Jonouchi was late. Eleven minutes, to be precise, and with each ticking minute, Kaiba's agitation grew.

Part of Jonouchi's contract was that in addition to his tournament and promotional duties, he would also be a beta tester for any new Kaiba Corporation equipment and software. The Dueling Arenas in Kaiba Land were getting a major upgrade, and Kaiba had enlisted Jonouchi to test the new operating system and features for any bugs.

But he was late, and had given Kaiba no notice, and that was just unacceptable.

Normally the blond was the early type—had always arrived either on-the-dot or a few minutes early. It was a trait Kaiba appreciated in his employees and demanded from his appointments. His time was extremely limited, after all—his schedule was usually full of back-to-back-to-back meetings, leaving very little wiggle room between. As a man of efficiency, he preferred it that way.

This lapse in punctuality was a new, unwelcome development. The anniversary party had been a week ago, and Kaiba noticed that Jonouchi had been acting somewhat off ever since. The normally in-your-face Duelist was suddenly avoidant, as if Kaiba was some kind of dangerous or diseased commodity. Jonouchi probably thought that his behavior had flown under Kaiba's radar, but the truth was far from it. Nothing eluded Kaiba's notice—he simply picked and chose when or if to use that information.

He had been willing to overlook the initial awkwardness. Their little game the night of the party had gone a whole lot farther than Kaiba had ever expected it would, and so he had allowed Jonouchi to recollect himself the following day and the day after that. But then the third day of avoidance arrived, and now it had been an entire week, and Jonouchi was late, and Kaiba had just about had it with his immature antics.

Not meeting his gaze. Keeping a wide berth of distance. Short, noncommittal replies.

It was infuriating.

Kaiba knew he wasn't the most patient man, but an abundance of patience wasn't how he'd created a multibillion-yen corporation. And now Jonouchi was testing what little patience Kaiba had left, and Kaiba would be damned if he had to reschedule this test session, thereby pushing the launch schedule back.

He stared at his office door as the seconds ticked by, tapping his foot against the carpet hard as his patience continued to wear thin. Having half a mind to just call Jonouchi and ask where the hell he was, Kaiba stopped himself out of pride. Wasn't he hoping that Jonouchi would eventually fall on his face? The guy had embarrassed him in that back alley Duel, and they weren't buddies just because Jonouchi could kiss decently when appropriately baited. The corners of his lips twitching, Kaiba grumbled as he continued to stew before his thoughts were finally broken.

"-I got stuck in traffic, but I know that's not an excuse. It won't happen again," Jonouchi blurted quickly as he closed the door and took the seat across from Kaiba's desk, "I would have called, but my cell phone broke."

"Should have bought a new one," replied Kaiba neutrally.

To his own surprise, he stopped himself from allowing his irritation to show. Hopefully this lateness wouldn't happen again like Jonouchi promised, or else Kaiba would have to reprimand him somehow. But it didn't need to come to that, and Kaiba wanted to avoid that kind of confrontation, anyways. Especially with someone he had lip-locked, Jonouchi being his employee...

"Anyways, I need you to go downstairs to the R&D department to test out a few updates that we've been working on to the old Kaiba Land arenas. We won't have time to finish it today, especially since you decided to show up late, but I guess we can always just make you stay longer to get the job done at a reasonable time."

Jonouchi wasn't looking at Kaiba in the eyes, and Kaiba found that unsettling. His gaze was usually rude and forward. Now Kaiba had no idea what Jonouchi was thinking.

He was also fidgeting with his hands, and all he did was shake his head at first before spilling an answer, "Y-yes, I can stay after."

"That's it?" asked Kaiba, "No complaining or argument from you? That's a first."

Looking away even more, Jonouchi just shrugged his shoulders.

"I see."

Kaiba sighed loudly. Jonouchi was not really with him at the moment. Again. He was acting silly, and Kaiba waved his hand away at him, "Just go get started already; we can talk about my other plans later.

"But before you go," Kaiba said as Jonouchi made his way to the door, "take these with you." He fished out a file folder from his desk drawer and handed it over; Jonouchi took it wordlessly and had stared at his hands all the while. "I was going to brief you on those before you went down there, but seeing as there's no time for that, you'll have to make due on your own."

Jonouchi peered at the large stack of papers, nearly losing a few from the overstuffed folder, "What are these?"

