Chapter 17 :
Seto Kaiba looked from the water, which was just disrupted by the blond's sudden entry, to his younger brother in response to the outburst.
Mokuba looked at him with shock, water gun still in hand. "Seto, why'd you drop him?!"
The brunet shrugged with a smirk. "Just thought he didn't want my help." And Katsuya deserved it. The blond had been clear in his actions that he hadn't wanted the businessman to touch or interact with him. In Seto's mind, his reasoning was sound.
The CEO turned back to the pool at the sound of blubbering and movement of water. Katsuya was floundering, sputtering and attempting to catch his breath. The blond reached for the edge of the pool and took a deep breath before he glared up at Kaiba, looking much like a drowned rat, with his golden eyes piercing through the dark blond curtain of hair now flattened against his head.
"Kaiba," Katsuya growled.
"Yes, mutt? Have you finally learned to speak?" Seto smirked with his arms across his chest, looking down on the other with satisfaction.
"There's a difference between learning to and knowing while not doing." Katsuya grumbled with annoyance. "I didn't wanna talk to you until now." The blond pulled himself out of the water, causing the brunet to back up.
Katsuya got to his feet and shook out his hair. What a mutt. The businessman chuckled to himself at the thought then held back a sigh. And an attractive one at that. He watched the shorter individual sweep his fair hair back with both hands from the forehead before straightening, meeting the CEO's gaze with strong emotional eyes. That. That was the look he had been wanting for a while now. And it was captivating.
"Oh really." Kaiba stated, eyes gleaming. "Took you long enough."
"Oh, trust me. I won't be holdin' back anymore, wise guy." Katsuya promised, those colorful orbs flashing with determination.
The businessman smirked again, patiently waiting for the blond to continue. But Katsuya did something unexpected instead. The shorter duelist rushed him. The gaze of those brown eyes gave away his focus, and then intention, though. The brunet grabbed the outstretched arms of the blond, and sidestepped. He used those arms to propel his motion while maintaining the motion of Katsuya, forcing the blond back into the pool with a yelp.
"That was your big plan?" Seto asked when Katsuya resurfaced again. "You're trying to dunk me into the pool as revenge? …Kinda predictable, don't you think?" The blond met his gaze with conviction but didn't respond. The businessman sighed aloud, shaking his head with eyes closed momentarily.
Unbeknownst to him, Katsuya had taken that moment to meet his gaze to Mokuba's. The youth was still standing behind the CEO a few paces and watching the interactions of his older companions with curiosity. The raven-haired teen tilted his head with interest as the blond quickly glanced between both of the Kaiba brothers intently. It took merely a few seconds of this for Mokuba to realize what Katsuya wanted of him.
Seto opened his eyes and frowned. "Now what are you going to attempt this time?"
Katsuya met his gaze, jaw set stubbornly, before he gave a slight smile, eyes gleaming with mischievous triumph. "You better watch your back, moneybags…"
The businessman raised an eyebrow with mild disbelief just before he felt an impact on his lower back. He was forced to stumble forward, heading straight into the pool. He twisted in the motion and grabbed a hold of one of the offending hands that had pushed him. He held tight and carried his ambusher into the water along with him.
The sound of a splash and then water filled his ears. He spun in the water and got his feet to the ground, standing immediately after and pulling up the person he still maintained a grip on. He shook his hair and glared down at his captive. Mokuba wiped his eyes and grinned back with a shrug. Kaiba moved his gaze toward the sound of laughter.
"You shoulda seen yer face!" Katsuya laughed. "Nicely done, Mokuba!"
"I should have known. Can't do your own dirty work, can you?" Kaiba taunted. "I didn't think you were that scared of me."
"You take that back, richboy! I'm not afraid of you!" the blond glowered at the brunet, still clinging to the edge of the pool.
"Oh, please. Why don't you look for an opponent that you can actually beat - like an infant?" the CEO smirked, letting go of his younger brother. Mokuba swam off immediately to get out from between these so-called 'adults,' knowing exactly how Katsuya was bound to take the insult. "… or a monkey."
"That's it, Kaiba! You asked for it!"
