Chapter 23:

Cleaning out the last item in the refrigerator, Kaiba leaned back against the island, scanning for anything else that needed cleaned up before they left for tomorrow. The coffee maker read 22:34, and Kaiba sighed as he saw nothing left to throw out. He felt fidgety, however, with the reality that tomorrow he was driving back to Domino City setting in. Not that he didn't look forward to returning to the office. The vacation had served its purpose. He once again felt reinvigorated to return to work, as his brain was already churning through some ideas for new designs.

He frowned and scanned one more time. Nothing. Everything is where it needs to be. Our bags are packed, our food is packaged or tossed, and the keycards are here to be returned. Our games are put away, the Switch is charging next to Mokuba's bed… Kaiba nodded. Everything is done and ready to go.

Pushing himself off the island, Kaiba turned and looked slowly around the empty living room. Mokuba had gone to bed over an hour ago, while Jounouchi had returned to his own room to shower and pack his belongings. His mind still racing, Kaiba decided to take a final chance at fresh ocean air. Flicking on the light switch, he walked out onto the illuminated patio, not caring that he was dressed in his silk pajamas. The ocean breeze struck him as he approached the railing, and he leaned forward to take in the view of the boardwalk and ocean beyond.

I owe Mokuba so much for this, he thought as he took in a large breath of air. Perhaps we can make a beach visit an annual trip, or at least schedule something where we travel once a year. I didn't realize how much I needed to step away from work until I arrived here. Though if Mokuba goes to London, I suppose planning a vacation would be rather foolish… Although… speaking of planning…

Kaiba pulled his phone out and quickly brought up his schedule. While he had looked to be reading on the beach, he was fortunate that neither Mokuba nor Jounouchi spent much time near him, else they no doubt would have picked up on the fact that Kaiba couldn't focus at all. His conversation with the blonde that morning had cemented what Kaiba was quickly coming to terms with: Jounouchi Katsuya, for all his annoyances and quirks, was someone Kaiba trusted. Not just trusted, but appreciated. Kaiba fell into conversation with him with ease and even admitted his previous boyfriends to him, all without any sort of antagonism. It felt right telling the blonde that he had previous boyfriends. It felt right spending their morning together, sipping coffee and listening to the ocean in the distance. Kaiba's guard was down when in front of Jounouchi, perhaps for good. Mokuba's logical reasoning had completely undone Kaiba's defenses, and now he was revealing himself to the blonde, saying things as they came to mind with little to no thought of the barriers he had spent nearly his entire life building.

It was enough to force the CEO to be honest with himself. Going back home to Domino, Kaiba would miss having the blonde to talk to. Sure, Kaiba wasn't head over heels for the blonde like Jou was clearly for him, but there was something developing. Kaiba couldn't ignore the obvious signs, nor would he. He had the edge he needed, knowing that Jounouchi already had a crush on him and was gay. There wasn't much chance of risk or rejection. So, after an hour of pretending to read on the beach, he decided to take his brother's words to heart. Sure, he was the CEO of KaibaCorp, and sure, he and the blonde had some bad history. But Mokuba was right about one thing, if nothing else. Kaiba was never one to let the past hold him back, and finding someone he enjoyed spending time with was a rarity. Kaiba was not going to pretend this week was not significant. He didn't let fear or denial hold him back when he came out to Mokuba or when he dated Kenichiro or later Ueno, and he wasn't going to do it now.

No, he wasn't going to run away from this.

Looking over his schedule, he frowned at his booked up week and thought, There's no way I can schedule something on a weekday, especially when I'm returning to work after a full week off. I can only imagine what my work inbox looks like… Scrolling, he saw that Saturday appeared somewhat open in the evening. Perhaps we could grab dinner together then, although I suppose I don't know what his own work schedule is. And it would have to be somewhere private. He's hidden his sexuality from everyone around him. To try and date me without anyone noticing will be a challenge, but it won't be an impossibility. But where could we go...

A sudden thought crossed his mind, and he chuckled at himself and shook his head. Proof that I truly have lost my damn mind. But no, it would be perfect. Mokuba and I's secret spot in KaibaCorp. Nobody would see him enter, nobody would see him leave, nobody would see us together. Food from the restaurant on the 50th floor, a board and card game table, all the video games the blonde could ask for, and I can order beer if need be, though fortunately he's no more a drinker than myself. It would be the best place for a date with him in order to protect him from his father. Frowning, Kaiba looked back down at his phone. I can't rush anything, but the idea of him going back to that bastard… Breaking his son's bones in a drunken stupor. Proof that there are more Gozaburos out there in the world screwing up people's lives. Jounouchi shouldn't have to go back to that... Perhaps I could-

He jerked slightly as he heard the patio door suddenly open. Turning, he felt a smile cross his lips at the sight of Jounouchi. "Yo," Jou called out, sliding the patio door closed behind him. "What'cha doin' out here so late? Can't sleep?"

