you defend me?" He asked coldly with a tint of annoyance.
"Because, that's what friends do…" Katsuya said in a change of tone. But it was the words that caught the businessman off-guard, actually coming to a halt in his walking as he stared into the blonds eyes.
"…What?" Never had he been this surprised by Jounouchi. To his dismay he actually gaped a bit, his lips slightly parted. Was this some sort of trick? Was he hallucinating?
The shorter teen stood his ground, his eyes looking courageously into his, not flickering one bit.
"I said, that's what friends do." Katsuya confirmed, yet his words still came out as a surprise to Seto. This idea, of being seen as someone's friend, confused him. It made him feel uneasy.
"But, we're not -"
"I don't care, Kaiba." He started off, his face softening as he continued. "To you I may just be some weird loser, but I see you as my friend."
What was it with that group and emotions? It was a wonder they all hadn't turned gay already, their sentimental outbursts were enough to fill a soap opera for crying out loud! …Yet, he appreciated the words, the confirmation. He felt satisfaction that they now had some sort of relationship. Not just former enemies anymore.
"Have you lost your mind!" The CEO asked loudly, not sure about what he should say or how to act. Aside from the flinch Katsuya made as he asked him, the blond still kept his posture. His facial expression even held the same determination mixed with affection.
"Come on Kaiba. You're not that awful! I am sure more sane people would take a liking of you if you started to hang out with them." Katsuya answered back in a joking tone, but kept the earnest mood.
"I'm serious." Seto stated with narrowed eyes. This must all be a joke, he thought. Of course it can't be true.
"So am I." The brunet looked disbelievingly at him, and was looked back with serious eyes.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Why won't you believe me?" Katsuya asked, curiosity filling his voice. But also… hurt? No. If he was hurt, it would mean what he said was true. And it could not be, because it was all a lie.
"I don't see how you can be honest about this." He was sincerely. So Katsuya sighed.
"Obviously I need to throw in a speech here, so blame yourself." Jou started off smiling, but went back to his serious expression. "Look, when I first met you, I thought that you were this cold, heartless jerk. And I believed it for a long time too, because it's not as if you tried to change my opinion about you."
"And, what I learned was that you are in fact a cold jerk." He said with a teasing smile, making Seto frown at him.
"But -" Katsuya voiced, taking up his right hand, stretching out his index finger. "you are not heartless." He said as he poked Kaibas chest with his index finger, obviously gesturing towards his heart. At the same time he was looking up at the brunet, giving him a small, warm smile. Seto on the other hand was too occupied with staring at the index finger that seemed parked on his chest. And as if to make him even more nervous, Katsuyas hand stretched out and soon his whole hand was the CEOs chest. Right over his pumping heart.
"And that makes all the difference."
Slowly but steadily, Seto dared to look at Katsuyas face, focusing on his eyes. To his dismay, and to his joy, they seemed as honest as ever. Inwardly, he smiled. But he was too concerned with Jounouchis hand on his chest at the given moment. Could he feel his heart pumping even faster? Did he understand what he did to him?
He bitterly looked to his left, staring at the floor. But after a second he closed his eyes, otherwise he would not be strong enough to do this. Steadily, his left hand rose up, seeking out to the foreign hand on his chest. With dominance, he took a grip on Jous hand. It was smaller than his, but that Seto already knew.
For the longest of every second known to man, he held it in his, firmly. It felt so right. But the second vanished, and time ticked on. Forcefully he threw the other mans hand away from his chest, from him.
And he opened his eyes, only to see Jounouchi standing there the same way as before, his hands were now both in his pockets. But he still had the same facial expression. And that confused the brunet. A lot. Would he not be upset over such a gesture he had just done?
His chest felt cold. Lonely. Which was also stupid, because a chest can't feel lonely. Though he tried to keep a straight face, it failed, and a brood look took over. There were just too many things about Jounouchi he might never understand…
"Sorry. I should have known you don't like to be touched."
"Whatever." The brunet shrug off, trying to ignore how much his body had reacted to it. What if Katsuya felt the abnormal pumping of his heart and understood? What if he took notice of the one second he held onto his hand? Would he blackmail him? You can never be sure with people nowadays, that much he had learned…
"Are you mad?" Katsuya asked carefully, having noticed that the brunet seemed to be in his own world.
"No."
