It had taken Jonouchi three whole weeks before he managed to funnel all of the new clothes from Kaiba's house to his apartment. He'd arrive early in the afternoon, and Kaiba would put him to work—either against his Dueling Machine, quizzing him on various card rules, or making him watch tapes of old tournaments.

When Jonouchi had questioned him over the purpose of watching other Duelists when he was still ranked pretty highly, Kaiba had given him a long-suffering look. "You need to know your opponents and their playing styles. Even the lower-ranked Duelists are still professionals, so you may cross paths eventually. Besides, you'll quickly discover what not to do."

Jonouchi had wanted to stick his tongue out in reply, but he reined in his childish antics and sat through the videos, anyway. Most had been pretty boring, and his fingers itched to hit the fast-forward button, but a handful were actually interesting—some even bringing Jonouchi to the edge of his seat.

He was completely taken aback one time after he'd queued up the next video and found Kaiba staring back at him. A young Kaiba, anyway, from the days before Jonouchi and his friends had ever met him. It was strange to see this Kaiba, who was all seriousness edged with malicious zeal. The image brought back uncomfortable memories Jonouchi had long pushed aside, leaving him feeling somewhat tense underneath his skin, but Jonouchi had to admit that even all those years ago, Kaiba had been a genius.

But he was different now. Still a genius—that went without saying—but the malice had ebbed away, replaced by a taciturn personality and a rather dry, wicked sense of humor. Thinking back, Jonouchi conceded that the past three weeks hadn't been bad by any means, and he was beginning to feel altogether silly over his initial apprehension over the whole sponsorship deal. Most days, he'd been holed up at Kaiba's mansion, but Kaiba had never made him feel unwelcome. Little by little, he was starting to get to know his former classmate better, through snippets of light conversation and ample opportunities for observation.

Kaiba just seemed unwilling to warm up to anyone. Jonouchi watched him frequently. Whenever he was around other people, he kept his responses very curt and to the point, as if to avoid any kind of unnecessary socializing. People seemed to be aware of that, not overstaying their invitations to talk to him, and Kaiba practically boarded himself up in his home office for hours at a time, not even coming out for meals.

He was rather strange. More strange than Jonouchi thought before, when they hadn't been on good speaking terms. Kaiba wasn't so much as friendly towards him as tolerant, only occasionally making a few humorous quips at Jonouchi's expense, but not many. Jonouchi wasn't sure if it was sheer will or just Kaiba's personality that kept them at such a distance. Now that he was a professional Duelist under Kaiba's tutelage, it was becoming rather draining to spend so many hours a day with someone who refused to become actual friends.

Sure, Jonouchi was working for him, in a way, but hadn't he worked hard enough to have their relationship mean something more than just a monthly paycheck?

He was beginning to wonder whether it was even worth it to try asking the other man to meet him someplace outside the mansion for a purpose other than work. They hadn't really hung out since the time Jonouchi had strong-armed Kaiba into eating lunch with him, but Jonouchi didn't have the slightest clue as to how he should even broach the subject.

"Hey Kaiba, you hungry? Let's get something to eat together!"

It was easier to do with normal people. For some reason, Kaiba had decided to remain unsocial and walled up by choice, and Jonouchi could hardly understand it. They didn't even fight that much, since Jonouchi finally learned to curb himself from trying to pick one with him.

He wasn't going to fuck up a good thing by being a loud mouth again.

If Jonouchi played his cards right, he and Kaiba would eventually teeter over the line of friendship that they were currently balancing upon. It wasn't like Kaiba tolerated many people or actively engaged with others as much as he had with Jonouchi for the past three weeks. That had to count for something, right?

Sure, Jonouchi had initially accepted the sponsorship for practical reasons: he needed the money (even more so now, given his mother's latest communication), and Kaiba's offer was the only serious opportunity he'd landed to kickstart his career. But being with Kaiba day in and day out had given him a new perspective on the man, and Jonouchi found his apprehension fading, replaced by intense curiosity.

Since day one, all he had ever wanted out of Kaiba was friendship, after all, and years later, they were finally at the threshold of one. All Kaiba needed was a little push.

So it came as a total surprise when Kaiba called him up out of the blue, asking Jonouchi to accompany him to a meeting with one of the local tournament organizers over lunch. Jonouchi had been speechless, leading Kaiba to patiently explain that it would be beneficial for him to become a familiar face with other industry professionals. "Just think of it as a different kind of game, and you're trying to win them over."

