Kaiba didn't want to wake up, but he was cold and his left arm was asleep. He groaned as he picked himself up into a sitting position, shaking out his arm and rubbing his functional one against his eyes. Both the television and the PlayStation had timed out during the night, and the room was quiet, save for the short, lilting snores emerging from the floor.
Jonouchi was sprawled on his back, limbs askew. He was still deep in sleep, and although it wasn't yet late in the morning, it was past the time Kaiba's internal clock normally awoke him. Stretching his cramped limbs, Kaiba shifted over to the corner of the couch and stared down at Jonouchi. His face was peaceful in sleep and didn't have that scrunched-up look he normally wore around Kaiba. Since his hair was normally wild, sleeping on the floor hadn't done much to it, although Kaiba noted that it was getting long again. Jonouchi's shirt had ridden up during the night, exposing a triangle of tanned skin and the top edge of the waistband of his boxers. The urge to tug the shirt down or to pull it off entirely nagged at Kaiba with equal intensity.
He didn't completely understand the attraction. Physically, Kaiba acknowledged that he found Jonouchi desirable. Jonouchi was muscular yet lithe, not quite having an athlete's body, but one that was strong from years of hard work and fighting. Kaiba liked how Jonouchi's light hair contrasted with the darkened tone of his skin, and how his eyes weren't quite brown but had traces of rust and gold. But past that, Kaiba was at a loss. They didn't get along easily: being in each others' presence took considerable effort, and more often than not, they would needle at each other until one walked away feeling insulted or aggravated.
But when they did get along, it was great. Jonouchi was a mystery who continually surprised Kaiba, and the fact that Jonouchi was a largely unpredictable force made him interesting. And Kaiba had to admit, people with those qualities were few and far in between for him. As frustrating as it was for his need for control, life with Jonouchi helped to at least kill the monotony. And although his lower-class upbringing surfaced a little too much for Kaiba's liking, Jonouchi had a natural charm that most people found likable.
They could have been easy friends, if Kaiba had allowed it from the start. If his heart and mind hadn't been so clouded by hatred. Maybe things wouldn't have gone so wrongly between them; maybe things would have ended up vastly different. But letting people in didn't come easily for Kaiba: he repelled others like second nature, kept his heart locked away by an impenetrable force field. So why did it hurt so much whenever they were close?
Scowling, Kaiba shook his head and ran both hands through his hair, trying to straighten it in place. He was only wasting his day away by sitting by himself, deliberating things he couldn't change. Scooting to the edge of the couch cushion, Kaiba leaned down and grasped Jonouchi's arm, giving it a light shake. "Hey. It's time to wake up."
"Go away Tou-san, you're drunk..." mumbled Jonouchi as he rolled away in half awareness.
Kaiba rolled his eyes. Jonouchi had rotated away to where he couldn't reach him, and so Kaiba moved over, crouching down next to the blond's prone form. He grasped onto Jonouchi's shoulder this time and shook. "Get up already, lazy."
As a reflex, Jonouchi snapped his arm back, nearly knocking Kaiba to the floor as his eyes shot open and looked around, becoming disoriented when he found his employer too close to his face.
"What are you doing here?" he asked in a broken voice. Fluttering his eyes a few times, Jonouchi hunched over and wiped at his eyes before opening them again, finally coming to complete awareness. "I didn't mean to pass out here last night. What time is it, anyways?"
"It's almost nine," Kaiba snorted as he edged away. "Do you always wake so violently?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"When people start touching me before I'm actually awake, yeah." Jonouchi snorted, failing to comb down his hair with his hands. "Maybe you shouldn't try grabbing me first thing in the morning, genius."
"How else am I supposed to get you awake—bang a freaking gong?" Kaiba said. It was ridiculous: Jonouchi was typically the touchy-feely one, and now he was getting all twisted from Kaiba's hand making contact with his arm?
"Sure, if you got one," Jonouchi answered back sarcastically.
He shifted until he was sitting on the floor, adjusting his clothes and turning off the electronics before he got up and left the room. The idiot probably didn't even know where he was going. It wasn't like Kaiba had ever given him a full tour of the mansion, and Jonouchi didn't get enough off-leash time to have ventured enough to have the place down to memory.
"Where are you going?" Kaiba asked, scrambling to catch up. He could feel his face burning. Probably from indignation, he told himself.
"To find some food in this place, I'm hungry."
"Then you're going the wrong way," Kaiba began, "the kitchen's over here." He turned, knowing Jonouchi would follow—there was little in the world that would keep him from food. "What makes you think I'd automatically feed you, anyway?"
"That's what a good host does, don't you know," responded Jonouchi with a laugh, "It's not like you can't afford it. I won't even eat that much, promise. I just need something to tide me over until I get back home."
Kaiba stole a look to his side before quickly looking forward again, speeding up his pace. "If you're going to eat, you might as well just eat. I'm sure the kitchen staff made more than enough, now that Mokuba and his huge appetite are back." It was true—Mokuba could probably match the amount of food Jonouchi could fork down, and it wasn't like Kaiba himself ate all that much.
The smell of cooked food grew stronger as they got closer to the kitchen. Bypassing it for the dining room, Kaiba arrived at a table full of platters, his brother already digging in. As expected, there was a whole assortment of food, all Western dishes: bacon and sausage links, blueberry pancakes, fried eggs, syrup, thick slices of toast, and fruit. Kaiba gave Mokuba an amused look before settling across from him; Kaiba never favored sitting at the head of the table—he had to do enough of that at work. "I see you brought home a taste for American breakfasts," he said, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"Yeah, rice and fish gets so boring after a while, Nii-sama," said Mokuba between forkfuls of food, "I'll get over my cravings eventually. Now, if only I could get the burritos like they had back in California. That would be awesome."
Jonouchi looked slightly uncomfortable, stuck between the two brothers. He grabbed a plateful of food and sat a few seats away from Kaiba, withdrawing from the situation.
Mokuba looked over at Jonouchi, giving Kaiba a quizzical look. Kaiba merely shrugged his shoulders, reaching for a piece of toast and the bowl of fruit. "Hey Jonouchi, what're you doing all the way over there? Come sit with us," Mokuba said.
"Yes, what kind of host would I be if I allowed my guest to sit in exile," Kaiba drawled. His house wasn't some cafeteria; if Jonouchi wanted to eat, he'd have to stomach sitting with the rest of them.
"I don't want to get in the way of your little family time," said Jonouchi as he quickly polished off his plate. He didn't seem willing to move. Mokuba pointing out his distance only seemed to distress him more, and Kaiba rolled his eyes as he sighed.
"Don't make us come over to you!" Mokuba snickered, holding onto the sides of his plate.
"Mokuba, don't," Kaiba sighed. "If Jonouchi wants to eat by himself, just let him." It was irritating and a little insulting, but Jonouchi seemed to be in a mood, so what else could he do?
"I don't get it," Mokuba huffed, setting his plate back down. "You guys hung out all night, but now you can't even eat breakfast together? I can leave, if that's the problem…"
Jonouchi made a noise that sounded like a mix of a sigh and aggravation before getting up from the table. He was already done. No one could shovel food into their mouths as quickly as he could, and Kaiba was a little astonished that he'd forgotten how mannerless Jonouchi could be if he wasn't forced into behaving for the sake of keeping up appearances.
"I'm already done," Jonouchi replied as he pushed the chair back under the table, "Thanks for the breakfast, but I've overstayed my welcome. I gotta get going; it wasn't my plan to pass out here while playing video games." He turned his gaze towards Mokuba, who looked confused. "I'll see you around, kid—later."
Then he nearly took off out of the room, bolting towards the exit.
"What's his problem?" Mokuba nearly pouted. "You guys get into another fight or something?"
"No," Kaiba said as he chewed on his toast slowly.
