Story: Puppies and Dragons Don't Mix
Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.
Warning: Yaoi (boyxboy). May contain lime and/or lemon.
Pairings: Jou/Kaiba Possibly: Yami/Yugi Ryou/Bakura Otogi/Honda
Summary: Jou finds out that Kaiba is slowly destroying himself and desperately needs help. But why should he care? He's his worst enemy...right?
Symbols: "Talking" 'Thinking' -Scene Change- Chapter Start & End
Chapter 16: Bundt cakes are evil
"I have to go to work." Kaiba stated bluntly as they pushed through the ever growing crowd of kids. School had already ended. "Go play with your friends or something until I get back."
Jou, who was reading the next friendship assignment with growing horror exclaimed. "Look at this! They're making us bake. Bake, for heaven's sake!"
"Mutt, did you just hear anything I said?" Kaiba apathetically asked, not really in the mood to be angry at Jou's predictable behavior. "I thought dog's had good hearing."
"Huh?" Was the only reply he got.
"Ungh. Never mind. I'll tell you in the car." The front of the school was equally packed, many stressed and tired parents picking up their kids from school and blocking traffic. He stood for a full minute, scanning the lot for his scheduled limo, before he finally found it.
"Mutt, if you don't start paying attention, you'll get run over." Snapping at Jou who had bumped into him, still reading the damn sheet he had.
He looked up from the paper dazedly and caught glimpse of the swarming parking lot of cars and people. "Oh. Right. And don't call me mutt, Moneybags!"
Exasperated, Kaiba wondered if he should of let him find out on his own the dangers of crossing the parking lot. He began to walk towards his ride, hoping that the dumb blonde had enough sense to follow.
"Hey Kaiba, come here! Where are you going?"
Obviously not.
"To the car, inu!" He spat over his shoulder, putting a stress on the word car. "Stop day dreaming and get your ass over here!"
The idiot finally did.
-Kaiba's limo-
"I have to go to work." He said once again, the limo speeding down the road. "Can you call your friends or something until I get home?"
"No. They're all over the place. It'll be hard to contact them and even then..." Jou sighed, his face looking slightly disappointed. "This project is ruining my life."
"For once, I agree with you." Kaiba thought of all the work waiting to be finished at his office and groaned. What was he going to do?
"What if I go play with Mokuba?" Jou said, throwing ideas around. "I know he needs some playtime."
"Mokuba's at soccer practice till six." Kaiba leaned back, massaging his sore head and feeling exhausted. "And I'm not leaving you at the mansion alone. For the safety of it, of course."
"I figured that." Jou murmured resentfully. Think of all the stuff he could do.
"I suppose that you'll have to come with me." He dreaded the thought, but what else was he going to do? He didn't exactly want to drop Jou off at his apartment, having seen the state it was in, but he wouldn't admit to that. "Just get your homework done and be a good doggy."
The car slid to a stop before Jou could retort and they found themselves in front of Kaiba Corporation's immense skyscraper. He had to tilt his head all the way back to see the top and nearly fell over.
"Mutt, watch yourself." Kaiba took out his briefcase and started towards the huge double glass doors of the building.
The glass doors slid open and a receptionist greeted Kaiba warmly. He just brushed past but Jou grinned and waved. 'Why did Kaiba have to be so mean?' He ran to catch up with the CEO, who was nearly to the elevator, when a rather large guard jumped out of nowhere.
"What do you think your doing here, punk?" The oversized gorilla grunted, his hand noticeably covering his gun. "Get outta here before I-"
"He's with me so don't touch him." Kaiba grabbed the arm of the man rather roughly and pushed him away. Most of the attention had been focused on them now and Jou could see why. Kaiba never brought street scum into the office. He felt down at the thought. That was all they saw and judged him as.
"Mutt." Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked up at Kaiba. "I need to get my work done. Today."
Jou glumly nodded his head and followed Kaiba into the elevator, trying to ignore the dark stares of the people around him. He felt better, though, when he heard, before the doors shut, the receptionist say. "I think he's kinda cute."
-Kaiba's office-
As expected, Kaiba's office was at the top floor, secluded from everyone and also expected, it was huge. The only other person on that floor was a bored secretary who looked as if she'd rather be anywhere else. Her demeanor suddenly changed though when they both walked in.
"Hello, Mr. Kaiba." She chirped faithfully, her eyes sparkling. "I trust you are feeling better."
