Author's Note: Soooooo a little bit of a surprise... my Vampire: The Masquerade group cancelled for this week, and I went into overdrive typing this story out over the weekend. Therefore, you guys get a chapter a bit earlier than usual! I'll probably still plan to post a chapter this weekend, as well, as I'm super, super happy with where this story is going and am having so much fun writing it.

Thanks again for all your kind words of support and your viewership!

Chapter 20:

To say Jounouchi was shocked by the invitation would have been the understatement of the century. In one day, Seto Kaiba had asked Jounouchi to assist him in shooting games, used the blonde to get away from pestering fans, and invited him for a few rounds of pool in a private room.

Jou didn't know if he was dreaming or if Kaiba, after his bad night, had gone insane. But he wasn't questioning it as Kaiba plugged his cell phone into the speaker set-up in the corner of the room and began playing his electro chill music from the car ride earlier, filling the space with ambient music.

Jounouchi looked around the room, remembering the dirty pool halls he and Honda frequented during high school. This hall stood in stark contrast, with a small chandelier above the pristine pool table, high wooden stools accompanying sleek, round tables, and a large cooler in the far corner that they had been informed contained all manner of beverages both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Kaiba had paid for the room, though Jou didn't know how long he had rented it for. Their footsteps were muffled by the dark green carpet flooring, while the wooden panel walls were decorated with framed pictures of the ocean. The far wall from where they had entered was entirely glass, giving them a panoramic view of the boardwalk and ocean beyond.

Jounouchi's gaze landed on the brunette, who had opened the refrigerator and was looking through its contents. The music played through small speakers built into the corners of the ceiling. As he approached the wall containing the cue sticks, balls, and other necessities, he heard Kaiba call out, "Would you like anything?"

"Uh, sure," he called back. "Whatever you're havin' is fine with me."

"A beer okay?"

Kaiba. And me. Drinking beers like buddies. "Sure."

Turning, he watched Kaiba grab two cans of beer and set them down on the table closest to where Jou was sitting. If this is a dream, this should be the part where I wake up, right?

Instead of waking in his bed, he watched Kaiba approach, grab a cue stick, and smirk down at Jou. "What, did you already forget where everything goes? I thought you knew how to play this game?"

Rolling his eyes, Jounouchi quickly grabbed the materials and began setting the balls up in the plastic triangle. "Yeah, yeah… Since when do you drink anyways, Hot Shot?"

"I rarely drink," Kaiba answered as he opened the can, the hiss floating in the air. Jou peeked over to watch him take a quick sip before approaching the pool table. "Usually it's only one, and even then it's typically at home."

"Ah, so I'm a special case, huh?"

"I need something to get through the night with you."

"Hey, you're the one that invited me." Aligning the balls up, he smiled and lifted the plastic triangle. He then set it down on the table and grabbed his own beer, opening it and taking a large gulp before setting it back down. "But hey, thanks for this."

Instead of answering, Kaiba stood at the end and began lining up his shot. Jou had offered to let Kaiba go first since he paid, and the blonde watched as Kaiba's blue eyes focused in on the triangle of pool balls. He leaned forward and slowly moved the cue stick up and down as if testing it. Then, in a split second, he launched the stick forward with precision, and Jou watched in immediate regret as Kaiba landed a perfect shot, scattering the balls in all directions. None went in, however, and Kaiba turned to look at Jou.

"Are we planning to play in order or solids vs. striped?"

"I like playin' in order," Jou remarked, grabbing his own stick and approaching the table. "The 8 ball has screwed me too many times."

He heard Kaiba scoff, to his complete lack of surprise. "Don't blame the game for your lack of skill."

"Hey, just you watch." Lining up the shot, Jou struck the cue ball and watched as it hit the number 1 ball straight into a pocket. He turned and stuck his tongue out at Kaiba, who rolled his eyes and took a sip of his beer. Moving around the table, Jou began lining up his second shot when a sudden thought struck him. Might as well be bold… Kaiba's bein' awfully generous, after all. "Yo Kaiba… You obviously practice your ass off at games. You ever play pool with anyone else 'sides Mokuba?"

It wasn't until Jou struck the cue ball and missed his target by mere millimeters that Kaiba responded, "I played with one or two other kids when I was initially learning, though they were obviously corporate brats. Completely lacked any skills and mostly played just to socialize." Surprised by the admission, Jou looked up and watched Kaiba begin lining up his shot, his gaze trained on the pool table. "After I beat them once in a brutal fashion, they complained to their fathers and stopped playing altogether."

Jou chuckled at the idea. "What the heck? What a bunch 'a losers. What were their fathers gonna do, anyways?"

Kaiba shot and watched as the cue ball struck the target, landing it safely in the pocket. "Their fathers were powerful," Kaiba muttered, slowly making his way around the table while analyzing the situation. "And I was told it was a lost business opportunity when they refused to speak to me any longer. It was mandated that I had to lose purposely to them in the future, but thankfully they avoided me after the incident."

