Chapter 25:
After their amazing first date, Jou had spent the night and all day Sunday with Kaiba, with the two agreeing that this needed to become a weekly occurrence. The second weekend, Jou had stayed until Tuesday night at Kaiba's request [not that the CEO had to do a whole lot of persuading]. Jou had packed a bag of clothing for the few nights he would be staying at the Kaiba manor and rode his bike to and from work. Kaiba had offered to pay for a taxi, but Jou stated that it wasn't that far, and he honestly liked the exercise.
Now the third weekend into their relationship, Jounouchi had a bag upstairs in the corner of Kaiba's room that was packed with practically a week's worth of clothing. They had decided to do something different this weekend and chose to spend their date night at the manor itself, with Kaiba cooking a delicious yet simple dinner for them. The meal was quiet but comforting, and as a thank you, Jou had offered to clean the kitchen and do the dishes. Standing now in the kitchen, he glanced over his shoulder as he continued washing a large pot.
It was nearly 21:00, and Jou could tell that Kaiba had had a rough day. With all the time Jou was spending at the Kaiba manor, the two were beginning to see themselves in everyday life, for both good and bad. Now it made a lot of sense why Kaiba pushed people away and kept to himself; hearing even a sliver of the problems the brunette dealt with on a daily basis left Jou in shock that the CEO hadn't taken a vacation sooner. But because of that, Jou was beginning to notice the little hints of Kaiba being off his game. The slight bags under his eyes, the extra attention to his movements, and the way his eyes would glaze over as he became the introvert he was known to be all told Jou that Kaiba wasn't his usual self. The CEO sat on a stool at the counter, carefully stirring a bit of milk in his decaf coffee without really seeing it, telling Jou without words that he was utterly exhausted.
The fact that Kaiba had come home late for the first time since they began dating was also a huge giveaway that the day had been more than unpleasant.
Jou smiled sadly and returned to the dishes. Despite havin' a tough day, he still cooked us dinner, Jou reflected. The least I can do is help 'im clean up a bit.
"Did you enjoy the food?" inquired the CEO, his voice just a tad rougher than usual.
"I told ya it was awesome, didn't I?" Jou countered.
"Just making sure."
"I didn't even know ya could cook, ta be honest. I mean, 'sides that kickass breakfast."
"I sometimes cook on weekends with the chef being off," Kaiba explained. Jou could hear Kaiba take a sip of his coffee as he did so. "However, with Mokuba getting older, it's becoming a rare occurrence. And you and I have just been eating out or ordering food because I've been lazy."
"Kaiba, you are many things, but lazy ain't one of 'em." Jou smiled and added, "'Sides, now that I know what'cha got in this kitchen of yours, maybe I can cook next time."
Kaiba smirked. "Well, besides being my maid, what do you want to do tonight?" he asked as he took another sip of coffee. Jou turned and stuck his tongue out in defiance before returning to the dishes.
"I dunno," he admitted. "Kinda thought about trying a new board game or somethin', but with just the two of us, that might be odd. Then I thought hanafuda, but we played that last weekend. I guess there's video games?"
A few seconds passed before Kaiba muttered, "Whatever you want, Jou…"
Jou slowly turned his gaze to the CEO, his smile fading. "You, uh…all right, Kaiba?"
"I'm fine." The answer was too quick.
"Really bad day at the office?"
"I…" Kaiba sighed and took a large gulp of coffee. "You could say that."
"Wanna just chill out, then? Maybe hang out in the living room and just relax or somethin'?"
Kaiba shook his head. "I don't want to waste the time we have together doing nothing."
"It ain't nothin' if we're enjoyin' each other's company, Kaiba." The statement made Jou blush, however, and he nodded, making his decision. "Well, why don't'cha teach me a new game? Like, I dunno, that chess game you and Mokuba were playing?"
"You really want to learn chess?" Kaiba asked, his tone indicating his utter shock.
"I mean, sure, why not? Can't hurt to give it a try."
Kaiba seemed to ponder it for a few seconds before shrugging. Finishing his coffee in one fell swoop, he said, "I'll get the game board and pieces. Meet you in the living room."
"Sounds good. Might be a few minutes, though."
"Take your time."