Her eyes then fell on Jou, who was standing awkwardly offside. The sheen and sparkle left instantly and a disappointed look replaced the cheerful one. She was used to having Kaiba all to herself.
"Hello." He smiled that fake smile he always had for people he couldn't stand. She was already getting on his nerves, her flirting with Kaiba and then how her she instantly judged him. Well, what else could he expect?
"Hello." She said, a hint of disgust carefully veiled within her words. Jou still caught it, though. Kaiba either missed it or was ignoring them because he didn't say anything, just continued to shuffle through a folder that had been neatly set at the girl's desk for him. He frowned.
"What's this? I don't recall asking for anything like this." He pulled out a pastel pink envelope covered in hearts and loopy handwriting that spelled the name, Seto.
"I put it in there, Mr. Kaiba. Though I'd appreciate it if you read it at your home." Blush had evenly spread her cheeks as she said it, and was unconsciously twirling a strand of her strawberry blonde hair. Somehow, this made Jou want to smack her.
Kaiba's expression revealed nothing. He didn't seem too eager about opening a love confession from his secretary so he just threw it back in the folder and moved on. Jou turned to throw the most scathing glare he could come up with at the girl, who looked too giddy for his taste. Why this made him so angry was beyond him. Who cared if she flirted with Kaiba? But he couldn't seem to control the intense hatred for her that was building in his chest.
"Mutt, come." Kaiba slid the keycard into the scanner, the door unlocking, and walked in. Jou followed, though getting a sense of satisfaction from the jealous look on his secretary's face, and shut the door as loud as he could without pissing off Kaiba. So he didn't trust his secretary enough to let her in his office but he was allowed in. This put an odd feeling in his stomach and he opted not to figure out what it was.
Upon entering, Jou was surprised that Kaiba trashed the folder she had given him immediately and sat down to his computer, firing it up. Jou, on the other hand, plopped himself down on the padded chair in front of his desk and set his feet up on the polished surface. This earned a pointed look and he removed them reluctantly.
"Hey you, can we finish the project here so I can just go home without worrying about anything besides you breaking something?" Kaiba's voice cut through the air and it took Jou awhile to realize it was him he was speaking too.
"Are you talking to me?" He asked rather stupidly and absently, his eyes on the ceiling as he tested how far he could tip back in the chair.
"No, it appears that you haven't noticed that there is a man that has been standing in the corner the whole time and that I am currently having a conversation with him." Sarcasm laced his voice as he rolled his eyes in mild annoyance. "Of course I'm talking to you, you idiot."
"Well…" Jou began as he set the chair upright again and glared at Kaiba. "It would be nice if actually used my name instead of 'hey you' or 'mutt' every once in awhile."
"Fine then, Jonouchi, can we finish the project at my office so I can relax as much as I can in your presence?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because we have to bake."
"Bake?"
"Yeah. A cake. Then we have to bring it to school tomorrow as proof."
He sighed, exasperated, and turned to his computer's screen. "My cook would do it but she would make me pay her overtime. And as much as I'd like to not come in contact with you after we go home, I'm not spending money for a damn cake."
"You're a billionaire and you not going to pay your cook overtime to save us hours of stress and fighting?" Jou was in awe. How stingy could one get?
"No. I've got to work now so would you please go amuse yourself for three hours until we have to go pick up Mokuba?" Kaiba snapped, determined to catch up a little bit on his missed work and deadlines.
Jou sat there for a few moments and stared at the brunette's concentrated face before exiting quietly from the office to bother some employees.
-Three hours later-
Rubbing his temples for the umpteenth time today, Kaiba sat back in satisfaction and admired the fact that most of his work was complete. 'Now to find where the puppy has gone off too.' He thought as he shut down his computer and stacked the loose papers that had been scattered across his desk into a neat pile. 'I wonder if he's gotten himself into any trouble.'
He stood up and strode towards the door, flipping open his cell. "Tell Jonouchi to meet at the entrance if he knows what's good for him." Without waiting for the expected "Hai, Seto-sama", he snapped it shut and left his office, ignoring his coy secretary's farewells.
-Somewhere else-
Hearing that he was needed in the front, Jou now meandered away from the desk of the receptionist and said bye to the small crowd he had attracted to it. Kaiba's employees were much more relaxed and fun without the CEO there and they all warmed up to him after they had gotten to know him a little. The three hours actually hadn't gone that bad.
He strolled through the glass doors and outside, the air a little sweeter than normal until a certain person chose to show up and covered the sun in dark clouds. Well, not as bad as normal at least.
