Chapter 24:

Looking over both of his shoulders, Jounouchi inhaled and exhaled before stepping through the glass sliding doors into KaibaCorp's attached parking garage. It was Saturday afternoon, right at 17:00, and the garage was clear of any cars, making his footsteps echo off the cement pavement and steel walls. He pulled out his phone and clicked on the last message sent from Kaiba.

Kaiba: I'll meet you in the garage. I've automated the doors to be open. Text me when you get here.

Jou walked past a long line of empty parking spaces and stopped when his gaze landed on a central pillar that contained several elevators. He then texted back.

Jou: Yo, I'm here.

The response was almost immediate.

Kaiba: Coming down now.

Jou blushed as he scrolled through the shockingly long list of texts the two had sent back and forth over the past week since returning from their vacation. It had taken Jou more guts than he cared to admit to send his first "hey, how are you?" text, but Kaiba had responded quickly, and the two soon fell into a pattern of texting each other in the morning and after work. Jou thought that Kaiba would be late or ignore his texts, but despite the CEO's busy schedule, he always seemed to rapidly text back. Even for simple "good mornings" and "good evenings," Kaiba always responded.

And now, we're havin' our first date, Jou thought. He quickly looked down at himself, dressed in a nice pair of black pants and a green, button-up shirt. He had done his best to look nice, making sure his hair was brushed, his shoes were dusted off, and his clothes were clean. I wanna do this right, he thought. I wanna show Kaiba I'm serious 'bout this...

The sound of the elevator caught his attention, and Jou couldn't fight the blush that painted his cheeks as Kaiba stepped out from behind the elevator doors. Dressed impeccably in dark blue pants, a white, button-up, long-sleeve shirt, and a dark blue vest that perfectly wrapped around him, he gracefully walked across the cement, his blue eyes glued to Jounouchi. Jou noted the card locket and an expensive watch to top off the outfit, and he merely shook his head at the indomitable CEO.

Kaiba tilted his head at the reaction, his eyebrows knitting curiously together. Approaching Jou, he frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I couldn't say it at the beach, but I guess I can say it now," Jou remarked, pointing up and down at Kaiba's attire. "You look way, waaaaaaay too sexy in that vest."

It clearly wasn't the statement Kaiba expected, for the CEO chuckled and shook his head, his cheeks turning slightly red. "Whatever."

Jou smiled, his excitement bubbling barely below the surface. Not having seen the CEO in a week, he reached out and grabbed Kaiba's hand, happy to feel their fingers immediately interlace. "So, how've ya been?"

"I'll tell you in a minute," Kaiba remarked, looking around at the empty parking garage. "Let's go upstairs first. Follow me." Kaiba tightened the grip on Jou's hand as he led him across the parking garage and towards the elevator. Jou merely followed, smiling down at their clasped hands, and soon found himself in the circular, sleek elevator. He watched Kaiba pull out a keycard, swipe it, then input an odd series of numbers. The elevator started going upward, and Kaiba turned to smile down at him.

Without warning, Jou lunged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Kaiba, smiling widely when he felt Kaiba return the hug. "Missed ya, you jerk," Jou remarked. Kaiba didn't say anything, but he could feel the CEO tighten his grip around him just a bit. Still holding Jou, he leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on Jou's lips. Jou smiled but pouted when it was far too short for his liking. "So...what'cha got planned for us?" he asked, looking curiously into Kaiba's eyes. Deep blue eyes that he hadn't realized he missed seeing so much until just now. "'Cuz I'mma be honest, didn't expect ya to bring me to your office when you mentioned 'somewhere private.'"

"My office is plenty private," Kaiba retorted. "But no, I'm not having our first date in my office."

"So then where?"

"It's a surprise." Smirking, Kaiba added, "Though I think you'll like it well enough…"

"I'm spendin' a night with ya, Kaiba. Of course I'm gonna like it."

