Two Truths and a Lie

Long Horizontal Line = new character perspective

Warnings : abuse mentioned; yaoi fanfic

Pairings : Future Seto x Jounouchi

Disclaimer : I do not own Yu-gi-oh! or any of its characters

Chapter 1:

Katsuya waited for his coworker to call him over to go deliver the coffee order.

He was at his catering job, currently being employed at the most popular cafe in Domino City. It was only one of his three jobs. He sighed. It had only been a year ago that Yugi, Honda and all his other friends had graduated from high school. Katsuya had managed to pass all of his classes - excelling in the physical courses but barely passing in the others - and graduated along with everyone else. This had saved him from repeating the year alone, luckily. All of his friends had moved on to college. Personally, college hadn't been a very viable option for Katsuya, and he continued to be purely invested in living day by day. He had become a 'productive member of society,' as Honda put it, which had encouraged a chuckle from Otogi. Katsuya had replied, "Keep your comments to yourself!" before catching the pointy-haired brunet in a neck hold and giving him a knuckle sandwich. He had grinned as Honda squirmed in his grip, fighting to get free. His group of friends laughed at the interaction.

He would always be grateful to Honda for sticking with him and being there for him, especially when they had been in Hirutani's gang. Katsuya's original motivation of being in a gang was to avoid his father. That was something that he deeply regretted now though. Being with the gang had given him skills for self-preservation. He gained the ability to think quickly on his feet and trust his instincts no matter what he faced. Overall, he still had mixed feelings about his past, mostly from when his mother had left with his sister to escape from his father's drunken abuse. He shrugged. Maybe he had proven his mother right at the time. When she forced him to stay behind, she told him that he would end up just like his father. Violent. Destructive. But that had changed when he left the gang with Honda and became a better person through Yugi's determination.

Katsuya was pulled from his reminiscence when he heard his name being called. He blinked a few times before looking across the room.

"Jonouchi!" His coworker called again and beckoned him over.

"Sorry." Katsuya made his way over with an apologetic grin on his face. He didn't feel the need to explain his late response, especially considering how he was often daydreaming between tasks anyway. This wasn't the first time it had happened. His coworker shrugged and handed him two steaming coffee cups. "Same location as usual?"

"Yes, Kaiba Corp," his coworker replied before turning back to the other order tickets needing to be processed.

Katsuya nodded before heading out of the side door with a cup in each hand. The cafe was located about two blocks away from the company, which was about a twenty minute delivery route. His body fell into a rhythm, a natural pace that would allow him to end up at each intersection in a time that allowed crossing of pedestrians in the busy streets of the city. Muscle memory. He had followed this exact route for half a year now, ever since he had begun this catering job.

It had previously made him incredibly nervous - delivering coffee every morning he worked to the secretary and the CEO of Kaiba Corp, Seto Kaiba. The coffee always had to be delivered each morning by 8:15 at the latest. It was one thing to get along with the younger Kaiba brother, Mokuba, and, maybe eventually, they could become friends. Mokuba had always made admiring comments about his older sibling, which was considerably annoying at the time. However, Katsuya got over it quickly through his own understanding of the devotion an individual could have for a family member. He did share this characteristic, especially considering the adoration he had for his own sister, Shizuka, afterall. Seto Kaiba, on the other hand, was an individual on a whole different level.

Katsuya had no desire to meet face to face with the arrogant duelist unless absolutely necessary. Even if he hated waking early to work, his job was more important than his refusal to possibly meet the CEO. During this entire time, he was happy to say that he hadn't seen Kaiba since graduation, except on the news, of course. What else did you expect from a famous, yet cold-hearted, bachelor who was the head of a gaming company? He smirked to himself. And today would be no different.

He was just about to cross another street. He glanced sideways, his left foot just barely moving forward off the curb onto the road when he saw a car rushing toward him. His eyes widened in shock. He quickly leaned backward, unbalancing himself as he adjusted his momentum. He managed to avoid spilling the coffee he was carrying as he landed on his back pockets. "Hey! Watch it, pal!" He yelled before glaring after the car as it raced past.

"Why I outta…" he grumbled as he regained his footing, keeping a coffee cup in each hand. He only had to cross this street before reaching his destination. He frowned, approaching the street more carefully this time and glancing to both sides before continuing.

Katsuya finally reached the doors of Kaiba Corp. He entered the building, automatic doors making his entrance easy, and rode the elevator up to the top floor. For such a well-maintained and designed structure, he couldn't understand the lack of creativeness in their choice of elevator music. He should file a complaint somewhere. He exited as the elevator reached his designated floor and approached the desk at the end of the hallway. He noticed that the secretary, Emiko Shimizu, was not present. He placed both cups of coffee on the surface of the desk and waited for a few minutes, rocking on his heels, before realising that a note had been left for him from the absent women.

"Please leave my cup of coffee on the desk. Take the other directly to Kaiba-sama after knocking. Thank you."

Katsuya read the note multiple times. Afterwards, he groaned dramatically and pulled at his messy blonde hair. He should have known that this would happen. Not only that, but he should have known to knock on wood for reminiscing about Kaiba earlier. Today just wasn't his day. He was tempted to just leave both coffee cups where they were, just to avoid the unpleasant interaction that awaited him. But then he would feel bad. He had become quick friends with Shimizu after delivering the usual beverages to her practically every morning for the last half of a year. He didn't wanna let her down... Especially since the CEO might treat her awfully because he refused to fulfill the task appointed to him. He wouldn't put it past Kaiba to do such a thing.