"I didn't mean to -"
"Quiet. I don't need an apology." He stated with indifference. Right after he started to walk, remembering he was heading for the library before Jounouchis "revelation" came up. But he heard no footsteps behind him, clarifying that the blond was standing still where he had left him. Perhaps he was hurt. Perhaps he thought that he himself was hurt, or mad even.
He came to a halt, and turned around. His theory was true, Jounouchi was still standing there, looking at him. Now he looked back as he made a mental sigh.
"Move faster, or I'm leaving without you." The CEO spoke with indifference once more, but that was only to hide all the emotions behind it. A smile was growing on the blond mans lips, realising that the brunet had practically invited him along. He gave an eager nod, as he started to walk again. Kaiba smirked at this, and started to walk too.
Just as the other man had started to catch up, he noticed he was smiling like a huge moron. Seto could only guess it was because the blond thought he had accepted his friendship… which was sort of true. But he had to lay some grounds. After all, the blond could not think he would be overly friendly to him like those Jounouchi spent time with.
"This does not mean I will have slumber parties with you." He stated firmly. Katsuya started to chuckle.
"That's what girls do!"
"Oh…"
"You probably meant sleepovers, right?"
"Correct."
"Shame. I really wanted to see that big house of yours." He said, pretending to be hurt. It did not last that long however, as he started smiling again.
"And I will not throw birthday parties either."
"Wow, for being rich, you sure are cheap."
"And I will not join in on your friendship speeches, nor will I associate with that group of yours and -"
"Sheesh Kaiba! Relax!" Katsuya said while laughing, trying to make the brunet feel at ease. "Just because we're friends -" Kaiba frowned when hearing that word, hating himself for having gone too far. "Oh don't look at me like that! Anyway, just because we're friends doesn't mean anything is going to change that dramatically."
"…" The brunet raised an eyebrow. He was awfully confused on what friendship was about, and if nothing was going to change between them, how could one be sure they were friends to begin with? It was all so confusing…
"It's almost funny, Kaiba!" Jou started off with a big smile. "You're like this friendship virgin! And here I come, and take your innocence away!" Now he was laughing hard, holding his stomach. Which was good, because otherwise if he was paying attention he would notice the twitching on the brunets face. He quickly looked around him to see if anyone had heard anything. To his benefit, there was no one else present. Good. Now he could direct all his energy at the blond, glaring him to death. Why was he so open with such words anyway? Does he not understand some things are just not meant to be said?
Katsuya gained control over his laughter and stood up straight once more, noticing the ferocious glare on the taller mans face.
"Come on Kaiba, I wasn't laughing at you! I was only laughing at my joke." He defended with a cheeky grin. That was even more unappreciated by the CEO.
"I take great pleasure knowing you'll get detention plenty of times before school has ended." He said back dryly as he kept going. Soon they would reach the library.
"Hey, I can behave! I can almost promise I won't get more than four detentions for the rest of the school year! I swear! Well… almost swear anyway."
"Your optimism never fail. It will be your downfall."
"And you take great pleasure knowing that too, eh?" He mimicked the taller one. The brunet only glanced down, but gave no reply.
They were now going to enter the library, and would have done so with much ease, if Kaiba would have been allowed to open the door as he intended. Instead, Jounouchi had rushed forward, with a smug grin on face. Immediate worry and calculations on what he had in mind took place inside Setos head. To his surprise, Katsuya took a hold on the door and opened it for the CEO, bowing down.
"After you, my virgin lady." ...What. The. Hell…! Seto stood at the entrance, looking down at the blond man holding up the door for him. If he had been the blushing type of person, his face would surely be red as a tomato. Good thing he wasn't. Instead his blue eyes were filled such confusion, even Jounouchi got worried.
"Man, it's hard to make you laugh!"
"You truly have no common sense." Seto said with a glare, before shoving Jounouchi aside and walking into the library.
"Would it kill you to be nice?!" The blond said, fuming with anger after being both insulted and shoved.
"Yes. I imagine a heart attack would take place." Seto said half-seriously, and half-sarcastically.
"Good! Then I can see you die." Jounouchi voiced, also half-joking, claiming that he would be the one to make Kaiba laugh in the end.
"Then I'll only haunt you for the rest of your life, to pay back." The CEO said, aware that this dialogue had just turned into a game, judging by the determined face of the blond. Seto proceeded to walk towards a table with four chairs, as all tables had that same amount, and sat down to work. Of course, the blond followed and sat down right in front of him.