Kaiba chuckled, his smirk still across his lips, before he leaned forward, planting a kiss on Jou's forehead. "And to answer your question from before, I'm doing well. Work hasn't been as bad as I imagined it would be when I returned, though I suppose I've told you as much from our texting."

"Yeah, but it's different hearin' it directly from ya." Realizing that the trip up was taking a surprising amount of time, Jou placed his head against the CEO's chest, taking in the sensation of the embrace. He could hear Kaiba's heart beating underneath. "My, uh, texts haven't been annoying or anything, right?"

"If they were annoying, I wouldn't respond to them," answered Kaiba. "But how have you been? You haven't mentioned-" The elevator came to a halt, and Kaiba blinked before shrugging. "I'll ask later. Come on, follow me." Releasing his hold of Kaiba, Jou followed him out of the elevator and into a singular hallway with black tile flooring and white walls. Jou noticed there weren't any doors on either side of the short hallway, and he trailed behind Kaiba, their footsteps echoing in the surrounding silence. They soon turned right and stood in front of two glass double doors. Kaiba opened it and led Jou inside before turning the lights on.

The sight took Jounouchi's breath away.

A room larger than he had anticipated was before him. On the far wall, a massive television and stereo system were equipped in a sleek entertainment center. Lining the walls on either side was row after row of video games, movies, DVDs, and video gaming equipment. A long, leather sofa was positioned far enough out to provide a comfortable space, with a glass, oval-shaped coffee table set in front of the sofa. As he slowly scanned the room, he also noticed what appeared to be a small, high top, circular table with three high-end chairs. Beyond that was a corner sofa with another coffee table, behind which was a long bookshelf containing all manner of board games. The walls were a dark color, with framed pictures of video game characters, mascots, and other pop culture icons hanging. LED lights built into the edges of the ceiling managed to illuminate the entire room with a soft, yellow glow.

He felt an arm wrap around his waist, and Kaiba leaned forward and whispered, "So...what do you think?"

Jou looked over to see Kaiba smugly staring at him. Their faces were incredibly close, and Jou whispered, "What...is this room?"

"Mokuba and I's private spot," he answered. "A place we escape to when we're bored with the corporate world. Not even employees know this place exists. Figured it would be a good location for us, given current circumstances."

"This...is incredible, Kaiba."

"Let's sit down." Leading them to the high table, Kaiba pulled out his phone and tapped a few buttons. Jou blinked in surprise as ambient music began to slowly flow out of the stereos. "Are you hungry? We can order from the restaurant upstairs."

Jou slowly pulled himself up into the seat next to Kaiba, and he watched as Kaiba pulled out an electronic menu from a folder placed on the table before holding it out to Jou. "Pick whatever you want," he instructed. "There's a wide selection of items, from appetizers to desserts, and it's all made here. They'll deliver it right to us, so we can eat in here without being seen by the other guests. We can put the order in directly, as well."

"Kaiba…" Grabbing the menu, Jou smiled and muttered, "Th-thanks. For all this…"

"I haven't even done anything yet," Kaiba countered.

"You're taking my situation into consideration. That's more than most do." Looking down at the menu, Jou decided to keep it simple with a bowl of tonkatsu ramen but then scrolled down to the dessert menu. His eyes widened, and he quickly made his next selection. He then handed the menu over and watched Kaiba tap a few buttons before setting the menu to the side. The two finally stopped to get a good look at each other, and that small smile returned to Kaiba's lips.

Jou smiled back, his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

"Is everything okay at home?" Kaiba asked, placing his forearms on the table. "You haven't mentioned your father since we've returned."

"Meh, Pops is Pops," answered Jou. "He asked where I was during vacation. I told him I was at 'None-of-his-damn-business-ville, and he backed off. Was mad, but there wasn't much he could do."

"He didn't threaten you or anything, did he?" Jou blinked in surprise at the concerned tone of Kaiba's voice.

"Nah, no threats, though I haven't really been back long enough for that. I spent Sunday at Yuug's place, and I've been workin' every day after that. Today was really my first day home."

