Love Shack
Love Shack
By
Hideki LaShae
Chapter Three
"He knows that you're Jou's Yami. I told him on Monday while Jou was giving you that day's homework," says Mokuba, "I wanted him to help me convince you to… to do what would be best for you and Jou in a manner that would hopefully not hurt either one of you."
Seto sighs. "Fine. I'll need to set up a meeting with him. He already knows so he should hear about my feelings for his best friend from me. If he sees I'm sincere, perhaps he'll help me seduce Jou."
"Seduce?"
"Into our lives forever," says Seto.
"One kiss changed your entire outlook, didn't it?" Mokuba smiles.
"It wasn't that difficult for him. I never thought he was that innocent… I guess there's a lot about Jou that I don't know, and now I want to learn."
"Great! Jou's a wonderful guy once you get to know him! I'll go give Yugi a call and set up a meeting with him. When do you want it?"
"As soon as possible, Mokuba."
Mokuba nods and runs off to make his phone call. He grabs the kitchen phone and looks at the list of emergency numbers on the side of the refrigerator. He finds the number for 'Imminent World Danger' and dials it.
Kame Game Shop. How can I help you?
"Oh. I'm glad it's you, Yugi!" exclaims Mokuba, "This is Mokuba."
Hey, what's up, Mokuba? You normally don't call unless it's an emergency, comes Yugi's voice on the other line.
"I know, but this is an emergency. I need to talk to you in person. Can you come by the mansion?" asks Mokuba.
Yeah! Of course I can! When?
"Right now? Please!"
Okay. I'm on my way.
"And Yugi… come alone! This has to remain secret!"
It will, Mokuba. I'm on my way. I'll see you soon! Click.
"Thanks," says Mokuba to the empty air. He hangs up the phone, but he lifts it again and quickly dials the internal extension for security. "This is Mokuba. My friend, Yugi from the Kame Game Shop, will be arriving soon. Instruct him to go to the living room and let him in immediately. Don't bother calling anyone before you let him in."
Yes, sir!
Mokuba hangs up the phone again and bustles around the kitchen in the process of making tea and finding the tiny cookies to accompany it. He places everything on a tray when it's ready, and he carries it into the living room.
"I take it he'll be here any minute now."
"Mokuba! I'm here!" calls Yugi, and a moment later he walks into the living room. He bows politely to Seto and Mokuba. "Good morning, Kaiba. What's the emergency?"
"Feel free to sit," says Seto.
"I made some tea," says Mokuba starting to pour up three small bowlfuls.
Yugi sits down and takes the tea bowl when Mokuba passes it to him. "Um… I'm confused. Is this an emergency or a social call?"
"Both," says Mokuba sitting back with his own tea.
"So…"
"Have you spoken to Jou lately?" asks Seto.
Yugi's entire body tenses and he sets his tea bowl down forcefully. "I haven't spoken to him since yesterday. He was really excited about his date."
"I wasn't planning on going last night," says Seto, "I intended to just stand him up. He would eventually understand that I'd broken up with him."
Yugi clenches his hands into fists. "So you brought me here to tell me how you broke Jou's heart?"
"No," says Mokuba, "That's the thing. I pressured Seto to go and break up with Jou in person!"
"But he managed to kiss me before I could say a word," says Seto, "and I couldn't break up with him after that. No matter whom he is when he's not with me, he's still my Hikari when he's by my side. And I love Hikari."
"Huh?" Yugi's eyes widen and he unclenches his fists in his surprise.
"I thought you were the intelligent one in your group!" exclaims Seto before drinking half his tea. He sets the bowl down and stares directly into Yugi's amethyst eyes. "I'm quite surprised that I didn't figure out who Hikari was on my own, but I didn't think my quiet Hikari could be the loud-mouthed Jou. I can now see all the signs of Jou in Hikari. Motou, I'm in love with Jou."
"Oh, shit!"
Mokuba covers his ears and glares at Yugi. "Oh, Gods! I've been scarred for life! I heard Yugi cussing!"
Yugi blushes.
"I need your help, Motou. Jou doesn't know I'm his Yami," says Seto, "and I know I haven't treated him well in the past. He won't take kindly to the news… And I sort of promised him we'd have sex tonight if we could go the entire night without alcohol."
