Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter Seven

"That was a stupid move!" Nori shouted at Jounouchi. The ballroom had cleared out, and Mokuba had been sent home while Kaiba stuck around for the damage report. "Do you have any idea what's they'll say about an answer like that?"

"I thought the... there's no..." Jounouchi laughed, but Nori didn't join him; Kaiba had to admit that he'd never seen her as riled as she was right then. It had only taken a little more champagne to throw Jounouchi's cognizance out the window. Luckily no one else had asked him questions. "No such... y'know, bad publicity."

"Except when you show up smelling like a wino and spouting the truth! This isn't some game! Regardless of how it's presented, Jounouchi, an openly gay CEO is a scandal, and you are going to be remembered in it for quite some time. If you want people to remember you as drunk and unhappy then that's fine by me!"

"Of course it is – as long as the guy who signs your paycheck gets rich. Couldn't afford to squeeze that tight ass in designer jeans on minimum wage, couldja, Nori?"

Kaiba had never seen Nori blow up – and never seen Jounouchi drunk enough to push her buttons. There'd always been a sort of playful decorum to them; once in a while Nori would say something to irritate him, or she'd get tired of trying to have a conversation with a drunk, but Jounouchi was always kind to pretty women.

Regardless, he'd never forget seeing his public relations agent backhand his drunken lover hard enough that his head snapped back. Jounouchi blinked, mouthing a small, "Ow," as he touched his cheek.

"He signs your paycheck too," she hissed. "You're nothing better than a common whore – and a spoiled one at that. You're a fool and you're cruel and I hope that when you crash, you crash hard." She took a deep breath, straightened out her posture, and addressed Kaiba with surprising calm; after a few words she managed to hold down the waver in her words. "Dinner was a success; I imagine the Sylph is going to headline a lot in the next week, probably longer. Congratulations, Seto-sama." She left them alone in the ballroom, and Kaiba took a moment to look Jounouchi over. Dressed up in a suit, hair done – he looked so nice, and he'd hit a low so bad that even Kaiba couldn't bring himself to rub the blond's nose in it.

"Kiss me," Jounouchi said solemnly, looking up with wide eyes that were half-hid behind his hair. God, he looked like he was dying; had Jounouchi always looked so sickly, or had it happened when Kaiba wasn't paying attention?

"Why?"

Jounouchi tried to whisper – it made him sound drunker. "Because Ms. Mae is trying to hide with a camera in the doorway behind us, and I'd be a bad whore and employee if I didn't offer her a juicy bit. Besides, she'll never get her interview."

"She's not getting a scoop tonight, either."

"She's got a scoop anyway," Jounouchi said, so exasperated, as though that was it. "There's not enough denial... you can't... She didn't miss that. Too late, anyway."

Again, all Kaiba could think to ask was, "Why?"

"Because she's already left."

--

US Weekly didn't print anything about Kaiba and Jounouchi the next day, or even the second, but Kaiba left a note to Nori that she'd want to keep an eye out. He didn't want to risk contacting them to shut Lynn Mae up; the last thing he needed was to piss off a reporter who could offer her story to anyone.

Meanwhile, the Sylph was a hit – two offers from Sega already, and they'd only seen the tip of the iceberg. Even Mokuba caught wind of rumors at school, and if grade schoolers were talking, then Kaiba had the system sold.

In the hustle of the final day before the release, Kaiba found it odd that he noticed Jounouchi's absence; since his spat with Nori the blond had been scarce – and for once, Nori didn't hound Kaiba about it. During lunch on the final day she asked, "Where's he at? He doesn't usually hide."

Shrugging, Kaiba only replied, "If he's smart, he's waiting for the Sylph to take over the media."

"I... I don't think the media is his issue," Nori said, kindly tossing a copy of US Weekly onto his desk. "That woman must have had some bargaining chip." On the cover, in the corner, was the picture Kaiba had remembered someone taking, the one of Jounouchi smiling. He had been right – it did look sweet.

"God damn it," Kaiba muttered, flipping to the appropriate page. There was a picture of Jounouchi and Kaiba in the ballroom – before the fight with Nori, when Kaiba had started scolding Jounouchi for his stupidity. It looked tame, compared to the fights they'd had. "I'll be damned, she really was there," he laughed, glancing at the article.

The media has put a lot of glitz and glamor on the relationship between Seto Kaiba, world famous CEO of Japan's Kaiba Corporation, and Katsuya Jounouchi, a kid from Domino City. At the pre-release dinner for the Japanese video game console, The Sylph, both Mr. Jounouchi and Mr. Kaiba answered questions about the console, games, finances, and their love life. Despite hints that the "love" is a facade, Mr. Jounouchi says, "We're a normal couple. Sure, we've had our fights, but we're happy."

