Chapter 15

Jou leaned his cheek against his hand and stared out at the people exercising on the boardwalk. It's too damn early to be doin' that kinda shit, he thought, watching groggily as a couple jogged past only to be replaced by a family of four biking. The sun was slowly rising above the ocean line, painting the sky in shades of lighter blue. Even from this distance, he could hear the ocean waves against the sand and wondered if they would be spending their fourth morning along the shore.

And speaking of too early to be doin' this shit, Jou reflected. Kaiba… He turned his cheek and looked over to see Kaiba standing in line, waiting for their beverages. Kaiba was wearing a simple pair of jeans and his black rash guard, while Jounouchi wore a pair of khakis and a dark red t-shirt. Without knowing the game plan for the day, as well as the impromptu decision to go out this morning, the two had gone with the easiest options for clothing, though Jou suspected they'd be changing upon returning to the hotel.

Jounouchi sighed, not even bothering to hide his staring at the brunette. Though he had pretended to wake up later, Jou had seen Kaiba the moment he entered the dining room. The CEO may have been quiet as a mouse, but Jou was a light sleeper, no thanks to his father's drunken, late night tirades. What he saw in that kitchen thoroughly confused him. He had watched Seto Kaiba, a man who took on Pegasus without flinching, who looked torture and possible death in the eye several times in front of Yuugi and the gang without wavering, come out of his room looking like absolute shit. Shivering, getting a glass of water in robotic motions, and leaning forward as though in pain. Sipping water as though his life depended on it. Clearly going on autopilot as Jou spoke to him.

When Jou mentioned going out for iced coffee, it had been a random comment meant to start conversation. He hadn't actually meant it. But Kaiba, obviously not his usual self, had agreed. And now, here I am, at 6:20 in the damn morning, sittin' in a coffee shop with Kaiba. He merely watched as Kaiba grabbed their coffees off the counter, approached Jou, set their coffees on the small, square, wooden table, and took his seat opposite the blonde. "Thanks, Kaiba," Jou stated, taking a sip of the delicious iced brew.

Kaiba nodded, took a sip, then stared out at the passersby on the boardwalk, holding his coffee casually in his hand.

Jou stared for a good, long minute, unsure of what to do or where to go now that they were outside. On the one hand, he wanted to ask about this morning. On the other hand, he was 99.99% certain that Kaiba would shut him down if he even mentioned it. Still, it's odd seein' him so out of it. Dude's usually on top of his game 24/7. I wonder what actually woke him up...he hasn't gotten up this early every day, right?

No, that ain't it, Jou reflected, letting the memory of the morning replay in his mind as he took another sip. Kaiba didn't look awake. Kaiba looked… Jou recalled Kaiba's expression as he had exited his room: wide eyes, empty expression, pursed lips. Shoulders that slumped forward, the brunette letting his forehead rest on his arms. And the CEO, of all people, refusing to meet Jou's gaze… Jou's eyes widened. Kaiba looked scared. He took a swig of coffee as realization swept over him. Kaiba was still sipping at his drink, refusing to meet Jounouchi's gaze. I thought maybe he was just tired. The guy maybe didn't sleep well or something. But yeah...thinkin' back on it, that expression. Kaiba looked nervous. Scared, even. But why?

Taking a long, slow sip of his drink, Jou set the cup down and looked out towards the boardwalk, pondering what could unnerve someone as stoic as Kaiba. Something at the company, probably. Maybe somethin's goin' on, and he's worried 'bout it. But… I dunno. That doesn't seem right. If it was somethin' at the company, wouldn't he get mad? Not scared? Hearing a child giggle, he glanced over to see a family of three pass by. The sun was illuminating enough now that the boardwalk lights were starting to turn off, one by one. Though people were walking about, the early morning felt calm, peaceful. Scenic. Jounouchi whipped his phone out and took a quick picture of the shore beyond without any pedestrians, saving it and making a mental note to send it to Shizuka later.

"What are you doing?" inquired Kaiba, causing Jou to blink in surprise. It was the first thing he had said all morning since returning from his shower, and yet it caused Jou to frown.