"I see…"

"And even today, I wasn't home much. Went for a bike ride to get some fresh air before gettin' ready for tonight." Stretching his arms over his head, Jou sighed before mimicking Kaiba's pose, placing his forearms on the table. He reached a hand forward and smiled when Kaiba grabbed it. Ignoring the fluttering in his chest, Jou asked, "So, you said things are okay here? Nobody blew up the building while you were gone, at least."

Kaiba smirked and shook his head no. "Clearly fear can be used effectively at times. Some projects were in even better shape than they were when I initially left for vacation. I suppose they were terrified of the prospect of me returning to a mess." Frowning curiously, Kaiba sighed and added, "Though I did have to listen to gossip for a full day after Mokuba not-so-subtly hung one of the pictures on the wall."

"Pictures?" Thinking for a second, Jou asked, "Ya mean the one from the roller coaster?"

"Yes…"

Bursting out laughing, Jou muttered, "I was wonderin' when he'd use that against ya."

"He's such a brat sometimes."

Still laughing, Jou nodded in agreement. "I think the same thing of Shizuka sometimes. Younger siblings were meant to torment us. But they're worth it, ya know?"

A smile replaced Kaiba's frown, and he nodded as he said, "They absolutely are."

"So, what'cha got planned for tonight? Besides wowwing me with this room and wearing that sexy outfit of yours."

"I wasn't going to plan everything myself," Kaiba answered, clearly doing his best to hide a threatening blush. "I figured we could have dinner first, then you could decide what we would do. I was unsure if you would be up for hanafuda or another board game, but we also have more video games than just the racing game we were stuck with at the beach. Or we can watch a movie, if you're into that sort of thing."

"A movie date? Didn't see ya havin' that idea."

Kaiba shrugged. "Some movies are entertaining. Admittedly they aren't my first choice, but this isn't just my night."

Jou felt his heart skip a beat at the statement. "Since when were you considerate of others?" His gaze wandered around the room, and Jou shrugged before looking back at Kaiba. "Honestly, anything sounds pretty awesome. But let's eat first, how 'bout that?"

As if on cue, the sound of the glass door opening caught Jou's attention. Instinctively, Jou pulled back from Kaiba, placing his hands in his lap. A woman dressed in a chef's outfit pushed a cart forward and bowed towards the two before placing three covered plates, two teacups, and a teapot on the table. She then bowed and, without another word, pushed the cart out, leaving the two alone again. Kaiba smirked before uncovering his plate, which Jou saw was also tonkatsu ramen. Smirking, he uncovered both of his plates and watched Kaiba's eyebrow rise at the third, smaller plate.

"Chocolate cake?"

Giggling, Jou was happy to see there were two forks on the plate and picked one up. "Come on, let's take a bite of this first."

"I'm not eating dessert first."

"I'm not askin' ya to. But I wanna take a bite of it with ya first before the ramen."

"Why?"

Blushing slightly, Jou admitted, "'Cuz it's kinda romantic, and I just want to."

Seeing that small smile cross Kaiba's lips again, he watched in surprise as Kaiba sighed and set his chopsticks and spoon down before reaching out for the fork. The two each cut a piece of cake off and took a bite, and Jou nearly moaned at how delicious it was. "Oh my god, Kaiba," he muttered. "I take it back. I'm eatin' this first. Holy shit, this is good."

As if to show his agreement, Kaiba also reached forward to take another bite. Jou smirked and, as Kaiba was leaning forward, he, too, leaned forward and planted a kiss on Kaiba's cheek. Kaiba glanced over, his deep blue eyes gazing into Jou's own eyes. Finishing his bite without breaking his gaze, he set his fork down and whispered, "Ya know, you say I'm too hot or sexy or whatever…" Leaning forward, he finished, "But you are too damn cute for your own good."