"Then I'll talk to you every time you come visit, so much in fact, that you want to run away." He said with a grin, assuming he had won, and leaned over a bit on the table, proud over himself. Seto snorted.
"Then I'll kill you." His eyes were now focusing on the computer screen in front of him, but he spared a couple of seconds to look at Jou while addressing him.
"Good! Then I can be with you forever and ever Kaiba. I'll practically talk you to death. You're going to wish you were alive, just so you could take suicide!" The grin was still on his face, Kaiba noticed. Better to swipe it off.
"Then I'll rip out your tongue, silencing you once and for all." His eyes looked up from the screen once more, his gaze fixed on the man in front of him while he showed off a smirk.
"You can't do that! I'm a ghost, and ghosts can't have body parts ripped out!"
"How would you know?"
"Because… it's just common knowledge!"
"You claim that this "information" you have about ghosts is knowledge? Face it Jounouchi, you have no clue as to what ghosts can do. Therefore, I can rip out your tongue!" Katsuya growled, not liking the turn this had taken.
"Well it goes both ways Kaiba! You don't know what ghosts can do either! So then I'll talk to you through telepathy! Ha! Beat that!"
"Then I'll just shut down my telepathy ability."
"Then I'll dance around you. You're going to go crazy for sure."
"I'll just close my eyes, and float away."
"Then I'll fucking hug you until you suffocate you bastard!"
"I wouldn't be able to die you moron! I was already dead to begin with!"
"Well, at least you would go crazy!"
"I'll just shove you away, you idiot."
"Then I'll -"
"Would you mind keeping it down!" An angry middle-aged lady with glasses asked with an angry voice. She was obviously the librarian.
"Sorry." Jounouchi said while rolling his eyes, having little fear of the woman as she was not able to give out any detention. After hearing that, she returned to her desk at the other side of the room, leaving the two of them to themselves once more. To amuse himself, Jou took out a random book and started to look through it, hoping to find any interesting pictures that could entertain him. Seto took little notice as he continued to work.
As one could suspect, the book held very little interest to the shorter teenager, and he put it back on the same shelf from where he took it. If it was the right place he did not know, and did not care either. With a sigh he seated himself back on his chair, tapping his fingers. Seto tried to ignore it, succeeding very well in doing so.
Soon enough Katsuya made a groan, showing he was extremely bored. Still, the CEO continued to ignore.
"What do you think I should do? With Shizuka I mean…" Noticing the serious level of emotion the blond held in his voice, Seto decided to stop ignoring him and look at him instead.
"Test him."
"But how?"
"Ask him questions."
"What if he doesn't answer truthfully?" Seto snorted.
"Isn't it you and the rest of your friends who are supposed to believe in people?"
"I don't trust any guy that dates my sister! Besides, this is her real first boyfriend!" He said with a groan and hands in his hair.
"Well… There is not much you can do to begin with." The CEO stated.
"So I am just going to give up! Never!"
"I was just saying you have limited access to both of them, decreasing your options."
"Oh…"
"Ask your sister then. Of course, I am assuming that you two have a honest relationship."
"I don't think she wants to go in on details. Girls only do that with other girls."
"Then use Anzu." Katsuyas face lit up.
"Of course! So if they kiss or anything, Shizuka would tell her if she asked! Awesome!"
"Hn." Seto said, giving a hint of a nod. Assuming this conversation was over, he returned to his work. After a minute or two the blond rose up from his chair.
"I am going to buy a soda. Do you want anything?"
"No." He said, not even bothering to look at him.
"Whatever." The blond shrug off as he walked out of the room to the nearest soda machine. In the absence of the other, the CEO could now fully concentrate on what he was supposed to do, and his efficiency increased. But, after working so hard, without any breakfast at all, he noticed a headache forming in his head. He grunted inwardly at his own weakness, trying to fight the urge to shut the computer down and relax his eyes.
Before he knew it, the blond had returned, as he heard his footsteps behind him. As the blond walked past him to get to his own seat, a bottle of water was set down right in front of Seto. And in one motion, the shorter of the two had seated himself, already drinking on his soda. The CEO narrowed his eyes, not sure of what this all meant.
"I did not ask for anything."
"I know." Katsuya said in between swallows of the tasty liquid.