"Things you are to be on the lookout for during the testing. If you have any questions, be sure to address them to Asano. But try not to be much of a bother."

There was a pinched expression on Jonouchi's face, as though he had made to say something but thought better of it. Giving Kaiba a fleeting glance, Jonouchi silently left the office, closing the door behind him.

Kaiba leaned back into his seat, grumbling while he pinched his nose. He knew this would happen. Jonouchi wasn't like most of the people Kaiba usually messed around with; this probably got into his head a little more than they both realized. It would make their business relationship a bit strained, he was sure, but Jonouchi would have to just get over it.

Hopefully.

Wasn't he straight? Besides maybe a little bit of the grossness factor getting to his head, that kiss shouldn't have mattered that much to Jonouchi. Kaiba certainly hadn't been so affected the limited times he'd tried kissing women, and it certainly didn't make him act awkward with them days after. If anything, he was just as respectfully reserved as ever.

Something had happened.

But there wasn't time for worrying about that now when the work day was still upon him. Grabbing his phone out of his pocket, Kaiba quickly dialed Mokuba, well-aware that the time zone differences would be a bitch, but he didn't exactly care about that while he became bothered by the situation between them again.

Seven rings went by before it went to voicemail. Kaiba hurriedly hit the call end button, frowning at his phone as it disconnected. There had been a time when Mokuba would have picked up his call, no matter where he was or hour of the day it had been. That time seemed far away.

Sighing, Kaiba absently spun his cell phone around on his desk. Maybe Mokuba would see the missed call and call him back. Maybe he should have left a message. Maybe he shouldn't have called at all. Kaiba didn't know.

Kaiba hated second-guessing himself. But the act was occurring with pronounced frequency, and he hated himself a little for it. He didn't want it to become a habit. He was the Kaiba Seto, goddammit, and his actions were always decisive. He never really considered others' reactions.

And now two of them were slapping him in the face.

What was he going to do about Jonouchi? Mokuba, he couldn't do much about—the physical separation was an additional hindrance, and Kaiba wasn't going to turn tail and make a trans-Pacific chase. But Jonouchi—he certainly wasn't about to coddle the idiot, but if Kaiba let Jonouchi's behavior continue as it was, it was going to become a problem.

Jonouchi would be too busy all that day to deal with personally, though. Besides, Kaiba actually did care about his beta testing getting done, and it was more important for those projects to be finalized than dealing with whatever silly nonsense that was going on in Jonouchi's head. He could deal with that later, but it would have to be dealt with quickly.

Closing his eyes, Kaiba took a few breaths and tried relaxing before he finally felt his frustration begin to subside. He'd call Jonouchi tomorrow, for a meeting over dinner. He'd force the retard to deal with them together, alone, and hopefully settle whatever awkward feelings Jonouchi had going on, because they needed to be on the same page. Whatever stupid thing that happened between them during the party was in the past now, and Kaiba certainly wasn't going to allow something as meaningless as a kiss get to him.

Especially one he shared with someone he presumed to be a straight guy.

Supposedly.

Getting Jonouchi to agree to dinner had actually been a rather painless affair. It almost threw Kaiba, since Jonouchi had an affinity for being obstinate, but perhaps it was Jonouchi's new-found docility at work. Whatever the reason, Kaiba wasn't going to complain—it meant one less headache during his prevailingly stressful days.

He had selected a small bistro near the outskirts of town. It was still upscale but wasn't as nice as the restaurant they had dined at with Yoshitaka, but the food was good, and the venue was known for its owners' dedication to the privacy of their clients. Many a discreet meet-up had taken place there, involving members at all levels of the social chain: politicians, yakuza, celebrities, prostitutes, mistresses… The owners didn't discriminate, and that was enough for Kaiba.

He had been seated at a corner booth towards the back of the bistro. It was dimly-lit, and a little more intimate than Kaiba would have preferred, but it was better to feel a little awkward than to have his private life broadcast for any prying ear to hear. Kaiba had largely managed to avoid the tabloids his entire career, and he hoped to keep it that way.

In a turn of events, Jonouchi arrived on time. Kaiba had almost expected him to have dragged his feet when it came down to the actual dinner, and he felt a little pleased that perhaps matters with Jonouchi were already improving.

