Chapter 8:

Jounouchi sat at the island silently, scrolling on his phone and letting his gaze wander to the back of the CEO-turned-chef's head. Kaiba was making bacon and eggs once more, and Jou's stomach groaned in anticipation. This sure as shit beats my morning breakfast burrito, he thought, snorting at the mere thought of comparing the two. Fortunately his snort coincided with the beeping of the coffee maker, and he jumped out of his seat to grab a cup. As he poured both himself and the brunette a mug, he peeked over at Kaiba, whose eyes were glued to the task before him.

It had been nice, Jounouchi thought, seeing a different side of Kaiba. The one who doesn't just see everyone as a challenge. It's good to know that he actually has a hobby, that he enjoys somethin' in life. He can't be behind that computer all the time! It ain't good for him! And hey, I even got to learn something about him that wasn't from Mokuba, for a change.

Returning to his seat, he cautiously looked up, noting that Kaiba's gaze still had yet to shift, before returning his attention to his phone.

And apparently, I've got a lot more to learn.

Jounouchi knew the brunette probably wasn't being serious when he told him to look up KaibaCorp history, but Jou was curious. And so, he had typed some searches into his phone to see what the company had been before Kaiba took it over. It wasn't terribly hard to find, although the Wikipedia page was surprisingly lacking in details, but it was enough information to capture his attention. Putting the pieces together, he came to a stunning conclusion.

Kaiba, Prick CEO, turned a freakin' weapons manufacturer into a gaming company.

The mere fact sent his mind racing. He had ended up spending a half hour down the rabbit hole last night, and even now, not five feet from the CEO, he was still scrolling through websites containing information. Most of the articles talk about his stepdad, Gozaburo, and I remember Gozaburo real briefly from that weird virtual reality, Jou thought as he recalled the deranged lunatic. He was that creep who admitted to treatin' Kaiba like shit. But what happened between those two was seriously no joke. Indeed, most of the information Jou was finding didn't relate to KaibaCorp necessarily, but on how Gozaburo, the former CEO, had committed suicide after supposedly being outplayed by the up-and-coming Seto Kaiba. Gozaburo himself didn't have many allies in the articles, as the majority detailed the atrocities his weaponry had helped to create. It seemed most of the world had sighed in relief when the Kaiba had flung himself out a window.

Jou swallowed a sip of coffee and glanced up. Kaiba was beginning to move, indicating the food was done.

Dude saw his shithead step-dad commit suicide after his parents died while working tooth 'n nail to keep him and his little brother together. Mokuba said he's been doing it since he was eight, but I'll bet even up through high school, he had to deal with abusive shit, 'cuz it looks like his old man didn't even die 'til Kaiba was in his teens. Or...his old step-dad. So much bullshit… No matter how much of an asshole he is, that just ain't cool or easy for anybody.

Putting his phone aside as Kaiba slid a plate full of eggs and bacon across the island, Jou waited for Kaiba to set his own plate down and take a seat before muttering a small, "Thanks again."

Kaiba shrugged and took his first bite.

Jounouchi stared a good, long minute at Kaiba, wondering what the CEO had been thinking when the news of his step-father dying reached him. It had to have been awful, he thought. Though maybe not as bad as I would think. I mean, that creep admitted to doing some fucked up shit in the virtual world. Maybe Kaiba was-

"What are you looking at?"

The blonde felt his cheeks turn red, realizing only then that Kaiba was looking directly at him. "Uh, nothin', nothin'," Jou stuttered, returning his attention too quickly to his food. "Just, uh, surprised at how good your cooking is, since you said you don't do any grocery shopping."

Kaiba didn't respond, but Jou could hear his silverware clanking, indicating he had returned to his meal. Jounouchi Katsuya, I've said it before, I'll say it again. You're a fuckin' moron. "So, uh…" Trying to play it cool, Jou took another sip of his coffee before asking, "What's the game plan for today?"

"That's up to Mokuba," Kaiba stated, much to Jou's surprise. "He was opposed to the idea of keeping to a schedule, so ultimately it's what he wants to do."

"And when will he be up?"

Kaiba shrugged and glanced down at his own phone. "Well, we probably have about two hours. The kid usually sleeps in until 9:30. I believe yesterday was an anomaly." Smirking, he added, "And here I thought I would get some alone time this morning…"

"Yeah, sorry, but I'm an early morning kinda guy," Jou replied.