"Then why did you give this to me?" The carefree blond shrugged, and continued to drink. Realising that he would not get a decent answer from him, Seto examined the object in front of him.
"It's water." Jou stated, having noticed Kaibas observation of it.
"Yes, I did notice that…" Seto replied drawly.
"I didn't think you were the type to like anything with sugar in it, so I just got you plain old mineral water."
"Hn."
"You're very welcome." Jounouchi said sarcastically, rolling his eyes while placing his feet on the table to be more comfortable. Thinking that it could come in handy on a later occasion, Seto took the bottle and placed it in his briefcase.
"Well, at least he didn't throw it away…" Katsuya muttered, after having drunken his last drop of soda. The CEO gave no reply at the comment and continued to work.
"Hey Kaiba?" Said person was debating with himself if he should even answer. Remembering all the previous times he had done so was completely useless, he instead acknowledged the other.
"What!" …But perhaps not in such a friendly manner.
"Can you download music on that thing?" The blond asked, pointing at the laptop the CEO was currently using.
"Of course."
"Cool! Let's download something!" Jounouchi said with enthusiasm, and got up from his seat. Soon enough he was behind the brunet.
"I know this awesome downloading site and -"
"You will not use my laptop to entertain yourself! Besides, we are in a library. Music is not allowed."
"I really don't care."
"Hmpf. You will still not use my computer."
"Why? Afraid I might break it?"
"Among other things." Seto muttered, not really meaning anything with the sentence. Though Jou seemed quite interested by that statement.
"Really? You hiding something in there?" He asked with a grin.
"Of course not."
"So you don't mind me taking a look then?"
"Yes, I do mind. Now go sit down and stop breathing down my neck!"
"I am not breathing down your neck!"
"Yes you are. I can smell your breath even!"
"Huh? I brushed my teeth this morning. It shouldn't stink…" Katsuya said thoughtfully, placing his hand in front of his mouth while exhaling deeply, trying to smell it himself.
"No… It doesn't stink." The blond confirmed to himself.
"I did not say it smelled. I said you were breathing down my neck. Stop being so close!"
"Let me use the laptop a little? Please?"
"No."
"But Kaiba, I'm bored!"
"Entertain yourself then."
"Nu-uh! You got me thrown out of class, now it's you who have to stand for the consequences!"
"I did not tell you to defend me. I am very capable of fighting my own battles."
"Yeah yeah, keep telling yourself that." Katsuya waved away with his hand, appearing arrogant.
"Hn."
"So how about that music then?" He asked with a carefree voice, and Seto sighed.
"Why do you want to listen now!"
"Because I want to introduce you to the 21th century, and it's wonderful music!" He said with a smile.
"I think I'll pass…" Kaiba said with a bored tone.
"Fine! Suit yourself you jerk! But mark my words, Kaiba! Mark my words!" Katsuya said with a angry voice, hinting with a bit overdramatic theme over it all. But the brunet was not quite sure. "One day I will make you listen to music! Good music too for that matter! And that day, you will thank me!"
"Obviously I must have lost my mind that day." The brunet muttered, referring to the part where he would thank the blond.
"No Kaiba. You've already lost your mind. You can't lose it twice." Jounouchi said reassuringly with a smile, while sitting down once more.
"Hmpf."
Even if he was so persistent, and sometimes downright annoying, he still did not feel that he wanted him to be gone. And he was quite surprised by that. His patience must have been larger than he thought…
But with time, he would get irritated with him. And with time, he would want to never see him again. Just how it used to be. Familiarity was sometimes so reassuring.
His blue eyes looked up from the computer screen to watch the blond in front of him. He was slouched down, using his arms as a pillow on the table, half-asleep. It felt so comfortable to be like this with him. To do absolutely normal activities together.
He smiled bitterly inside, thinking that he could get used to this, but knowing it could never be. And it shouldn't be either. It was wrong. He was supposed to only think about work and Mokuba. Jounouchi belonged in neither category.
"Hey guys, there he is! Hi Jou!" A new voice said, addressing other people. The CEO nor the blond needn't look to see who it was who had been talking.
"Hi Honda!" Katsuya replied with a smile, giving his friend a high-five. Soon the rest of the group had gathered there too. Though, knowing that Kaiba was now there, they were unsure on how to behave.
"Hello Kaiba." Yuugi said, the only one who seemed comfortable with the situation.
"Hn."