"Something to that effect," Kaiba noted. He watched as Jou approached him and yawned, stretching his arms up over his head. He was dressed in a white t-shirt, blue sweatpants, and socks. Kaiba took a few seconds to look the blonde up and down and hated how the word 'cute' entered his mind for the second time.

"I hear ya there, man," Jounouchi replied, letting his arms swing down and hang over the railing. "Hard ta believe this week's already gone."

"Very true…"

Smiling cheekily, Jou turned to look directly at Kaiba as he asked, "So, did ya have fun on your vacation?"

"I did," Kaiba answered, his tone sincere. "Mokuba made a very good decision choosing this location."

"Glad to hear it, man."

"And what about you? Did you enjoy yourself?"

Jou smiled and blushed, causing Kaiba to quirk an eyebrow. "Y-Yeah, I had a really good time. This is honestly better than anythin' I could'a planned on my own."

Smirking, Kaiba gazed out at the ocean and muttered, "At least you can't claim we were bad hosts."

"Pffft, dude." Jou laughed as he, too, looked out in the distance. "Ya guys weren't even good hosts. Ya cooked me breakfast and paid for almost all my shit. You let me tag along on a family vacation. You let me play mini-golf with ya and even paid for the pool hall. I don't think anyone can be as good to me as you guys were. I don't know how I'll ever repay you two for this."

Kaiba smiled. Looking back down at his phone, he nodded before looking over at Jounouchi, taking a few seconds to watch the ocean breeze play with his blonde bangs. "Well, here's a thought, though I wouldn't categorize it under 'repayment.' What are you doing next Saturday?"

"Huh?" Jou quickly looked over. "Um, I dunno. Why?"

"Do you normally work Saturday evenings?"

"No, not usually. I work weekdays. Ya know, normal 9-5 garbage." Jou's eyes were widening, and Kaiba couldn't help but chuckle as the blonde was clearly trying to hide his anticipation at such a question. "Wh-why do you ask? Planning another vacation already?"

"No, I was planning dinner for us." Jou's jaw dropped as Kaiba took a step closer to the blonde, holding his phone out for Jou to see his schedule.

"Wait, what?!" Jou exclaimed, looking down at the phone, then back at Kaiba. "I mean, y-yeah, I-I'd be free, but-"

"Obviously the first week I'm back from vacation is going to be a nightmare, and, quite frankly, weekdays in general are typically pretty bad for me," Kaiba continued, smiling despite himself as he peeked at his phone. "Saturday evenings and Sundays are my open days to spend with Mokuba; however, the reality is that Mokuba is going to need to start seriously studying English, meaning he'll be at his friend's house Saturday evenings for quite a few weeks. I get off work by 17:00 on Saturday, so if we wanted to get dinner, we could."

"You mean, for just the two of us...as like...just…"

"I mean, as a date."

Looking up from his phone, Kaiba smirked at Jounouchi's obvious shock. In a way, he felt bad throwing all of this at Jounouchi so soon after the blonde had courageously opened up to Kaiba. From the sounds of things, he's never had a serious boyfriend, after all. He's hidden it for so long. I suppose any man asking him out is quite a surprise. But why bother skirting around the issue? Mokuba wouldn't lie to me, Jou's actions last night spoke volumes, and my instincts tell me he isn't going to reject me. So… Better to ask now than later.

Seeing Jou still struggling to form a sentence, Kaiba sighed, his pity for the stunned Jounouchi causing him to act. Ignoring the little flutter in his chest, he reached forward and held Jou's hand in his own. "It's not hard to see that you feel something for me," Kaiba pointed out, unable to keep from being his usual, blunt self. He could feel Jou's hand shaking, and he stared directly at Jou to ensure the blonde understood Kaiba was serious. "You tell me before your friends that you're gay after agreeing to come along on vacation with me and my brother, during which you explicitly chose to spend time with me rather than Mokuba. You've made it very obvious that you don't see me as an enemy. Or, in a sense, as just a friend, either."

Jou went to speak, but he seemed to choke on his words, for he blushed and quickly looked away. Giving the blonde a moment, Kaiba waited until Jou finally whispered, "Are...are you serious? You… You're askin' me out?"

Kaiba smirked. "That is what a date is for, isn't it?" Still holding Jou's hand, he looked down at their fingers, which were playfully moving around each other without fully interlocking. His smirk turned to a smile as he added, "It's not as though I haven't enjoyed our time together. I figured I'd just ignore you this whole vacation, but you've somehow snaked your way into my personal life to the point that you know things only Mokuba knows. And, to be perfectly frank, I can't even blame you for it. After all, I conceded this information. Somehow you became enjoyable to be around. I don't just let anyone hug me, after all."