Jonouchi had accepted, of course, marveling to himself at the serendipity of it all. Sure, it was still a business-focused outing, but at least they would be escaping from Kaiba's little hidey-hole and venturing out into the real world again.

He had just been turning the lock to his apartment when he received a second call from Kaiba. There had been a misplaced shipment, and the organizers had been so sorry, but could they please push the meeting to dinner? Kaiba had sounded only mildly irritated, and Jonouchi was thankful he hadn't made his way to the bus stop already.

Agreeing to the later time, Jonouchi let himself back inside and sank onto the couch. Rummaging in his pockets, he took out the silver business card holder embossed with the KaibaCorp logo. Flipping it open, he slid a card out and ran a finger over the raised kanji of his name, wondering if he should bother to change his clothes.

Sitting alone in the darkness of the Kaiba Corporation executive office, Kaiba debated whether he should leave early or just arrive at dinner whenever he damned pleased. Sure, it wasn't his hosts' fault that they pushed the dinner late, but it still irked him nonetheless. He had nothing better to do that night (thanks to Mokuba's continued silent treatment), but Kaiba hated social dinners. It was a giant excuse for people to get drunk and act like fools.

He'd had enough experience with it. Kaiba liked to maintain an air of self-control, but in small group settings around people he didn't know or didn't like, he fell into the habit of taking the edge off with alcohol. While he wasn't as bad as his late stepfather had been at controlling himself—Gozaburo had frequently shown up at events already boozed up—Kaiba knew he was a sad drinker. At least when he had a good buzz going, he could pretend to be friendly to the morons who surrounded him.

Sorting through his emails, Kaiba wondered whether he'd even try remaining sober that night. He knew everyone who would be there. The organizers were local and not that big, thankfully. Kaiba would be the most well-known and powerful man there. Everyone at the dinner would be male, and despite all the showboating that would probably occur, the majority of the time would be spent ass-kissing him. Kaiba was sure of it. They needed his support more than Kaiba needed them.

Before he knew it, his calendar alarm chirped, informing him that his dinner meeting was in fifteen minutes. It would take ten minutes to drive there, and punctuality winning over spite, Kaiba sighed as he logged off his computer and gathered his briefcase. Maybe if he got there early enough, he could hit the bar before anyone even showed up.

It was quite the shock when he arrived (eight minutes early, thanks to a heavy foot and catching all the green lights) and found Jonouchi already sitting at the bar, glass in hand. Kaiba was thankful that Jonouchi had the good sense to dress in a suit for this engagement, and he took a moment to stand back with an appreciative eye. The gray suit fit Jonouchi well and gave him an air of sophistication not normally associated with the blond.

Although, he looked a little nervous. Jonouchi was trailing a finger around the lip of his glass, one leg bobbing up and down against his barstool. Kaiba filed the information away—he would have to do something about Jonouchi's nervous habits.

Straightening his own tie, Kaiba approached the bar swiftly, gingerly weaving his way through the crowd and settling wordlessly onto the barstool next to Jonouchi's.

Jonouchi was still fiddling with his glass, his expression intent and somewhat strained. Kaiba hid a chuckle, although an amused smirk escaped and spread across his mouth. Slowly he crossed his legs and turned them parallel to the bar, giving the pole of Jonouchi's seat a light kick.

He'd nearly knocked his glass over. Jonouchi spun towards Kaiba's direction quickly, a huge scowl written across his face before he registered who his company was. The expression deflated into a slightly scandalized glowering, the insult he'd been ready to hurl bitten on his tongue. Jonouchi exhaled loudly through his nose. "What the heck kinda greeting was that?" he muttered.

"Are you always in the habit of pre-gaming before a business dinner, Jonouchi?" Kaiba asked bluntly as he ignored the question, "I don't want to have to deal with you if you get too drunk."

"I wouldn't call it a habit just yet, seeing as this is my first meeting, so I'll have to let you know later," Jonouchi replied dryly. "Anyways, what's one drink to settle some nerves? It's not like I do this all the time." There was something else in Jonouchi's expression that Kaiba couldn't pinpoint.

"Then why are you doing it at all," Kaiba said.

