IT SO SHORT, NOT THE BEST CHAPTER EVER, AND I'M SO SORRY, BUT AT LEAST IT IS SOMETHING RIGHT?

Btw, not feeling the best, so grammar may be worse than the pretty bad it usually is: I also apologize for that.

Chapter 11

Dinner was…awkward. Katsuya talked a lot, but only to Seto, keeping the awkwardness in his own little world at bay. He kept mentioning names that Seto would grunt, hum, or completely snarl a rejection at. The three misfits didn't exactly get it, but they left it as everyone continued to eat their pizza.

Katsuya was throwing out the names on purpose. When Seto had initially asked what they would named their kids, Katsuya elbowed the man in the side so hard he had a small(ish) bruise forming and he scowled, telling Seto to stop thinking so far into the future when they weren't really in an actual relationship yet. He eyed the brunette sideways, but Seto seemed to get the idea that the whole conversation was just noise.

When Seto rejected his latest name, Katsuya snorted in half-hearted contempt. "Why don' we start with a dog then? Or fifteen? Practice with names on them first."

Seto paused for a moment, as if actually considering it.

"I was joking."

Seto shook his head, "Starting out with a few dogs wouldn't hurt.' He took another bite of his pizza and rolled the grease, cheese, sauce, and powdery bread in a half-chewed mush mix on his tongue. "It would make sure we wouldn't kill anything."

Katsuya got a horrified look on his face and started to spew out an insult when Mokuba broke in.

"You raised me," Mokuba muttered, "I'm still okay."

Both Katsuya and Seto looked at him. No one spoke for a moment as the soft words registered, but then Seto's features softened and his eyes twinkled with brotherly adoration. Yeah, he had raised Mokuba and he was damn proud of that. "You're perfect, Mokuba."

Katsuya thought about making a comment about that, but chose to keep his mouth shut. Or as shut as possible as he shoved half a slice into it. He knew Mokuba was important to Seto and if he even wanted to…try this relationship thing with Seto, he'd have to play nice until his metaphorical shackles relaxed and he could really mean it again.

Silence ensued and awkwardness escaladed as not even Katsuya was talking now. No one knew what to talk about, which was even more awkward since usually you couldn't get at least one person to shut up even when it was a literal life or death situation. Now the silence most would pray for was something no body wanted.

Finally, Bakura stood. He looked to Marik, who looked back questioningly, and then looked at Katsuya. He was fed up. They all had their reasons and Katsuya was just being an ass now. "You!" He pointed to Katsuya. Then, promptly, he put a piece of fluffy-crust pizza with extra sauce on his plate, picked up his plate, and smashed it in the blond's face. "This is all your fault!"

Katsuya was stunned. He sat there frozen as the pizza stuck to his face even as Bakura let go of the plate and let it fall into Katsuya's lap. Slowly, the pizza followed the plate and splattered against Seto's oversized white sweat pants, probably staining them beyond repair. Truthfully, Katsuya felt as if he'd gone soft. He really hadn't expected the attack from Bakura. His instincts for self-protection must have dwindled in his weeks of dog-hood.

His inner fighter, however, hadn't.

Katsuya stood quickly, quicker than even either Marik or Bakura or anyone else could notice, and grabbed Bakura's hair to pull the thief forward as his took a slice of pizza with his free hand and used it smother it all over Bakura's face and hair.

He was hurt. He was hurt and lost and confused. Why was this his fault? Why did it seem like it was always his fault? He'd tried to leave them alone! He tried to allow them peace and time where they wouldn't have to worry about feeding him or seeing him covered in bruises and cuts! He tried to prove he could take care of himself! And who wouldn't let him?

They didn't.

"ME?" He smashed it harder, smearing it more and completely destroying the slice. "ME? Who turned meh int'a dog? Who kidnapped me? Who wouldn' jus' leave me the fuck alone?" Seto stood, reaching gently for Katsuya's arm. Katsuya let go of Bakura's hair, shoving the thief off by the face and brushing Seto's hand away. "Why does it hafta come back to fuckin' me!"

Bakura and his chair crashed to the floor and Mokuba's eyes widened fearfully.

"I tried t' let ya have yer own lives! I tried t' stay out of them! Tried t' make it so ya didn't have t' fuckin' take care meh! YOU brought meh fuckin' back! YOU wouldn' leave ME alone!"

"Retriever," Marik said, standing defensively. He'd seen Katsuya mad—really mad—before, it was nothing to snort at and certainly something that was best not left ignore. "Chill—"

"Kat—"

"'Chill'? 'Chill'? I'll show ya fuckin' 'chill'!"

"Katsuya!" Seto yelped as he saw the blond start to reach and try to throw the opened bottle of chilled soda. He caught the former puppy's arm in time from keeping the mess from going everywhere and struggled Katsuya backwards and making the bottle fall and spill all over the floor anyways. "Katsuya!"

"Leg'go!" Katsuya grunted and considered hurting the brunette, but as he felt Seto's muscular body covering him as he writhed and tried to get away, he…

He felt like he could cry.

He felt Seto hold him, to hold him down, but not in a way that was demeaning or hurtful. It felt almost like Seto was embracing him and Katsuya's brain just didn't know what to do. He'd been held before, he'd been held back before, but he'd never felt like someone was doing both for him at the same time before. He felt like a dork, or a geek as Seto ever-so-fondly called him or any of his friends. His brain didn't know what to do.

Should he fight? Should he just give in? Should he beg for more? All his instincts were being pulled in fifteen billion different places.

He felt Seto's large hand slid over his face and cover his eyes. Seto sighed in the smaller boy's ear and yanked the blond's head back. Katsuya tripped backwards a bit, but Seto caught him, supporting Katsuya's body against his own and keeping Katsuya's wet eyes covered with his hand.

"I think," Seto said, "That is time for you to go."

"Wha—" Marik started but Seto was already leading Katsuya out of the room. "How the fuck are we supposed to fix this? Every shove we make, he shoves back twice as hard! We aren't getting anywhere!"

Mokuba sighed heavily in agreement and slammed his head against the table. "This is not working out at all."

"Uck," Bakura groaned nasally, he wiped his face and scrubbed at his nose. "I theenk he gah pizzah sauce up muh nose."

.-.-.-.

"This isn't going to work," Katsuya said.

Seto frowned as he wiped away the small amount of frustrated tears from Katsuya's eyes. "You're not letting this work."

"Not even just them; we ain't going to work either."

At this, Seto scowled. Katsuya was pushing his nerved rather professionally at the moment. "You haven't even let us try."

"There's no need to," He said. He looked up into Seto's eyes that were staring at him so predominantly that he immediately had to look away. He'd get pulled into those eyes if he wasn't careful. "It just won't."

Seto pulled Katsuya's chin up, made the blonde look him in the eyes. When the blonde finally submissed, he held the chin still and kissed him.

They're first kiss.

Both their eyes slid shut. Seto's hand slid from Katsuya's chin to around the back of his head into the mesh of soft blond hair. Katsuya's hands slid up Seto's shoulders and he started to wring the shirt in his fists as Seto pressed closer.

All the anger and hate and despair and loneliness and confusion and every other dark emotion Katsuya had pitted deeply in his chest dispersed and warmth filled him. It wasn't arousal but it took Katsuya's mind off everything bad and put all his tense muscles at ease.

"Mmm-ah!" Katsuya gasped softly as Seto pulled away. He looked forward hazily in a daze.

Seto looked at him, then he leaned in against to peck Katsuya's temple. "I think," said Seto, "That we'll manage."

Katsuya looked up at him, his sunflower-honey eyes filled with explicit emotions. "I think…" he started, "I think I wanna try."