"Hey Kaiba. Are we leaving now?" Jou grinned as cheerfully as he could around the icy teen. He was looking oddly serene though, like he was actually approachable.
"Why the hell would we be out here if we weren't?" Maybe not. After all, appearances can be deceiving. "Actually, before we go to the house, we've got to pick up Mokuba."
"Okay." They stood there for a few moments in silence, unable to find anything to say, until the limo slid up beside them. As they both climbed in, Jou couldn't help but think that they were becoming at bit more civil to each other, if not distant friends. The last part kinda freaked him out. Friends with Kaiba? Who woulda thunk?
"Jonouchi."
His name jerked him out of his dream like trance he was in and caused him to sharply turn towards Kaiba, a loud crack in his neck sending pain signals shooting up to his brain. "What?"
Kaiba sat in momentary silence at Jou's recent actions before choosing his words carefully. "I never thought using your name would have this sort of effect on you."
Jou sheepishly rubbed his sore neck and peaked out from under his bangs. "Yeah…just surprised that's all."
"I see." Kaiba said indifferently, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "What I meant to say was that is that all we really have to do for our project? Bake a cake?"
"Well…there are specifics. Like, it has to be a chocolate macaroon Bundt cake with chocolate glaze." Seeing Kaiba's bemused expression he waved his hands in the air. "Don't ask me what the hell a Bundt cake is. I think it's American."
"American huh? Well, that explains everything." He touched his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "So, on top of everything else, we have to research this Bundt cake and buy all the necessary materials. I'm going to kill that teacher."
"When you do, I'll have your back." Jou leaned back into the seat and yawned. "I just hope we aren't up all night."
"Hmmm, we possibly will be." He glanced out the window. Why did it please him so much when he heard that Jonouchi would back him up? It meant nothing. The kiss came suddenly and clearly to him and he closed his eyes in dismay. 'That meant nothing too. It was a stupid mistake.' He opened them up to find themselves slowing in front of Mokuba's elementary school. "We're here."
Mokuba, who was breathless and his face tinged pink, came running up to the car. "Hey Seto and Jou." He gasped out when Kaiba opened the door. He waved briefly to his friends and got in, leaving the driver to struggle with his soccer gear. "Did you guys have a good day?"
"It was fine. And you?" Kaiba smiled slightly at his brother's change in expression. From bright to stormy. How his emotions swung.
"Oh, it was terrible! First this girl in my class…" Mokuba then proceeded to tell his whole school day from beginning to end, animating it with his hands and expression, and entertaining both of the older teens. Jou sat back in his chair and listened with interest, wishing he could have more days like this.
-Kitchen-
They now sat in the airy kitchen, counters gleaming and neat rows of cutlery set in cabinets. The cook was a perfectionist for sure.
Kaiba had brought in his laptop and now sat in front of it, brow furrowed in concentration and kept running his fingers through his now tousled hair. Jou fought the urge to ruffle it himself and instead decided to just annoy him with his questions.
"Have you found out what a Bundt cake is?" He innocently asked as he went around to read over Kaiba's shoulder.
"Yes." He hissed back, hair bristling on his neck. "But it's the most idiotic way to make a cake I've seen by far."
"Why?" Jou tried to decipher what was on the screen, but it was all in English.
"Well, first we need a special pan and then when you have finished the batter, you pour it in and bake it upside down, flipping it right side up when it is fully cooked which of course means that there is a high percentage that it will stick or fall apart." Kaiba rubbed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "Luckily for us, my cook is prepared for all sorts of weird cooking experiences and already has the pan we need."
He stood up, nearly knocking over Jou, and shut his laptop, setting it on the dining room table in the next room. Explaining with his eyes that he wanted his laptop a safe distance from them, he handed Jou the written directions to make the cake. "Let's start looking for what we need."
-Sometime later-
"Okay…I found…the pan." Jou panted between breaths. He had never thought in his life how hard it would be to find a simple pan. But it had been amongst thousands it seemed and he had searched almost every cabinet.
"I've found all the ingredients except for the baking soda." Kaiba looked cool and composed but in reality he was just as tired as Jou. "Where in the hell would she keep the damn baking soda?"
"I dunno. But…I'm tired." Jou set the pan on the counter along with the other bowls and spoons before sitting down for a nice break. "Let's just forget the baking soda."
"No. I've got to find it." He was frustrated and angry and wanted to slaughter his cook for having so much crap in her kitchen. "It has to be here somewhere."
He yanked open a cabinet with such force that it knocked over a package of flour inside which landed right on his head.