Jonouchi resumed his fiddling, this time sliding the near-empty glass on the bar from hand to hand. "I don't know. A lot on my mind, lately. It's nothing."

"Good. I need you focused tonight."

Getting up, Kaiba motioned for Jonouchi to follow before dropping some money to cover the bill. He walked off quickly, heading straight towards the hostess and giving the name of their party before and being led to their table.

Thankfully, as Kaiba had requested, their meal would be private, in a room away from the main dining area. The restaurant was nicer than Kaiba had anticipated, and taking a seat at the far side of the round table, he wasn't at all surprised when Jonouchi slid all the way over to his side so he could sit at Kaiba's left.

Kaiba turned toward him slightly, as Jonouchi continued fiddling with his hands. His hair seemed like it had been tamed by some sort of product. Maybe Jonouchi was finally taking himself a bit more seriously.

They had just given the waitress their drink order when the doors to the room opened, boisterous conversation trailing in. Their dinner companions had arrived (three minutes late, Kaiba noted), and Kaiba took a deep breath before nudging Jonouchi with his elbow. He stood but did not move to meet the other businessmen, electing to have them come to him instead.

"Kaiba-sama, so sorry for the inconvenience!" the first one, a rather plump and short man in his late fifties, exclaimed.

"Not at all, Yoshitaka-san," Kaiba said, accepting the man's extended hand. He accepted the other three businessmen's greetings before turning to his left. "Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Kaiba Corporation's latest sponsored Duelist, Jonouchi Katsuya-san."

Jonouchi's eyes widened fractionally at the honorific, and Kaiba bit back a laugh as Jonouchi bowed low, offering his business card to Yoshitaka with two hands. Kaiba hadn't drilled business etiquette into Jonouchi yet, so he found himself pleased that Jonouchi had learned this ritual somewhere along the line.

"Oh, Jonouchi-san! Nice to meet you!" Yoshitaka said, taking the business card and clapping Jonouchi roughly on the back. He reached into his breast pocket and procured his own card, offering it to Jonouchi in the same manner. "And allow me to introduce my associates. Here we have Oda-san, Hayashi-san, and Ichikawa-san."

Jonouchi bowed again, repeating the ritual three additional times. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Jonouchi Katsuya. I am in your care."

Jonouchi looked so uncomfortable and stiff, Kaiba almost felt a little bad for him. While this meeting was relatively low-risk for a baptism of fire, Yoshitaka and his associates were a rowdy bunch and at times difficult to handle. And add the absurd amount of alcohol they were bound to consume that night...well, upon reflection, Kaiba couldn't really blame Jonouchi for pre-gaming.

Yoshitaka ordered dinner for the entire party, and a ridiculous amount of food was set on the table for them. Jonouchi looked like he had died and gone to heaven. Kaiba could tell he was trying hard to curb himself from eating too quickly than what was socially appropriate, but still, there was a look of desire over him each time he gazed upon the table.

Kaiba didn't feel such hunger; he ate out of politeness. Trying a little bit of everything, Kaiba followed their conversations with the proper amount of enthusiasm and poured sake for his nearby companions. From the looks of it, Jonouchi needed it.

"So, Kaiba-sama," asked Ichikawa, "what made you decide to take on a Duelist for sponsorship? We all remember in the past how hard you were on other competitors. We were all astonished when we heard you actually decided to invest in someone besides yourself."

"Jonouchi-san and I," Kaiba began as he glanced toward the other's direction, whose mouth was currently full of food, "have known each other for several years. We were in the same class during high school, and I have been following his career for some time. I felt like he worked hard enough to deserve the sponsorship."

"How interesting," commented Yoshitaka, "and you didn't decide to invest in Mutou Yugi? Everyone says he's a gaming genius."

"I don't find any kind of personal enjoyment in assisting someone's career who almost ruined my own," explained Kaiba curtly.

"Yu- I mean, Mutou-san is taking a break in Cairo," Jonouchi piped in, giving Kaiba a pointed look. "He'll be back to dueling in no time." Kaiba merely raised an eyebrow but did not comment.

"You two are close friends, aren't you?" asked Hayashi, "I've seen you two together in the papers before."

Sitting up a bit more straight, Jonouchi replied, "Yes, Mutou-san is my best friend. We've also known each other since high school, along with Kaiba-sama."