"So what's the deal, anyway," Mokuba continued as he speared a piece of sausage. "You didn't tell me that you two had gotten friendly while I was away, to the point of hanging out…"
"We decided it would be easier to work together if we tried to put aside our animosity," Kaiba explained. It wasn't the full truth, but Mokuba didn't need to know the details of his relationship with Jonouchi. Kaiba himself didn't even completely understand what was going on between him and the other man.
"That doesn't answer the question of why you two are having sleepovers together all of a sudden," laughed Mokuba. He did so in a somewhat knowing manner that made Kaiba grind his teeth. His little brother wasn't ignorant. He knew a lot of things about Kaiba that almost no one else did.
"It wasn't on purpose," Kaiba countered smoothly as he prepared a slice of toast, "Jonouchi fell asleep on the floor by accident."
"You let him fall asleep here, Nii-sama. Usually you're not so charitable."
"It's not charity," Kaiba replied a bit sharply, "it's convenience. I was too tired myself to deal with it. Besides, don't you have your own social life to worry about instead of mine?"
"I find this new development of yours much more compelling," Mokuba grinned. "But I can tell you don't want to talk about it, so I'll let it slide this time. I'll find out eventually!"
Kaiba just sighed in response, picking at his food as he watched his brother decimate the plates in front of him. He normally didn't hide things from Mokuba, and it wasn't like his brother cared much about his inclinations, either. Kaiba had never kept that fact a secret, and Mokuba had readily accepted it at face-value. But Jonouchi was different. They had a history, one that was rapidly changing into something Kaiba didn't have the definition for. They'd slept together once, but what did that mean, if anything at all? Kaiba wasn't sure if he wanted it to mean anything.
But it wasn't like he had much of a choice in that matter.
He certainly wouldn't turn down the offer of sex again if it ever came up, but Kaiba doubted that possibility would ever return to him. Jonouchi seemed put-off by any kind of bodily contact with Kaiba, and while he couldn't help but feel a little insulted by that, he also knew it was probably because Jonouchi was conflicted. He'd said before that he wasn't gay, yet he had participated in having penetrative sex with another man. Something wasn't quite right there with him.
Nothing Kaiba could do about it, though. Jonouchi would continue to live in blissful denial if that was what he wanted to do. Kaiba couldn't make him re-examine himself. It would probably be a useless thing to do, anyways. Just cause more grief, if anything else...
Redirecting the conversation onto Mokuba, Kaiba gave up on his ruminations. The brothers finished their breakfast, and Mokuba scampered off soon after, leaving Kaiba to deal with the rest of his day in relative peace. He still had work to finish up before the new work week began, and dissecting his and Jonouchi's...whatever it was—wouldn't do anything but hinder that work getting done.
Retreating to his office, Kaiba shut the door and ignored the pervasive thoughts that refused to leave his head.
Slowly but steadily, Jonouchi was getting used to the corporate lunches he was required to attend from time to time. Usually the food was good, and while he had to really strive not to overindulge or eat too quickly than what was socially acceptable, Jonouchi did enjoy the change up in environments. Kaiba Corporation, even with its youthful image and legions of fresh-out-of-college twenty-something-year-old business graduates, was still stiff and formal in a way that Jonouchi couldn't fully adapt to.
He still felt strange walking through the hallways. Usually he was the only person not wearing a suit and tie. It felt weird, even though he wasn't required to dress that way.
Besides, he never knew what to say or do around the business staff. They seemed a world apart, speaking a language he didn't quite understand. Sitting at the table, Jonouchi made it a habit to just keep quiet and not say anything unless spoken to first. His answers were always quick and short, not really getting into any kind of detail to avoid tripping himself up. Most people didn't talk to him, anyway.
Eyeing the clock, Jonouchi counted down the minutes until he would be done with the meeting and dragged away to the subsequent lunch. His face had finally healed to the point where the makeup team could cover the remainder of the bruise up, and the Marketing division had finally rearranged their product campaign into a workable schedule. Since everything was starting to realign, they had requested Jonouchi's attendance so that they could explain their strategy and lock down pertinent dates. Jonouchi had a sneaking suspicion that it was merely a masked warning for "don't fuck your face up again until after these dates," but after all the trouble he'd put them through, Jonouchi couldn't exactly blame them, either.
"Are we finished here?" Kaiba's voice disrupted him from his reverie.
"Yes, Kaiba-sama, that's all we have to go over for today," the project manager, a young woman in her late twenties, replied. Thinking back to his conversation with Honda from the previous week, Jonouchi glanced over her inconspicuously. She was pretty in a delicate way, with long, straight black hair and large brown eyes. Almost doll-like. If Honda had seen her, he'd surely be enchanted. But Jonouchi remained apathetic. It wasn't like he had a particular "type," so what was wrong with him?
"Jonouchi."
He was shaken from his thoughts yet again by the sound of his name coming from right next to him. Looking around, Jonouchi was surprised to see that the room had been cleared, and only he and Kaiba remained. "Yeah?"
"Do you have any lunch plans?" Kaiba asked as he tapped a stack of reports against the table.
"Um, I thought there was one with the Industrial Illusions reps after this?"
Kaiba looked over at him with a small frown. "It was canceled this morning. You didn't get the email?"
"I didn't check," Jonouchi admitted with a sheepish grin. "So I guess, no, I don't have any plans…?"
"Maybe I'll have to get you a fancy phone after all," Kaiba smirked, "At least that way, you'll have no excuse." Sliding the files into his briefcase, Kaiba snapped it shut and stood. "What would you say to...having lunch with me?" Kaiba didn't meet his eyes when he said it, and Jonouchi thought he almost looked...uncomfortable? It was sort of strange, but then again, this whole "let's be friends" thing was still new to the both of them.
The words "Do I have to?" rang in Jonouchi's mind for a moment, but he had enough tact not to actually say that out loud. He didn't know why the prospect of being taken out made him so uncomfortable. It wasn't like he'd never eaten with Kaiba before. They'd shared meals together many times, but for some reason, the way Kaiba asked just set Jonouchi on edge a little.
"Did you need to go over something with me?" Jonouchi asked as his eyebrows raised a little, "I thought I got told about everything...except for that lunch cancellation."
That was probably a blessing in disguise. Jonouchi couldn't see Kaiba dealing with Industrial Illusions working out so well, but maybe Kaiba didn't hold so much of a grudge, since Pegasus was dead.
"I was hoping to follow up on some related matters that weren't addressed in this meeting," Kaiba replied, his normal authoritative tone returning.
"Oh. Well, in that case, yeah, I'd like some lunch. Where exactly are we going to go, then? I liked the sushi bar you took the Koreans last week, that was cool."
Kaiba began walking towards the door. "How about something a little less formal. I haven't had curry in quite a while."
Jonouchi felt himself become overwhelmed with excitement. He loved curry. If his father wasn't around to steal his groceries so much, he'd make it all the time. Curry anything was great: pork, chicken, beef, whatever—although breaded deep-fried pork cutlets were probably some of his favorite alongside pork belly. He could eat platefuls if the opportunity ever presented itself.
"That sounds even better, actually."
"Good, I have just the place in mind," Kaiba replied as they descended down the elevator to the garage. "It's not that far away, but driving is faster." Opening the doors to his sports car, Kaiba tossed his briefcase in the back seat and climbed in. The car roared to life. Jonouchi hesitated before finally climbing into the passenger seat, quickly buckling his seatbelt and threading his hands together in his lap.
They drove in a rather heavy silence, but Jonouchi thought that maybe it was all in his head. Kaiba didn't appear uneasy, so he could just be over-thinking things, as usual. But the memories Jonouchi had from the last time being in this car were ones he wasn't eager to revisit.
It made him shift uncomfortably in his seat as he stared out of the window. Didn't help that the entire car smelled like Kaiba's fancy cologne, and Jonouchi could feel his palms start to sweat. Wringing his hands, he tried shoving the memory to the back of his mind while wishing he could distract himself by the sight of people passing by instead of the steady, quiet sounds of Kaiba's breathing.
