Chapter 9:

Rain pattered against the patio glass doors while heavy, dark clouds rolled overhead. Kaiba sipped at his cup of coffee, noting the time at 2:25pm. It had begun to rain shortly before lunchtime, and per the weather radar, it would continue until dinner, meaning they were stuck shopping or in their hotel room until then. Mokuba refused to go out walking in the rain, however, and they all agreed to spend the time relaxing in the hotel until dinner.

Fortunately they had come back to a full fridge, so Mokuba and Jounouchi were snacking and playing the Switch while Kaiba continued to read.

Leaning back in his seat, the CEO closed his book and looked over to see Mokuba barely beating the blonde at what appeared to be a cartoonish racing game. He watched as Mokuba raised his fist in the air upon crossing the finish line, the numbers showing he only beat Jounouchi by a mere .30 seconds. Kaiba smirked and grasped his cup firmly, turning in his seat to watch as they chose another course.

It was a heavily-based RNG game, Kaiba immediately noted, very similar to the arcade racing games. He watched as Mokuba went from 1st to 6th place in a matter of seconds just from hitting a previously placed item. Jounouchi sped ahead, using other items and boost tracks to gain the advantage, and soon it became clear the blonde would win no matter how much Mokuba tried to catch up. As Jounouchi crossed the finish line, he heard Mokuba groan and mutter, "Every time I get ahead, you manage to tie it up again."

"I'm just here to keep ya on your toes," Jounouch noted. "Come on, you pick the next one."

Mokuba turned and did a double-take as he noted Kaiba's gaze, blinking in surprise. "You're watching, Seto?"

Kaiba smirked and sipped at his drink as the blonde whipped around, also blinking in surprise. "I'm just seeing whether the blonde has any gaming skills outside of the arcade and Duel Monsters."

"Hey, man, I helped you out in the arcade, if you don't remember," Jou noted, a playful smirk tugging at his lips.

"Not in Mario Kart, you didn't," Kaiba immediately retorted, still sour over the blonde's sabotaging.

Mokuba giggled before returning his attention to the screen. "Sooo what does everyone want to do this afternoon? Doesn't look like the rain is going to let up…"

Kaiba nodded, his gaze wandering past the duo out to the patio. "I was considering having us all go out to eat somewhere nicer," he noted. "Someplace primarily indoors that we wouldn't want to spend a nicer day in." His gaze snapped towards the blonde, who was clearly already beating his brother at the new race. "Though I suppose one of us would've needed to bring appropriate clothing…"

"If by 'one of us' you mean me, Kaiba," Jou remarked, keeping his eyes focused on the television screen, "Then you'll be happy to know I did bring something nice to wear."

"Not just a fancy pair of jeans, I hope."

"It ain't a tuxedo, but it's nice."

Kaiba slowly glanced over at Mokuba, whose gaze was also fixed on the television screen. Did you tell him to prepare something in case we went out? Or did the blonde actually have the common sense to bring something nice to wear? He didn't know which answer was less surprising.

"What kinda food were you thinking, Kaiba?" Jou continued, grabbing the CEO's attention.

"There's a steakhouse a few blocks away I wouldn't mind trying out."

Jou's eyes lit up, even as he rushed across the finish line two seconds behind Mokuba, who seemed to have caught up using every item available in the game. "Man, it's been forever since I went to a steakhouse…"

Kaiba's eyes widened. "I'm shocked you've even been to one before."

"I mean, can't blame ya there. Those places ain't cheap. The one time I went was with Mom and Sis for her birthday."

"Where do you usually go for your birthday, then?" Mokuba asked. Kaiba glanced over to see Mokuba smiling at Jou, his controller in his lap.

"I, uh, don't usually go anywhere. Pops never celebrated, always said it was a waste. It wasn't until I met Yuugi and the gang that I realized birthday parties were, like, a normal thing."

Kaiba's lips parted and his eyes widened at the statement that was so familiar. 'Why bother celebrating? It's such a waste.' He could even hear it in that dead bastard's voice.

Just as quickly as it came, the memory passed, and Kaiba noted that Mokuba's smile had also fallen. The young Kaiba quickly stuttered, "Sorry, didn't mean to bring it up."

