(A.N.) Herro, me again. I apologize for the OOC-ness in the previous chapter I was told to make minor personality changes to avoid "a crutch" but I will try as hard as I can to stay true to the characters this time. (Somewhere in the universe Seto Kaiba is cursing me out… "Stupid bastard… I don't do tickle fights")
"What is it?" Jou didn't know what in the world he was laughing about.
"Do you remember last week when she tried to demonstrate 'baseball'?" Jou busted out laughing, careful not to spew out the food he was eating.
"Makurama-sensei's face when he saw the broken window was priceless" Jou remarked after his laughing fit was under control. Seto furrowed his brow at the new piece of information.
"I wish I'd seen that, truly a 'Kodak moment'" Seto alluded to the quintessential 'American expression's' Ms. Jones recounted little more than a week ago. Jou chuckled at this new-found human side he'd experienced of Seto; however this was cut short by Mokuba's very loud announcement of the time.
"Seven-fifty! Seto! Seto, c'mon we gotta' go, homeroom starts in ten minutes!" Seto closed his eyes and sighed.
"I don't even want to think about what they're not teaching you in school." 'C'mon? Gotta?' Hel'l be writing lines for a week. He proceeded to get up and collect his briefcase turning back, not even the full way around, to Jou. "You ready?" He'd reverted to his unfeeling demeanor and melancholy stature as if he were no longer allowed to be otherwise in light of his younger brothers' announcement. Jou looked at him incredulously, awe-struck at the sudden change in Seto. What's his deal?
"Yeah man, my bag's at the door." Jou sauntered to his backpack in the foyer with a confused look plastered on his face. He reached the door and found Mokie flying past him with a piece of toast dangling from his mouth.
The limo ride to school was filled with a less than bearable silence. Seto was staring out the window, he donned his best royal blue, uniform coat and matching pants.
His brother munched on his toast while engrossed in the in latest Kaiba Corp technology, a hand-held dueling device capable of syncing-up with servers and users around the globe through the internet. This allows duelists to hone their skills with people in other countries who've developed their own methods or strategies. Or at least that's how Seto had explained it to him. It hadn't even hit the shelves yet.
Mokuba was only in "single-player mode". Pitted against a computer, at Seto's request; his exact words were. 'Mokuba if you are to take over Kaiba Corp. you'll need to know something about the games we create'
Mokuba's need to play at expert level, never quitting, came from his own internal desire to impress his brother. When Mokuba had finally vanished from the car, leaving Seto and Jou on their own, the silence became overwhelmingly awkward.
"So you're not even gonna' talk to me?" Jou waited for his answer with baited breath, but as Seto gave no indication of response Jou continued to vent his frustrations.
"Why are you different again- I mean the same- but wrong… Damnit Kaib' you know what I'm trying to say" Jou's eyes narrowed, fixed on Kaiba's every move; and yet Kaiba showed an utter disregard for Jou, pointedly staring out the window. It infuriated Jou to no end and he had no problems expressing it.
"What's your deal? Why are you a bastard again? I thought you were past that crap?" Seto looked up and gave Jou the 'Kaiba glare of death' but it wouldn't work this time, Jou was too confused, too pissed, too hurt.
"You're only ever nice when we're alone and now you're not even that. What did I do? I… thought you liked me." Seto closed his eyes and sighed once again. He was trapped, he had to answer him now or lose him. Could I live with that? Knowing that I pushed him away? No. Seto summed his courage, took in a breath and spoke.
"I like you… a lot, and to be honest… it's frightening. You're the only person I have feelings for. Look, I have a company to run, and at my age, that means I can't be distracted, by anything. At home is different, outside means I have to be on point, at the top of my game…" Jou looked at him for a minute.
"So what you're saying is: you don't like to be a bastard, 'cause you like me? And when you're in public, you have to be a bastard but at home you won't be?" Jou held his breathe waiting for Seto to speak again.
"Can you handle that?" Jou smiled, leaned over to Seto and pushed his lips against his. Kaiba didn't resist, he was surprised but returned his kiss with such fervor, and such longing passion that Jou thought it was another person. Another side of Seto awakened and took control, and apparently this had been waiting an eternity to do just this. When they finally broke apart for air Seto was the first to speak.
"You want to take this back to my place? We've already missed homeroom and I think Isono may be getting a bit uncomfortable." Jou didn't need time to think, didn't flinch or look away from Seto; a curt nod was his only response, and Seto needed only that before command Isono to drive them home.
Seto and Jou scarcely got in the door before they started sucking face. (A.N. Hehe) Seto started stripping Jou of his coat, next his t-shirt. He marveled at the boy before him, he had a nice build and a few modestly handsome muscles but Seto couldn't see anything passed the bruises, deep purple, some yellowing, some broke skin but all were wide and all looked painful.
"I didn't know they were that bad, we shouldn't-"
"I want to. They look worse than they feel. And," Jou took Seto's chin in his hand forcing Seto to look him in the eye. "Kaiba, I want this." Kaiba shook his head.
"I don't want to hurt you."
"I'll make sure you don't"
A.N. Okay so I suck at endings' but it's better than the 'mid-conversation fiasco of Chapter one' right? The blasphemous rumors part of this is that everyone at school will be talking about why the hell Jou and Seto decided to not show up on the same day. Please review! Let me know if this is an epic fail, tekudasai. Domo! ^.^