Kaiba wasn't a naturally friendly person. He didn't just treat people to lunch. The whole thing sounded strange, when Jonouchi started to think about it. Business wasn't brought up until after Jonouchi had asked, and it made him begin to question Kaiba's intentions a little.
The silence was deafening. He wanted to talk, if only to have something to do besides over-think, but Jonouchi didn't know about what.
"Where's Mokuba today?"
That was as good of a starter as any.
"Studying for the Center Shiken, or so he claims. I think it's just an excuse to hang out with his friends. The test's a few months out, and it's not like he ever studies much for anything, anyway."
"Isn't he a genius like you?" asked Jonouchi with a nervous laugh, "I didn't think smart kids like him needed to really study for those stupid exams anyways."
Jonouchi had studied his butt off, thanks to Anzu's help, and only managed an average score. It was more than his teachers thought he'd get, and Jonouchi was pleased with his personal achievement, but it wasn't enough to really get accepted to any great schools. Besides, he didn't have the money for tuition, so it had been mostly all for naught.
Although he did do better than Honda, who hadn't studied at all.
"Of course he is, which I why I think the whole thing's a ruse. The test is more of a formality for him; schools have been vying for his attention ever since he expressed an interest in going. If he wanted to hang out with his friends, I don't know why he wouldn't just say so."
"Maybe he thought you wouldn't approve."
"I think we both know my approval isn't high on his list of necessities these days," Kaiba said dryly.
Jonouchi didn't think that was necessarily a bad thing, though. Mokuba was almost an adult. He needed to start living his own life already. At Mokuba's age, Jonouchi had been doing almost the same thing. He'd disappear for days at a time traveling while his father had no clue where on earth he was, and no one had bothered to ask. It hadn't harmed Jonouchi in any way...
Although Jonouchi didn't like the fact that no one cared about him really enough to worry, either. Kaiba seemed to care too much.
They pulled up to a multilevel strip mall about four kilometers away from headquarters. It was a place Jonouchi had passed by before, since the arcade he, Yugi, and Honda had frequented was nearby, but he'd never heard of a curry house inside the locale, either. Kaiba was already out of the car, walking up to the alcove leading inside, and Jonouchi had to hurriedly unbuckle and follow behind.
The staircase leading up was narrow and unlit, with random stickers and scrawling thickly clustered across either wall: old flyers, names, band decals, and long-ago declarations of love. Jonouchi wondered what the hell Kaiba had even been doing in the first place to have found wherever they were going to, and what had made him adventurous enough to have tried it out to begin with.
Reaching the top level of the five-story building, Jonouchi followed Kaiba as he weaved through a labyrinth of back hallways and storefronts. Finally they stopped at a tiny restaurant with a traditional facade, a dimly-lit display case of elaborate plastic food replicas adorning the wall along the entrance.
"You don't take your business associates here, do you?" asked Jonouchi as he looked around. It didn't seem likely. The place had more of an intimate feel than what would be appropriate for work, and the location was pretty grungy.
"No," Kaiba replied as he sat down at a small table, throwing his suit jacket over the back of the empty seat beside him. "I used to come here a lot when I was younger and didn't feel like going home immediately."
An elderly man emerged from the kitchen at the sound of guests, his drooping eyes going wide with recognition. "Oh! Kaiba-san, it has been a while!" he exclaimed delightedly, reaching for Kaiba's hand with both of his and giving it a shake.
This was a strange thing to watch. Jonouchi was trying not to seem as uncomfortable with the exchange as he felt, and with the promise of food in the air as he smelled the aroma of curry in the back, he kept himself from fidgeting in his seat. Since when was Kaiba cordial with anyone? Except maybe Isono, but Jonouchi didn't think they were even that friendly, considering Kaiba was always barking orders at him whenever he saw them together.
"I am glad to see that you are in good health," Kaiba said to the owner. The man just smiled at him before setting two menus down while yelling towards the kitchen, "Miyuki-chan, bring over two teas!"
A "Yes, sir!" was called back, and seconds later, a teenaged girl wearing a kimono shuffled over, nervously setting down two steaming mugs of tea before hurrying back to the kitchen.
"I see that your granddaughter has grown," Kaiba remarked as he slid the mug across the table to his other side.
"Yes, she will be entering high school next year. She helps out every now and then, but I told her she'll have to focus on her studies soon. But that Miyuki...she just tells me that she'll study in here like how that young boy used to do. I reckon she meant you, Kaiba-san." He gave Kaiba another crinkly smile before gesturing towards Jonouchi. "But where are my manners? Who might this young gentleman be?" The old man looked at him with inquisitive eyes.
"He's a...friend," Kaiba said as he blew on his tea. He looked over the cup directly at Jonouchi, and the statement along with the stare made Jonouchi fidget more.
"We went to high school together," explained Jonouchi as he tried not to stammer his words, "and work together, sometimes. That's all, really."
He wasn't sure if he should even give out his name. Kaiba should have, if he possessed any manners. Jonouchi didn't want to leave any sort of impression on the old man if he could help it, since Kaiba clearly came around enough for them to be friendly with each other. Better to remain somewhat anonymous.
"Hmm," the man murmured as he appraised Jonouchi, "you're the first person Kaiba-san's ever brought around, so you must be quite special. Take good care of Kaiba-san, will you? He's a good boy." He rested one wrinkled hand on Kaiba's shoulder before bringing out a pad of paper and a pen. "But enough of that; what shall I get for you two?"
"Whatever your best curry is," Jonouchi announced before looking at Kaiba. He didn't want Kaiba ordering for him, if he got the nerve. Jonouchi wasn't sure anymore what he was capable of pulling off. He seemed cool there, sitting at the table with him talking to the old man whom he had been familiar with for a long time, discussing personal things that Kaiba usually threw a damn fit over when any of his friends brought the past up.
It was strange.
"The usual," Kaiba said as he traced a finger along the rim of his mug.
"Of course," the owner replied, taking the menus and retreating to the kitchen. Now that Kaiba and he were alone in the dining area, Jonouchi felt even more uncomfortable.
"So why exactly did you take me here?" asked Jonouchi as he played with his teacup, needing something to do with his hands, "This doesn't seem like your usual hangout spot."
"It used to be, although it's been a while since I've last come here. There's no reason; I just felt like it," Kaiba said between sips. "The food is good."
"Uh huh, sure..."
Jonouchi doubted it. Well, he didn't doubt the food, but he doubted Kaiba's reason for coming. This didn't seem like some place you took someone unless you really liked them. Not if this was Kaiba's hideout spot from his teenage years. Having had a rather challenging childhood himself, Jonouchi knew what these kind of places meant for someone, so why Kaiba chose to finally expose his made no sense whatsoever
"Why haven't you been back, then? If the food is so good."
Kaiba leaned back in his seat and looked around. "You know what my schedule is like. Takeout or just not eating until I get home is easier."
"Because you couldn't get Isono to come grab you a box of curry on your way home after work," Jonouchi snorted, "You're making things far more difficult than they actually are for you. Besides, that old man was so happy to see you. Called you a good boy and everything, although maybe he said that because he doesn't know you like I do."
"Then how would you say you know me, Jonouchi?" Kaiba said, his eyes fixed directly at him.
"Better than most people."
Not because he wanted to, either. The more he got sucked into this huge mess, the more Jonouchi wished that he hadn't challenged Kaiba to that back alley Duel. All this headache wasn't worth the unofficial victory of beating Kaiba at Duel Monsters, especially since Kaiba was much better now and wouldn't easily be beaten again.