Jonouchi had dressed for the occasion: black slacks with a tucked-in garnet button-down, sleeves rolled up. Kaiba was glad that the idiot was actually making use of his new wardrobe and apparently had been paying attention to his run-down of appropriate business attire.

"Sorry if I'm late," he said while taking the seat across from Kaiba, "I had to catch a cab first. Didn't want to ruin my clothes riding my bike over here."

"A wise decision," Kaiba said as he took a sip of his wine, "Nice to know that head of yours isn't just for show."

Jonouchi snorted and rolled his eyes, "So what did you want to see me about? It's not like you just invite people to dinner for shits and giggles."

"You," Kaiba replied, matter-of-fact.

"Huh."

Blinking, Jonouchi leaned back into his seat before averting his eyes and sipping his glass of water anxiously. He pulled his seat back a little, and once he was done quickly drinking his water, he finally looked up and frowned.

"What about me? I did everything you wanted yesterday—I got the beta testing done, and the tech guys said I did a good job. What else do you want?"

Kaiba kept his face neutral as he watched Jonouchi squirm. "This isn't about your performance. It's about your attitude, as of late. Would you care to explain your behavior, or shall I enumerate?"

Dropping his jaw slightly in irritation, Jonouchi crossed his arms. "No, go ahead and enlighten me."

Kaiba leaned back in his seat and inclined his head, fully appraising the man across from him. "Let's start with your sudden disregard for punctuality. Your avoidant behavior. I'm your boss, Jonouchi, yet you act as though you can't stand to share the same breathing space with me. You won't even look me in the eye when I address you, and you act as though you can't wait to escape my presence.

"Does this sound familiar? By all means, correct me if I'm wrong."

"I'm not avoiding you..." He fidgeted in his seat slightly before biting his lip, "I'll be on time now; I just had a really bad week, but I know that's not an excuse."

Crossing his legs, Kaiba picked up his glass and swirled its contents. Signalling at their waitress, Kaiba paused as his glass was refilled and Jonouchi was served, as well. "If you know, then put it into practice for the future. And if you aren't avoiding me, then what have you been doing, Jonouchi?"

"Nothing."

"Hmm," Kaiba intoned thoughtfully as he stared at Jonouchi, "I am not prone to delusions, nor am I wrong in my assessments of others. Are you calling me a liar, then?"

"No," Jonouchi sighed, touching his temple as if he had a headache, "You aren't a liar, but you are picking at me again. Like usual. Might as well get used to it, since you will probably never change."

Kaiba sighed, feeling his blood pressure rise. This wasn't going as he had planned. "I didn't call this meeting to talk about myself, Jonouchi—I called it to talk about you. We can talk about me later, if you're that determined to make a big deal out of it.

"So out with it—what's brought on this sudden change in behavior? Because just months ago, you were hunting me down, and now you act as though I have the plague."

"I don't like you," Jonouchi answered flatly, "isn't that reason enough? I don't see why I need to start spending time around you like we're buddies or something, when we most definitely aren't. Besides, you treat me like crap on a regular basis, even with this job.

"And I already won a Duel against you, remember?"

Kaiba's mouth twitched. If Jonouchi didn't tread carefully, he'd soon be experiencing Kaiba's fangs… "My, how that little speech sounds familiar. I don't want nor need anything asinine like your friendship, Jonouchi, but as your boss, I do expect the respect I am entitled. So how about we try again." Kaiba made it very clear that it wasn't a question.

"I already answered your question, Kaiba."

It was obvious that Jonouchi was trying to stop his face from displaying just how irritated he was. His lips were tight, and his right side kept twitching, but besides that, he appeared determined not to just explode like Kaiba probably would have predicted him to.

"Are we going to just keep going around in circles all night or what?"

"While you may find that to be a productive waste of your time, I'll just be direct. This is about the other night, isn't it?"

"What other night are you referring to?" Jonouchi blinked again, his face twisting before he rolled his eyes and sighed loudly. "That stupid party last week? I don't care about your homoness, Kaiba, I should have been able to tell years ago..."

"And yet you didn't," Kaiba replied dryly. "But that knowledge is the only thing that has changed since your sudden mood shift, so you can't deny the corollary. You were the one who was curious about me-"

"-Because of your inappropriate comments towards me," Jonouchi pointed out as he took another sip of water, ignoring his glass of wine entirely, "which I'm sure aren't exactly professional or even legal considering sexual harassment in the workplace is usually pretty frowned upon, right? You want to point fingers at me, well maybe you should be more critical of your own behavior, pal..."