Jou waved his hand. "Ah, kid, it's no worries. Ya ain't at fault for the way Pops raised me. Nobody really is. And hey, that's why it's awesome to have you and Yuugi and the gang as friends. You all helped me a lot more than you may have realized." Smiling, he turned to look at Kaiba and held up his controller. "Wanna play a round with your brother?"

Surprisingly, Kaiba did, as much to play a round as to end the awkward conversation developing. He released a somewhat exaggerated sigh before muttering, "Only if you move so I can be on the sofa."

"Can do." Jou set the controller down and moved to a side recliner, leaving Seto room to sit next to his brother. Setting his mug down on the coffee table, Seto plopped down, grabbed the controller, and snorted at Jou's choice of character. He went to make a snarky comment, but the blonde's statements made it feel inappropriate.

He settled with the basic question, "Why are you picking the slowest character?"

"Because their control is the best."

"If you have skills, you don't need to worry about control." Immediately Kaiba switched to one of the fastest characters, then changed the car's style and specs. Once finished, he pressed the READY button, leaning back into the cushions as he did so.

"A'ight then, Hot Shot, let's see what you're made of," Jou remarked.

Kaiba smirked. "Now you can see what happens when you don't try to ruin my efforts."

"Yeah, now I get to see what happens when Mokuba does."

Mokuba burst out laughing at the threat but at the cost of missing the opening burst as the race began. Immediately Kaiba made his way to 2nd place, and a carefully-timed item attack shot him to 1st. Finding every boost pad and using every terrain mechanic available, Kaiba sailed into first place, setting items carefully enough to keep the competition even further behind. Mokuba ended up in third after hitting one of "Nii-sama's stupid crates," and Kaiba won the round by a whopping 15 seconds.

Kaiba smirked over at Jou, who was shaking his head in awe. "Dude, you are stupid good at games," observed the blonde, who looked over at Kaiba with a surprising amount of respect. "Like seriously, stupid good."

Kaiba shrugged and went to hand the controller over when he saw Mokuba toss the controller at Jou. "I need a break round," Mokuba remarked. "You two go against each other."

"Oh, this oughta be good," Jou said. "Get ready for Sabotage Version 2!"

"You wish, Jounouchi," Kaiba countered. Leaning forward, he chose his character, waited for Jou to finish, then started the race. Before it started, however, he quickly glanced over at Mokuba to see the boy smiling and watching the TV. "Everything okay?" he whispered, hoping the boy's loss trend wasn't putting him in a bad mood. Mokuba, unlike his brother, wasn't known for being a sore loser.

Mokuba quickly indicated that he was alright, and before Kaiba could push the issue, he heard the race starting up and returned his attention to the screen.

Straightening the button line and tucking in his shirt, Jounouchi glanced at himself in the mirror and smiled. He knew Kaiba would give him shit no matter what, but for himself, Jou thought he looked pretty damn good. I owe Mokuba once again, he thought, remembering the younger Kaiba's text about packing a few nice sets of clothes in case they went out somewhere fancier. He had initially planned to pack one nice pair, not being completely oblivious to the company he was traveling with, but it was good to know he had a few up his sleeve. All those interview outfits finally paying off…

He quickly brushed his hair and took a step back. Wearing a red button-up shirt and black slacks, Jou did indeed look at least a bit professional. He also traded out his sneakers for the one pair of nice shoes he had, which he had only worn twice [and therefore needed to dust before being packed for the trip]. He briefly thought about pranking Kaiba with torn jeans and beat-up t-shirt look, but once again, he reminded himself that he owed Kaiba as much for the hospitality as he did Mokuba.

Besides, he had a different bone to pick with Kaiba. Jounouchi had meant it when he said Kaiba was stupid good at the game. In all ten rounds they played together, Kaiba placed in first. Every. Single. Race.

Jounouchi smiled, remembering how Kaiba's demeanor had shifted as they played round after round. He had taken peeks over at the brunette while they played, and Kaiba could argue all he wanted, but he seemed to enjoy the time spent gaming. Mokuba had fallen asleep for a brief period of time, but even without him, the atmosphere had been more amicable than Jounouchi would ever believe. Despite losing ten rounds, Jou wasn't met with one demeaning remark or insult from Kaiba. Rather, the CEO gave Jou feedback on gameplay mechanics, smirking or showing expressions of amusement but never glaring condescendingly at him.