Jonouchi had pulled a bit of a face around the honorific, and Kaiba hid his smirk behind his glass before taking a sip.

"How peculiar that you all are friends from school..."

"I wouldn't say that," Kaiba corrected, "I was at Domino High School for a short time, and during those few years before I transferred, we were all just mere acquaintances. But it is rather peculiar, how things turned out between all of us."

Kaiba turned his direct attention to Jonouchi briefly, his smirk widening before he turned his eyes away. Jonouchi looked slightly uncomfortable, his body shifting in his seat as he stuffed more sushi into his mouth.

"So then," continued Yoshitaka after Kaiba had topped off his glass of sake, the man pausing for a sip before setting his glass back down, "What got you into Duel Monsters, then? Mutou-san or someone else?"

Jonouchi swallowed his mouthful of food, pausing to take a sip of water. Kaiba was surprised he hadn't choked. "Yes, Mutou-san first introduced me to the game. His family owns a game shop, so I often hung out there after school and got to play with all the products. Duel Monsters was the one we loved best."

"And why is that? Because of the exciting holographics Kaiba-sama produced, or was it something else?"

"Nah, we played it long before Kaiba...sama developed his Duel Disk. Although that definitely made the game a whole lot more interesting," Jonouchi replied, turning to Kaiba and grinning. "At first, it was just something to do, but then we got really into it. Kind of developed a fondness for some of the cards and all," he added.

"One could say the same thing about chess," interrupted Ichikawa, "Honestly, I don't understand the appeal. The game is confusing, the cards are expensive, and Kaiba-sama here keeps winning nearly all the championships!"

Jonouchi's eyes quickly flashed to Kaiba before turning back to their dinner companions. "I don't know much about chess, but...Duel Monsters is just different from any other game I've ever played. It's in a league of its own. The cards may be expensive, but developing a deck that works for you makes the cost pale in comparison. It's like...a reflection of yourself, each card that you choose, and you pin all your hopes and beliefs into your cards. It's more than a game. Each time you play, you put yourself out there on the line. And win or lose, it's all a learning experience. I honestly don't know where I'd be had I not had Duel Monsters—I met so many amazing people through the game and learned so much about myself." Jonouchi seemed to notice how long he'd been talking and abruptly quieted, his face lightly reddening. He smiled somewhat sheepishly, ducking his head, "Sorry, the game just means a lot to me."

"Huh, how interesting..."

Kaiba turned his attention over to Jonouchi but remained silent. His eyes only slightly strayed over to read Jonouchi's lips as he spoke, but mostly he was silently eating his food. It wasn't often that he wasn't the center of attention, and enjoying the break for once, he allowed Jonouchi to soak up the majority of the conversation. He was actually surprised at how well Jonouchi had been fielding the others' questions—they were a pushy and interrogative group, but ultimately they meant well.

"My children play the game," commented Oda-san, "but I'm afraid they haven't quite reached yours or Kaiba-sama's levels yet. What do you hope to achieve with your new sponsorship with Kaiba Corporation, Jonouchi-san?"

"To become the best, of course. I know I still have a ways to go, but there's no point pursuing something unless you plan to give it your all."

"What do you plan to do about Mutou Yugi, then," said Kaiba bluntly, turning his eyes completely on Jonouchi as he spoke, "You'll have to face him eventually." He wasn't exactly surprised at Jonouchi's ambition—he was even somewhat pleased by it—but Kaiba thought it was a rather gutsy remark from someone just entering the professional realm. Officially, anyway.

Kaiba thought Jonouchi might actually have a good chance going against Yugi. While Jonouchi wasn't the best Duelist, he had managed to best Kaiba. However, Kaiba wasn't sure if he should even count the Duel. He had been a mess, and only recently did he begin starting to feel better, since he was finally getting some sleep at night. If Kaiba hadn't been in such bad shape several weeks ago, he was certain that Jonouchi would have seen a far different outcome from their Duel...but Kaiba doubted Jonouchi would ever admit that to himself.

Jonouchi's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "I know I will. All I can do is be as prepared as possible. I don't expect to win against him on the first try, or maybe even the second. He's called the 'King of Games' for good reason. But if you're going to set the bar high, you might as well go for broke and aim for the best," he finished with a wink.

