Chapter 18:

"Aw man, Seto, these are delicious." Kaiba watched as his brother chomped down on a large strawberry. "Here, wanna try one?"

Before Kaiba could object, Mokuba placed a separate large strawberry on the edge of his plate. The two were sitting at a high table in a small cafe located off the boardwalk. Jounouchi had stayed behind at the hotel, stating he didn't mind at all that the two brothers wanted some alone time [and admitting his shock it took this long for them to ask]. He said he'd survive on the buffet food and report back to Kaiba on how bad it was, to which Kaiba had simply nodded.

Slowly picking up the strawberry with his fingers, Kaiba took a bite, then nodded in agreement. "This is very fresh," he observed, wiping his hand on his napkin before returning to his miso soup.

"I should've gotten the strawberry crepe. Maybe we can bring Jou here tomorrow morning so I can try other things."

"I wouldn't mind that," Kaiba admitted, taking a bite of his own delicious, banana powdered crepe. Music that reminded Kaiba of his younger brother's lofi study playlists hummed lightly through the speakers, and the two were seated next to a large window, which would typically allow for sunlight to illuminate their area. But as Mokuba had noted the previous evening, the weather looked to be bleak today, for it was already cloudy, and Kaiba could see darker clouds approaching in the distance.

Kaiba sipped at his soup, then set the bowl down. Time to get this over with. He had had ample time in the pool to sort his thoughts and determine how he wanted to go about this. Mokuba knew of his sexual orientation; the boy had known since Kaiba went on his first date. Once again, Kaiba had been blown away by his brother's support, as Mokuba took the news well and told him he'd always be by his brother's side. But never had Mokuba gone beyond that. He always accepted Kaiba, always judged his dates like a doting mother, and had soothed Kaiba when both previous partners fell through due to Gozaburo's cruel machinations.

This was different. Kaiba was certain he had never actually agreed to having Jounouchi along. Mokuba was plotting something, and he just had to ask. Not knowing would distract from the vacation, and he wasn't spending the rest of his time at the beach pondering the two's motivations. He looked up at Mokuba, hoping his facial expression didn't give away his inner turmoil. He just needed answers. That was it.

"Mokuba," he started, getting his brother's attention. Mokuba blinked at his name and glanced up from his own bowl of miso. "Why did you invite Jounouchi along?"

Mokuba paused for a second, sipping slowly at his soup, before setting the spoon and bowl down. "I mean, Jin and Akihiko were both away."

"I know that. But why Jounouchi specifically?"

Mokuba shrugged. "I figured most of the others were busy."

"And Jounouchi just happened to agree to tag along? No questions or concerns?"

"No, none at all. He was super excited to come along, to be honest. He hasn't been to the beach in years, he said."

Kaiba took another bite of his crepe, then decided to rely on his tried and true method of being blunt as a hammer. "Why did you buy the photos from the roller coaster ride yesterday?"

Mokuba's eyes widened in shock. "Awww man, you saw those?!" Mokuba pouted as Kaiba nodded. "Crap, I was hoping to surprise you with them when we returned home!" Huffing, he added, "Though I did wonder why I left the bag on the coffee table last night…"

Despite his frustration, Kaiba chuckled at his brother's response. "Yes, I did see them. Well, one, really. In Jounouchi's wallet." Mokuba, who had been leaning forward to take a bite of his crepe, stopped midway. He slowly looked up at his older brother, eyes wide, smile gone. Kaiba purposely left his arms on the edge of the table and tried to keep a small smile on his lips. He didn't want Mokuba thinking they were about to fight. Not on vacation. "Mokuba… Be honest. What's going on?"

Mokuba slowly set the crepe down and grabbed the teacup to his right. Avoiding Kaiba's gaze, he hesitantly asked, "Are...you going to be mad?"

Blinking in surprise, Kaiba quickly said, "Of course not. I'm not here to get anyone in trouble. And I don't think I have anything to be mad about. I'm just very confused." When Mokuba continued being silent, sipping his tea and avoiding Kaiba's gaze, the CEO added, "Look, the blonde has been fine to deal with, and we're all having a very good time. I'm not going to send him home if you say anything I shouldn't hear, and I'm not going to be angry at you or him. Whatever you say will remain between the two of us. However, even if it's a secret, I want to know because I don't want to spend the rest of vacation fretting over it. I won't tell Jounouchi what we discuss here. But why? Why does Jounouchi have a picture of us...well, me and him, in his wallet? If it's a simple answer, it's a simple answer."