He also felt like he was being played with, a little. Jonouchi wanted to be friends with Kaiba, ever since they first met, but on his own conditions. Kaiba clearly didn't respect them, and more than once crossed the line between friendship and a more intimate interest Jonouchi told himself he wasn't okay with. Not just because they were both men, but also because Kaiba was just downright creepy at times, and Jonouchi had no fucking clue what was going on inside his head.
Anyone else would be easier to deal with.
"You seem pretty sure of yourself," Kaiba said lightly.
"Does that mean I'm wrong, then?"
"I wonder." Kaiba grew silent, seemingly lost in thought.
Jonouchi made a face as Kaiba tuned out of the conversation, moving his seat so he was facing more towards the bar of the restaurant instead of directly towards Kaiba himself. Sipping on his tea, he could feel his patience starting to wane. Kaiba hadn't seriously invited him over just to have social hour, did he? Especially since he just seemly shut down now so he could go into his own private la la land for who knew how long.
"Earth to Kaiba, was there something in particular you wanted to discuss with me, or did you just feel like dragging me somewhere for lunch because you knew you could get away with it?"
Kaiba blinked, his eyelashes fluttering before he turned to Jonouchi almost in surprise. "When are you going to get your own apartment?" he asked abruptly.
"Answer my question first, and then you'll get yours," Jonouchi rudely replied, feeling his face become hot from the embarrassment he was feeling. Yes, he wasn't proud of where he lived, but that was life.
"This is what I wanted to discuss," Kaiba began, sitting up straighter in his chair. "This marketing campaign can't be derailed again; it was enough trouble for the department to reschedule everything back into a cohesive plan. So if you still live with your father," Kaiba almost hissed the word, "there's no guarantee that you won't show up again looking like you did." He eyed Jonouchi's jaw, where the ghost of a bruise still lingered.
"I can't just kick my dad out, he's family," Jonouchi insisted, "He's my responsibility, and I'll be damned if I kick him out into the streets. He has no one else but me, and I'm his only son. You know how it is, Kaiba. For better or worse, I have to take care of him... I'll just make sure to keep my face away from him next time he comes home messed up."
It wasn't like his dad even knew what he was doing at times. He was such an alcoholic: the old man was constantly intoxicated, from the time he rose out of bed until he was passed out on his futon. Someone was supplying him, and Jonouchi knew better than to get involved. He just didn't want the cops picking him up and sending his dad to prison because of whatever crazy shit he'd gotten mixed up in.
Jonouchi would have had his debts paid off, too, if the old man had stopped making deals all the time.
They were interrupted by the food's arrival. Jonouchi was served a hearty lamb stew with rice, while "the usual" for Kaiba ended up being mostly rice and vegetables with a little beef and apple. Kaiba didn't reach for his bowl or spoon, instead continuing to stare at Jonouchi with an intense gaze.
"There's no need for you to kick him out; you can get your own separate quarters. He's a grown man, Jonouchi. He can learn to take care of himself. How serious are you about your career?"
"Don't insult me with questions like that, Kaiba."
Paying for two apartments, even on his improved salary, would still be difficult. Besides, his father needed to eat and wouldn't clean up after himself. When Jonouchi left home for days at a time, he'd come back to spoiled food covered in fruit flies all over the place and whatever other bugs had found their way in. It was disgusting, and Jonouchi didn't understand how his father could even live like that.
If the laundry wasn't done for Jonouchi senior, either, the man would just keep wearing his old, soiled clothes...
"Then you should understand where I'm coming from," Kaiba replied pointedly. "You can't afford to lose focus, and sometimes that means letting go of the things holding you back."
"My father isn't a 'thing,' Kaiba, he's my father. You don't just shove family aside because they are going through shit... I won't get punched in the face again, I can promise you that much, but I'll deal with my family issues myself."
Besides, what did Kaiba know about dealing with parents? His were dead. He had no idea what he was talking about.
Jonouchi nursed his aggravation with food. The curry was delicious, which wasn't a surprise. Clearly Kaiba wouldn't waste time anywhere if the food wasn't good enough for his much pickier palate, and thankfully it eased away Jonouchi's irritation. If he wasn't uncomfortable with Kaiba, he was mad at him. Very quickly, he was getting sick of the feeling.
Finally picking up his spoon, Kaiba responded tersely, "See to it that you do." He appeared as though he wanted to say something else but had refrained. They ate in silence for a few minutes, before Kaiba spoke once again. He'd placed his spoon back on the rest, and the fingers around his mug twitched almost imperceptibly. "What good is 'family' when the relation's only by blood?" There was surprisingly little venom in his voice.
"I don't really want to talk about that with you," replied Jonouchi with as much politeness as he could muster, considering his growing temper, "Please change the subject."
But Kaiba only grew faraway again and continued to eat his food. He looked somewhat troubled—his eyebrows were furrowed as he poked at his meal, his gaze cast downward.
"Why can't we just talk about normal things, like normal people do?" asked Jonouchi after the silence began eating away at him, "Would that kill you for once?"
"I'm not normal, Jonouchi. I thought you knew that," Kaiba said quietly.
"Yeah well, it's not like you really try to be normal, either. It's like you enjoy being as strange as possible so the rest of us can be left confused over what the hell you're thinking. You couldn't have just dragged me here to scold me, right?"
Was Kaiba really that damn ridiculous as to do that? Maybe. He didn't seem to really care what Jonouchi thought of him.
"I don't know what it's like to have friends," Kaiba replied neutrally, "so excuse my ignorance."
"Are we friends?" Jonouchi wasn't sure. His feelings on it changed on a daily basis, it seemed. "You don't treat me like a friend at all, Kaiba. And don't say you don't know how it works, because you've seen it enough times throughout high school. You're not as socially inept as you like to pretend to be."
The twitch moved to under Kaiba's left eye. "I thought we were trying to be. You don't make it easy either, Jonouchi, and your treatment of me is a far cry from that of your other friends-"
"Probably because I can't trust you like my other friends," interrupted Jonouchi with a bit of bite, "They don't shove me onto their beds to feel me up, for one."
"I thought we agreed to move past that, but you keep using it against me like it was entirely my fault," Kaiba countered, his normally pale face tinged a slight pink.
"It was mostly your fault," Jonouchi pointed out, "Nothing would have happened that night if you hadn't done that... And I shouldn't bring it up, because I don't like thinking about it to begin with, but since you want to know why I don't treat you like Yugi, well, there you have it."
"Nothing would have happened if you hadn't been over in the first place, but there's no point arguing about it now. So tell me, Jonouchi, what can I do to make you trust me?" The wrinkle was prominent between Kaiba's brows.
"I guess you need to give me a reason to trust you, first of all..." Jonouchi couldn't depend on Kaiba like he could Anzu, Honda, or Yugi. Even Ryou, probably, who cared about friendship but had his personal troubles to deal with, namely the malevolent Spirit of the Ring. Kaiba only did anything for himself or his brother, and no one else.
"...I've shown my trust in you. Isn't that enough?" Kaiba had finished eating, and he pushed his bowl away. The young waitress came over to fetch it, refilling their mugs.
"Not when you keep burning me as payment."
Kaiba watched the steam rise from his mug, curling wisps that drifted and faded. "I see."
"Do you really?" asked Jonouchi defiantly, "Because sometimes I doubt you understand how I feel about anything at all."
"The same could be said of you," Kaiba said, meeting Jonouchi's gaze, "You view me as some unfeeling entity, and I'd wager you've never given thought to how your actions or words might impress upon me. But that's neither here nor there; we won't get anywhere by keeping score like this."
"I'm not keeping a score," Jonouchi retorted with a heavy sigh, "and you make it pretty hard for anyone to believe that you feel anything about what people say to you, since you keep everyone at an arm's distance. You won't open up to anyone, Kaiba. Can't blame the rest of us for not knowing what's going on in that head of yours..."