Kaiba felt slightly flustered after that, looking away sharply in such a fashion that Jonouchi seemed surprised as he turned and looked. It wasn't often that Kaiba allowed his face to give away his emotions, and for a moment, he was sure Jonouchi had caught him off-guard. But then again, Jonouchi had been paying more attention to him as of late, and none of the other men seemed to be paying any attention. As bothered as Kaiba was for having his little moment seen, he brushed it off as quickly as it happened.

Who was this Jonouchi? He was certainly different from the loud-mouthed brat he'd been back in high school. Of course, at the core, he hadn't really changed all that much, but now that Jonouchi was older, Kaiba found him less grating on his nerves. The natural charisma that Jonouchi had always had seemed more prevalent—less obnoxious and smoothing out his rougher edges. It was almost seductive in a weird way, as though Jonouchi had some kind of special gravitational pull.

"I'm going to duel him," continued Jonouchi confidently, "and if I don't win the first time, so be it."

"Now that's the spirit!" complimented Hayashi as he raised his glass to Jonouchi, "That warrior spirit is admirable, Jonouchi-san! Men could learn something from you, don't you think?"

He broke into drunken laughs as the other men joined him for the toast. As the last person to raise his glass, Kaiba did so with much less enthusiasm, his eyes glancing over all of them but remaining on Jonouchi's figure on the longest.

"Who taught you to be so optimistic?"

"Probably Yugi," Jonouchi responded, apparently forgetting social conventions as the night of drinking had started to take effect, "He always believed in me no matter what and never gave up, so it just kind of...rubbed off, I guess?"

"And what did Kaiba-sama teach you?" asked Yoshitaka, laughing loudly as Kaiba narrowed his eyes at him, "Did he teach you something, Jonouchi-san?"

"Of course I did," Kaiba interrupted, "what kind of silly question is that..." If Jonouchi hadn't learned anything from the past few weeks of direct mentoring, well, he was a lost cause.

Jonouchi held his glass up to his lips, contemplating before finishing it in one long swallow. He set the glass down loudly and turned toward Kaiba, the alcohol in his system most likely making him more brazen than normal, and he stared openly. "Kaiba taught me...what it means to put your life on the line for something you believe in. Yeah, he's one of the best and a great strategist and all, but...more so than that, he taught me to play without regrets."

Kaiba returned the stare, careful to school his expression this time.

It got a bit quieter after that admission. The three businessmen turned to themselves for entertainment, becoming progressively louder as more drinks were bought and well-wishes were toasted. They ordered more alcohol than Kaiba assumed Jonouchi had ever seen (or rather, more quality alcohol that wasn't cheap-ass corner store beer), and they were downing it all rather quickly. Soon they were making desperate attempts to get their waitress to sit with them despite the wedding rings on their fingers, and Kaiba hoped internally that the get-together would be over soon.

Thankfully, Oda got up first, his balance a little challenged and face flushed as he smiled at everyone at the table.

"Thank you for the lovely dinner, Yoshitaka-san," he said, bowing and almost falling into the table, "It was exquisite as always."

"Thanks to my deep pockets!" boosted the other man as he rose from his seat, and they both laughed loudly as Kaiba sighed and winced.

"We shall do this again!" Oda-san announced, "Jonouchi-san, it was pleasant meeting you, and I wish you the best in your dueling endeavors. I have enjoyed my evening with you all!"

The other two men scrambled to get up as well, saying their thanks and giving bad bows to Kaiba before walking away even more boisterously than they had arrived, their voices echoing through the hallway.

"Glad that's over, finally," commented Kaiba as he removed his napkin from his lap and stood to leave.

"Aw, they weren't so bad," Jonouchi said, still leaning back in his seat. His expression was soft and somewhat unseeing—almost dazed—and it had taken him a second to register that Kaiba was standing, peering down at him curiously. Suddenly, Kaiba felt warm fingers wrap around his wrist. "Hey, where are you going? We can't just leave all this good alcohol here. Stay and drink with me."

"Why would I want to do that?"

Jonouchi's eyebrows drew together, his lips falling into a pout. "Because. It would be a waste, otherwise. And we're finally out of the mansion, doing something together. So why not." He gave Kaiba's wrist a little shake for emphasis.

Kaiba frowned a little, but he didn't put up a fight. The night had been interesting, and he was a little curious to see where it would lead, now that it was just the two of them. Sitting down next to Jonouchi, he adjusted himself to cross his legs before pouring more sake into Jonouchi's glass and waiting for his companion to return the gesture.