Maybe he's warming up to me after all? Jou laughed and shook his head at the thought. Nah, probably not.

He stepped out of the bedroom and walked down the hallway. Kaiba was seated on the sofa, scrolling on his phone, and Jou's eyes widened as he took in the brunette. He had expected either a different trenchcoat outfit or maybe a business suit, but instead, Kaiba had once again chosen an outfit that would throw off the blonde. He was dressed in a light blue, button-up, long-sleeve shirt, over top of which was a low cut, tight-fitting dark blue vest. His slacks were either black or an incredibly dark blue and appeared brand new, and the outfit was complete with matching dark shoes and his card locket necklace.

Jounouchi gulped, feeling a wave of heat roll over him at the sight of the CEO. Quickly he walked behind the counter and leaned forward, mentally shaking his head. Dammit, dammit, dammit. He had to find an outfit that looks better than that stupid fucking trenchcoat. He just. Fucking. Had to.

"What's wrong?"

Jou blinked and blushed when he looked up only to see Kaiba staring at him with a confused expression. The CEO closed his phone and stood, placing the phone in his back pocket, before walking over to the island. "N-Nothing," he stuttered.

"You aren't scared to go to this place, are you?"

The question held a mixture of condescension and genuine concern, leaving Jounouchi confused. But he quickly shook his head no. "Nah, man. Just… I dunno." How do you tell someone they look too hot for their own damn good? He hoped Kaiba couldn't hear his quickened heartbeat.

Kaiba scoffed. "Don't worry about embarrassing Mokuba," he stated, clearly getting the wrong idea about Jou's behavior. "Trust me, despite his love for authentic dining, he himself acts like a kid in those places."

Jounouchi chuckled and glanced back up. Though he wasn't smiling, Kaiba's expression held little disdain. Indeed, Jou could almost picture a sense of caring behind those eyes. Pushing himself up to a standing position, Jou pointed at his outfit and asked, "This all right for the place?"

Kaiba looked him up and down twice before nodding in approval. "You actually don't look half bad, I'll admit," the CEO noted. "I honestly expected us having to leave early to buy you a pair of nice pants."

The compliment, if it could even be called that, sent a shiver down Jou's spine despite it being asked for, and he shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from fidgeting. "Yeah, well, gotta have a few outfits for interviews."

Before they could continue, the sound of the door opening caught their attention. Mokuba strolled down the hallway, dressed in slacks, a button-up black t-shirt, and a jacket that looked a bit small on him. Jou patted his pocket for his wallet, expecting them to leave, when he saw Kaiba shake his head down at Mokuba. "Take the jacket off," Kaiba stated in a surprisingly soft tone.

"Why?" asked Mokuba, turning both ways to showcase it.

"It's too small," Kaiba countered. Jou watched as the brunette took a step forward and pulled the coat off, holding it up for a brief moment before tossing it onto the back of one of the recliners. "You're getting too big for some of your old outfits, I see."

Jou's lips parted. Mokuba didn't seem to pick up on it, but being an older brother himself, Jou could hear the underlying sadness in the statement. There was nothing wrong with Mokuba getting bigger, but it meant that he was getting older. Just like Shizuka, Jou reflected. He watched as Kaiba straightened a bit of Mokuba's shirt, to which Mokuba rolled his eyes but let happen, before the CEO stood up and nodded over to Jounouchi.

"Umbrellas are available downstairs, and the steakhouse is only three blocks away. Do you mind if we walk?"

"Not at all, man."

"Good. Then let's get going."

Trailing behind the two brothers, Jounouchi made sure the door was locked behind them before walking down the hallway and stepping into the elevator. As the doors closed and they settled in, Jou glanced over to see Kaiba staring down at his younger brother, a mixture of emotions floating around his eyes. Mokuba was staring down at his phone, oblivious to it all.

Jou smiled sadly, letting Kaiba have the moment to himself. He knew that moment all too well, and knew it would pass by far too quickly.