Finally a waiter arrived, and they quickly gave their orders. Jonouchi only glanced at his menu.

Fuck. "I'd say it would be pretty hard to cry sexual harassment when you were the one practically crawling in my lap," Kaiba said icily, taking a long sip of his wine.

"Only because you told me to," Jonouchi answered back, "and you kept pressing drinks on me, too."

"Funny, because as I recall, I wasn't the one beckoning you over, and you were pouring enough drinks on your own."

"You did tell me to come into that stupid room with you because of whatever reason," Jonouchi pointed out, his eyes narrowing as his face became more flushed, "It wasn't my idea to be drinking alone, but you pulled me from the party. I was drinking because I was offered and didn't want to insult someone, and by the time it was just you and me, I was already pretty intoxicated.

"Just leave it alone, Kaiba. Blame it on the alcohol—it all doesn't matter anyways. Don't worry too hard about me; it's not like I'm going to go tell someone back at work that you got an employee drunk and tried feeling him up afterwards..."

Kaiba felt his grip tighten uncomfortably around his wine glass, and so he placed it carefully back on the table. "If it didn't matter, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Next time, I'll leave you to the sharks and see how you like that."

"I won't drink, then."

Jonouchi just shrugged. He rolled his eyes and started looking over the menu again, despite already having ordered.

"Your state of soberness or inebriation won't matter much to them," Kaiba scoffed.

"They can't just haul me out in public unless I willingly go with them," Jonouchi pointed out as he started laughing obnoxiously, "Don't be so absurd. Besides, you aren't my white knight. I don't need you. I've ran with harder crowds before than your silly drunk old men."

"Whoever said they needed to take you away to eat you alive? And you'll see where your fists get you when you're dealing with people who have money."

"You'd let them harass your own employee just because you're a spiteful asshole? Wow. I should have guessed. Makes me wonder how you treat the people who work for you that you aren't interested in sleeping with..."

It was Kaiba's turn to laugh. "Don't flatter yourself, Jonouchi. Besides, you've made it very clear that you're capable of taking care of yourself, so you wouldn't need me to be your 'white knight' and step in to call harassment, would you."

"I don't," Jonouchi continued defiantly. "And unless you have something more to say that's actually pertinent to my job performance, I'm leaving. I might work for you, but I don't have to listen to this bullshit after working hours. You're like some angry girl who got jilted because she found out that the boys don't like her. Keep on being an ugly person—I'm sure someone will eventually want to deal with that kind of bullshit."

He got up and walked towards the door after that.

Kaiba's fingers scratched across the surface of the table. His head was throbbing, and his jaw was clenching in anger.

Fuck Jonouchi. Who the fuck did he think he was.

Pushing away from the table, Kaiba reached into his jacket and left an array of money on the table. He stomped after Jonouchi, nearly throwing the door open. The blond was waiting just steps from the entrance, staring at his cell phone. "Need I remind you, Jonouchi, that your contract doesn't specify 'working hours.' And that as you are having a meeting with your employer's CEO, you are still on the clock. So this meeting isn't over until I have dismissed you."

"Simple, then. I quit."

Kaiba stared at Jonouchi in shock for a second before placing his hands on his hips and inhaling deeply. He closed his eyes and pinched at the bridge of his nose. "I think you'd want to take another look at your contract before you just up and quit." He sighed loudly. "Look, I get it. You're angry. But I'm not just going to allow you to quit because you're too hot-headed to look beyond the present."

But it was more than that. He couldn't just lose his latest investment after parading him around quite publicly to all of the corporation's investors. The Board would have a field day with that—probably call a special session to demand a mental assessment or his resignation. So although it made Kaiba's blood boil to acknowledge it, Jonouchi had the upper hand in the argument.

It was like Mokuba all over again.

"Are we done, then?"

Looking impatiently between the street and Jonouchi, Kaiba tapped his fingers against his hip before sighing in defeat. He would have to pursue a different line of tactics to try to get Jonouchi to remove his head from his ass. "Just come with me. I'll drive you home, and we can settle this matter like adults."

Jonouchi gave Kaiba a skeptical look before finally following behind him, putting both his hands in his pockets and becoming absolutely silent. His face was glued to the sidewalk, and he didn't speak up until they were inside the confines of Kaiba's sports car.