He didn't like Kaiba's voice. It was too soft for the CEO of KaibaCorp. And his posture… He looks so tense, like he's so on edge. His elbows were on the table, shoulders still hunched like they had been earlier in the hotel room. And though Kaiba was looking at him, Kaiba's gaze wasn't as focused as it should have been. And let's be real. When did Kaiba ever give a shit about what I was doing? Realizing he was taking too long to answer, Jou took another swig of his coffee and answered, "Taking a photo. I'm thinkin' of sending it to Shizuka later on."

"Why not now?"

"Uh, 'cuz I don't wanna wake her up."

"Oh." Another sip. Kaiba's voice remained reserved. He nodded, then slowly took another sip. "Speaking of siblings… I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Mokuba about this morning."

Jou's frown deepened, and he returned his full attention to Kaiba, sliding his phone in his pocket. "Why? I mean, I won't if you don't want me to, but, uh… Is everythin' alright?"

Everything clearly wasn't all right, but the CEO simply shrugged and said, "I don't want him thinking we left him behind."

"Ah." Taking another sip, Jou replied, "Well, I mean, it was my idea to go in the first place. You can just blame me."

"I'd rather he simply didn't know we left at all."

Jou's concern grew with each statement. This ain't the Kaiba I know. And he isn't the one who has fun playing video games, either. This guy's worried about something. I mean, why would he be that upset about Mokuba knowin' we went for coffee? Just what the fuck woke this guy up? Trying his luck, he asked, "Anything you wanna talk about?"

"No," came Kaiba's quick, curt, and completely expected reply. Jou chuckled and shrugged.

"Can't blame a guy for trying."

"No, I don't… I don't blame you. But no. I don't want to talk about it."

"No worries. So...what are the plans for today?"

Kaiba looked up with an odd expression, and Jou figured the brunette was wondering the same thing he was: how did he get here in the first place. But Kaiba finally muttered, "I wouldn't mind tackling the amusement park today, to be honest."

Jou smiled. "I hear Mokuba hates the roller coasters."

"Yes, he's not a huge fan of them. He prefers the spinning rides. Though he does enjoy the water rides, as well."

"How often do you guys go to the amusement park?" Jou asked incredulously. "You seem to have your preferences down to a science."

"Don't forget, Jounouchi, that I own an amusement park. Mokuba and I are the final testers on all the rides. If I don't feel 100% comfortable on the ride, I'm not opening it to the general public."

Jou's eyes widened. "Dude, you two are actually freakin' nuts."

A snicker that morphed into a laugh escaped Kaiba's lips, and he quickly shot back in his seat to cover his mouth with his hand, a gesture Jounouchi had noticed the brunette doing multiple times to hide his smile. Stopping himself, Kaiba shrugged and shook his head before grabbing his drink and taking another sip, hiding his smile behind the cup. Jou noted, however, that the reaction seemed to have broken whatever thoughts had its claws wrapped around the CEO. His shoulders sagged ever so slightly, and his expression was clearing. More importantly, his eyes were finally showing signs of life. The lackluster blue was finally showing a spark. Jou smiled, unable to contain his inner excitement at watching Kaiba finally unwind from whatever was bothering him. Missing all of this, Kaiba simply said, "Of course I wait until all safety measures are in. I don't simply get on for the first test."

"You're still nuts."

"Perhaps. But nobody can say that my products aren't 100% tested."

"Do people often accuse you of that?"

"Fortunately not. But many executives try to claim other false statements about me in order to sabotage my work." Kaiba took a long sip of his drink and sighed. "People spend more time arguing and trying to destroy each other than actually working and producing something. It's disgusting."

"See, this is why I don't envy your job," Jou observed, pointing at Kaiba as he spoke. "I don't have the patience for that shit."

"Neither do I, to be fair," Kaiba pointed out, smirking as he did so. "But it's part of the job, so I simply have to deal with it."

"Yeah, but… I dunno. Yeah, you make an insane amount of money, but the bullshit you clearly go through day in and day out? I'd take bein' poor over that."