"Dude, what the fuck…" Kaiba blinked and looked up to see Jou staring in wonder at him, an awkward smile across his lips as he chuckled in obvious embarrassment.

Kaiba frowned, and for a brief second, he wondered if his instincts had led him astray. "What's wrong?"

"How are you so confident, dude?" Blushing profusely, Jounouchi stuttered, "I-I mean, what the actual fuck… You just come out and ask me out on a date like it's nothin', after I've spent the past hour in my room freakin' the fuck out, wonderin' how I was gonna ask if you wanted to hang out again after this vacation was up. Then I come out and you're just like 'Yep, planning a date, let's go.' I thought for sure you'd turn me down, only for..."

Kaiba felt his lips part as Jou shuddered, the blonde clearly doing his best to hide his total embarrassment. He tightened his grip on the blonde's hand before pushing himself off the railing. Putting his phone on the nearby table, Kaiba then reached forward and gently placed his fingers on Jou's cheek, lightly caressing Jounouchi while simultaneously forcing the blonde to look directly at him. Jounouchi looked up with his amber eyes, and Kaiba felt his heartbeat quicken at the intense, hopeful stare. "Why would I act like nothing happened here?" inquired Kaiba.

"'Cuz, man! We ain't never got along before. And we literally just came out to each other, like, yesterday! I didn't think I ever had a shot with ya, after all these years! OF COURSE I'm gonna want to go out to dinner with you and spend time with you! I-"

Gently grabbing the blonde's face with both hands, Kaiba pulled him in and silenced him with a kiss.

Jou's shivering stopped for a few brief seconds, and Kaiba felt the blonde's breath hitch as he pressed his lips against Jou's. Fuck, his lips are so soft, was Kaiba's first thought. Kaiba's eyelids closed as he pressed ever so slightly into the kiss, unable to contain himself in that split second. It's been so long since I've done this… And this feels so... He opened his eyes to see Jounouchi's eyelids closing. Jou wasn't pushing Kaiba away. In fact, Jou pressed slightly back into the kiss, causing Kaiba to smile. No. I'm not giving this up, Jounouchi. I'm not giving you up.

He wanted to keep going, he truly did, but he had to remind himself that this was probably new territory for the blonde. Kaiba broke the kiss, though he kept his face close to Jou's, his hands on the blonde's cheeks. Staring intently in Jou's wide eyes and listening to his heavy breaths, Kaiba whispered, "I'm not going to let this be something that stops just because vacation ends. Not unless you want it to end."

"I...I don't… I don't want this to end." Jou choked out, his voice cracking despite being barely above a whisper. Kaiba could feel Jounouchi shivering again in his hands. But Jou wasn't pulling away. He was looking directly in Kaiba's eyes. There was excitement in his eyes, excitement and happiness. "I want to date ya. I like ya, Kaiba. Like, a lot. I don't wanna lose this, what we got here."

Kaiba stared back into those eyes, unable to look anywhere else as he spoke. "Do you honestly want this?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure? Because we can try and be as private as possible, but there is a chance someone will catch wind of it, and if so, then your father and all your friends are going to know."

"I… I know. I thought about that, too. But I still want this." Jou swallowed, and his gaze wandered down to Kaiba's lips. Seeing this, Kaiba smirked and slowly leaned in again, kissing Jou as softly as he could. He felt Jou's hands reach up to grab his shoulders, his fingers clutching the silk fabric. The blonde was shaking just slightly, but Kaiba held him close, letting go of Jou's face in order to wrap his arms around the blonde's lean frame.

It took a few more seconds, but Jounouchi seemed to find his courage. Kaiba inhaled sharply as he felt Jou's hand travel up his shoulder to the back of his neck, his fingers beginning to play with his hair. The action caused Kaiba to shudder as a tingle went up his spine, and he broke the kiss to catch his breath before immediately initiating another. Soon one kiss became two, then two became three. Kaiba lost track as the blonde's fear shifted into confidence, with Jou pulling Kaiba in so that their chests connected, forcing Kaiba to lean down more to taste Jou's lips. Kaiba felt the blonde begin to finally relax in his arms, and he broke apart from the kiss while keeping hold of Jou, inhaling a short breath of air and chuckling at Jou's flushed expression and quick, short gasps.

Kaiba perked an eyebrow and muttered, "Well, I guess someone definitely wants this…"

"Kaiba…" Jou breathed the name out, then chuckled. "Ya don't know how long I've wanted to do that. I just never thought… When'd ya get good at kissing?"