"I'm hungry."

Kaiba snorted as he turned the ignition. "You would have had a free meal if you hadn't stormed out like that."

"I have ramen at home."

"Jonouchi, I pay more than enough for you to not eat like a broke college student," Kaiba deadpanned.

Jonouchi just shrugged his shoulders in silent reply.

Snorting again, this time with an edge of softness, Kaiba reversed the car and pulled out onto the main drag. "I can stop for takeout. Just don't get anything on the seats." It wasn't like he hadn't done the same for his brother.

"I have ramen," Jonouchi repeated without an ounce of enthusiasm.

"Fine." Why was this so damn difficult?

"Don't drop me off too close to my place, either," sighed Jonouchi, "Your car is too flashy. I can catch the bus or something to ride all the way there."

Grunting non-committally in response, Kaiba kept his eyes on the road, only stealing occasional glances in Jonouchi's direction in the rear view mirror. His passenger was slumped in his seat, elbow propped up against the window, gaze fixed on the city passing by.

"I still think you're acting out over that party last week," mumbled Kaiba under his breath. "I don't see why you need to act like something has changed between us, because nothing has. I'm still just your boss and that's all, since you made it abundantly clear that you aren't looking for a friendship between us any longer."

"I don't want to talk about it anymore..."

"Well, I want to," Kaiba challenged, "so it looks like you aren't going to get what you want this evening until I'm done with you."

Jonouchi made an incoherent noise out of his nose that sounded like aggravation, but Kaiba couldn't exactly tell.

"You don't have to like me, but the fact is that we have a business relationship, and so we need to—if not be civil to each other, at least learn to work together. We were fine before the party-"

"-You never had your tongue down my throat before the party..."

"And the reverse applies to me, but you don't see me acting like a big baby over it," Kaiba replied, rolling his eyes even though he knew the effect was lost on Jonouchi.

"Men aren't suppose to do those kind of things together."

The petulance in Jonouchi's tone almost made Kaiba laugh. "Jonouchi, men have done worse things together for millennia. Samurai used to fuck each other because they thought it was noble."

"I don't want to know about it..."

Kaiba sighed. "We kissed. It's not like it's going to suddenly make you gay, or anything. You've bounced back from worse; I don't know why you're sulking so much over this…"

"Because it had to be you," Jonouchi lamented, "of all the assholes in my life. At least if it had been Honda or Yugi, it could have been funny. Something to laugh about later. But no. It was you. You can't see at all why that would bother me so much?"

They were stopped at a red light. Kaiba was silent until it flipped to green, and pushed down on the accelerator with a little more force than needed. The car lurched forward, and Kaiba ground his teeth, irrationally offended. "No, I don't. Why is it such a big deal?"

"I shouldn't have to explain this to you." Jonouchi had his arms on the dashboard, looking somewhat startled when the car jumped forward like he was about to sail into the front window. His eyes were big, but he kept his mouth thin and tight. "You've always treated me like shit. For years. And I never understood why. I didn't do anything to you. You're just a miserable person, and you think you can just insert yourself into my life again and tell me what to do. And now you're gay, well..." Jonouchi paused, for a moment, unsure where he was going there. "-I'm tired of being fucked around with by you because you think it's funny. I'm not your chew toy, Kaiba. Did you even hire me because you believed in my dueling?"

"Jonouchi, you were always the one trying to insert yourself into my life. You and your little group of friends. I'm not sure what my sexuality has to do with any of this, but the truth is, I've put both my name and my company behind you. My reputation depends in part on your success.

"I wasn't 'fucking around' with you last week. It was a game, and you agreed to it, so it's not like I led you into anything you didn't want to do. I'll admit, it might have gotten out of hand, but neither of us were crying foul then." Kaiba risked a glance at Jonouchi, but the other still had his head turned away. They were getting close to Jonouchi's side of town, and Kaiba slowed to just under the speed limit to give them more time to resolve things. He was mentally exhausted, and the prospect of dealing with Jonouchi's moodiness for another week was daunting.

"Yeah, I know. I won't make that mistake again, Kaiba."

Folding his arms tightly against his chest, Jonouchi stared out his side of the window, not budging. His eyebrows were furrowed and his face was growing red with frustration. Kaiba knew the look.