"You've got to get him to drink then! If you have sex now and then he finds out who you are, he'll hate you! He'll feel like you played him, raped him," says Yugi, "You can't have sex with him until he knows who you really are!"
"Why did you even promise him that?" asks Mokuba grabbing one of the cookies and stuffing it in his mouth.
"I needed to get his mind off the idea of me screwing him right then and there!" explains Seto, "He was really horny, and he didn't want to take no as an answer. I didn't want to hurt him by giving him what he was asking for so I told him we could have sex tonight if we stay sober and still want to."
"Then you have to drink tonight or get a headache or something! Just don't get so drunk that you forget not to have sex with him tonight," says Yugi.
"I'm hoping that in the light of day he realizes how fast we're going and decides not to push it," says Seto.
"I love Jou like a brother, and I would never wish to say anything bad about him," says Yugi, "But he's not that bright. You're giving him too much credit, Kaiba. Once he gets an idea in his mind, that's it."
"So you're saying I have to be strong enough for the both of us?" asks Seto.
Yugi nods.
"Fuck!"
"Seto!" Mokuba covers his ears with his hands. "No cussing! What kind of example are you setting for me?"
"I don't know how long I'll be able to refuse his advances. If he wasn't Jou he'd probably be upstairs in my bed right now," says Seto, "If Jou didn't hate me…"
"He might not hate you…"
Seto raises an eyebrow.
"You've always put him into defensive-protective mode, and yes, he attacks you as much as you attack him," says Yugi, "It gives him a thrill. Once he knows that you're his Yami, you two will have a fiery, passionate relationship, but don't worry, he'll still show you Hikari."
Mokuba lowers his hands. "So how do we get Jou to like Seto?"
"Gradually. First step, don't call him a mutt anymore. Call him Jou," says Yugi, "Can you do that?"
"I need to," says Seto.
"Okay, call him Jou all Monday. You can continue to fight with him, but no dog jokes!" orders Yugi, "I'll come by after school on Monday, and we'll talk about what to do next."
"Phase one. Know the target's name," says Seto nodding, "You might want to talk to him today. Find out what he thinks about our date last night."
Yugi nods. "Yeah, and I have work to do at the Game Shop as well so I should get going."
"Okay, I'll show you out," says Mokuba.
Yugi and Mokuba both stand.
"I'm only going to say this once, Motou…"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you, Yugi."
"I'm not doing it for you, Kaiba. I'm helping you win over Jou because I think it will be beneficial to you both," says Yugi, "I happen to want to see my best friend happily in love. You being that way are just a side effect." He walks to the door and stops. He doesn't turn around as he adds, "I'd help you even if Hikari wasn't Jou because you're my friend too, and I want to see you happy also."
Seto smiles slightly.
Yugi walks out of the room with Mokuba.
"My brother's an idiot, isn't he?" asks Mokuba.
"No. He's simply in love," says Yugi, "and people do all sorts of stupid and crazy things when they're in love."
"Have you ever been in love, Yugi?"
"Yes, Mokuba. I have. I'll see you on Monday," says Yugi heading out of the mansion and starting his walk back home. He's just arriving back home when he sees a familiar mop of blond hair heading his way. He waves. "Hi, Jou!"
"Hi, Yugi!" I exclaim as I reach his side, "Do you have some time? I'd love to talk to you!"
"I have some work to do for Grandpa, but you could probably help me with it," says Yugi smiling, "and we could talk while we work!"
"Okay!" I smile back. "But afterwards, you're treating me to a milkshake!"
"Deal," says Yugi holding the door open for me.
I walk in, and Yugi follows.
"Grandpa, we'll be working in the backroom," says Yugi.
"All right."
"Come on, Jou," says Yugi taking my hand and pulling me into the back room, "What's up? How was your date?"
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." I blush and sit down on the floor beside Yugi.
Yugi passes me a catalog. "We need to put in a new order. You remember how it goes, right?"
"Yeah. I remember."
"What about your date?"
"Yami was late. I sat there alone for fourteen songs," I say, "Then he showed up… while I was wondering if he was even going to come. He apologized, and we went out to dance. He was very touchy-feely last night. It was like he couldn't get enough of touching me."