"You did fairly well tonight," commented Kaiba after a good few seconds of silence, "Much better than I'd hoped, even."

Jonouchi grinned widely, filling Kaiba's sake cup. A few drops splashed onto the tablecloth. "Yeah? Guess I'm not so bad an investment, huh?"

"I'm not quite so certain about that, yet." Kaiba took a slow sip, his eyes watching Jonouchi closely.

Jonouchi was starting to get drunk. Kaiba could tell. Even so, Jonouchi didn't seem to appreciate staring—thanks to their culture—even though the man was often guilty of doing it himself. Kaiba knew he was hanging around a bit too close, and it was probably a little unnerving, although the buzz from the alcohol made those revelations die away just as quickly as they came.

"How do you feel about it?" Kaiba asked, edging a bit closer before finishing his sake, "Are you a good investment for me?"

Jonouchi scowled, but Kaiba determined that it was mostly for show, his face falling back into an easy expression. Jonouchi leaned forward onto the table, refilling Kaiba's cup. "I think that goes without saying, but does it matter what I think?"

"I'd think so, since you're the one who decided to stick around after the party."

There was a lot of alcohol. Kaiba wasn't starting to feel as immune to the effects as he had once thought; he just wasn't drinking that much while the businessmen were around. Now he was actually keeping up with Jonouchi's pace, and it was pretty obvious that they'd end up clearing out the bottles left before leaving the restaurant.

It took him by surprise that Jonouchi wanted to stay and drink with him. Kaiba tried not to show it too much on his face, but he couldn't help but stare as he finished off his glass of sake. Did Jonouchi want him around because he enjoyed his company or because he didn't want to get kicked out of the place while drinking someone else's paid liquor? Choosing to remain ignorant of the answer, Kaiba just continued on drinking.

Besides, Jonouchi wasn't terrible company when he wasn't busy running his mouth over self-righteous crap he had no right to preach...

Eventually the desire for silence died away as the alcohol took control, and Kaiba found himself almost slurring his words as he spoke, "Why are we even still here?"

"Because," Jonouchi said, leaning heavily on the table, "there's still half a bottle left." He tipped his cup back and downed the alcohol, rolling it around in his mouth. "Why, disappointed in the company? Although I guess I have it pretty good," Jonouchi smiled. Definitely drunk. "Got a better place in mind?"

"No," Kaiba answered rather quickly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he thought over Jonouchi's strange question, "and how exactly do you have it pretty good? Last time I checked, you didn't even like me, let alone enjoying hanging around me."

Not that Jonouchi could be blamed. Kaiba could vaguely remember a time, in high school, when he'd almost contemplated letting the guy drown at the Domino Pier, but he hadn't been exactly himself back then... But still. Things weren't exactly normal between them.

Jonouchi rested his chin against his palm, elbows on the table. "You're a pretty likable guy, when you want to be. I know you try to have this untouchable aura," Jonouchi waved his free hand around in demonstration, "or something, but...that's just you." He seemed pretty satisfied with his answer, vague as it was.

"You don't know what you're even saying," said Kaiba as he sipped another glass of sake, "You're drunk."

Humming in response, Jonouchi poured more sake into Kaiba's glass before refilling his own. More social conventions done away with, then. "Probably," he replied, still smiling.

"I didn't take you for a happy drunk, either," mumbled Kaiba under his breath as he rolled his eyes and fingered the rim of his glass. Jonouchi wouldn't stop staring with that stupid smile of his. How could someone be that dedicated to appearing happy like it was effortlessly easy? It was strange. "What did you think of the businessmen? They're all stupid alcoholics just like you, you know..."

Pausing the moment the words spilled out of his mouth, Kaiba realized he never would have said such a thing if he himself hadn't been drinking. He didn't like announcing his opinions about people so bluntly, but Jonouchi didn't seem particularly offended by it. Despite being insulted, he seemed amused.

Jonouchi snorted. "Hate to break it to you, but you're just as drunk as I am," he said, eyeing the several empty bottles scattered around the table. "So welcome to the club."

"I don't want in on your dumb club..."

"Too bad; membership's already been granted."

Kaiba's face fell and suddenly his ears were assaulted by Jonouchi's raucous laughter. He didn't seem capable of containing himself, like he had been just an hour ago while under the slight scrutiny of the businessmen.