Jou turned back to the sink but was surprised when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Kaiba standing next to him, and his eyes widened when the CEO leaned in and placed his lips against Jou's. Immediately Jou felt himself relax and opened his mouth, feeling Kaiba's tongue quickly press against his. Dishes forgotten, Jou moaned lightly as Kaiba deepened the kiss, his soft lips tasting just slightly of coffee. Just as he was about to break away for air, however, Kaiba stepped back, smiling warmly with tired eyes at Jou. He then leaned down, pressing one final gentle kiss against Jou's cheek, before exiting the kitchen.
Jou could have cursed the blush across his cheeks. He hated how good Kaiba was at that. How fucking utterly good he was.
But it was things like this that got Jou thinking. He was spending a lot of time with Kaiba. Enough so that people were starting to notice his abnormal behavior. Pops had obviously been the first. Jou merely threw out excuses as to why he wasn't coming home, citing work, friends, and other half-assed reasons. It helped that his dad was drunk nine out of ten times he tried to get the truth out of Jou. His father also never spoke to Shizuka, so as far as his sister knew, life was still normal.
His friends, however… That was another thing entirely.
They know I haven't been home much...and it's not like I've been hangin' out with them, either. Indeed, as Jou continued rinsing off the dishes, he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. And it sucks, 'cuz I'm not even feelin' that bad 'bout spending time with Kaiba. In fact, I feel more guilty about how NOT guilty I feel. I like spendin' my evenings with him, even if it's just hangin' out on the sofa and playing games or other stupid shit. But before vacation, I spent at least two or three nights a week at Yuug's place, and we all'd hang out and play video games or board games. Maybe Duel Monsters. But I haven't been over much and keep sayin' I'm not available. They gotta suspect something.
No, they more than suspected something. Jou was dumb, but he wasn't stupid. Jou never texted anyone before the vacation, and now, when he wasn't at the manor, he was texting Kaiba, even when hanging out with the Yuugi-tachi. He never had reasons to skip spending time with the gang, and now he was skipping at least once a week. And it didn't help that his clothes were clean and that he was in better shape than before thanks to all the bike riding. They asked where I went that vacation week, and I just said things came up at work, and I had to cover some extra shifts. It's not like that ain't never happened before, but now that I'm still avoidin' 'em some nights… It's gonna come up at some point. They're gonna ask what I've been doing in my spare time. And I can't lie to them… So I'm gonna have ta tell 'em…
It was a thought that entered his mind more and more. Jou couldn't ignore the fact that his relationship with Kaiba was growing deeper by the day. Jounouchi was all but living at the Kaiba manor. Kaiba was spending his weekends with Jounouchi and his weekday nights with both Jounouchi and Mokuba. The two were still keeping things under wraps as best as they could, keeping their dates at the secret spot in KaibaCorp or, as they had tonight, simply at the Kaiba manor. But Jou could feel the ticking time bomb.
At some point, someone was going to catch wind. And did Jounouchi want his friends learning about his relationship from an outside source?
Maybe… Maybe I should give them a call next week. See if they're available. Finishing up the last of the dishes, Jou sighed heavily. But before that, I guess I need to talk to Kaiba. After all, I'll be tellin' them that he's gay, too, if I come clean about all of this. He shook his head and thought, Meh, it's late. Kaiba's had a hard day. Let him teach me how to play that game. One thing at a time.
Jou exited the kitchen and passed through the dining room before entering the main foyer. He had taken longer than he meant, for the grand clock on the wall read 21:20. He frowned and made his way through the foyer, taking a minute to look once more at the elegant surroundings of what was becoming his new home. I hope I never take this for granted, Jou reflected as he passed the stairs and headed through an open archway. Entering the expansive living room, he chuckled upon seeing Kaiba lying on the sofa, eyes closed, head propped on a small pillow. On the wooden coffee table was the board game, while the overhead chandelier illuminated much of the room. The walls were decorated with paintings or covered by towering bookshelves, and other than the stereo, there were no electronics.
Jou smiled and quickly approached the sofa. "Hey, sorry," he whispered. "Took longer than I thought."
But Kaiba didn't stir. Lying on his side and facing Jou, the CEO was clearly fast asleep. Jou smirked and leaned down, brushing a few bangs out of his face, before plopping down on the floor in front of the sofa. Shrugging, Jou thought, Might as well let him sleep, before whipping out his phone. Sliding forward to the table, he opened the chess board and began perusing through the pieces, using an online wiki to look up the names of each piece.