The shorter duelist launched himself through the water toward Kaiba by kicking away from the wall, hands outstretched to grip his rival. The businessman chuckled, extending an arm out. The CEO's reach was longer and allowed him to easily dunk the blond's head underwater again before the other could avoid it. Katsuya instinctively grabbed the wrist of the hand on his head, using it to pull himself back up and scale up the arm to the brunet. At that point, the pair wrestled in the water. They were fairly evenly matched actually - despite the shorter man being more built and healthier overall. Kaiba had the advantage of height and being part fish. Of course, the brunet was a natural in the water - easily maneuvering away from the blond. He could see that Katsuya had to fight to stay above water. Although the blond kept the nervous fear from his eyes, Kaiba could still tell that it was there. He allowed the other to get close enough to grab him, at another attempt to dunk him, just so that the businessman could pull them both to a shallower part of the pool. It wasn't obvious that he had done so. He didn't want anyone thinking that he was going soft. But he did notice that relief pulsed off the blond in small waves as Katsuya could put his feet under him properly now. After that, the wrestling was no longer very fair for the CEO but he still held his own well.
Mokuba watched curiously with amusement, sitting along the pool's edge. He was perfectly content there, never really having seen his elder brother so relaxed before with someone other than himself. The youth smiled. It was nice having Katsuya around.
Katsuya stretched happily.
He was in a shower room just outside of the pool area. He had spent most of the afternoon with the Kaiba brothers and was pretty exhausted from the energy he expended. He chuckled, remembering the CEO's surprised face when Mokuba had pushed him into the water. It had been way more fun than he expected when the brunet had joined them. Joseph had completely forgotten about the awkwardness between them and only now remembered it. He was grateful that Kaiba had prevented any media coverage of what happened between them but he just couldn't find it in himself to bring up the subject. He still blushed at the thought of those lips on his. He honestly should be repulsed… shouldn't he? It wasn't like he was gay. But then again, how was he supposed to know since he'd never really dated either sex before.
He continued to muse to himself as he stripped and slipped into one of the showers. The other two had gone straight to their rooms to clean up and change, which gave him time to actually consider what to do about this situation. He didn't really find it fair to keep the distance between Kaiba and him at Mokuba's expense. He really did enjoy his time with them both now. He almost considered Seto to be… a friend. That was more than he ever expected their relationship to progress. Yeah, the businessman was his employer and his rival, but that didn't mean they could be friends… right?
His only concern was that, once the CEO no longer needed his help by contract, Kaiba would toss him out. He knew that the brunet was being more than generous in paying him. But any time he asked, Seto dismissed it saying that that was the standard rate for his staff. Katsuya could honestly quit his job catering for the coffee shop and have plenty of money for himself and some for his father's expenses with just being a chef at the Kaiba mansion. But he held off because of the concern that the brunet would push him out of both his and Mokuba's lives.
And well, that seemed to be coming up soon. The CEO's diet had improved exponentially with Katsuya now preparing meals. He had noticed at the pool that Seto had gained weight - in a good way. His skin looked less pale and his hair had a sheen to it. The businessman appeared to have more energy as well, especially since he wrestled with the blond longer than Katsuya expected him to.
But why did that matter? Shouldn't he be happy that Kaiba was better and that he could return to his normal life? Sure! Yeah. Mokuba was like a brother. And Seto was like… well, Seto. Katsuya had learned more about him the last few months than he ever did in their years in high school. The businessman was admirable. His work ethic, his desire for his brother to succeed, his skill in piano and swimming. There were just a few things that still confused him about the brunet. He really didn't understand why he couldn't confide in others, why he was acting normally despite their accidental kiss and even how the CEO's taunting was closer to teasing now. The blond just wished he knew more. There were so many sides to Seto that he hadn't uncovered yet.
He recalled how his life was before the first incident of Kaiba fainting on him. Working three different jobs. No real social life. Alone.
Wow. He really hadn't realized how miserable he had been - how little actual quality life he seemed to have.
Well, now he had to make it work out. Even if Kaiba pushed him out, he would fight for the relationship he had gained with Mokuba… and even the CEO himself. Katsuya thought determinedly, finishing his shower and slipping back on his clothes. He wrapped his swimsuit in a towel and stuffed it in a grocery bag. He reached for the door handle, gripping to turn it open.
Then, he groaned and rested his head against the wooden surface. He forgot about the kiss. How was he supposed to become friends with the guy he was struggling to even look at?
Seto Kaiba walked down the stairs slowly.