His plate was just about empty. Jonouchi placed his spoon back down on its holder, still slightly aggravated and holding his chin up with his hand and elbow. He wasn't getting anywhere with Kaiba, at all. They were at a stalemate, it seemed, and Kaiba wasn't going to really open himself up anytime soon, although Jonouchi didn't think he'd feel too comfortable with that, anyway.
Kaiba was too complex a person for him to really understand. Jonouchi didn't want his life being anymore complicated by him than it already was.
"Are you done eating yet?"
Maybe changing the subject entirely would be safe.
"I've been waiting on you." Kaiba stood, shrugging his suit jacket back on before heading over to the register. He talked lightly with the restaurant owner—too soft for Jonouchi's ears to catch—but the conversation had elicited a raucous laugh from the old man and a toothy grin. Returning to the table, Kaiba hovered by its edge. "Let's go."
Blinking, Jonouchi got up and followed behind Kaiba, not quick to catch up with Kaiba's pace as he stared at his feet. He lagged behind some, leaving the shop and waving to the owner. Kaiba walked too fast, and heavy with food, Jonouchi didn't feel like putting forth the effort to keep up with his long strides.
Why couldn't Kaiba just be cordial with everyone like he was with the old man? How hard was it to act normal for once? Jonouchi was sure Kaiba acted more strange than he really was, as a defensive measure. It was the only thing that made sense. He wasn't so socially inept; he understood how people thought and could function in groups without much effort. Really, it was his apathy in being personal with his own peers that got under Jonouchi's skin. He was starting to realize that.
Too bad Kaiba was never going to change himself anytime soon. He was probably comfortable in his loneliness, to a point. People needed company, but Kaiba seemed attached to his misery.
"Why do you have to walk so damn fast," muttered Jonouchi under his breath as he shuffled his feet around, "There's no rush to get back."
"We've already taken a long enough break," Kaiba said, not turning around, "I still have work to do."
"So what? You can take a breather for once and live a little. The rest of the world can wait."
Didn't Kaiba take a ton of work home with him anyways? Jonouchi didn't get it. Kaiba was going to die of a stroke at thirty if he continued that hard without stopping.
"Japanese work ethic be damned, you need more fun in your life. What do you like to do besides sitting in front of a computers and telling people what to do?" asked Jonouchi.
"I don't get many opportunities for 'fun,' Jonouchi," Kaiba said as he reached the car and climbed in. "We're not kids anymore." He turned the ignition and waited for Jonouchi to get inside before pulling out onto the road. "And whom, pray tell, would I have this 'fun' with?"
Opening the door, Jonouchi settled in and strapped on his seat belt before slouching against the passenger door.
"Fun isn't just for kids, Kaiba. And I'm pretty sure even as a kid, you didn't get much of any, so maybe it's time that you did something for yourself for once," Jonouchi pointed out as he rolled his eyes, "And you do stuff with your friends, which you'd have if you bothered to try getting some."
Kaiba's eyes kept shifting from the road to his rear view mirror and back again. "I am trying to get one, although the one I picked is being resistant," he said pointedly.
"Friends usually enjoy each other's company, and you don't act like you enjoy having me around. And I could probably learn to enjoy yours if you'd stop acting like you have a pole stuck up your ass and try doing something besides being a bossy CEO all the time."
They hadn't really been friendly towards each other in quite a while. Jonouchi had known they had finally been getting along, but then the incident in the study had happened. It was just too awkward to go back to how things were before without realizing a few things for himself.
"If you could try being a friend instead of my boss all the time," reasoned Jonouchi, "and do something fun with me, then maybe you'd get what you want."
Kaiba's eyes slid over to Jonouchi, although his face remained forward. "Is that so? Then since you're such an expert at fun, why don't you suggest something."
"I would if you weren't so damn resistant to it."
"I'm asking you now."
Quieting, Jonouchi mulled over it. Now that the offer was being made, he wasn't entirely sure just what they should do together. Kaiba was in a prissy mood, and Jonouchi was heavy from food, but he didn't know when that kind of offer would ever happen again. Not just that, but if he didn't take it, Kaiba might not give it again to him.
"Fine. Let's go to your theme park, then. Show me around."
"Fine. I'm only working a half-day on Friday, so we can go then."
Jonouchi snorted. There was hope for Kaiba yet.
Finishing up early for the day, Kaiba headed over to Kaiba Land and waited for Jonouchi to arrive. It felt strange to be sitting around and doing nothing, but it gave him time to people watch and decompress for a bit by himself. Judging from their last encounter, it was hard for Kaiba to anticipate how Jonouchi would act, and that alone was stressful enough.
Sitting on a side bench, watching the flow of traffic, Kaiba mulled over their lunch excursion from earlier in the week, as though a thorough analysis would somehow unlock something comprehensible behind Jonouchi's ever-changing attitudes and behaviors.
One. This whole event was Jonouchi's idea, so if it crashed and burned, then Kaiba really couldn't be blamed. He was trying, after all, even if Jonouchi failed to see it.
Two. Jonouchi claimed to know Kaiba better than most people, but did he really? How exactly did Jonouchi view him? To be honest, Kaiba knew he treated Jonouchi vastly different from most others. People either tended to register on his radar as worthy of his attention or were blips quickly dealt with and forgotten. From the outset, Jonouchi should have been the latter category, but somehow he would always grab hold of Kaiba's attention and keep it—kept it after all these years. And while Kaiba admittedly had never treated Jonouchi with much apparent kindness or concern, the fact that Kaiba had tolerated him at all beyond his threshold for the rest of the world's population was a testament to Jonouchi himself.
Three. Although Kaiba believed he had already proven his trust, it wasn't enough for Jonouchi. Jonouchi held hostage the future of his company and Kaiba's own reputation, far past the business aspect alone. He had (rather extreme) intimate knowledge of Kaiba's personal life, had been invited into his own home, and while Kaiba didn't give much credence to scandals, the rest of the world did. Jonouchi held the power to ruin him, and that wasn't enough. The knowledge sat uneasily in Kaiba's stomach.
Four. Friendship, it seemed, was still a long way away. Although they'd agreed to come to a kind of truce—put the past and the bitterness aside—it was more easily said than done. Jonouchi still regarded Kaiba with suspicion, and while he expected Kaiba to all of a sudden open up and spill his innermost thoughts, Jonouchi refused to do the same. The double standard riled Kaiba. He'd never been an open book. Never could be. It was how he'd made it to twenty-one years of age relatively intact. Being abandoned by your own blood, suffering at the hands of a sociopath, fending off a hostile corporate world that only wanted to see your downfall… Who could trust in an environment like that? No one who wanted to survive.
Five. Just how long was Jonouchi going to keep him waiting? He'd fired off that text message almost an hour ago. Crossing his legs and arms, Kaiba closed his eyes and felt minutely relieved that he hadn't worn a suit to work. It was still balmy for late September, but the nights grew colder as the month wore on.
Eventually Jonouchi appeared out of the crowd. He was wearing just a shirt and jeans with sneakers, although he had some old red varsity jacket thrown over his arm. It looked familiar. Kaiba couldn't figure out how he'd seen it before, but it couldn't have been from that long ago. The hue and stitched letter "J" were things he'd noticed from somewhere before…
"You're late."
"Sorry, the bus wasn't running on time," Jonouchi shrugged, "If you didn't want me running late, you should have offered to pick me up."
"You have Isono's number. You could practically call him anytime you want," Kaiba sniffed.
"Well, I didn't know that until just now," Jonouchi replied with a frown, "and he's not my personal driver, either. He's yours. I don't live like that, you know."
Jonouchi crossed his arms and dropped his gaze towards the entrance of the park, kicking rocks on the ground. He appeared somewhat uncomfortable now, with his eyes downcast. Hopefully he wouldn't stay like that their entire outing.
"You're getting us in for free, right?"