"And what if it meant giving Shizuka everything she could ever possibly want?" The question caused Jou to pause, and he watched as Kaiba finished his drink before leaning fully back in his seat, setting the empty cup in front of him. "This is something you and so many others simply don't understand. Yes, being the CEO of a corporation is hard work. Of course it's hard work. And I had to fight tooth and fucking nail to get to where I am today. But…" Catching himself, Kaiba shook his head, then crossed his arms over his chest, looking directly at Jou. "Mokuba can do so many things that weren't possible for me. He can go to London and meet people when he goes to college. He'll inherit some of KaibaCorp and be able to make a living doing what he loves. Right now, not only can he afford to go to the beach, but he can afford to bring his friends along to the beach. He wants for nothing. And that...that is worth everything."

For a long minute, Jou stared at Kaiba, who returned to staring out at the boardwalk, once again avoiding Jou's gaze. Jou let his cup sit on the table, the morning heat causing it to sweat. After a few seconds, Jou heard Kaiba swallow loudly. He had the sneaking suspicion the CEO was regretting saying something so personal. But Jou slowly smiled, nodded, then said, "You know what, Kaiba? You're right. You're absolutely right."

Kaiba nodded as if in satisfaction as he stood from his seat. Slurping down the rest of his drink, Jounouchi followed suit, tossing his cup in a nearby recycle bin before following the brunette out of the store. The two turned right, heading back in the direction of the hotel, and Jou realized that the boardwalk was truly beginning to come to life now that the sun was rising. Storefronts began turning their lights on and sounds of music and toys began to permeate the air. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Jou strolled next to Kaiba. "You know… Kaiba." He waited until Kaiba turned to look at him out of the corner of his eye. "I don't know how many people have said this to ya, but I think you should know. You are a good older brother to Mokuba."

Seeing Kaiba's eyes widen in shock confirmed Jou's suspicion that the CEO had possibly never heard those words. It emboldened him to continue as he said, "And I mean that. I know you and I never really saw eye to eye on things. And yeah, we got into plenty of fist fights in school. But Mokuba's got someone who cares for him. The fact that you put up with so much shit for him… That takes a lot. I don't even know if I could do all that you do for Shizuka, though it ain't like I wouldn't try. But… I dunno." He knew he was rambling at this point, but Jou felt his heart racing, like he had to say something important but didn't know what. It didn't help that he was now under the full gaze of Kaiba, whose blue eyes were wide and alert, a complete turnaround from a mere ten minutes ago. "I guess what I'm just tryin' to say is that, no matter what the world says about ya, I know you're a good person. It's only been three or so days I've seen ya like this, sure, but I'm… I just want ya to know that you're seriously a good person. Weird, kinda nuts, but good."

"I..." Kaiba continued forward, but his mouth kept opening and closing as though he was unsure of what to say. Jou followed, not wanting to push further, and listened as Kaiba finally muttered, "I don't know why you even care about any of this."

"I dunno, honestly. Maybe 'cuz I'm an older brother, too?" Or maybe 'cuz I honestly, really care about ya, and you've proven you aren't just a sexy son of a bitch who only cares 'bout money. But can't go sayin' that part out loud, now can I?

The two soon found themselves in front of the hotel, and Kaiba opened the door, letting Jou walk in first. The feeling of carpet beneath his feet was odd to Jou, and they quickly entered the elevator and swiped their keycard. Jou smiled over at Kaiba before asking, "In all seriousness, you feeling better from this morning?"

"I told you, I was fine this morning."

"Yeah. Sure. But you woke up early on vacation. That's never a good sign. So just say you're feeling okay so that I feel better."

"Again, why do you even care about how I'm feeling?"

"Dude, just… Answer the damn question, man. Yeah, I care about you enjoying your vacation and having a good time. So are you feelin' okay? Ready for the day?"

Sighing, Kaiba shook his head before looking over at Jou. With arms crossed over his chest, a shadow of a smirk across his lips, and guarded blue eyes, Kaiba finally looked normal, causing Jou to smile despite himself. "Yes. I feel 'ready for the day,' as you put it."

"Good. And we won't tell Mokuba about this." Kaiba nodded. The elevator came to a stop, and the two stepped out into the hallway. Giggling, Jou added, "And hey, guess what?"

Stopping, Kaiba glanced over and asked, "What?"

"You answered my question, finally. So now we have to go to the amusement park."

The look of incredulity and anger on Kaiba's face made Jou burst out laughing, and he could only watch as Kaiba opened the door to their hotel room and stormed into the dining room. Now that's the Kaiba I know.