"Is that why you always fell asleep in class?"

"Not really. Classes were just boring. And besides…" Biting his tongue, Jou took another bite of egg and muttered, "I just didn't sleep well, usually."

"And now?"

Jou shrugged, then grinned and turned. "Why, ya worried about me?"

"Melatonin can sometimes help with that," Kaiba stated, ignoring the bait, though Jou could see the CEO was also avoiding looking at him.

Jou shrugged again. "Yeah, I tried that stuff. Doesn't work too well for me. It's not that I ain't tired, it's just…"

An awkward silence hung in the air, and Kaiba nodded in seeming understanding. Standing from his seat, he grabbed his empty plate and set it in the dishwasher before refilling his cup of coffee. "I am going to read out on the patio," Kaiba stated, turning to look directly at Jounouchi. "Feel free to do whatever you want, just let Mokuba rest. We'll figure out a plan after he's eaten breakfast."

"Sounds good, man," Jou noted, keeping his head down as Kaiba walked around the island. Hearing the patio doors open and close, the blonde released a sigh he didn't know he had been holding in. He turned, watching as the brunette took his seat, popped his sunglasses on, and opened his massive book.

Jounouchi had been wrong. Yeah, Kaiba could be an asshole. He would no doubt admit it. But he was also an accommodating host, a guy with a passion for gaming, and, above all, human. And Jounouchi couldn't help but wonder if he would be the same if he experienced all the things that Kaiba had.

The ocean wind blew Kaiba's bangs this way and that, and he quickly placed a finger against the pages of his book to keep them from blowing. He sighed, counting that as the third time, and closed his book, setting it down on the towel underneath his plastic recliner. I suppose that is my cue to get into the water, he thought as he stood and placed his sunglasses in the bag. In the distance, Mokuba and Jounouchi were standing and talking, the water up to their shins. Kaiba slowly made his way down with the feeling of sand crunching beneath his feet, their conversation reaching his ears.

Hearing him, Mokuba turned and smiled widely. "Heeey, Seto!"

Kaiba smiled as his feet entered the water, the cold sending chills up his spine. He fought against the urge to shiver and walked to where the two were. "Mokuba, have you decided what you want to do later today?" They still had yet to form a schedule, and while Kaiba was trying to maintain his composure, it was bothering him not knowing what his brother had in mind.

To his dismay, Mokuba shrugged. "I'm thinkin' either another arcade or mini-golf."

"I vote mini-golf," Jou chipped in. Kaiba went to retort that the blonde's opinion didn't matter, but he quickly bit his tongue.

"I'm gonna go check the weather real quick," Mokuba stated, already heading back to the sandy shore. "If it's gonna rain, then there's no point in planning mini-golf." Before Kaiba could get another word in, Mokuba wadded his way back, leaving the two alone.

Kaiba shook his head and took a few more steps out. Something else he has been doing quite a bit lately, he reflected. Leaving me alone with the mutt despite telling me we would hardly see each other. He frowned, staring down at his own reflection. The waves reached up to his knees, and he leaned down to let his fingertips grace the water. Turning, he saw Jou approach him, smiling his warm smile. It wasn't his cheeky, stupid smile, but one that seemed genuine. "How's the book comin' along?" he asked.

"It's interesting," Kaiba admitted. Jou nodded.

"Soooo what do you wanna do today? I mean, Mokuba said-"

"Didn't I tell you this morning?" Kaiba quipped, turning to face the blonde. "Mokuba is making the schedule this week. Not me. Whatever he wants to do, we'll do, so long as the weather holds out and it's within a safe distance."

Jounouchi's smile turned to a smirk, then a chuckle. "You…" Pausing a minute, the blonde tilted his head to the side ever so slightly. "...need a schedule, don't you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"You're edgy, man. Like, your shoulders are all hunched up, and you got that look in your eyes like you're gonna take someone down."

"From annoying questions and comments, perhaps," Kaiba retorted. He sighed, however, and pushed himself out deeper into the water. Two waves came and went, and Kaiba soon found himself waist deep in the ocean water, feeling the tug of the waves and tides. He turned to see Jounouchi following right next to him.

"I mean, I can't blame ya," Jounouchi continued once the water calmed down. "You're probably used to having a full schedule every freakin' day of the week. To suddenly have a lot of free time's gotta be rough."