"But it's not," Mokuba muttered, finally setting his teacup down. Inhaling and exhaling, he slowly looked up and smiled. "Bro, you're too smart sometimes."

Kaiba chuckled in response, hoping to ease the tension between them. "I do my best…"

"But, uh, well… How do I put this…" Taking a bite of his crepe, Mokuba finally looked up at Seto, chewed his food, and muttered, "Jounouchi… He, uh, kinda likes you, Big Bro."

There it was. Jounouchi was gay, or at the very least bi, and he had a crush on Kaiba. Putting two and two together, Kaiba added, "And you think we'd be good together, given my own orientation...so you invited him on vacation with us."

Blushing, Mokuba sipped at his tea, nodding ever so subtly.

Kaiba slowly finished his own miso soup, letting the information sink in. At least my suspicions are confirmed. But that just opens up a whole new list of questions. Like… "What in the hell makes Jounouchi develop something for me? We have never gotten along."

"Love is blind," Mokuba remarked, smiling but speaking in a serious tone. "And he doesn't love you, per se. I think he just thinks you're attractive. Though, I mean, you two have spent a lot of time together here. I don't know what he's thinking at this point."

"Whatever happened to his infatuation with Mai Valentine?"

"That was…" Snorting, Mokuba said, "I'll let him tell you the details, but long and short of it, it was a cover up. I mean, you know how gays are treated in general, and you know what his dad's like. He had to hide it." A serious expression crossed Mokuba's features, and he quickly added, "Please, Seto, don't tell anyone. Seriously. I don't even think the others know. Jou's been hiding it from everyone, and I-"

Holding up his hand, Kaiba stated, "I said what we discussed would be private. I won't tell anyone. Especially given my own preferences..." Mokuba slowly nodded, and Kaiba continued, "But let me ask you this. What makes you possibly think he and I would be good together?"

"Oh, I have plenty of reasons for that!" Holding his hand up, he counted with his finger, "One, you've always liked blondes. Kenichiro was blonde, and that other guy, umm… Shoot, I forget his name. But he was blonde. Jounouchi's blonde, so that's easy."

Kaiba laughed at the simple observation, blushing despite himself. "Just because he has blonde hair doesn't mean we would be good together."

"But it might mean there's some attraction," Mokuba pointed out, smirking victoriously when Kaiba didn't respond. "But yeah, reason one, blonde hair. Reason two, Jounouchi has his own family situation going on, so he would totally respect you being less than open about what happened to us. He may be loud at times, but I don't think he'd ever try to pry open our past. He never asks me, at any rate, and when he does, and I don't feel comfy talking about it, he just lets it drop. Even Yuugi will push me with questions, but Jou never does. And I think that would be important for you, someone who lets you open up at your own pace."

Recalling how the blonde had done just that a mere 24 hours ago, Kaiba took another bite of his crepe but kept his gaze on his brother.

"Reason three," Mokuba continued, "Jou likes video games and media just like you do. And while that might not seem like a big deal, I remember the last guy you dated, Seto. He said he was cool with the gaming, but then he always tried to pull you away. I can't see Jou pulling you away from your passions or telling you to "grow up" like some other people might. In fact, I think Jou would really admire how passionate you are about games and be happy for you. He's always up for learning and trying new games, too, and I think having someone who is just as excited about the same hobbies as you is really important. You need someone to bond with over games, not someone who will take you away from them."

"You've thought a lot about this," Kaiba noted. But why am I even considering this? I should be-

Mokuba nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, I got two more. Reason four-"

"Two more?"

"Yeah! Told ya I thought this through! Now, reason four, let's say you two go on a date or something, and it goes downhill. Jou isn't going to be one to use your fame or money against you. I know he feels really bummed that I paid for this trip for him, and he's been trying to convince me to slowly let him pay me back. He doesn't want to be reliant on others. But that proves my reason number four: he isn't going to date you just for comfort and cash. That's a big deal with how much we have. And if things go south, I can't see him demanding any sort of money. He'd want to get out on his own. He's stubborn, in a way, just like you."

"These are all...good reasons, I guess." Kaiba's stomach turned; his brother was making valid points. "But you act as though we've gotten along in the past, Mokuba, like we have ever been more than coldly cordial on the best of days."

"Ah, ah, there's reason number five, my last reason. And it has to do with exactly that."