Before he had a chance to react, Jou felt Kaiba press his lips against his. Jou smiled, wrapping his arms around the brunette's shoulders, his fingers instinctively reaching up to play with Kaiba's hair. He felt Kaiba shudder and smiled warmly, keeping the kiss going until Kaiba pulled away, inhaling a deep breath of air as he did so. He felt Kaiba ruffle his hair slightly before the CEO pulled back to sit up properly in his seat. "Come on, let's eat before this goes cold," Kaiba remarked.

Nodding, Jou smiled and began digging into his ramen, unable to keep the blush off his face. Kaiba began pouring them each a cup of tea in the meantime, being sure to move the cake out of the way as he did so. As he handed Jou his cup, however, he muttered, "Jou…"

"Hmm?" Stopping, Jou looked over to see Kaiba's concerned expression once again.

"I don't say this as anything sexual, but...if you want to spend the night at the manor in order to be away from your father, know my door is always open to you."

His jaw nearly dropped at the statement. Not expecting it at all, Jou stuttered, "I-I mean, th-th-thanks for that, Kaiba. But I-"

"And I don't mean it as charity, either," Kaiba interrupted, evidently anticipating Jou's response. "I mean it as simple as you've become important to me, and I don't like people who are important to me being in any sort of danger. And like I said, I'm not asking you stay overnight for anything sexual. If you'd feel more comfortable in a guest room, we can-"

"Kaiba." Jou took a sip of his ramen broth before setting his spoon down and smiling over at the CEO, who appeared somewhat confused but mostly concerned. "Thanks. I… I'll think about it." Kaiba smiled and set Jou's cup down before taking a sip of his own. As Jou went to take a sip of the warm tea, he chuckled and looked over at Kaiba. "But… I will say one thing."

Kaiba glanced over, quirking his eyebrow as he did so. "What's that?"

"If I'm stayin' overnight, sure, we don't have ta have sex. But…" Reaching forward and poking the CEO's shoulder, he added, "I'm sleepin' in your no doubt fancy-ass, massive bed."

Kaiba smiled, and this time, he couldn't even hide it as he leaned forward to take a large sip of his broth.

Ya continue to surprise me, ya jerk, Jou thought as he stared up at the ceiling. It was dark, with the moonlight shining in through the thick, blue curtains that outlined the ornate window overlooking the grounds beyond. His head propped up on the thick, comfortable pillow, Jou casually glanced down to see a mess of brown hair right next to him.

Who'da pegged ya for a cuddler?

As if reading his thoughts, Kaiba snuggled even closer to Jou before dozing back to sleep. Jou sighed and smiled, giggling to himself at the surrealness of the situation. True to his word, Jou took up Kaiba's offer to spend the night and had made camp in Kaiba's large, comfortable bed. Kaiba had then stayed true to his word, not forcing Jounouchi into anything sexual.

Not that they didn't do anything… After all, Jou wanted to show Kaiba his appreciation in some way for such an amazing date night. And from his sexy ass moaning, I'd wager he enjoyed it as much as I did. Groaning at the memory, Jou thought, Yep, those fantasies are about to get a lot harder to ignore...

Jou blushed as he looked back down at Kaiba. I guess this is kinda official, though. I'm really...really dating Seto Kaiba. He wrapped his arms around Kaiba, inhaling a large whiff of Kaiba's scent and closing his eyes. They were both dressed in their pajamas; after all, they didn't need to get fully naked to enjoy themselves a bit.

And Kaiba, he seems real serious about taking this slowly. Jou smiled and let his body sink into the mattress, closing his eyes and letting his one hand play with Kaiba's soft hair. He really wants me to know he's serious… and I do. I can tell. He wouldn't have taken so much time settin' up this date night if he wasn't. Peeking his eyes open, he felt his smile widen, and he leaned down to plant a kiss on top of Kaiba's head. Holy shit, I'm datin' Seto Kaiba...

Adjusting the sheets just slightly, Jou smiled and closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep to the sounds of Kaiba's breathing.