Kaiba couldn't help but arrogantly plant a kiss on Jou's lips. "Why? You like that, Jou?"

"Better than fantasies."

Kaiba's eyebrows rose. "Now who's being forward?" He chuckled as Jounouchi shot back an equally arrogant smirk, and Kaiba let his arms loosen around the blonde. "We'll go out on a date, see how it goes, and go from there. We'll go somewhere private, somewhere your friends and family won't find out. We'll take this one step at a time and do this properly. Especially to protect you. This sound okay?"

"Next Saturday?"

"Next Saturday."

Jou smiled widely. "It's a date, Kaiba. It's a fucking date." This time, it was Jounouchi who initiated the kiss, pulling Kaiba down and wrapping his arms around the CEO's neck. Kaiba smiled as the blonde pulled him in tight, losing himself in those few, precious seconds.

It seemed the CEO owed his brother quite a bit for this vacation.

"Wow, Jou must have been up late last night packing his stuff."

Kaiba snorted before he could catch himself as he glanced over in the passenger seat, where Jounouchi was already sleeping. They were back on the major highway and heading home to Domino City, having checked out of the hotel early in order to make it back home in good time. Happy that his sunglasses hid some of his amused expression from his younger brother, Kaiba shrugged and muttered, "Well, that's what he gets for waiting 'til the last minute."

Sensing movement, Kaiba glanced back to see his brother's head pop forward between the two front seats of the luxury car. The ambient music played through the speakers, and Kaiba had the car set to cruise control, much the same as when they had driven down to the beach. Back when I had no idea what Mokuba was planning...or what would happen between myself and Jounouchi.

Mokuba giggled as he looked back and forth between Kaiba and Jounouchi in-between the seats, a cheeky grin across his face. "But hey, this means I can ask… So when is your next date?" he whispered, his eyes wide with suspense.

"Our next date?" Kaiba shot back.

"Well, I count the other night you two spent together as a date. So obviously this is date #2. So, did you ask him out?"

Jou told him about the pool hall… Well, no use hiding it, I suppose. Kaiba's smirk turned into a gentle smile, and he slowly nodded before returning his attention to the road ahead, ignoring the blush that threatened his features. Even through his peripheral vision, though, he could see Mokuba's ecstatic expression, and he listened as his brother tried desperately to suppress his joy to keep from waking Jounouchi. Keeping his voice as low as possible, Mokuba asked, "What did he say? Did he say yes?!"

"Of course he said yes," Kaiba answered. "That wasn't a concern."

"Soooooo when is it? Where are you taking him?"

"Next Saturday, since I assumed you would be starting to study English with your friends." Mokuba's shriveled nose and disgusted expression confirmed Kaiba's suspicions, causing the CEO to smirk. "And…" he continued, "...I was thinking about taking him to our secret spot."

Mokuba's eyes widened at the statement. "Wait… You mean the one at work?"

"Yes."

This time, Kaiba couldn't hide his embarrassment as Mokuba's grin widened, his gaze becoming mischievous. "Ohhhh, so it's not just a one-way thing, is it? You wouldn't offer to show him that place if you didn't like him, Seto."

No, it's definitely not a one-way thing anymore, Kaiba reflected in defeat, recalling the feeling of Jou's lips pressed against his, the blonde's hands playing with his hair as his arms wrapped around him. Clearing his throat, Kaiba replied, "It's mostly for his own protection. I have to be cautious of what we do, particularly since he has kept his sexuality hidden from so many people."

"Yeah...that's true…" Kaiba listened as Mokuba shuffled his way to his seat in the back. Peeking up, he could see Mokuba looking out the window, a wide smile on his face.

"Mokuba." He waited until his brother looked forward again. "Thank you. For this vacation. And for putting this all together for us. You really are the best brother I could ask for."

Mokuba blinked in surprise, the smile still on his face. Leaning forward, he lightly punched the back of Seto's seat before muttering, "Well, the same to you, Nii-sama. And I'm really, really happy you had fun. Can we...do this again sometime?"

"Absolutely," Kaiba answered without hesitation. "And next time, perhaps you won't have to bring Jounouchi behind my back."

"Next time, it'll be you inviting Jounouchi," Mokuba taunted.

Kaiba glanced over to see the blonde still sleeping. The idea of them being together at this time next year, going back on vacation, made Kaiba slowly smile.

He'd have to be careful...but he could make this work.

Author's Note: I wanted to wait 'til the end of this chapter to write this note. I decided to post a little early since my Vampire game got moved to this weekend, plus my job has sucked this past week, so working on this chapter has been something of a reprieve.

I do want to note that, just because the vacation has ended, the story is still going to continue. I plan to write until all the loose ends are cleared up, so expect a few more chapters to go!