Yugi smiles. "And?"
"I kissed him. For a minute there, I thought I had totally fucked up! But then he kissed me back. He thinks I'm beautiful!" I giggle giddily. "We were kissing, and he got aroused! He went to the bathroom, and when he came back he brought to drinks. We normally only split one, and we just meant to taste it to see if we like it. We drank them both."
"Jou, you know you don't handle alcohol well," scolds Yugi.
I blush and look embarrassed. "I remember going onto the dance floor… no, he just mentioned dancing… There was a bathroom and I… I released. Then I kissed him… I seem to remember him saying he'll pick me up tonight, but I don't remember when."
"Oh, dear!"
"It'll be fine though. I normally get ready way early so that I can take the bus to the club," I explain, "so I'll just stick to that schedule and wait for him to drop by."
"Will your dad be home?"
"Maybe. He had a date last night, and he wasn't home this morning so it either went really well or horribly bad…"
"Would you introduce the two if your dad's there when Yami comes to pick you up?"
"Yeah. Why not?"
"Well, maybe because you don't know his real name," says Yugi.
"I may not know his name, but I know his heart," I say, "and that's enough for me."
"Okay, Jou… Any other concerns?"
"You know I love him, but I've never told him. He's never said he loves me although I'm pretty sure he does. We share a lot of interests… Duel Monsters and stuff. I just don't know where we go from here," I say quietly, "Will we still be together in the future? Is there any hope for a long relationship?"
"There is hope as long as you want it," says Yugi.
"I was so afraid… as I was sitting there alone last night waiting for him to come. I was afraid that he wasn't coming… that I wouldn't get my chance to kiss him or tell him how I feel, but I'm also afraid to tell him. I know that he must surely love me." I sigh. "He isn't the type of person to just do something for no reason. He wouldn't keep seeing me if he didn't love me, but…"
"But what?"
"But what if our love fades?"
"Don't let it."
"Easy for you to say!"
"Easy for you to do. If you ever feel the spark leaving, then it's time to do something new to fan the flames. Live out a fantasy with him. Role-play. Have fun. Experiment," says Yugi, "Sound easy?"
I smile. "Yeah. Thanks, Yug! Now let's get this order done. I want my milkshake before I have to go get ready for my date!"
"Sure, Jou!"
"You're going out again tonight?" asks my father as I enter the kitchen to dye my hair.
"Yeah. He's taking me out to dinner first," I say as I start to make up the Kool-aid.
The doorbell rings.
"Are you expecting anyone?" I ask.
"No. I have another date myself," says my father.
The doorbell rings again.
"I'm coming!" I call as I abandon my preparations and start towards the door. I pull the door open and gasp.
There you stand... smiling at me and holding the prettiest bouquet of flowers I've ever seen. "I've always thought blonds were beautiful."
"Huh?" I look at you in confusion.
Your hand reaches up to play with a strand of my golden hair. "So your natural color is blond? How do you change it to red?"
"Kool-aid. It attaches to my hair nicely and washes out easily," I say.
"May I come in now, Hikari?" you ask.
I blush and step back to let you inside.
"I'm sorry for coming so early, but I was anxious to see you," you whisper as you pass me to get inside.
"You're not the only one anxious." I close the door.
"Who was it?" asks my dad coming in from the kitchen. His eyes are immediately drawn to you. "Hello… and you would be?"
"I'm Yami. I came to pick up my darling for our date; although I see I will have to wait for him," you say glancing over at me as you say your final words.
"I'm Jou's father. You can call me Jounouchi-san," says my father, "You'd better hurry and get dressed, Jou. I'll keep Yami company."
"Don't scare him away, dad!" I plead.
"I won't."
"Don't dye your hair tonight," you say.
I nod and head off to finish dressing.
"I'm glad I finally got to meet you, Yami," says Jounouchi, "Let's get these flowers in water."
"Yes, sir," says Seto politely, "Has your son told you much about me?"
"Not much but it's all been good. He's unusually quiet after he's been with you," says Jounouchi leading Seto into the kitchen. He pulls down an ornate vase and starts filling it with water. "And to think, my ex-wife thought this would go to waste here!"
