Dogs Do The Silliest Things, by Dani Wheeler-Kaiba
Dedicated to the forces that first led me to watch Yu-Gi-Oh - and this chapter to school holidays, which led me to discovering that this fantabulous show is once again on TV here.
Disclaimer: Much as I wish the world of Yu-Gi-Oh was mine, that will only ever be a wish. In other words, it's not mine. Unfortunately.
Summary: SetoxJou. That should say it all. What started as a usual day of hatred between Seto Kaiba and Katsuya Jounouchi was completely turned around. Maybe it was just a spur of the moment thing, or maybe it was something more. I don't know as much about Yu-Gi-Oh as I'd like to, so please forgive any little mistakes I make.
Additional pairings? Ok…YamixYugi, RyouxBakura, MalikxMarik, and once Otogi comes in…I'm sure we all know where HE fits!
Yay! Holidays! For the first time in ages, I've been home late enough in the mornings to watch cartoons – and I discovered that while I thought Yugioh had gone off the air here, it has in fact BEEN BROUGHT BACK! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY I AM!
Anyway…I procrastinate so much in writing, but I'm focusing a lot of energy into this story – something that readers of my other main story will not be happy about. I haven't updated that one in a very long time. Oh well…I'm really happy at the great response I've been getting from all you reviewers! You guys rock!
Otogi shall come soon….it's only a matter of me deciding when the right time is…not this chapter, because it's too long already…not next chapter, because that one's exclusively Jou and Seto, if you know what I mean ;) …Perhaps the chapter after that?
Read, enjoy, and review!
Ch. 13: Confessions Part 2
During the trip home, Mokuba was trying to understand exactly what his brother was telling him. Seto had done his best to explain what had gone on over the past week, in a way that made the story more suitable for a child.
"…so Jou kissed you on Wednesday?"
"Yes."
"And when he came over yesterday you kissed again?"
"Yes."
"So…what you're saying is…" the raven-haired boy said, "You're – gay?"
Seto had expected Mokuba to deduce as much, although he wasn't sure his younger brother understood the full implications of the word. For one thing, Mokuba hadn't even been informed of the basics of heterosexuality, let alone homosexuality. For an eighteen-year-old and a twelve-year-old, the situation meant very different things.
"I wouldn't go so far as to say that just yet, Mokuba. A few kisses doesn't determine one's orientation."
"Oh." It was obvious that Mokuba didn't know what the word 'orientation' meant in that sense. But he pretended he did anyway. "Well…do you like Jou?"
"I couldn't say." He wasn't lying to Mokuba; really, he was lying to himself. As a businessman, frequently in the public eye, he knew the consequences of being gay in today's society more than anyone, and wanted to avoid that situation for as long as possible. He had almost made himself really believe that he didn't know whether he liked Jou or not.
"Are you going to see him again?" Mokuba asked.
"Naturally, as we are in the same classes, it would be difficult not to see him."
"You know what I mean."
Seto thought about this. It hadn't really occurred to him before. Was Mokuba suggesting he date the puppy? That would be quite a big step…his brother had accepted the truth easily enough, but would the rest of Japan be so understanding?
He said to Mokuba, "We shall see."
"…and yesterday…well, I guess I just had ta know for sure what was happenin'," Jou recounted. The others had been listening intently for quite some time now, keen to know what had caused the relationship between two supposed enemies. "I went ta his place…we talked a bit…then things – just – got a little outta hand."
Honda quickly stuck his fingers in his ears. "Okay, Jou, we get the picture! We don't need details of your little make out session!" He was getting some very disturbing mental images from this.
"Yeah – well then – that's about it," finished Jou. Now it was all out in the open, all that was left to do was see their reactions. They didn't seem to take it too badly.
Ryou was first to speak. "I can't believe that this all started only five days ago. Last week you and Kaiba were arch enemies!"
"Still," said Marik thoughtfully, "isn't that a quote from Romeo & Juliet? 'My only love sprung from my only hate,' or something?"
This was met with silence, in which everyone gave him a look that clearly said, "Why the hell were you reading Shakespeare?" Once the question was actually posed, he gave some hurriedly thought up response that fooled no one. Marik liked poetry – that would be something to blackmail him with later.
"I suppose Marik's right in a way," Bakura shrugged. "Even if two people do hate each other, that's no guarantee they will forever. Love-hate relationships happen a lot, and can turn out pretty damn good. Can't they, hikari?" he added, grinning slyly at Ryou, who blushed a little.
"We're trying to help Jou here," he reminded Bakura.
"Right, right…so have you two gone out yet?"
Jou blinked. "Gone out?"
"Yeah, you know, as in, gone out on a date," Malik said pointedly. "That's what most couples do."
"Yeah, I know what it – er, no, we haven't."
"Are you going to?" asked Yugi.
Jou hadn't thought of this. Were he and Seto a 'couple' enough to actually go out on a proper date? What did you do on a date with a guy? The same as you would with a girl? Would Seto even want to go out with him? So many questions…at no point over the last five days did it occur to Jou that he might be getting a boyfriend out of this; so far he had just been responding to whatever emotions came over him, disregarding all consequences. Did he really want Seto to be his boyfriend?