"You also didn't answer my question," Jonouchi pointed out, "Did you give me the contract because you believed in my dueling? Yes or no?"

"I don't believe in anyone but myself," Kaiba countered, "but I do believe in your potential. I don't just give out sponsorships to anyone, so read into that what you will."

Jonouchi made no reply.

They traveled in silence before Kaiba spoke again. "Do you have any other questions for me?"

"No." Jonouchi paused as he glanced at Kaiba for a moment and then looked back out his window again. "I don't want to talk to you anymore. Just drop me off at this corner if you're done already."

Pulling the car over, Kaiba set it into idle and leaned back heavily in his seat. The interior was bathed in an orange glow from the streetlight behind them. "I'll expect you on time tomorrow."

"I will be."

"Good. And I trust that whatever nonsense that has been going on in your head has been resolved? I don't want to deal with another repeat of this past week, so since we've agreed that what happened between us was nothing, then there shouldn't be a problem, should there."

There was eye avoidance as Jonouchi just merely shrugged. It was clear that he was waiting to be released and was no longer mentally invested in what Kaiba had to say. Probably didn't help that they didn't eat and Kaiba was starving, but it still got on his nerves.

"It didn't mean anything," Jonouchi repeated under his breath, "Okay? Can I go now?"

Kaiba sighed—almost growled—in frustration. It was evident that something was still bothering Jonouchi, and the sudden hammering that had ebbed during the drive returned abruptly in his head. He just wanted the whole ordeal to be over already, and in near desperation, his mind flashed an outlandish suggestion.

It was crazy, but he was so damn tired, and maybe it would take something crazy and stupid to reason with someone equally illogical.

Worth a shot. "Look at me." Jonouchi hesitated but gave him a withering look, impatience written all over his face. Kaiba steeled himself, let out a short breath, then reached over and grabbed a fistful of Jonouchi's collar, pulling the other close. The abruptness caught Jonouchi off-guard, and capitalizing on it, Kaiba closed his eyes and closed the gap between them, pressing his lips against Jonouchi's cold ones.

A few seconds later, Jonouchi became aware enough to try shoving Kaiba off with both his hands, but Kaiba was too angry to allow it. He caught both the man's wrists in his grip, holding them tight enough that Jonouchi couldn't budge free.

He didn't even know what he was doing. What he'd accomplish by kissing him, pushing Jonouchi up against his seat as Kaiba turned out of his own, becoming more rough in his motions. It became more evident to Kaiba that he liked what he was doing, and he felt a wave of urgency rush through him everytime he sucked in a breath against Jonouchi's mouth.

But it didn't mean anything. It was just a stupid kiss, nothing to get all bent out of shape over. Couldn't Jonouchi see that?

The tension in Jonouchi's wrists slowly dwindled away, and Kaiba could feel Jonouchi's short breaths ease back into long, deep inhalations. The subtle shifting was enough for Kaiba, who pressed on as Jonouchi responded in turn, their mouths opening wider as Kaiba let go of Jonouchi's wrists. Something at the back of Kaiba's mind told him to stop, but that thought was brushed aside when he felt Jonouchi's hands curl into the fabric of his sleeves.

And was that just a moan that escaped Jonouchi's lips?

All coherent thought abandoned Kaiba as he felt his sense of urgency flow into Jonouchi. It was strangely circuitous, how Jonouchi seemed to draw his fervency in and return it with equal intensity. The rush went to Kaiba's head, spreading out low through his body.

Somehow his hands had traveled up to the nape of Jonouchi's neck, brushing against the ends of his hair. Kaiba gently kneaded his fingers upward, until he was cradling the back of Jonouchi's head against his palm. He was surprised at how soft the hair was—not silky like a woman's, but pleasing to the touch, all the same.

Besides, he wasn't interested in having anyone feel like a woman while he was kissing them. He got caught up in the feeling of his excitement beginning to take hold, Kaiba's groin feeling strangely tight before he was shoved hard against the driver-side door. Groaning, he opened his eyes and glared only to find Jonouchi stumbling out the door, taking off running once he was outside.

"Fuck."

That definitely hadn't gone to plan. Kaiba watched as Jonouchi disappeared into the darkness, his stomach dropping as he sat alone in silence. He didn't even have the energy to hit his head against the wheel.

Instead, he slammed his hands onto it, letting the horn sound off loudly into the night.