"Yeah, that's his way of saying hi." Jounouchi explained with a chuckle to Yuugi, who only nodded.
"So how was Kaibas products?" Anzu asked, wanting to join in on the stiff conversation.
"I never went there. We lied." Both Yuugi and Anzu looked disappointedly at Jou.
"You know you shouldn't lie to the teacher Jounouchi!" The brunette said.
"So what were you two doing then?" Honda asked, eyeing both males suspiciously.
"I guess I better tell you." The blond said, his facial expression turning more serious. The CEO assumed he was going to talk about his sister once more, so he decided to work.
"Well… Shizuka… has a boyfriend now." Katsuya said, despair covering his words. "But I can kill him if he hurts her!" He added to brighten the mood, looking at Kaiba with a smirk, remembering their conversation. The CEO who had previously decided he wasn't paying attention, continued to type.
Honda looked suspiciously between the two males once more, appearing slightly worried.
"She's dating Kaiba!" He asked, after noticing the eye contact between them.
"What!" The blond asked angrily. "Would he still be breathing if he was!"
"Well… yeah." Honda shrugged off, now knowing that wasn't the case.
"Hey I could so beat him if he dated my sister! My inner powers would explode all over him!" He defended, while doing animated hand gestures.
"Could you all calm down?" The brunette asked, annoyed by the boys behaviour.
"So when did you find out she had one?" Bakura asked, looking a bit sedated.
"This morning…" He was obviously still in hurt, Seto noticed, seeing as how the blond showed his emotions so clearly.
"I am sure he is a nice guy, Jou." Anzu added to cheer her friend up, having a supportive smile on her lips.
"And if he isn't, count me in on the killing part!" Honda added, hitting his friend playfully on his back.
"If you need to talk, you can always turn to me." Yuugi confirmed, and the blond nodded.
What was this? A sentimental meeting? Do they have to show their emotions on their sleeve as soon as they open their mouths!
Kaiba glared at them all; for invading on the nice time he had with the blond, for being so unexplainably cheerful all the time, and for just breathing and still be alive.
Good thing they weren't standing close to him. In fact, they had been avoiding his side of the table quite well.
But this was all stupid.
With a snort he saved his documents and put the computer down in his briefcase. A second later he had already left the group at the table, leaving them all blinking in confusion.
"Kaiba wait!" Jounouchi called after him, sprinting. As expected. Though the brunet did not come to a halt before he knew they were out of the nerds vision. "Why do you always have to leave!"
"I told you, I will not associate with those friend of yours." Seto said coldly, standing still close to a wall. A sigh escaped from the other.
"Yeah… you did say that…"
"Hn." With that the brunet turned around, attempting to leave for the second time.
"But Kaiba -" Jounouchi insisted.
"No. Go back to them." That's where he truly belonged anyhow, Seto thought bitterly.
"I do what the hell I want!" Katsuya said, his voice was firm and a bit loud. The CEO turned around, interested.
"You don't want to go back to your friends?" He was confused, the blond was not making much sense. Did he not want to return to his friends?
"You're my friend too."
"I am still going to leave."
"I know." Seto raised his eyebrow.
"Then why on earth are you trying to make me stay?"
"Wishful thinking." He chuckled out as a response.
"And that is all it's going to be." He ended, turning around to walk away. This time he was not stopped, but instead Jounouchi walked alongside. The brunet, assuming the blond would return to his friends, was surprised, and stopped.
"I ain't going to let you leave me again, Kaiba." He answered the unasked question.
"Hn."
"You know, you always walk away from me. We have to change that."
"I'd rather not."
"Well, I rather would!" He mimicked the taller man.
"Don't care."
"Yes you do."
"No, you fool."
"Yes, you jerk!"
"Idiot."
"Snob."
There was something different in their argument… Before, they spat out every insulting word they could come up with, trying to anger the other. But this time… it was more… friendly. Just like when he tried to snatch the girl magazine from Jounouchi. The words they said was not spoken with sincerity.
It was strange. Would they have friendly arguments now? How the hell did that work anyway?
"You know I can take some Cds with me tomorrow so you could -"
"There is no Cd-player we can use from the school, you idiot. And I refuse to lend you my laptop."
"Oh… Well, I'll bring one with me then, asshole!"
"Fine."
"Good."
"…"
"Anything you prefer then? Rock? Pop? Techno?"