Kaiba's eyebrows rose. "Okay?"

"So, yeah, you two didn't get along. But don't you always say the past is for the weak, that you shouldn't let the past dictate your future?" Kaiba's eyes widened at the remark. "Sure, you two have fought in the past. But you both are having fun now, and it seems like you're kinda warming up to him. He's always had a crush on you, at least as far as I know. While others would use the past as an excuse, Seto, you never have. And I honestly think that, if you could use that mentality to see what happens, Jou would be a really good match for you. You've put the past behind you before. What's stopping you this time, especially if it means finding someone who might make you happy? Just as Jou wouldn't pry into your past, you, Seto, wouldn't allow the past to damage the present, at least as much as you could."

Hearing the first of rain drops against the window, Kaiba glanced outside to see that the skies were darkening, and a light drizzle was beginning. He finished his crepe and set his silverware down, then grabbed his own teacup and looked at Mokuba. "You've...really thought about this."

"I'm not one to just hook you up with anyone, Seto," Mokuba countered. "But I do really, really think that you two would be good together."

"So you brought him along on vacation?"

Mokuba nodded. "I figured I'd see what would happen. I mean, if you don't like him, that's totally cool. I don't want to force anything, either. But, I dunno… You guys share a lot of history. Jou thinks you're attractive for who you are, not for your money or fame or the company. I have my five reasons. It doesn't seem as far-fetched, to me, as you might think."

Kaiba inhaled and exhaled before throwing his tea back in one gulp. Slamming the cup down, he muttered, "I will admit… Jounouchi has not been terrible to be around. But the idea of us dating is not… It's odd."

"So you're not totally opposed to it?" Mokuba asked, his tone indicating his shock.

"I'm not sure what to think of it," Kaiba answered honestly.

"Why not go on a date, then? Just the two of you?"

"And do what? Mokuba, you know my schedule back at home. It's-"

"No, not at home. Here. You two can go and do something without me. Just see how it goes."

"But then, what happens when we return to reality? Assuming, of course, that I even..." Kaiba couldn't believe what he was saying, but the words came before he could even process them. I'm acting like this could actually work. Like I want to give this a shot.

"Seto, you always manage to make time for me. I know that, if he or anyone else would become that important to you, you'd make the time."

Once again, Kaiba couldn't argue with that. He had done his damnedest to make time for his previous boyfriends under Gozaburo's tyrannical rule, but the senile man's abuse had been too much. Both relationships, the only two he had, disintegrated under his stepfather's scrutiny and Kaiba's own teenage insecurities. Now it was different. He could make time for a boyfriend if he really wanted to, as he controlled his schedule. I just never really wanted to… I never thought about having a boyfriend once the spotlight of being CEO was on me. The paparazzi are bad enough. The thought of dating anyone died the day I took over KaibaCorp. But again, do I want this? Why am I going in circles with this? Shouldn't I just be saying no and moving on?

"Besides, now would be the perfect time to go on a date," Mokuba remarked. "Let's say you do, and you don't think it'll work out. Then you can just say it was a thing for vacation and move on."

"You really want me to be with him, huh?"

"I want you to be happy, Seto. And I'm not going to be around for forever. I'd like to know you have someone else in your life who makes you smile."

The statement caused Kaiba to blush, and he quickly smiled and shook his head. "You worry too much, Mokuba. Though… I truly do appreciate it." The waitress came over, and Kaiba swiped the receipt before Mouba could grab it and handed her his card. As she walked away, Kaiba leaned back in his seat, still smiling at his younger brother. "Thank you for telling me. I won't tell Jounouchi what we discussed."

"Thanks. I feel awful for telling, to be honest. I promised I wouldn't, and I've kept it secret for how long now? He's gonna be so mad..."

"How long have you kept it a secret? You said he's had a crush on me for…"

"I found out during Battle City. He admitted it was before that, but I didn't ask."

Kaiba's eyes widened. Since Battle City...? He had been completely oblivious. "Well, he won't know that you told me. And besides, maybe he'll thank you later."

At this, Mokuba smiled widely. "You...thinking about a date with him?"

As Kaiba looked outside at the rain, he couldn't deny his curiosity. It's so absurd, but… It didn't help Mokuba knew how to hit him, as the boy's logical reasons were dancing around Kaiba's logical brain. What he said made a startling amount of sense, which unnerved the CEO, particularly after the previous evening's revelation. "We'll see, Mokuba. We'll see."