"It's not rough, it's simply different," Kaiba stated, yet again finding himself defending his position. "And once more, you're wrong. I do take at least one day a week off from work to spend time with Mokuba."

"Well, that's good, at least." A moment of silence passed between the two before the blonde turned to look at Kaiba. "You still didn't answer my question."

Kaiba frowned and turned. "And what question was that?"

"What do you want to do today?" Holding his hand up as Kaiba opened his mouth, Jou continued, "And don't say 'Whatever Mokuba wants to do.' What do you want to do today?"

A large wave washed in, pushing the two closer to the beach, and Kaiba quickly fought his way back out into the deeper waters. To his dismay, Jounouchi persisted and followed him. He turned to see the blonde smiling at him, looking at him with wide, brown eyes. Kaiba felt his eyebrow rise in confusion. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because it's just as much your vacation as it is Mokuba's, and I'm sure he'd want to know if there's something ya wanted to do while we're here."

"We have five more days to do what I want, Jounouchi. That's not the concern."

"I didn't say it was."

"You are very annoying sometimes, you know that?" A smaller wave came. Kaiba glanced back and frowned to see Mokuba still sitting underneath the umbrella. What is that kid doing?

As he looked back, he caught Jounouchi shrugging. "Just one of my many charming qualities."

"Hmph. That's a stretch."

"More than you got, Mr. CEO."

"Your insults have degraded over the years, Jounouchi. You're going to have to do better than that."

"Maybe because I don't want to insult you?" Kaiba blinked and turned to face the blonde directly. Jounouchi was still smiling, his hands playing around below the water's surface. "Did it ever occur to you that my 'thank yous' were sincere? I'm being honest. I owe you more than I probably know in terms of this vacation. Yeah, we got a rough history, but here and now, you are being an awesome and, quite frankly, gracious host. So no, I don't want to insult you, and I don't plan on insulting you. And you're also doing a real good job at avoiding the question."

Just as he was about to respond, a large wave, bigger than Kaiba expected, came crashing down. He felt himself be pushed forward and underwater, and for a brief second, he choked on the salty water. Forcing himself up, he coughed and wiped the water from his eyes, hearing Jounouchi laughing next to him. "I guess that's what we get for just standing here, huh?"

"I'm fine, Jounouchi." Sighing, Kaiba began making his way to the beach, doing his best to avoid the salty taste of water against his lips. He could hear Jounouchi following him, and soon the two were returning to their umbrella. Mokuba was sitting, scrolling on his phone, and Kaiba sighed again as he grabbed his towel and began wiping his face. "Mokuba," he started, glancing down at his younger brother.

Mokuba smiled up at him, and if he didn't know better, Kaiba would swear that his smile was cheekier in nature than it should have been. "Yeah, Nii-sama?"

"What is the plan for this afternoon? Because Jounouchi here is very concerned."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Watching the blonde's hands turn to fists and his eyes widening in shock, Kaiba smirked behind the towel.

"You're the one who keeps asking about the schedule."

"Don't be putting words in my mouth, man! I was just asking what you-?"

"You were clearly indicating that you're very concerned about the schedule." He turned to look down at Mokuba. "In all seriousness, what is the game plan for today? You've been looking on your phone at the weather longer than necessary."

"Hmm? Oh, I was just checking some things," Mokuba casually stated, obviously doing his best to avoid breaking out into laughter at the two. "But weather's not looking great this afternoon. It's supposed to rain until dinnertime, but then it should clear up. We can do a golf course at night if we want, but it'll probably be an indoor course."

"If that's the case, what would you like to do?"

Mokuba shrugged. "I'd be okay with just hanging out in the hotel. Maybe playing some video games or a board game or two."

"Sounds good." Plopping down in his seat, Kaiba glanced up and smirked at Jounouchi. "There, now you know what we're doing today."

"You're going to answer my question, Kaiba, by the end of this trip," Jou threatened as he himself grabbed a towel and began drying off. "Mark my words."

"And what question is that?" inquired Mokuba, whose eyes widened considerably.

"Nothing, Mokuba," Kaiba quickly interjected. "Just something stupid." Shooting a glare at Jounouchi, daring him to utter another word of their exchange, Kaiba was relieved when Jounouchi simply shrugged and continued drying himself off. Noting that the wind had died down, Kaiba leaned back in his seat and grabbed his book once more.