Poof! Jou saw in amazement a white cloud explode next to him and began settling on every surface available, giving the impression that it had just snowed in the kitchen. It wasn't until the haze cleared though, when he started laughing.
Kaiba, covered in a thin layer of colorless dust, stood astounded his hand still on the cabinet handle, no doubt working out what just happened. Jou, meanwhile, was weak in the knees and doubled over in laughter.
Looking up, Kaiba saw in disgust a container of baking soda nestled in between two more flour bags. How very convenient. He pulled it out with what little dignity he had left and set it on the counter, turning to glare at Jou, who was still howling in amusement.
"That's…that's the best…thing that has happened…in a long time!" He said between bouts of laughter, gripping the edge of the counter to keep from falling. "That was wonderful!"
"Jonouchi. Stop laughing or someone might get hurt." Kaiba commanded, though it had no effect.
"No way…I can't!" He came up from over the counter to face Kaiba and laugh some more, but he barely had turned his head when something came flying at it and burst into a powdery mess. He sat in shock on the stool while he realized what had just happened and he couldn't believe it.
He too was now ghostly pale and had a fine sheet of flour covering his skin. Looking up with wide eyes at Kaiba, Jou stuttered. "W…why did you do that?"
Kaiba just, incredibly, smiled at Jou's predicament. "Why should I be the only one to enjoy having flour all over myself?"
-Later-
After shaking out all the flour from their clothes and hair and sweeping up the kitchen, they finally started. It was roughly ten when they did and Jou was glad that they had had dinner before they started. Though both Mokuba and Jou had to force Kaiba to sit down and eat with them.
They worked as quick as they could, making a temporary truce, and finally the cake was in the oven. Jou sat down, exhausted and covered in cake batter, and Kaiba sat across from him, too tired to hide his fatigue any more.
"Well, that wasn't too bad was it?" Jou tried to be upbeat but a glare from Kaiba told him that this wasn't the time. "It was terrible, wasn't it?"
"Yes. We need to clean up, then make sure the damn thing doesn't fall apart when we turn it out, and then glaze it. For once, I'm going to have to skip my late night work to sleep." Kaiba rested his head in his hands and groaned. "I'm so behind too."
They started cleaning, Kaiba washing the utensils and Jou replacing everything back among the shelves. They cleaned the counters and floor, setting out the rack to cool the cake on and finally heard the bell ding, signaling that it was done.
After burning himself twice, Jou finally managed to get it out of the oven and let it cool for ten minutes before allowing Kaiba to try and turn it out. He held his breath as the delicate dessert slid out from the pan and landed neatly on the rack. They both sighed in relief.
By the time it was glazed, packaged, and set off to the side where it would be safe, Jou nearly toppled over from deprivation of sleep. Shutting off the lights, he turned towards Kaiba and nearly smiled. He didn't look like the icy, poised guy that he normally was but instead weary and aggravated, his emotions showing clearly. He was human.
"What are you staring at?" Kaiba scowled at him who continued to gaze.
"You. You're human you know. I realized that a few days ago." Jou smiled sleepily and scratched his rumpled hair. "Also, when you finally make a mistake, it's hilarious."
Kaiba's scowl darkened and he turned away rather suddenly. "I'm going to bed. Make sure you don't sleep in those clothes, Jonouchi."
As he climbed the stairs and went to his room, Kaiba thought of this night's past events and incidents. Even though he was worn-out and irritable and even though he was forced to work with Jonouchi all night, he knew that deep down, he had had a hell of a time.
End of Chapter 16Author's notes: I despise Bundt cakes. I tried to make one a while back and it ended up in pieces all over the cooling rack. I think I might have gone berserk because I don't remember much after that. Yeah. So, I know this story has gone agonizingly slow so far especially with me updating so infrequently. Next chapter or the one after that I'll start to screw with time and speed things up a bit. It's the 16th chapter and they've only kissed once (which really didn't count) and have just barely begun to realize what their feelings are for each other. I personally like it when the author draws it out but it is probably rather annoying to you poor reviewers. Sorry. Anyways, thanks for the reviews by the way. They were wonderful. While I was stuck on this chapter I wrote another story (a short one) and posted it up here. So if you haven't read it, I would very much appreciate that you would even though it is rather…I dunno. I hope you liked this chapter and review. I love reading them and have them all saved in my inbox so if I'm feeling insecure about my writing, I just go and read them. Pathetic I know but it works. Lol. See you next chapter.