"No, I'm going to funnel a portion of your salary back into my corporation," Kaiba replied, rolling his eyes as he stood. His joints felt stiff, and he was eager to work some feeling back into them. "You should read over your benefits packet sometime. Anyway, where do you want to go first? I don't really have a preference, since I know everything about this park…" He and Mokuba had controlled every aspect of the park's design, even remodelling Death-T after they'd returned from Duelist Kingdom.
"Take me to your favorite part, and we'll go from there," answered Jonouchi, who apparently was choosing not to react to Kaiba's snippy comment about benefits.
"I guess we could head over now; it's going to start soon anyway," Kaiba said as he checked his watch. Passing through the gates of the park, Kaiba headed towards the right, navigating through the thick crowds towards the back of the park. He wondered what Jonouchi's reaction would be when they arrived at their destination, but, well—Jonouchi had asked, and Kaiba was going to give him an honest answer.
"Where exactly are we going?" started Jonouchi as he quickened his pace to keep up with Kaiba's longer strides, "I've never been over in this part of the park before. You got some hidden ride you don't show the common people or something?"
"I'm not surprised you haven't seen this side," Kaiba replied as he slowed his pace marginally, "since the Dueling Arena and arcade are both over on the opposite end."
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the far corner of the park. As expected, there were less teenagers hanging around the area. Families and little children clustered and milled about, and both Kaiba and Jonouchi nearly got taken out by the tiny masses racing around. Stopping in front of the theater entrance, Kaiba turned to Jonouchi and waited.
"What exactly is this-"
Heading through the turnstyle, Kaiba said, "Just see for yourself." They wandered through a dark passage that eventually opened up to an open-air theater. There was a large stage set up for pyrotechnics and rows upon rows of steel bleachers. The theater was mostly full: packed with young kids bouncing excitedly in their seats, flanked by older siblings and parents. Light sticks waved enthusiastically in the air. Climbing up to the top row, Kaiba slid into a relatively empty spot and waited, Jonouchi following closely behind. Seconds later, the stage lit up dramatically, smoke slithering out and speakers booming with sharp guitar riffs over electronic music.
Performers in Duel Monster costumes rose on the stage, the screen behind them snapping on and projecting scenes of Domino City. The monsters were going on a rampage, controlled by some generic-looking evil-doer, fireworks banging and whizzing along with the explosions. And then when it looked like the villain was about to win, an actor dressed like Kaibaman ziplined to the stage from behind the audience, summoning a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
It was silly and overly super sentai, but Kaiba didn't care. He looked over at Jonouchi curiously before turning his sights back to the stage. "It's not the show itself that's my favorite part," he began, "I know that it's all rather tacky and ridiculous. I just like to see the kids' faces; they get so excited and into the story. For a few moments, they have a hero they believe in. It's something my brother would have loved to have gone to when he was younger, but I could never take him."
Jonouchi didn't reply. He seemed to be mulling over it, his eyes still focused on the actors who were continuing with their silly antics on stage, one man dressed in a Scapegoat costume falling over on the floor while the other two circled around him before falling with him. There was a girl dressed up as the Dark Magician Girl, too, who threw candy from the stage, alongside a Dark Magician who was just twirling his staff before a small blast of smoke went off and they both disappeared.
"Was this your idea, then?" asked Jonouchi quietly.
"Yes," Kaiba answered, "the general idea, anyway. The production was refined through test audiences, of course, but this all was essentially my brainchild. A gift for Mokuba. Late, but a gift, nonetheless."
"It's really corny. I hope your brother's sense of humor is more developed by now," snorted Jonouchi, "And here I thought you were too serious a guy to do something like this yourself. I'm surprised."
"He was still a kid when the park opened. I've caught him sneaking in here a number of times, though, so I guess the novelty still hasn't worn off…" Kaiba shifted in his seat. The kids all around them were cheering and waving their hands around, their attention rapt and wide smiles spread across their faces. "We don't have to stay here for the entire show."
"Take me to the next thing, then." Jonouchi got up, a grin fixed on his face for the first in a long time, it seemed. "You're the one leading, Kaiba."
"Then I hope you like roller coasters," Kaiba said as he made his way to the exit, shielding his eyes from the sudden brightness of the complete outdoors. The Blue-Eyes Jet Coaster had been his little pet project, an exercise in how much he could bend the laws of physics against the limits of the human body. Clocking in at 6 Gs and topping 220 kilometers per hour, it was quite the engineering feat.
Jonouchi had given his thumbs up in response, but once he was standing outside right before the behemoth ride, he didn't look so confident. His eyes were huge, staring at the monster of a coaster as a car of people came whizzing down, everyone screaming their heads off.
"How high up is this thing?"
"The highest point is 150 meters, although the main drop's not as extremely steep," Kaiba answered.
"How many times have you ridden it?"
Kaiba mirrored Jonouchi's gaze, "Too many times to count. The best way to test out something is to test it yourself. It's been a long while, though, since I was last on it—I don't think I've ridden it after it opened."
Gulping, Jonouchi took a step forward towards the entrance line. He'd probably never ridden anything quite that intense before, if the look on his face was right. He appeared apprehensive, yet determined, to get on the thing.
"Well I guess it's a good thing I haven't eaten, or else I wouldn't be able to promise not to throw up on you after this," he laughed, "I know I've done it on Honda more than once..."
Kaiba gave Jonouchi a withering look, cocking an eyebrow. "Yes, I'd appreciate it if you didn't. And I suppose we'll have to hold off on food after, just to be safe." Walking towards the entrance, he turned to Jonouchi, a small smirk on his face, "Well?"
"This doesn't look too bad," responded Jonouchi with false bravado, "I've ridden much worse, I'm sure."
"Then this is where I should tell you that the Blue-Eyes Jet Coaster is the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the country," Kaiba said, the smirk widening.
Jonouchi's shoulders slumped over a little, his eyes becoming rather narrow before he kicked back his shoulders and stood up tall again. "Whatever, I can handle any ride in this place."
He marched over to the entrance, getting behind a bunch of jostling teenagers. His foot tapped on top of the cement as he stared at the coaster, his eyes shrinking and enlarging as his mind raced, or so it appeared. Kaiba could tell he was determined to face his fear. At least that was something.
The line moved fast. It didn't take them long to reach the gate where seating split off into rows. "First car or last car?"
"I don't know, I'm kinda nervous about this, I'm not ready to die yet-" stammered Jonouchi nervously as he wiped the palms of his hands onto his blue jeans.
Kaiba rolled his eyes, crossing his arms against his chest, "You're not going to die, stupid. I wouldn't create-" Kaiba cut that line of thought quickly; there was proof in this very park that if he finished his statement, it wouldn't have been true. "I'm going on it, too, so obviously I wouldn't put myself in an unsafe position. So decide. Quickly." His fingertips rapped against his forearm.
"First car, then!" announced Jonouchi loudly, "I'm no coward."
They filed into the front line, and Kaiba could sense Jonouchi's anxiety grow by the second: he got progressively twitchier, almost unable to control the bundle of nerves surging underneath his skin.
And then it was their turn. Kaiba gave Jonouchi a light shove between the shoulder blades, moving him forward. Jonouchi barely registered the motion, jerkily clambering into the front car and sliding across. The ride was a two-seater, and Kaiba was grateful that he didn't have to sit next to some stranger or fight for leg space with additional riders.
An attendant came by, lowering the bar across their laps and locking the overhead restraints in place. Kaiba watched Jonouchi from the corner of his eye—he was gritting his teeth, his knuckles a stark pale contrast against the tan of his arms. But he was staring determinedly forward, bracing his legs and feet against the front encasement of the car.
The coaster lurched forward, slowly rolling ahead a few meters until it was in line with the launching point. The traffic light beside the control station was lit red, and Kaiba just leaned back in his seat, holding onto his handles and preparing himself for what was coming next. He knew this ride like the back of his hand—had spent several sleepless nights retooling the physics and running equation after equation. There was no mystery, no fear.