"I'm glad it's not. It's very beautiful. It looks antique. Is it a family heirloom?" asks Seto.
"Yes. It first belonged to my great-grandmother. I didn't want my ex-wife to have it so it was part of our divorce settlement," says Jounouchi as Seto helps him arrange the flowers in the vase, "I thought to maybe give it to Shizuka when she married unless Katsuya would find a lover who would give him lots of flowers."
"He won't be finding a lover other than myself," says Seto, "but I don't mind bringing him flowers every week. I like to make him happy."
"Good." Jounouchi places the filled vase on the table. "Now, honestly… Have you had sex with my son?"
"No, I haven't. We just shared our first kiss last night. I don't believe in rushing a relationship," says Seto, "I care for Jou very much, but I think our relationship needs to be on more solid ground before we have sex."
"Can I have your word that you won't hurt him?"
"I can't promise you that. I can only promise you that I am doing everything within my power not to cause him any undue harm," says Seto.
"That will have to do," says Jounouchi, "but if you ever hurt him on purpose… I'll kill you."
"If I ever hurt him on purpose, I will welcome death," says Seto, "Your son is very special to me. He is the only light I see. That's why I call him Hikari."
"And there he is now," says Jounouchi as I step into the room.
My make-up looks good even though I applied it hastily. I wear the same leather pants as last night. They show off my waist and crystal tattoo nicely, especially in combination with the sleeveless, mid-riff baring button-down shirt I wear.
"Your shoe is untied, Jou."
"Thanks, Dad!"
You quickly kneel down in front of me and tie my laces for me.
I can't help the vision of you sucking me from flashing through my mind, and I blush.
"Now you be gentle with Jou, Yami," says my father catching sight of my blush.
"I will be," you say standing up. "Are you ready to go now? We have dinner reservations."
"I'm ready!" I exclaim.
"Where's your jacket? You might need it when we leave the club," you say.
I grab my jacket from the closet. "Have fun on your date, Dad!"
"You too, Jou."
I let you guide me out of the house and into your car.
You climb into the driver's seat. "It's nice to meet you, Jounouchi Katsuya."
"What gave me away? The hair or my dad?"
"Both."
"So now you know who I really am. Are you disappointed, Yami?"
"The only thing I'm actually disappointed in is that I've been with you, or at least near you, for more than a half hour," you say leaning towards me, "and I haven't been able to kiss you yet."
I close my eyes and pucker my lips.
You press your lips to mine and kiss me slowly. "Do you mind if I still call you my Hikari?"
"I like being called your Hikari." I blush.
You pull away from me and start the engine.
The warning bell reminds us to buckle up, and you slowly drive us away from my house.
"I must confess though…"
"Huh?"
"I feel slightly inadequate having such a wonderful Duelist as a boyfriend," you say, "I'm a decent Duelist myself, but I'm not even in your league."
"Yes… you are, Yami," I say quietly, "Where are we having dinner?"
You smile as you look over at me. "Kokomo."
My eyes widen. "Kokomo? Really? Have you any idea how expensive that place it?"
"Don't worry about it! I have money. My family owns stock in Kaiba Corp," you say as you pull up in front of the restaurant, "You can eat to your heart's content, and I won't need to worry about paying for it. "Don't worry."
"Are you sure?" I ask as the valet opens the door for me.
"Positive."
I climb out of the car, and you join me on the sidewalk a moment later.
You pocket the ticket from the valet and take my hand. You pull me inside.
"Am I even dressed right for this restaurant?" I whimper.
"You look beautiful," you whisper stepping up to the podium, "Reservation for two."
"Name, sir?" asks the man in a formal black suit lifting his pen and looking at them professionally but not exactly pleasantly.
"Yami Yinyang."
The Maitre D's eyes widen slightly as he sees the name in his book. He smiles wide. "Right this way, sir!"
I squeeze your hand as we follow the Maitre D' to a comfortable booth, and we slip in.
"Would you care for anything to start?"
"We need a moment," you say.
"Enjoy your evening." The Maitre D' bows slightly and walks away.
"What was written in that book?"
"Oh, just ten or twelve Yen signs. I mentioned that I'm a large tipper when I called in the reservation, and that I'm a bit eccentric," you say, "You won't get any more looks about your clothes now."