Jou swallowed. Way to go and make this awkward, dumbass, he chided himself as he took another sip of beer. He watched Kaiba sink another ball before missing his third shot. "So, uh… You only really played this game with Mokuba, then?"

Kaiba shook his head no as Jounouchi once again approached the table. Slinking back to the table, Kaiba took another sip of his beer. "No, I played with one other person shortly after the incident. Word of my skills in the game spread, and he was very good, surprisingly so. Wanted to go somewhat professional and challenged me to test his own skills."

"Oh yeah? What was his name?"

There was a short pause before Kaiba answered, "Kenichiro."

Jou lined up his shot and struck, smirking victoriously when his target bounced off the wall at just the right angle and sunk into the pocket. "Well, did he go pro?" asked Jou as he lined up his next shot. His heart fluttered, half excited he was keeping up with Kaiba and half excited at being able to turn the conversation around.

"I don't know. We stopped talking after about six months."

"Ah. Well, damn, man, I'm surprised you ever had a friend for that long. No offense."

"A lot of things about my life would probably surprise you."

"I'm not takin' that bet. Your music alone is shocking to me. Never took ya for the "relaxin' chill music" kinda guy." He growled as he struck his target at an odd angle, forcing the ball to go off course and missing his target. Standing and approaching the table with his beer, he took another sip and watched Kaiba look over the pool table, his eyes scanning the various angles. "You got a pool table in your big mansion?"

"Yes."

"Next to the hot tub?"

Kaiba scoffed and shot Jounouchi a glare. "No, you moron. We have it in a small pool hall. It's actually similar to this room."

"You and Mokuba still play?"

"Not particularly, which is why I'm a little rusty." Jou frowned as Kaiba lined up a shot and quickly sunk another ball.

Rusty, my ass. "Well, what other things would shock me? Ever break any bones? Get drunk underage? Skip school to hang out with chicks?"

Kaiba shot him an incredulous look. While it may have been the alcohol already playing tricks, Jounouchi thought that the look was somewhat humorous rather than outright hostile, causing him to smirk ever so slightly. "No broken bones," Kaiba answered after several seconds passed. He shot and sunk his second target. "You?"

Jounouchi took a large gulp of beer. Yep, I'm dreaming. It's official. We're swappin' stories now. Setting his beer down, he leaned against the table and muttered, "Two. One from Pops, and one from my time in the gang."

Kaiba's eyes widened as he swiftly looked up at Jounouchi. "Your father broke one of your bones?"

"Yeah, but not on purpose. It was shortly after the divorce, when things was real bad. He was drunk, gripped me too hard. I was just a kid and still growin'. Technically, he just fractured my wrist." Finishing his can of beer, he shrugged and said, "Worst part was it just added to the debt. Didn't have insurance, so I had to get a job to help pay the bills. That's when I put two and two together, that, if I had a side job, I didn't have to be home. My arm healed up, but I kept workin' to stay outta the house. Bein' a paperboy meant I could leave the house early without worryin' 'bout Pops waking up."

He watched Kaiba slowly return his attention to the pool table, taking a long minute to line up his shot before striking the cue ball. The target sunk, and he stood to line up his next shot. Jounouchi took the opportunity to grab another beer and return to the table, watching as Kaiba shot and missed his next target. When Kaiba looked up and blinked in surprise, Jou smirked and said, "I'm just havin' two. Don't worry, I ain't gettin' drunk. Hate it, to be honest. Two beers is enough for me."

"Because of your father?"

"Huh?"

"Why you don't enjoy drinking more than two beers. Because of your father?"

"Oh. Uh, yeah…" Damn, I sometimes forget you're too smart, Kaiba. He approached the table, a little taken aback when Kaiba still stood in the same spot. Fortunately Kaiba was far away from where Jou needed to be, and he leaned forward and set up his shot before firing away, sinking the next ball he needed.

"I suppose that's one thing you and I have in common."

The statement caught him off guard, and Jou's eyes widened as he looked over at the CEO, whose gaze was focused on the balls on the pool table. Yet even as he scanned the set up, he continued talking, saying, "My adoptive father also had a tendency for drinking a little too much and getting worked up. Seeing him act a fool and suffering the consequences of his actions… I learned to despise the workplace culture of drinking obscenely."

"Oh yeah, that's a pretty common thing in the business world, ain't it? Gettin' blasted after work?"

"Not in my office."

"What if you're invited out or somethin'?"

"I excuse myself and drink water or, if we're somewhere rather pretentious, tea. It's given me the reputation of being a prude."

"Meh, fuck 'em. Growin' up with that shit is awful."