"Uh…I dunno."
Marik raised his eyebrows. "You don't know?"
"Well, it's not like we talked it out or anything. Should I know?"
"Well it's not that hard a question," said Bakura. "It just comes down to, why don't you go ask him out?"
Jou blanched. "I can't just do that!"
"Why?" said the others in unison.
"Because – because – how could I?"
"Just ask him if he'd like to go to dinner or something with you," Ryou suggested calmly. "You've been on heaps of dates, Jou, this one's no different."
Oh, yep, I can see the similarity. "I just…dunno if I wanna do this yet. You said it yourself…five days ago we were enemies."
"Time doesn't matter," said Yugi. "You can know someone for years and never know how you feel about them. You should be happy that you're realising this now, instead of when it's too late."
Jou nodded slowly. "I guess so…"
"And wouldn't you regret it if you didn't do anything at all?"
Yugi sure knew how to convince someone.
"Yeah, I guess I would."
Honda was looking faintly puzzled by something. "You know, Yugi," he said slowly, "you never did tell us what happened…with you and Yami."
Yugi blushed, but with everyone now looking at him, he couldn't escape the situation. "It's nothing, really…"
"Come on!" said Bakura keenly. "I want to know what the Pharaoh's been up to!"
"Yeah, come on Yuug, tell us."
Yugi gulped. "Really, it's nothing. I mean, all that happened was, I came home one night after going on a date with – someone – "
"Who?" Malik asked abruptly.
"A-Anzu," Yugi avoided eye contact. Only a few weeks ago, he and Anzu tried going out, but it wasn't long before they realised they were better suited as just friends. But if Yami had something to do with it…this could be interesting.
"And – Yami was still up, he asked me how it went. I told him…I told him that it felt weird being with Anzu as more than friends. I said – I probably wanted to end it and go back to the way things were. But I wasn't sure how easy that was going to be. So Yami and I ended up talking for a while…about how I could do it, and then, about love in general."
Everyone was quiet; they were all very interested to hear this story.
"You know how I said just before – you can know someone for years and years without knowing how you feel about them?" They all nodded. "Well, he said that to me. Pretty cryptically, at the time, but then I asked him…"
"What?" said Jou.
Yugi sighed, still blushing. "I – I asked him if he'd ever been in that position. Loving someone, but only realising it after years of knowing them. And – he said…'I'm in that position right now.' I asked if he could tell me about it, but he just said it was complicated. I said – I said, 'How could it be so complicated that I couldn't understand?' And then…then he just reached over towards me and we – "
He trailed off. But everyone understood what had happened: Yami had kissed Yugi.
"So what happened after that?" asked Honda curiously.
With a little shrug, Yugi answered, "Nothing, really. Anzu and I broke up a few days later. Yami didn't mention what happened for almost a week, and even then he just said he was sorry for putting me in that position. We haven't talked about it since – he's been a little more quiet than usual."
"Yeah, well, after confessing his unrequited love for his other half, he would be a bit quiet," said Marik, uncharacteristically softly.
"Gods, Marik, why are you being so poetic today?" Bakura rolled his eyes. "Myself, I don't see what the Pharaoh's problem is. I've confessed my love for my hikari, you've confessed yours for your hikari – what makes him so different?"
"This is different," argued Ryou. "All situations with love are different. For one thing, Yugi hasn't said if he feels the same way."
Bakura blinked in surprise. "You know, you're right. You're so smart, Ryou. That's why I love you." He leaned forward and pressed his lips against the boy's.
Honda gave a loud, false cough, which meant, 'Get a room,' even if he didn't say it.
"Yugi, do you feel the same way about Yami?" Malik asked. Yugi frowned slightly.
"I – I don't know. I was just shocked at the time, and I wasn't really thinking about that. But I'm pretty sure now that I'm gay. Or bi. Probably bi."
Jou nodded. Suddenly it surprised him that while questioning his own sexuality, the possibility that he was bi didn't occur to him. Being gay just seemed to fit more for him.
"But with Yami…I mean, I love Yami, for sure, but just – not necessarily in that way," Yugi explained. He seemed rather relieved to get all his secrets off his chest.
"Are you going to talk to him about it?" Honda asked.
"I don't know…" Yugi said, shaking his head. "Whatever happens, I'm sure it'll be for the best. And not just for me. Jou, good luck with Kaiba – I mean Seto."
"Thanks, Yugi."
"You really should ask him out," Ryou said encouragingly, while locked in an embrace from his Yami. "Yugi was right, if you don't do anything, you'll regret it."
"Thanks," Jou repeated. But inside, he wondered why it always turned out that everything was so much easier said than done.
I think that's my longest chapter yet…funny that the ones I procrastinate writing the most turn out to be the longest. Although not much happened in that chapter, it was very very relevent. It definitely had to be there. Not to mention we now know what went on between Yami and Yugi…:D
And what Yugi and Ryou have been saying about regretting missed opportunities – that's one of my life mottos. I don't follow many, but I believe that regret is one of the worst emotions there is.
Thank you for reading, and it makes me very happy to read reviews!