"Hmph, happy," Kaiba snorted, closing the article. He didn't need to read anymore to know that it didn't say anything he needed to worry about – it looked like Jounouchi had done his interview, and he knew as well as Kaiba did that one of the provisions of his contract was his secrecy about the arrangement. He wasn't going to risk it, not for a nobody like Lynn Mae.

Kaiba was offering more than Lynn Mae or US Weekly ever would when it came to that scoop.

"Thank you, Nori; go ahead and focus on something else. There's more to be worried about than Jounouchi."

The punches didn't stop there; Seiji came in to congratulate him on surviving to the Sylph. Forever the backhanded complimenter, though: "If you're lucky, the fiasco with your lover will be forgotten in the next week. I really think you're going to have trouble regrouping if it doesn't."

Next came Takagawa – handing in her resignation. "On the eve of the release of this product," Kaiba said with an exaggerated calm, "you're quitting. We're going to be getting a lot of contracts in the coming months and years, Takagawa."

"I know that," she said, biting her lip. She looked guiltier than she should have. "I finished my spring cleaning, so at least my replacement won't have to worry about the old contracts. The system I set up is simple, so it'll be easy to teach. After the Sylph, I'm sure more people than ever will be lined up to work for you."

"And... dropping the smoke screen," Kaiba waved her letter at her, "about stress and family problems, exactly why are you quitting?"

"I... by the end of the night, I don't think you'll regret my decision. Seto-sama, you've been a good employer. You're scary and hard to work with, but there's not a company in town that takes such good care of it's employees. I don't deserve that." She scurried out, and Kaiba dropped her letter of resignation in the trash can. It was nonsense. With an aggravated growl Kaiba got his aspirin out of the desk drawer and took four, looking at the Sylph counter.

Thirteen hours.

--

"Welcome home, Seto-sama," the butler said at the door. It was unusual for the help to greet him at the door; he'd made it clear when he became the man of the house that he preferred it if they didn't. "Jounouchi is waiting for you in the pool room."

"Did he say why?" Kaiba asked, handing his briefcase to the man – might as well use the help if he had it.

"Only to speak to you there – privately."

Kaiba found Jounouchi sitting at the poolside, jeans rolled up to his knees with his feet dragging lazy lines through the water. "Welcome home."

"You lied about not giving Mae her interview."

Jounouchi didn't seem surprised at all. "I didn't go to her; I was cornered in an elevator at the hotel after you left."

Kaiba had gotten Jounouchi a room for the night with explicit instructions for the mini-bar to be emptied; the receptionist had set housekeeping up to do it immediately. Jounouchi had been given the key card and ordered to sleep it off. At that point, Kaiba had wanted nothing to do with Jounouchi, didn't want him in the mansion just so he could crawl into Kaiba's bed before morning, expecting...

"And when a pushy American offers to out you as a whore if you don't give her an interview – damn it, Kaiba, I had to own up to what kind of life I signed myself over to. She may not print it tomorrow, or even this year, but while I lied through my teeth we both knew she had the story of the year when she needed it."

Kaiba walked closer, stood just beside Jounouchi and looked down at the top of his head. It wasn't as shaggy; it looked like he had gotten a haircut. "You didn't mention the contract."

"You should know that no matter what I am, Kaiba, I've always been honorable," Jounouchi growled. "I'm not going to ruin you out of spite. But she doesn't need to know it was a contract to know that it wasn't about romance."

Kaiba took a step forward, then another until he was just at Jounouchi's back. "I'll have her honor if she prints it."

"Of course you will – you'll but in and out of anything you need to." Jounouchi looked up at Kaiba, traced a finger along his forearm. "For a second, though, try to imagine what I'll go through when that goes down."

"I can't drag myself to that level."

"Then let me help." A hand tight around his wrist – and then Kaiba was all but thrown into the pool, held down under five feet of water. He held his eyes open despite the chlorine, but the only light he was getting was from the pool's underwater lamps. No matter how he thrashed, Jounouchi kept a tight grip, and Kaiba knew for damn sure that at least one foot caught the blond in the stomach. Not one to waste energy, Kaiba stilled, and saw someone from underwater for the first time – Jounouchi was so distorted Kaiba barely recognized him except for his mop of hair and the jacket he was wearing.

That green jacket he'd had as long as they'd known each other. Kaiba hadn't seen it since they'd been together.

Without warning Jounouchi's lips were pressed to Kaiba's, first in a chaste kiss and then slowly, slowly his tongue pressed past Kaiba's lips – and he exhaled slightly, just enough for Kaiba to realize that Jounouchi – in some insane act that could have only made sense to him – was trying to breathe for him.

Then he yanked Kaiba above the surface --

And Kaiba punched him in the jaw before he gasped for air. To his surprise, Jounouchi didn't swing back. His face was turned away for a moment, but when he looked to Kaiba he didn't look angry.