Hearing Kaiba chuckle, he turned to see the CEO lift his hand to hide his smile, which Jounouchi had officially decided was his favorite thing of all time. It was the third or fourth time the CEO had done it, and Jounouchi didn't know if it was necessarily cute, but it certainly was fun to watch. "You have such a way with words, Jounouchi."

"Hey, I just say it how it is." He watched Kaiba approach the small table and take another sip of beer. Looking down at the table, he realized they were already about halfway through, meaning if Kaiba went on a warpath, there was a high probability he would win. Jounouchi had to make up some ground. He lined up his shot and went to strike when-

"Is that how you wooed Mai Valentine?"

Missing his shot, Jounouchi swallowed hard and looked up at Kaiba. Kaiba, for his part, was sitting on the stool, holding his beer in his left hand and the cue stick in his right, looking directly at Jou. Not expecting such a question, Jou stumbled, "Uh, well… Uh…"

Shit. He hadn't anticipated this. At all. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. What do I say? If I say yeah, he'll assume I'm straight… And then it's bye-bye forever chances with Seto Kaiba. But if I say no, and he learns I'm gay… Is he gonna...

"You don't have to answer that," Kaiba remarked, standing from the stool and setting his beer down on the table. "Particularly since it's none of my business. Forget I asked."

Jounouchi took a step back, letting Kaiba have the space he needed to circle the table to pick out his spot for his next shot. He felt himself fidgeting and watched Kaiba's blue eyes scanning the pool table. You said you'd try this, he thought to himself. Ya told yourself in that damn bathroom, you were gonna go for this. So… here ya are. Freakin'... Just go… Just go for it! He gripped the cue stick tightly and took a swig of beer before staring at Kaiba directly.

The thought that Kaiba might be disgusted by him made his throat tighten, and as he opened his mouth to speak, he felt his words die on his lips. What if… What if he hates me? If I admit… If I admit that I like… The same fear that kept him from speaking to Yuugi, Anzu, and the others welled up, and he felt his stomach churn. The sound of Kaiba sinking target after target blended with the ambient music, but Jou didn't even register it as the wheels in his mind kept turning. I can't lie. If I lie, it's done. But if I tell him the truth, a-and he doesn't like me… Then what?

Just say it. Just say it. Just. Say. It.

A sigh echoed as Kaiba stood and smirked victoriously. "Looks like you need to step up your game, Jounouchi." Blue eyes pierced through Jou's thoughts as the CEO looked directly at him, his smirk still present across his lips. "I win this round."

"I didn't date Mai."

The words fell out before he could catch them, and for a full minute, the two merely stood looking at one another across the pool table. Kaiba's eyes were wide at the statement, the smirk gone. Jou opened and closed his mouth, trying to speak more, when Kaiba finally broke the silence. "So then what did you two do? You seemed rather close, after all, and not just in a friendly manner."

"I… Um…"

Kaiba frowned and set the cue stick against the pool table, allowing himself to lean forward and cross his arms on the raised outer barrier of the table. "You really don't have to tell me, you know," he remarked. "You obviously don't feel comfortable sharing what happened."

"No, I just…" Inhaling and exhaling rapidly, he grabbed the beer, took a gulp, and slammed it down. Do it Jou. You got one more day of vacation. If he hates ya, you go home in one day and sulk in the hotel tomorrow. He pushed himself off the table to stand tall and said, "I didn't date her, 'cuz… 'Cuz I'm gay."

The only sound for a solid minute was the electro chill music, which added a sort of ironic calm to the room. Jou's heart beat too rapidly in his chest, and he merely stared at Seto Kaiba, the CEO of KaibaCorp, waiting for a reaction to a statement that Jou had only ever spoken to Mokuba. Not even his friends knew. They couldn't know. He couldn't handle their shame or disappointment if they turned out to hate him.

But Kaiba… Kaiba did something that stunned Jou to his core. The brunette shrugged, pushed himself up to standing, and grabbed his cue stick before finally asking, "So you faked it?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"If I had to guess, you faked it for your father."

"Kind of… Yeah…"

"Did Mai know?"

"Not that I was gay, but yeah, I told her I wasn't in ta her. She, uh… She had a crush on me. And I told her I… I only thought of her as a friend. But then all the rumors started flying around, and Dad was happy for the first time in awhile at the fact that I had a girlfriend 'cuz he admitted he was startin' to suspect I was, uh… "damaged." So I spoke to Mai and asked her to fake it with me, if only to keep Pops off my back. We'd flirt and hang out and do all that, but it was all for show. But Pops didn't bug me anymore about it."

"And what do your friends think of it?"

"They… They don't know."

Kaiba's eyebrow arched. "You haven't told Yuugi or any of them?"

Jou took another sip of his beer before answering, "Nah. I, uh… I haven't."

"So then why admit that to me?"