The nervous energy seemed to return to Jonouchi, who kept re-adjusting his own grip on his restraints. His left knee was bobbing violently, knocking into Kaiba's.
His overreactions were becoming annoying. Reaching out, Kaiba pressed a palm against the top of Jonouchi's thigh, forcibly stilling it. Jonouchi leaned forward, suspicion written across his face. "Hey, what are y-" He was slammed backwards as the roller coaster rocketed off, careening and twisting on its track.
Jonouchi must have huge lungs. It was the only explanation Kaiba could give for the other's impossibly loud and sustained screams. He never seemed to run out of breath as the coaster raced along, spinning through a series of vertical loops and staggered hills. Even as it did a string of corkscrews, Jonouchi didn't wear out enough to quiet down.
They came to a giant drop, their hair blowing into their faces and whipping across their eyes. Jonouchi was still screaming with his hands pressed hard onto the bar for dear life while Kaiba tried freeing his face of being slapped by hair with one hand, but failing. When they darted around a corner, they were flown up and back down, going through fast loops and spins before shooting up and around a giant model of a Blue Eyes White Dragon which hurled lightning, nearly hitting their car just as they took another steep drop for the last time.
The ride came to an end as quickly as it had begun. It had tolled only three minutes, but both men came out of there thoroughly whipped. Hair tossed around and out of breath, Jonouchi seemed stunned in his seat before he laughed loudly, brushing his bangs back and bouncing in his seat.
"That was nothing!" he announced, "We should do it again!"
Kaiba couldn't feel his legs. The last drop made him feel almost weightless, and his stomach had flipped at least a dozen times as they were tossed around the track.
He quirked an eyebrow at Jonouchi as they were released from their restraints. "I'm not sure I trust your stomach not to spill everywhere in five minutes. We should do something else, and if you still want to ride again later, we can. Besides," Kaiba said as he looked behind him, "the line is picking up now."
"Okay, mom," Jonouchi sighed loudly, "I'm kinda hungry, anyways. Where can I get something to eat here?"
"There's a food court towards the center of the park and a handful of food carts all around. What kind of food do you want to eat?"
"Anything," Jonouchi answered. "Everything."
"The food court, then," Kaiba said, rolling his eyes although a smile tugged at his lips. It would just be like Jonouchi to want to gorge himself after being subjected to six times the gravitational force of Earth.
"Show me where it is, then!" Jonouchi nearly begged, snatching onto Kaiba's long sleeve and nearly dragging him towards what appeared to be the direction of the opposite end of the park. He had no idea where he was going, that much was apparent. His over-enthusiasm was driving him to all directions, and Kaiba snorted.
Kaiba could feel the warmth of Jonouchi's hand through the fabric of his shirt and shivered. Turning his wrist so that he got a grip onto Jonouchi's forearm, Kaiba hauled Jonouchi around, "If you want to take over tour guide duties, at least know where you're going," he chuckled in amusement. Jonouchi was just like a kid, easily swayed by the lure of food.
Pulling Jonouchi along, the two made their way through the crowds. There seemed to be more people in the park now than there were earlier, and Kaiba maintained his grip on Jonouchi's wrist, lest they be separated. He didn't feel like having to track down the blond if he got lost in the hordes. The hunger and increase in people must have distracted Jonouchi enough not to care that they were close to holding hands in public, Kaiba surmised. Not that he particularly cared, either—despite a few odd glances, they were moving fast enough for the gesture not to be mistaken for intimacy. Besides, high school boys locked arms all the time. Not that the same could be said for adults…
Luckily, they'd missed the lunch hour, so lines for the food court weren't long when they arrived. "Get whatever you want; just show them your KaibaCorp ID at the register," Kaiba said, finally releasing Jonouchi's wrist.
"Can I really get whatever I want," asked Jonouchi in awe, "I could eat this entire place apart if you don't stop me."
His eyes were bright, and before Kaiba could answer, Jonouchi grinned and ran for one of the fast food lines. He didn't seem put off by eating an entire tray of fries along with a bacon burger, and Kaiba nearly gasped when he ran into another line for gyoza and noodles.
"How much can one person eat..."
Apparently quite a bit. Jonouchi had his tray completely packed with food, and he sat down at one of the end tables before excitedly starting on his burger.
"I was planning to share, you know," he said between bites, "I just hadn't eaten all day, really. I didn't have time for breakfast this morning."
"So you're making up for it now," Kaiba said flatly as he eyed the plates heaped with food. It was definitely a good thing that Jonouchi hadn't eaten before the roller coaster… "I'll be back; try not to choke," he said as he headed towards a food stall. Where Jonouchi stored all that food, Kaiba had no idea. His appetite was just like Mokuba's, although Mokuba had the excuse of being a teenager. Settling on a small basket of takoyaki, Kaiba returned to the table—he'd only been gone a few minutes, but Jonouchi had already cleared through half of his food.
It was almost frightening.
"Of course you would go and grab the best looking thing here," noted Jonouchi in-between bites of food, "I didn't even see the stall for that, or else I would have grabbed some." He sighed loudly, his shoulders slumping a little before he stuffed more fries into his mouth, "I really like octopus."
Kaiba pushed the basket to the center of the table, "Take some, then." It wasn't like he was going to finish the whole portion, anyway.
"No, I got so much already to get down," said Jonouchi. His tray was on its way to being empty again. The burger was gone, along with most of the fries and much of Jonouchi's gyoza. There wasn't much left besides the noodles. "Why do you eat so little, Kaiba?"
"I've never had a big appetite," Kaiba said, chewing slowly, "How do you eat so much?"
"I'm hungry."
"Then your hunger must rival a small village's," Kaiba smirked. "I don't know how you're not spilling out of your jeans from the amount you consume. You must have one freakish metabolism." His own wasn't bad by any means, even though he regularly ate like a bird, but Jonouchi had barely an ounce of fat on him.
"I run a lot, to get places," remarked Jonouchi, as he began on his noodles, "I couldn't afford a taxi until now, and I tend to miss the bus a lot. I like running, though. Just not in winter."
If he expected to stay in good shape, Jonouchi would have to continue staying active. Kaiba knew he'd have to talk to him about that, some other time. He couldn't have his investment getting fat on him.
"Maybe I should start working out instead," noted Jonouchi, "Does Kaiba Corporation have a gym?"
"There are two," Kaiba replied, "one on the fifth floor and another on the seventieth floor. Only those with executive-level clearance can use the latter one.
"So consider yourself privileged that both are at your disposal."
"Executive-level clearance?" Jonouchi parroted.
Kaiba's eyebrows raised a little, "How else do you think you get in and out of my office suite?"
"Dumb luck."
"Luck is not a component of my security system," Kaiba said, laughing a little. "Your permission levels aren't as high as mine, of course, but seeing as your duties require interacting with most of the departments, your access is pretty broad."
"Well, lucky me then." Jonouchi snorted just as he slurped a noodle, "I guess you gotta keep some places free of my amazing influence, though."
"It is called 'Kaiba' Corporation, after all," Kaiba quipped, skewering another takoyaki with a toothpick.
Jonouchi snorted, using his fingers to grab one of Kaiba's fried octopus balls before stuffing it into his mouth. Not that he needed more food, but he probably wanted to see Kaiba's face after using his hands to eat instead of utensils. Kaiba tried not to let his disapproval show.
"Right. But...why didn't you change the name when you took it over? You hated your stepfather, right? You could have changed anything if you wanted to."
Jonouchi had to be aware that Kaiba didn't like discussing that kind of stuff with anyone, but he had asked anyways. Apparently curiosity had gotten the best of him. But Gozaburo was still a sore subject for Kaiba—would always probably be, after what he'd done—and Kaiba had to steel his face before he replied, "Because the Kaiba name still carries great prestige and prominence. It doesn't matter if I hated him; it doesn't change the fact that I am still a Kaiba."