"Preferably I wouldn't have to listen to it in the first place."
"Alright then, I just take a little out of everything!" Katsuya said with a smile.
"Hn."
"Good thing you agree."
"I did no such thing."
"Don't try to deny it."
"It's a lie. Of course I must deny it."
"It's the truth."
"No."
"Whatever! So where were you going anyway?" The shorter one asked, looking around in library, bored with standing in one place.
"To where we will have our next class." The brunet stated.
"Okay. Let's go then."
And with that they headed for the exit door in silence. Not much noise was heard either, considering the fact that it was morning and people were still tired. That behaviour usually changed around eleven or so.
"Jounouchi?" A small voice asked insecurely behind the two males.
"Yuugi." The blond answered after having turned around. The brunet only glanced back, not bothering to fully turn.
"Are you leaving us?" The short teenager asked, his eyes were as big as they normally were.
"Well… uh… when you put it like that it seems so mean." Katsuya replied, appearing guilty.
"We just got a little worried when you two didn't come back…" The short one explained. The brunet sighed inwardly at the scene, but said nothing anyhow.
"There's nothing to worry about Yuugi." Jou said reassuringly with a smile.
"Well, you know me." The tri-coloured teen said, smiling back. Silence emitted, and the blond sighed.
"Kaiba?" His voice sounded apologetic, and Seto had an idea of what he might have to say.
"Hn."
"You… better go without me." Katsuya declared. The CEO did not give out a hint of feeling in his face.
"Whatever." And with that he left them both, exiting the library.
His feet moved steadily over the floor, carrying himself with confidence. But inside lied the hidden; insecurities, wishes, hatred, love…
Maybe he was a fool now. Maybe he couldn't be saved. Maybe he never even had the chance to win over this sickness to begin with.
Maybe… this love would never end.
No, this was not a time for helpless pessimism! Just because the blond had rejected him, it did certainly not give him a reason to dwell on it. This was just as good as anything else. Now he finally had confirmation that he could never be an important person in Jounouchis eyes. He always had those friends of his that needed him. He himself didn't need him, therefore they could have him. It did not matter.
Companions were for the weak. And he was not weak, and never would be either. Not willingly. He would fight till the end to be strong.
But how can you fight over your own heart?
There should be a manual for these types of situations, just as computers had manuals on how to install them properly. Or just likes helicopters had instructions on how to use it with minor difficulty.
If he had been in this sort of situation before, he would know how to handle it. How to succeed.
Ha. Was he wishing he had been in love before? What a joke…
His hand moved, grabbing a hold on the door handle in front of him, opening it. The room was empty and dark as he led himself inside, sitting down. As usual he decided to work, because it was such a normal activity that held a sort of safety to him that it was almost as if he ran to it every time he faced a problem. Well… he was a workaholic, and that is what they're supposed to do. It all made sense.
Logic was always appreciated. He hated when nothing seemed to be explainable. Because if logic ruled, then all could be predicted. And he wouldn't have to worry about what would come next.
But that seemed to be a constant he would have to leave behind now, seeing as the world had suddenly changed, just because he had fallen in love. Such a small thing it was that rumbled his world. If it could so easily be done, then maybe he had had the wrong conclusion on how everything worked.
The headache made itself known once more, and the CEO sighed. Why hadn't he packed aspirins in his briefcase! Perhaps he had some old ones lying around in there somewhere… Soon enough his eyes and hands were searching inside it, hoping there would be a small box containing a temporary help.
Success! He found the box, and with a smirk he opened it, finding that three pills remained inside it. Sometimes life just worked perfectly fine, he thought as he took one out. But the smirk disappeared when he thought of the bottle of water inside his briefcase, the bottle he was given by the blond.
He frowned at it, making it look as if he was disappointed with it. With a snort he picked the object up and walked over to the trashcan, letting it fall into it. Then he returned to his seat, swallowing the pill without any liquid to help it go down. Help was never needed anyway.
Katsuya didn't need him, and he didn't need Katsuya. Simple. It could not be any more easier to understand and to comprehend.
He worked with that belief in his mind for a couple of minutes before he could hear the door handle go down. Damn. He had hoped students wouldn't come just yet. Solitude was nice.
There was no talking heard when the door opened, and only a pair of feet made the silence die out. When the person was inside the door was closed. Wanting to know who it was, he glanced up. But the glance turned into a stare as he looked at the intruder. Seto snorted before focusing his attention to his computer.