Cuz I… I… His courage could only take him so far, and Jounouchi mentally cursed as he stuttered, "I-I-I dunno. Maybe 'cuz we never got along, so if ya think down on me for it, it ain't gonna harm any friendship or anythin' we got."

To Jou's utter shock, Kaiba walked around the table so that he was standing in front of Jou and set the cue stick once again against it. He then leaned back against the table, folded his arms over his chest, and looked directly at Jou. "I won't tell anyone," he stated. "And I'm sorry you had to hide it in such a dramatic fashion."

Unable to stand the CEO's intense gaze or the compassionate statement, Jou broke away and stared down at his beer, which he lamented was close to being empty. "I 'preciate that, Kaiba. Seriously. I mean it." A thought struck him, however, and he blinked before looking back over at the brunette, who was still staring right at him. "Ya don't sound mad or upset, though…"

"Why on Earth would I be mad?"

"I dunno. That's definitely more ammunition for you ta use against me. It ain't like we got along before this vacation, after all."

"That was before this vacation," Kaiba remarked, causing Jou's heart to skip a beat. "I wouldn't have spent as much time with you during our trip, including tonight, if you were as intolerable as you were years ago." Kaiba approached the table and grabbed his own beer, holding it out towards Jou. Jou blinked and blushed as he slowly clanked his can against Kaiba's. As he went to take a sip, however, Kaiba added, "Besides, it would be hypocritical of me to judge you on your sexual orientation, given that that's now the second thing we have in common."

The meaning of what Kaiba said didn't hit Jou until he was halfway through swallowing his beer. Choking on realization, he coughed and forced the beer down, looking over in stunned shock at Kaiba, who casually drained his beer and set the empty can down. Watching as the brunette walked back to the table with the plastic triangle, he stuttered, "W-w-wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You're… You're…"

He's gay?! I actually have a chance at dating him?!

"Yes," Kaiba simply answered, collecting the balls from the pockets and rolling them slowly towards the center of the table, where he had placed the plastic triangle. "And because you understand the importance of keeping it a secret, I suggest you-"

Jounouchi couldn't contain himself as he rushed around the table and lunged at Kaiba, wrapping his arms firmly around the CEO. Kaiba, for his part, was clearly taken off guard, for he released his grip on his cue stick and let it drop to the floor. Pressing his face into Kaiba's side and wrapping his arms as tightly as possible around Kaiba, Jou felt tears of joy threatening and tried to force them back. Holy shit, he doesn't hate me, he thought. He doesn't hate me. He's gay too… I mean, I got a chance with him! An actual chance! He doesn't hate me. He doesn't hate me.

"Jounouchi-"

This has gotta be a dream. No way I told Kaiba what I can't even tell Yuugi. He's gotta hate me.

"Jounouchi."

But he doesn't. I feel him. He's real. He told me. He said-

"Katsuya!"

Hearing his first name, he blinked and looked up to see Kaiba staring down at him. Kaiba sighed heavily, and that's when Jou realized the tears he had tried to fight back had actually won and were beginning to spill down his face. He went to lean back when, to his surprise, Kaiba reached forward and wiped the tears softly away with his thumb. "I get it," he whispered, his voice barely above the music playing through the speakers. "It's hard admitting what we are, especially in a society such as ours. Just keep our secrets secret, you hear?"

Jounouchi slowly nodded and took a step back, finally releasing his hold on Kaiba. Wiping the tears away, he hiccupped before stuttering, "S-Sorry, man. I just… We ain't never got along. I kinda figured the worst…b-but I didn't wanna lie to ya, either. Not after all you've done for me this week..."

"It's understandable," Kaiba admitted. Jou watched as the CEO reached forward and used his thumb once more to brush away a remaining tear on Jou's cheek. The physical contact sent a shiver down Jou's spine. "But… I say this out of respect for you. I won't tell anyone, and I expect the same treatment. I understand, truly, how hard that was. So let's just move on and play another round of pool, and we'll let the matter drop, okay? I apologize for even bringing it up."

Jounouchi nodded but was unable to contain himself as he reached forward once again and hugged Kaiba, this time more softly than before. "Th-thanks, man," he whispered, pressing his face against Kaiba's chest. He could hear Kaiba's heartbeat, and it made him tighten his grip. "For this whole vacation...and for this…"

Jou felt his own heart skip a beat when he felt the CEO's arms slowly wrap around his shoulders. "You're welcome, Jounouchi." The two stood this way, embracing but saying nothing, until the song playing through the speakers suddenly changed, bringing them back to reality. They awkwardly broke apart, and before another word could be said, Kaiba turned and began setting up the table for the next game, including leaning down to pick up his cue stick. Jou walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed two water bottles, doing his best to suppress his blushing, before walking over to the table and setting the bottles down next to the now empty cans.

It wasn't until halfway through the new game that Jou registered the simple fact that Kaiba, even if it was merely to get his attention, had used his first name.