It was another 10 or so minutes before Jou realized he was clearly in over his head with this game. "Yeah, that's a hard pass from me," he thought aloud, putting the pieces away and sliding the board to the side. He glanced over his shoulder and shook his head at the sleeping CEO. "'Course ya'd like an overly-complicated board game." But as he looked at Kaiba, Jou began to frown.
Usually, Kaiba looked content while asleep, his chest rising and falling with even breaths. But looking at him now… It was different. Kaiba was grimacing as if in pain, his hand shaking just slightly and soon clutching the cushion underneath. His breathing was erratic, as Jou could hear the gasps and didn't like how many seconds seemed to pass between each breath. Jou slowly moved forward and approached the edge of the sofa. Pressing a hand against Kaiba's cheek, he felt a subtle yet constant shivering.
His eyes widened. What the…? Kaiba? "H-hey…" Slowly, he placed his hand on Kaiba's shoulder. "Kaiba..."
Seto bit his lip to keep from crying out as the switch hit his fingers, forcing him to drop his pen. He shuddered as he saw the skin break, blood quickly oozing through the new cut made.
"Again!"
With a shaky hand, Seto slowly picked the pen back up. He could hear Gozaburo shake his drink, the ice in the alcohol clanking against the sides of the glass. The clock on the wall struck 23:00, and the room was illuminated by lamps built into the walls. Seto was still sitting at his desk, however, with Gozaburo standing right next to him, drink in one hand and a small switch in the other.
Seto wanted to cry from the sudden pain but couldn't. He hated it. He hated how hard he was trying to hold back. He just wanted to let go, to be able to be normal. But he knew what would happen. He just wished he could've trusted the English teacher. Why did she have to go to Gozaburo and tell him he was struggling? He had learned so much in just a month. Why was one struggle so bad?
"Again!"
The switch came down on Seto's hands again. This time, he managed to hold onto the pen, but he groaned as the pain spread throughout his hand and up his arm. The sight of the blood spilling onto the paper made his stomach turn.
Slowly, with precision, Seto began to spell out the sentence, ignoring the blood stain as he did so.
"Kaiba..."
The second he was done, Gozaburo leaned forward and read the sentence. Seto sighed heavily as the switch was put down, but the pain in his hand was worsening. He looked down to see that there was now a small pool of blood forming on his desk. His hand was covered, red oozing down the sides and up to his fingertips. His hand shook from the pain.
"Hmph, finally. Maybe next time the lesson will actually sink in." Gozaburo placed the paper down on the desk, but Seto's eyes widened when he picked up the now bloodied switch. "Now, your other hand."
"S-Sir?"
"Yo, Kaiba..."
"You heard me. Your other hand. Place it on the desk." Seto shuddered, realizing what was happening. Swallowing his fear, knowing that if he didn't go through with this, the monster would target Mokuba, he quickly placed his uninjured hand on the desk.
Fortunately, it was quick. The switch came down twice in rapid succession. Seto shut his eyes, swallowing bile back that threatened to rise as he felt the blood begin flowing.
"There, now the lesson is complete. After all, wouldn't want someone thinking something was happening, now would we?" Seto choked back his fear as he felt the switch underneath his chin. Opening his eyes, he looked up at Gozaburo, at the vile man he called his stepfather. Gozaburo leaned in, his breath heavy with the scent of alcohol. "Would we, Seto?"
Seto swallowed. "N-No… No sir."
"Kaiba, come on..."
"Correct answer." The switch came down one final time on his right hand, and Seto gasped as the original gash tore open, causing more blood to spill. Tossing the switch onto a nearby table, Gozaburo turned and opened the door to exit the room. "You're a moron who hurt your hands carrying something. They're stupid enough to believe that." Without so much as another look, Gozaburo exited the room, slamming the door behind him.
Seto's lips tightened and his eyes clenched shut as he hunched forward in his seat. It hurt… It hurt so much. It might get infected. He had to… He had to clean it. His hands were bleeding everywhere. On the desk, on his pens, on his shirt.
He hated that switch. Why did Gozaburo always have to use that damn switch?!
The tears he had fought fell down his cheeks as he clenched his hands and pushed himself out of his seat. So much blood, so much pain...but he had to clean it. He had to-
"Kaiba!"
Opening his eyes, Kaiba saw a pair of scared, amber eyes staring at him underneath blonde bangs.