His shower had been quick and thorough. He was wearing a white t-shirt and black joggers with a towel around his neck to catch the water dripping from his hair. He hadn't had time to really dry it as Mokuba claimed to want to play a game together before dinner. He shook his head in amused irritation. Only his brother could convince him to do such a thing.
He heard laughing from the living room and went that direction. As he stepped through the archway, he found Mokuba pointing out a few board games on the floor while Katsuya sat cross legged in front of the youth with a pillow on his lap.
Katsuya looked up to Kaiba as he entered, the gleeful smile on his face disappearing into a flush of embarrassment. Seto raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.
"Finally!" Mokuba said teasingly, following Katsuya's gaze and finding his brother. "You had such a long shower, Seto!"
The brunet merely rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall in response.
"Well, what should we play?" Mokuba asked happily. "We have Monopoly, Catan or Ticket to Ride."
"Uh, yeah," the blond scratched at his cheek timidly, no longer blushing, "I don't know how to play any of these."
"Don't worry! We can teach you!" the youth said joyfully, and his dark eyes sparkling mischievously. "Just don't expect to win."
"Wow, thanks for nothin'!" Katsuya exclaimed, tossing his pillow into Mokuba's face.
The high schooler laughed and threw back the pillow softly. "Sorry, Jou! We're just that good."
"Love that," the blond muttered quietly before saying with more volume : "Well, I'm down for whatever, as long as it's fun!"
Mokuba laughed lightly, "Deal! Okay, then, what should we play Seto?"
The brunet had watched the exchange thus far indifferently. He walked forward and sat on the floor smoothly, creating a triangle between him and the others. He ignored it when Katsuya seemed to flinch slightly as he did so. "Not Monopoly. That will take all night just to explain to the dimwit."
The blond glared at the CEO, clutching his pillow to his chest.
"Ticket to Ride it is then!" Mokuba chimed. The youth stacked the other two games and pushed them aside before presenting the game to Katsuya. Seto took and opened the box, setting up the game as the high schooler briefly explained how to play and win.
By the time the game ended, Kaiba smirked in victory. He ended with a score of 190 with Mokuba fairly close behind at 172. Katsuya had done better than the brunet expected with a score of 130, even getting the longest train somehow.
The blond flopped onto his back. "Darn! I lost but it was fun."
"Were you expecting anything different?" the CEO asked casually.
Katsuya just threw his pillow again and Kaiba snagged it effortlessly in the air with a chuckle as it headed for his face.
"What game next?!" Mokuba called out with a smile, putting away the pieces to Ticket to Ride.
"Well, it's getting late and we haven't eaten yet, Moki," the blond explained, sitting up to look at the youth.
"Aw," the high schooler whined before brightening with a thought. "What if we order pizza? Then we can play another game until bedtime!"
"Sure! I'd be down for that." Katsuya grinned.
Kaiba stifled a groan at the thought. He didn't even try to protest though. It would just make his younger brother disappointed and he would be convinced to do it anyway. He pulled out his phone and dialed the number for pizza, ordering a three meat and a hawaiian pizza with breadsticks.
After that, the group just had to decide upon another game and couldn't seem to agree until Katsuya made a suggestion.
"What if we play Truth or Dare?"
The Kaiba brothers glanced at each other.
"What? Bad idea?" The blond gave a sheepish smile.
"Actually," Seto started with a smirk, "I think it will be quite entertaining."
Mokuba nodded excitedly in agreement. "So who wants to start?"
"I would," the CEO's smirk widened considerably. "Jounouchi, truth or dare?"
The blond seemed to immediately regret suggesting the game. "Uh… dare?"
"I dare you to go up to the attic and find a bow. Return with it in your hair."
"What?!" the blond growled. "Why should I do that?"
"You're the one that asked for a dare, mutt. I can change it to a dog collar if you're so inclined." Kaiba's eyes twinkled in amusement.
Katsuya shot him a glare but stood and strode off without commenting. The businessman watched him go, cracking a smile after the blond was out of sight.
"Okay, it's your turn then Seto." Mokuba's eyes shined with mischief. "Truth or dare?"
The CEO frowned at the youth. "Dare."
His younger brother grinned, apparently pleased with his response. "Follow Jou and carry him back down princess-style after he finds the bow."
Kaiba shot Mokuba a disapproving look but stood with a sigh to go through with the task at hand.
End of Chapter 17
(A/N) I'm back! Sorry for the wait! Hope you're back and ready for more!