He'd fought for the name. He wasn't about to give it up.
It was clear that Jonouchi didn't understand that, though. His brown eyes looked away as he played with his noodles, moving them across his plate in that nervous manner of his when he was thinking things he was too afraid to say aloud. Kaiba didn't know if he wanted to hear Jonouchi's thoughts on the manner... Scratch that, he didn't want to, but not knowing would just bug him all the same.
"If you have something to say, Jonouchi, just spit it out."
"I didn't think you liked talking about this sort of thing. It's not really any of my business, anyway," Jonouchi said in a low voice, "I won't bother you with it, if you want to change the subject."
Kaiba thought back to earlier in the week, when Jonouchi had closed himself off when the topic of family had arisen. It was true, he didn't like talking about Gozaburo. It brought back memories Kaiba would prefer not to revisit. But Kaiba's curiosity got the better of him, and besides, maybe the gesture would make Jonouchi less prickly about sharing his own dubious background. "Talking about a dead man won't bring him back," Kaiba began, shrugging his shoulders, "so just go ahead already."
"Uhhh, I wasn't going to ask about him," Jonouchi pointed out with a frown, "I want to know what your family name was before."
The inquiry took Kaiba aback. Objectively, it was a completely innocent thing to ask about, but a sinking feeling of dread crept across his shoulders. "I don't remember," Kaiba said, looking away.
Jonouchi's eyes grew large, but he didn't say anything. He was quiet again, probably thinking, and Kaiba was glad for that. He didn't want to explain himself; he didn't even have an answer for it. Gozaburo had adopted him when he was ten, old enough to remember his entire original name while Mokuba had not. There was no way he just up and forgot it...
It didn't make any sense.
Memories flooded into his consciousness, the realization cutting him like a million glass shards. He had been made to forget. Countless nights without sleep, his stepfather's unwavering voice and unflinching gaze. The striking of a whip dangerously close to his face.
"Who are you?"
A name given, muted from the memory. The loud striking of thin leather against polished wood.
"Wrong answer. Who are you?"
Nights that cycled into days. The same question repeated each visit. Always the wrong answer.
And then finally, a breaking point.
"Who are you?"
"Kaiba Seto."
"Never forget that."
Blinking, his thoughts broke as Jonouchi dragged his seat against the floor and snagged another takoyaki from Kaiba's plate, despite not finishing everything on his own. "I'm almost done eating," he interrupted, "Is there like a haunted house here? Or something like that? I want to get scared."
"There's a Monster Horror building at the opposite corner of the park," Kaiba replied automatically. He was surprised that Jonouchi hadn't pressed the matter further—his response had been utterly abnormal—but perhaps Jonouchi had, and lost in thought, Kaiba hadn't heard. He was uncertain whether he should feel relieved or bothered by that.
"What kind of monster horror exactly?"
"It's a virtual reality horror house mainly populated by occult-themed Duel Monsters," Kaiba explained. "You can thank Mokuba for that idea."
Jonouchi grumbled, "I hate occult cards. They freak me the fuck out."
"And here I thought you wanted to get scared," Kaiba said lightly, a sly grin spreading across his mouth. "We don't have to go, if you're too afraid…"
"Nah, I can handle it," replied Jonouchi as he placed his left fist across his chest and stuck out his chin, "I just might not like it too much. And will probably scream a lot. And maybe punch someone in the face, if they get too close. I hate occult shit..."
"Do try to control yourself," Kaiba drawled as he rose from his seat, "I'd rather not deal with an employee suing me over another employee assaulting them." There was also the possibility that Kaiba himself would be on the receiving end of Jonouchi's fist, and Kaiba frowned at that prospect as he threw away his trash.
"I'll try to contain myself," promised Jonouchi as he batted his eyelashes, "Show me the way, Kaiba."
They took the monorail around this time, rather than deal with the crowds. Jonouchi had practically bounced in his seat all the while, catching glimpses of all the Kaiba Land rides and attractions from above. It took mere minutes to arrive at their destination, and Jonouchi had abruptly stilled when they reached the entrance of the towering castle.
"Chickening out?" Kaiba teased, enjoying watching Jonouchi's fear and determination battle across his face.
"Nah man, I can do this."
"Then be my guest," Kaiba said, ushering Jonouchi along.
Mokuba had redesigned the ride to be contained: it had originally been built like a traditional horror house, with park goers walking through it, but the test attendees had been so scared that they would inadvertently run into the mechanical areas. Now it had large booths on a conveyor belt, big enough to seat three comfortably, and while Kaiba considered the decrease in interaction quite the loss, at least it meant the ride wouldn't shut down if a guest got too spooked.
Climbing into one of the seats as it moved along, Kaiba called out, "You better hurry, or you're riding on your own."
"I'm coming. You are not leaving me behind on this shit..."
Thankfully, Jonouchi took the middle seat. He wouldn't have to worry about something grabbing at him, since he was safe from being snagged at. Kaiba had the edge seat, and he didn't mind that at all. He already knew the entire ride, like everything else in the park, and could probably even sleep through it if he was tired enough.
It started in a graveyard. Cold, damp mist skimmed atop rows of cracked and decrepit tombstones, the sky an ominous purple-gray. Tortured shrieks could be heard in the distance, intertwined with malicious laughter. The sky undulated, twisting and bulging until it morphed into anguished, featureless faces with black pits for eyes that gradually burned a piercing neon yellow. When their car came close to the end of the scene, a bony hand emerged from a grave, multiplying until the entire graveyard was ravaged by grotesque undead creatures tearing through the ground for freedom. Their skin was a sickly green, taut across bones and hanging limply from decomposing ribcages.
Kaiba and Jonouchi were almost in the clear when a Goblin Zombie jumped directly in front of their car, swinging its sword as it landed. They passed right through it, and Jonouchi let out a shrill scream as they were cloaked in shadow.
The ride continued on: furious pursuit by a Headless Knight, the impact of a mace beating against the back of their car; a room full of bloodied, dangling puppets and dolls brought to life by a sinister-looking Puppet Master; clusters of fiends swarming from the rafters, shooting air hissing as it blew across their necks. Kaiba noticed that with each new room, Jonouchi crept progressively closer, eventually invading his personal space when Jonouchi sidled completely up against his shoulder. Although it had been amusing to watch the other's rising fright, Kaiba felt his heart skip a beat, and he knew it had nothing to do with the ride.
The car slowed and then jerked to a stop, the steady soundtrack of screams silenced. To their right, a Dark Necrofear materialized engulfed in a spotlight, cradling a broken doll in its hands. Tilting its head, it made the doll mime a parting wave with its hands, and then the ride catapulted forward, once again lurching to an abrupt stop. Above them, a Destiny Board loomed, a phantom-like ghoul turning around the letters for "death" as it cackled evilly. Jonouchi and Kaiba were plunged into darkness, and then the ride suddenly dropped as they were launched forward and down a hill with a bang.
Jonouchi screamed at the top of his lungs, impossibly louder than he had while on the Blue-Eyes Jet Coaster. He was practically clawing at Kaiba's side, his grip on Kaiba's arm painfully tight. Yet Kaiba found himself not minding at all, even welcoming the touch. It was utterly perplexing—he normally despised others getting up into his personal space unless he was the one initiating it, or unless it was his brother.
It must be due to Jonouchi's capricious behavior as of late. Jonouchi almost violently vacillated between moods, becoming irrationally difficult and then flipping to overly-friendly the next, so that any sort of good mood from him was a welcome change, Kaiba reasoned.
They were back at the start again. Jonouchi was panting hard, apparently still catching his breath. Once they were no longer in the darkness anymore, he suddenly dropped Kaiba's arm and started laughing loudly.
"Yeah, that wasn't so scary," he lied as he worked on adjusting his shirt after crushing onto Kaiba's side for the last few minutes, "What else you got for me?"