I rest my head on your shoulder. "Thank you."
You wrap one arm around my waist, and your other hand grabs a small but thick menu from the center of the table. You open it one-handed. "Would you like wine with dinner?"
"I've never drunk wine before. I don't know if I like it," I say blushing.
"Why don't we talk to the house wine specialist and set up out menu with him?" you ask, "He should be able to help us pick a wine you will enjoy."
"Okay."
You hold up your hand and nod your head.
A waitress in a simple black dress with a white sash steps up to our table. "Are you ready to order?"
"Not yet. We would like to speak to the house sommelier if he's available," you say.
"I will send him over." The waitress smiles before walking away.
"You're very beautiful tonight, Hikari. Thank you for agreeing to come to dinner with me," you say pulling me over to your side.
A man steps up to our table. "Good evening. I am the house sommelier. Can I help you select a wine to go with your meal?"
"We were hoping you could help us with everything actually," you say, "My companion has never tasted wine before, and I want him to enjoy our meal to its fullest."
"I see," says the sommelier looking towards me, "and what sorts of drinks do you normally enjoy?"
"Juice, soda, plain water sometimes," I say.
"I believe you would probably prefer a sweet wine versus a dry wine, and we have an excellent selection to offer," says the sommelier, "What do you think you might want to eat this evening?"
I grab your knee under the cover of our table.
"We were thinking a full meal, appetizer, dessert," you say, "You don't have any food allergies, do you, Hikari?"
"Not that I know about."
"Do you like chicken?" asks the sommelier, "We have a wonderful herb chicken that we just added to the menu."
"That sounds nice," I say smiling, "Maybe with something chocolate for dessert. I love chocolate!"
"I think you would enjoy the chocolate raspberry torte. It follows the chicken well," says the sommelier, "and I think maybe you should start with a butternut squash soup or a salad. It would go very well with the Chateau Blanc that I would suggest for you."
"I'm thinking both would sound nice," I say.
"Shall I call the waitress over?"
You nod.
The sommelier catches the eye of our waitress, and she hurries over. He speaks to her for a moment, ordering the wines to be served with each course of dinner.
You speak to the waitress next, ordering our meal and asking for both the soup and the salad for our appetizer.
The waitress nods and walks away with the sommelier.
"Hikari, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Yeah, of course! Ask me anything!"
"What's your favorite dragon?"
"Didn't I tell you last night? The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is my favorite." I blush.
"But don't you have a Red-Eyes Black Dragon in your deck?" you ask. You look at me with raised eyebrows and curious, confused eyes.
"I do have a Red-Eyes, and I do love it very much. I know it should be my favorite, but you remind me of the Blue-Eyes. Because of you, that dragon is my favorite," I say, "Does that bother you?"
"No. That pleases me," you say smiling, "One more question… What do you think of the owner of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards? Kaiba Seto?"
"He's an ass!" I growl. "And I don't want to talk about him! Tonight is about us. Let's leave him out of it!"
"Sore subject I see."
"I go to school with him. He's always calling me a dog and trying to instigate fights with me. He always disses me about my dueling skills," I say, "He does everything he can to make me feel like shit!"
"I'm sorry." You kiss me quickly.
"What are you apologizing for? It's not like you said all those horrible things!"
"I'm sorry for bringing it up. You don't need to be thinking about something that causes you pain," you say, "Especially not tonight."
Is it too early to say I love you?
You look at me curiously. "What?"
Did I just say that out loud? I return your curious look. "What, what?"
"You just looked very intense there for a moment, like you wanted to say something," you say.
Thank gods! I smile. "I was just thinking about how much I enjoy spending time with you, Yami."
"I also enjoy spending our time together, Hikari," you say smiling at me before kissing me again, "You are very special to me."
"Yami, I…"
"Your wine, sirs," says our waitress appearing out of nowhere with a wine bottle and ice bucket.
Love you, finishes my mind as my voice falls to the floor. I watch you smell the cork and swirl a little wine in your glass before taking a sip. You pass the glass to me so I can sip it.
"Do you like it?"
"It's different. I don't know yet," I say honestly.
You nod to the waitress. "Thank you."