"Kaiba…"
"Quiet. I am trying to work."
"Don't order me around! I am not one of your employees!"
"Like I care."
"Fuck you! And fuck your mood swings!"
"Can you go now?" He asked, sounding annoyed and bored.
"No! What's your fucking problem!"
"You!" The CEO bellowed, his fist slamming the table. The blond visibly jumped at the brunets outburst, and the blue eyes shone with frustration. Jounouchi gaped slightly, not understanding the situation at hand. Seto took a couple of deep breaths to regain his calm before staring at his computer screen, unable to type anything since all his racing thoughts took over.
"… Sorry I left you, but I had to go back to -"
"I don't want to hear it." Kaiba interrupted, his voice as cold as always.
"No, you listen!" The blond said in a raised voice, irritated with the other mans behaviour. "I had to go back to them to explain that we, the two of us, are friends now. And that I would be hanging with you too now."
"I don't need your pity."
"Who said I pity you?"
"It's obvious that you pity me, because I have no friends. What you don't understand is that I don't need any to begin with."
"When will you understand that's a lie!"
Both were determined to get it the way they wanted it, to make the other give in to their logic.
"How could you even think that we would ever be friends?" Seto asked mockingly, going back to his old self, using a tone of arrogance.
"…But -"
"No. You may not understand this, but I do not appreciate this, this bonding you are trying to do!" Katsuya looked at him, hurt, but regained his posture. Slowly he approached the sitting teenager, stopping right in front of his desk while looking down on him.
"Yes you do." His brown eyes appeared sad, contradicting the small smile playing on his lips. His voice sounded so sure, but yet broken.
"No…" The brunet said in a whisper, his blue eyes looking into the brown above him. Why couldn't he fool him anymore?
"Stop building these walls around you, Kaiba. They're not good for you." He stated, his voice having gone down to a whisper as well.
"Yes they are."
"No -" The blond said while shaking his head slowly. "they're not. They're killing you." The blue eyes widened slightly at the understanding he was given.
How did he know?
Realizing he was coming too close, he leaned back in his chair to increase the distance between them. The eye contact was broken as well, and his blue eyes stared at the laptop instead. Katsuya was surprised at first, but went back to his old expression. His eyes closed for a second, breathing out a small smile. Slowly he moved over the floor and stood beside the CEO, who was still in shock over Jounouchis words. A hand placed itself on the brunets shoulder.
"This is really hard for you, isn't it?" Jounouchi asked in a calm voice, affection covering every word. Kaiba on the other hand didn't know what to do, all this understanding had never happened before with anyone. He was in too deep thought to try and shrug the hand away or even reply, so he held his gaze firm on the screen.
"…"
"Don't worry. We'll make it somehow." He said with comfort, his hand slightly squeezing Kaibas shoulder. The brunet turned his head to the man beside him, directing his gaze so he could meet the brown eyes. His own eyes could not hide the insecurity he held over this matter.
"I won't let you down, Kaiba…" He spoke with an earnest voice.
Perhaps that was merely a lie, and perhaps it was the very truth, he didn't know which. All he knew was that his plan was to not push him away. But… wasn't he getting too close to him? Maybe this was a good time to reject him once and for all.
The silence in the room was evident, and it hurt his ears. It cleared out all other things. All left was Katsuya and the painful silence.
With hesitation, the brunet gave a nod at Jous statement, accepting.
He was met by the most beautiful smile shining down on him, that it almost made him want to kiss him. Almost.
"Now…" Kaiba started, having regained his control. "Remove your hand." He made sure he wasn't sounding angry, but merely setting grounds.
"Oh, sorry." Katsuya said, chuckling and scratching the back of his head nervously. Seto decided there was no need to answer that, and merely observed as the other sat down beside him, enjoying the silence of the room.
It didn't hurt his ears now.
To Be Continued...
Words: 8456
Man I need to control myself! -hits my fingers- Don't type so much, you damn bastards!
So... you guys noticed the fluff too? It's not just me, right? I mean come on! Jounouchi had his hand on Kaibas chest! And then on his shoulder... the guy is just too intimate to know better hahaha! I hope my writing wasn't containing too many grammatical errors, because I suck in that department.
---
Don't forget to review now! Voice your opinion with all your might! Push the button. Push... O.O