"That how you made me feel," he said evenly. "It's the worst feeling in the world, because I'd have just let myself drown if you hadn't made it so exhilarating to struggle. Fuck, Kaiba... loving you made me wish I was dead more times than I care to count."

"Wait, this has nothing to do with – "

"I'm done, Kaiba. Tonight, we're destroying this."

"How – " Kaiba couldn't get the sentence out, interrupted by his own coughing, and Jounouchi didn't give him the chance to finish.

"I've got the contracts -- all five originals, and both copies. We're going out on on the grounds, out by the back wall. After tonight, this didn't happen."

It was such a wishful idea, a cowards way out, but being confronted by Jounouchi... When Jounouchi had been a passive enemy for so long, Kaiba couldn't say no. Jounouchi right then was so more like the Jounouchi he'd enjoyed fighting with, the Jounouchi whose absence he'd been wondering over... "Fine. Let me change clothes."

Kaiba changed quickly and met Jounouchi at the foot of the stairs. The blond nodded and said, "Follow me." As they walked to the back door, out over the grounds, Jounouchi continued his early train of thought: "You can buy your way out of the story when it breaks, but the rumor would stick, and it'd stick to me. I can't buy my way from this. All I can do is run from it, and hope it doesn't follow me."

"You can't erase the media, Jounouchi."

"No, but I can go beyond it. I can go right under the radar and be forgotten in a week. I don't even care what you tell people; tell them I stole off with some good looking housekeeper, for all I care. I'm leaving Domino tonight, Kaiba."

Kaiba smirked as they approached they're destination – a pile of clothing it looked like, but on further examination Kaiba recognized parts of it. The suit from the dinner, the outfit he'd been wearing when they signed the contracts, the quilt that had been such an eyesore, Jounouchi's pillow – and beside it all, a three-quarters full bottle of Jack Daniels. "This isn't a smart move, Jounouchi. You know how the contract ends – in return for your silence, you're going to be taken care of, given a regular... pension, if you will. Your living expenses and groceries would be covered; all you'd need was enough of a job to pay for your hobbies."

"That doesn't matter, Kaiba; I've saved enough of the money I've gotten from you now, and I can get a full time job. You should know I wouldn't rat you out for money, anyway. Money is the least of my concern." Jounouchi reached in his back pocket, producing a sheaf of papers that Kaiba hadn't noticed, carefully tri-folded. "Yuumi found Seiji's copy of the contract in the basement with the out-dated contracts, and his pet gave me his copy willingly, and stole Nori's. Tell her I'm sorry, by the way." Jounouchi handed a copy to Kaiba, kept one for himself, and in a random act of violence threw the rest onto the pile; they landed in a fold of the quilt. "Three witnesses and two copies, all right there. The only two left are your original and mine."

Kaiba didn't ask why he had Jounouchi's, didn't bother wondering if his was in the blond's hands. It was too obvious, too painfully cheesy. "So this is your solution – burn it all, and hope it'll go away. It's pathetic."

"It's the least of my dishonors. You won't suffer for it." Jounouchi leaned down to the bottle, gripping the neck – hesitating, just for a second before he upended the contents onto the pile, the reek of alcohol assaulting Kaiba's senses. Jounouchi tossed him a cheap Bic lighter. Kaiba caught it with one hand. "Cheers."

With the flick-click of a cheap lighter, the corner of the contract dangling from Jounouchi's fingers caught fire and after a moment Jounouchi dropped it onto the pile – Kaiba followed suit. Jounouchi sat near the base of the growing fire, watching in silence; Kaiba stayed on his feet, watching Jounouchi just as quietly. Firelight played on his features, lit his skin and colored his hair, flickering with the wind and catching his eyes. It almost looked as though Jounouchi himself was burning, and for a second that seemed alright.

It was what he had been asking for, after all.

"We coulda had a good time," Jounouchi said, not quietly but not loudly – and he didn't supplement the idea. After a bit the fire died down to smoldering embers, but they didn't leave until it was completely dead and cold. When the sun rose that morning, it caught Kaiba and Jounouchi sitting parallel, a cold darkened smear in the middle of bright green grass. Kaiba didn't know what drove him to stay; it just seemed wrong to leave prematurely.

"Congratulations," Jounouchi said softly, and Kaiba blinked, trying to piece it to any one part of the night. And then he remembered. How could he have forgotten?

It was the release date of the Sylph.

-end part I-

notes
So! This chapter is the chapter that built this whole story -- well, the pool scene. Originally, this was some lewd oneshot that dealt more with the sexual aspect of the relationship as being a prison, and it ended with this.

Obviously I don't know how to quit while I'm head. d

Much thanks to purkle for her time as a beta -- and making me feel good about this chapter with all of two lines, lol. Also, thank you to Clarity for pointing out that it would make sense for there to be a provision in the contract to ensure that Jounouchi would keep his mouth shut once all was said it done.