The waitress pours up glasses for the both of us and leaves us the bottle.
I take another tentative sip of my wine. "It's interesting. I'll give it that."
You smile at me. "You're adorable!"
I blush.
"Do you think I could challenge you to a duel sometime?"
"Of course you know I'll say yes!" I smile happily. "I would love to duel against you sometime! I'll see for myself what league you're in!"
"You'd go easy on me though, wouldn't you?" you ask.
"Only if you want me to!"
"I'll challenge you to a duel sometime soon then," you say, "I'm going to try to get a few more cards for my deck before I go against a duelist of your caliber." You smile sweetly.
Just one look at your smile, and my heart melts into a puddle of goo at our feet. I lean into you and pucker my lips invitingly.
You catch my lips with yours and don't release my mouth for several long moments. You gaze into my eyes as you pull away slightly. "Bon appetit!"
"Huh?"
"The soup's here," you whisper.
I blush as I realize our waitress must have witnessed us making out, so I turn my attention to the bowl in front of me. I see you lifting a spoon to start on your own food.
We eat in companionable silence for a moment.
"So which dragon is your favorite, Yami?"
You still for a moment with a spoonful of soup halfway to your lips. You lower the spoon back to your bowl. "My favorite dragon is the Blue-Eyes, but you remind me of the Red-Eyes, and I care for you deeply. The Red-Eyes is fast making an attempt at the top spot in my heart."
"So is there a little Blue-Eyes in your life?"
"My brother. What would your sister be if she were a Duel Monster?"
"I don't know. I've got to think about that one," I say, "Maybe Soul of Purity and Light… Maybe Curse of Dragon… She'd kill me if I said Kuriboh!"
You laugh. "She sounds very special!"
"Oh, she is!"
"Where is she now?"
"She lives with our mother in Hokkaido," I say, "We send each other at least one letter a month."
"What about email?" you ask, "Do you talk that way much?"
"Email!" I scoff. "I'm not very good at all that technical stuff. I must sound pretty stupid to you. I can figure out a duel disc, but I keep crashing computers when I try to get on one of them!"
"You've never owned a computer, have you?" you ask as you watch me finish my soup.
I blush and shake my head.
"Then it isn't stupid." Your hand finds my face and strokes my cheek gently. "Ignorance and idiocy can be learned just as easy as brilliance. It's not stupid to not know something. It's only stupid to not try to correct the problem."
I hang my head. "I guess that makes sense."
You smile at me and tilt my chin up. "I could try to teach you how to use a computer."
"Really?"
"I would love to. Maybe we could get together on Tuesday evening. I could bring my laptop and we could have dinner," you say.
"Don't you normally work on weekday afternoons?"
"I do, but I'd rather be with you than working any day!"
"Are you sure?" I ask looking at you hopefully.
You kiss me quickly. "We'll be able to work at your house on Tuesday, won't we? How does six o'clock sound?"
"We'd have to have dinner with my father…"
"That's fine. He seems nice."
I sigh happily. I love you.
"You too."
I blush. "What?"
"I just said you're nice!" You chuckle. "What were you thinking about? Were you thinking something naughty?"
My blush darkens, and I stammer, "N-n-no!"
You laugh. "Okay. I believe you. Would you like the rest of my soup?"
"Thanks." I take your bowl. "I normally eat a lot. I have a high metabolism, and I burn through calories at an accelerated rate. It's sometimes hard to get enough to eat at restaurants without spending a fortune I don't have."
"You don't need to worry about that as long as you're out with me," you say, "I don't eat much. I have a small fortune so I could easily afford all the food you need, but since I also have a small stomach, I don't eat all my food. You can share my meal with me, and if you're still hungry after dessert, we can order more."
"You really like me, don't you?"
"Yes."
I blush and quickly finish your soup.
"Don't you like me?"
It's too early to say I love you even though I do. "I do like you. I like you so much, Yami. You couldn't even imagine how deep my feelings for you run."
"I want you to tell me sometime, Hikari, but not tonight. I don't think either of us are ready for that just yet," you whisper, and for a moment it looks like you might continue to speak, but then you turn away and gulp the rest of your wine.
I try to hide my blush behind my wine glass.