"Do you ever stop laughing," Kaiba complained, shaking his head before taking another drink. When it ended up already being empty, he just stole Jonouchi's own glass, completely finishing it. "Simple-minded people are easily amused."

"Then stop being so funny. Maybe you should laugh more," Jonouchi replied, attempting to get a hold on his laughter.

"I'd prefer not to; you're doing enough for the two of us. Ugh... Also, your hair is stupid. You can't possibly actually be blond..."

What exactly prompted that thought, Kaiba didn't know, but it was the first thing that came to mind as he openly stared at Jonouchi and felt his insides burning progressively hotter.

Jonouchi threaded fingers through his hair, which caught the dim light and glowed gold where it stuck out. "My hair's not stupid. And it's natural… You can blame my father for that."

"At least he made you pretty to make up for your mental faults," snarked Kaiba before he followed Jonouchi and broke table etiquette by pouring his own drink, "What would you have done if that hadn't been the case?"

Chuckling, Jonouchi stole the bottle from Kaiba and mirrored his actions. There were only a few more cups' worth left. "Pretty? That's a first."

"You aren't unattractive," Kaiba corrected, "by societal standards, at least. There's hope for you yet."

He didn't know what to think of Jonouchi at the moment, and Kaiba was lying to himself if he didn't think Jonouchi was more than just pretty. It was just bothersome to think about, and while his inhibitions were taking a hiatus, he certainly didn't want to think too hard about something so troubling. Not when Jonouchi was his employee and drunk himself...

"I should go home," he mumbled, pushing the glass away. "You are annoying me. This is your fault," Kaiba reasoned, "I'm going to have to call Isono to pick me up, and I can't find my damn phone."

Was it in his suit pocket? No. Fumbling around, he found it in his slacks. How strange. Was it there to begin with? Kaiba didn't know.

"I hate being drunk," he lamented, sighing loudly and dramatically before frowning when Jonouchi began to laugh. "I don't like you."

"Don't be like that; we were doing so well." Jonouchi reached up and tugged at the knot of his tie, loosening his collar. And then he was reaching out again, closing a hand over the one Kaiba was holding his phone in. "Relax, man."

Kaiba stared at Jonouchi's hand for a long time before pulling away, his head whipping from the exit back towards Jonouchi's dumb face that was smiling up at him from the table. He thought about calling Isono, and making up his mind to do just that, he looked down at Jonouchi again in confusion.

"I'm plenty relaxed, and I'll feel even better when I can get back home," Kaiba lied, standing uncomfortably as he felt brown eyes studying him. "I don't want to be stuck in this public place any longer. Not with you eyeing me all night... Besides, I have enough alcohol at home to throw my own private little afterparty."

"Doesn't sound like a party if you're alone… Am I not worth your while?" Jonouchi smirked at the words, leaning forward more before sitting his chin back into the palm of his hand.

Kaiba blinked, and before he could think clearly about what he was suggesting, the words came spilling out of his mouth: "Are you busy tonight? You could come over..."

Jonouchi peered at him curiously, "And do what?"

At that, Kaiba blanked out and mentally slapped himself on the forehead. What was he thinking? Jonouchi clearly only meant to be genial. He wasn't one of the guys Kaiba hooked up with at bars over a few drinks, and by the dopey look on his face, he had no idea what was being suggested.

"-Never mind, it was a stupid suggestion," said Kaiba as he brushed off Jonouchi's inquiry, "I'll see you later. Don't worry about tomorrow; you'll be too hungover to be useful."

"Like you're one to talk, but thanks," Jonouchi remarked. He yawned wide, not bothering to cover his mouth, stretching his arms out and popping the joints in his back. "Guess I'll just call a cab or something," he muttered mostly to himself, looking around the room.

The restaurant was winding down for the night, staff bustling around as covertly as possible. Squinting, Kaiba checked his watch—the thin, spinning hands made his vision momentarily swim—and realized that it was close to midnight.

Taking one last look at Jonouchi—suit starting to rumple, hair reverting to its natural wildness, collarbones peeking out from under his loosened shirt—Kaiba took a few unsteady paces from the table and hit the speed dial on his phone. "No need. I'll have Isono send one over for you." And without another word, he strode towards the entrance, ready to leave the night behind him.