The simple watch on his wrist revealed the time as 8:21, so the coffee was already late by six minutes. He glanced hesitantly at the double doors that led to the CEO's office. He picked up Kaiba's coffee cup and nervously headed past the desk with a heavy sigh.

Seto Kaiba was typing consistently on his laptop, focused so that he could complete the work that was on his screen. He was responding to partnership requests to Kaiba Corp, all of which he planned to decline without explanation. He glanced momentarily at the time depicted on the bottom right of his screen. 8:17 am. His usual coffee was late - the first time in a year that his steaming beverage hadn't arrived promptly.

His frown became a grimace as the familiar headache pounded against his skull. He relocated his hands from the keyboard to his forehead briefly, rubbing to ease the pressure. After a moment, he returned to his typing. His head continued to pulse from the pain, a sensation he stubbornly ignored, having grown accustomed to the feeling after many years now. And medication, or a doctor, were definitely not an option for the brunet. That would be admitting to weakness, something that he would never allow.

He had first assumed that the ache was because of stress built up from imbeciles in his company. That was before he was able to convince himself that he had dealt with fools all of his life without serious problems to his welfare. As such, a constant headache couldn't be the result of business tasks. He rarely even brought work home with him anymore. Mokuba had made sure of that. The teen had often complained about them never spending time together. A point that Seto reluctantly admitted was true. As a result, he was at Kaiba Corp from seven in the morning until three in the afternoon to allow him to finish each weekday. His phone always remained on in case of emergencies though. This was now a routine. He rarely took any time off, unless Mokuba was ill and had to remain home. Sure, they had a doctor on-hand at the mansion for the sake of convenience, but Seto felt better being nearby whenever his younger sibling's health or safety was concerned.

The headache must be from coffee withdrawal - not work.

A knock at his office door had the CEO releasing a quiet sigh in relief. His coffee had finally arrived. He replaced the current look on his face for one that was more passive, keeping his focus on his laptop screen as he responded. "Come in."

Katsuya nervously waited for a response to his knock on the door. His heart was beating painfully in his chest and ears.

"Come in." Katsuya heard the reply more quietly than his own heart rate. He reached for the door handle, noticing the slight shake in his fingers as he gripped the metal, and pushed forward. He stepped into the office and took in his surroundings. It was smaller than he thought. Slate carpeting was underfoot. A resting area was to his right with a navy semi-circle couch, a round, black coffee table at its center. The single piece of furniture looked more comfortable than his own bed. To the left was a door that he assumed led to a bathroom, or for storage perhaps. Windows replace the walls of the back of the room. Just ahead, Seto Kaiba, the CEO of Kaiba Corp, sat at his desk, focused completely on the laptop that sat upon the black wood.

The only sound in the room came from the tapping of fingers on the laptop's keyboard. Katsuya listened for the door to close behind him, but it made no sound as it slid into its normal place. The brunet had yet to book up at the blond that had entered his office, his expression blank and without expression.

Katsuya grew hopeful as no acknowledgement of his presence was expressed by the seemingly busy businessman. There might be a chance that he could just set the coffee down at the desk and leave before he was noticed. He walked forward as naturally as possible, trying to fulfill his task without drawing attention to himself. Any awkward movements he made would only invite the unwanted gaze of those piercing, azure eyes.

He reached the front of the desk without incident. He grinned slightly in victory, looking down as he placed the cup of coffee on the dark surface. He brought his gaze upward to look at the CEO before making his exit, and was surprised to find blue meeting his brown eyes. Kaiba had made eye contact with him. Katsuya froze, his body immediately becoming tense. Those cold eyes blinked. The action seemed to be in slow motion. He gave a nervous grin. He waited for a harsh comment to leave the brunet's mouth.

"Jonouchi Katsuya? What on earth are you doing here?"

"Dropping off yer coffee is all…" he answered honestly, glancing away to avoid the gaze of those azure eyes.

"That's all? And why would that be?" Those eyes became sharp with mistrust.

"Because it's my job." The reply was blunt. He was growing tired of all these questions already, wishing to leave as quickly as possible.

"..."

Katsuya could practically feel the silence engulfing him, the air around him suddenly feeling dense and suffocating.

"Well, see ya!" He turned stiffly and made his way for the doors he had entered through earlier. His eyes were focused on his feet.

He figured that this would happen. Well, actually, he expected more insults from the brunet, but he knew that it was merely wishful thinking that they might be able to have a decent conversation between them.

A loud slam from behind him caused him to flinch immediately, freezing him in place only about a third the way across the room. He slowly twisted back toward the sudden sound's location. Kaiba had risen from his seat, both hands set upon the desk where he had applied them against the wood surface. The brunet's posture was rigid.

"Did I permit you to leave?" The voice was low yet firm. It didn't seem to be a question. Blue eyes flashed.

"Why would I need your permission?" Katsuya returned a glare to the CEO's flaring eyes.

"There is more to discuss, obviously, mutt." Kaiba countered with a slight smirk. The expression did little other than infuriate the blond further. Katsuya's glare became fierce, more so than previously.

"Not if I have anything to say abo-" he paused, cutting himself off. His brows furrowed. "Kaiba… ya doin' alright? You seem a little tipsy."

He watched as the confident businessman started to tilt sideways. Had the situation been any different, Katsuya would have laughed as Kaiba lost his balance. However, concern overrode any amusement... Adrenaline flowed through his limbs as he lunged forward. His calloused hands gripped the brunet carefully as gravity pulled them both to the floor. He landed on his back, the CEO limp against his chest.

"...Kaiba?"

End of Chapter 1

(A/N) Thanks for reading! This is my first fanfic so I appreciate pointers and hope to make an enjoyable story ^^