A broken nose. Hairline fracture to the wrist. Bruised ribs, two broken. Concussion.

Kaiba sat in silence, staring at Jonouchi's battered body as the doctor listed off the tally of injuries, each new one punctuated by the sound of Jonouchi's heartbeat on the monitor. He had been hooked up just to track his vitals, in case anything unsuspected were to happen, but the doctors had all been confident that he would pull through just fine, albeit a little worse for wear. Kaiba had been relieved that Jonouchi had remained relatively incapacitated during the whole ordeal - he had a sneaking suspicion the other would have been resistant to say the least, trying to hide and shrug off major injuries over something silly like emergency room costs.

The call had come as a surprise.

It had been late at night, and although Kaiba hadn't been anywhere near asleep, Jonouchi had always kept his rare calls to daylight hours. But when Kaiba had answered his phone, there was a brief moment of hesitancy on the other line before Jonouchi had practically exploded.

"Kaiba...oh thank god you picked up. I've gotten myself into a pinch; I can't really move. Could you…"

"Keep your phone on - I'll be right there."

Kaiba had been only mildly surprised to discover, after tracking Jonouchi's signal via Kaiba Corp's satellite, that the idiot had been mere meters away from his apartment complex. It hadn't been hard to deduce what had probably gone down - Jonouchi insisted on staying in his neighborhood, which had one of the worst reputations in all of Domino. And seeing the scattered food items laying wasted on the street, Kaiba had expected that Jonouchi should have known better than to do his grocery shopping past dark.

He had been heavy. Jonouchi had passed out in the time it took Kaiba to get to his side of town, and his body had been uncooperative dead weight. It had taken considerable effort and coordination to shove Jonouchi into the passenger seat, drawing curious gazes from snooping residents who hadn't even had the goodwill to help one of their own. One furious upward glance was all it had taken for them to retreat, drawing their curtains back.

Jonouchi had come to a few times during the ride over to Domino General Hospital, disoriented and slightly delirious each time, returning to unconsciousness soon after. One time he had awoken in a panic, jerking his body painfully, and Kaiba had reached over to set a hand upon his arm. Jonouchi had settled down after that.

And that was how Kaiba came to be sitting in a hospital room at almost three o'clock in the morning, the pervasive stench of disinfectant filling his nostrils. He could feel a migraine brewing behind his eyes, the combination of the smells, fluorescent lights, stress, and waning adrenaline rush assaulting his brain. And Jonouchi slept peacefully, the steady beeping indicating that he was still alive; the dull, thudding drip of an IV continuing on in the background.

He had a number of questions. A cursory investigation of Jonouchi's wallet showed that it had remained untouched, so this hadn't been some random mugging. It had been a hit. What inane trouble Jonouchi had gotten himself into this time, Kaiba didn't know. Wasn't sure if he wanted to know, but knew he'd ask, anyway. And of all people to call, why him? It wasn't like they were on the best of terms the past few days - Jonouchi had been actively avoiding him, after all. Jonouchi must have been desperate to have resorted to him, and the realization burned low in Kaiba's gut.

It wasn't about him, necessarily. That he would be used as a last resort stung, but it wasn't surprising. Kaiba had never exactly been charitable in the past, so naturally he wouldn't arise as a first option. What burned him more was that there were people in Jonouchi's life that should have been able to help, and they hadn't. For all Jonouchi's talk about friends and family, where were they now?

Abrupt coughing broke Kaiba from his thoughts as Jonouchi tried raising up from his bed. He immediately hissed as he dropped his hand down from covering his mouth, his eyes quickly assessing the room before falling back down against the mattress again.

"I hate hospitals," he said in a raspy voice, not looking at anyone or anything in particular, "this was not how I was planning on spending my free night."

"That makes two of us," Kaiba said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You have a couple of bruised and cracked ribs; don't try to move."

"I've been through this before, Kaiba, I'm not going to die."

He only scooted himself up slightly before stopping, looking down to find his left wrist in a brace and chest nearly completely bandaged up. There was an IV line on his right arm and his nose was bandaged up as well.

"How bad is my face?"

"Your nose is busted up and a flattering shade of purple. You have a few scrapes on your chin from where you fell."

"So... I shouldn't be trying to call that hostess chick back anytime soon, huh?" joked Jonouchi before he started coughing again, "I wouldn't even want Mai seeing me like this."

Kaiba allowed the coughing fit to pass before he said, "But you would allow me to."

"I trust that you have a stronger stomach," sighed Jonouchi, "among other things. Anyways, thanks for picking me off the street in the first place. I know you probably didn't want to do that for me. I should have left that apartment ages ago..."

Tamping down a flash of anger, Kaiba grit his teeth and tried not to let it show on his face. "Yes. You should have," he said pointedly. "What's stopping you now?"

"Common sense."

"Common sense would dictate that you move out of your current neighborhood, given you were just assaulted violently enough to land yourself in the hospital."

"I know that," sighed Jonouchi heavily for the second time that night, "I don't stay there because I want to. It's because of duty, you could say. I can't leave my old man there to rot, we already talked about that. I'll convince him to leave, next time I see him..."

Kaiba could feel the anger rising. "And it's that misguided sense of duty that will get you killed one day. Tell me, does your father feel the same? Because where is he now?"

"Probably drunk in some hole," muttered Jonouchi, "but that's not the point. He wasn't always like this and just because he's sick doesn't mean I just cast him aside. He's still my dad, and the only family that's stuck around for half of my damn life. I'm not gonna cast him aside without trying... besides, what would you know about it? Nothing."

He stuck up his nose and turned his head to the side, fighting back the urge to cross his arms. It would probably hurt too much to go that far.

"I know when it's time to get rid of dead weight. I know how to survive. I thought you did, too, but I guess you're just stupid after all."

Kaiba didn't get a reply back. Jonouchi kept his mouth shut, his dark eyes fixed on the wall near his bedside. Apparently his stubborn side had risen and he didn't look like he was going to budge anytime soon now that Kaiba's words were beginning to sink in.

Jonouchi was trying to lock him out. As if Kaiba would allow that to happen after getting dragged into the whole ordeal. "Who did this to you?"

"Some guys from the neighborhood, I didn't see their faces."

"Why would they come after you? Nothing was stolen, so obviously it was a vendetta."

"I'm not sure," lied Jonouchi, "they just did. Wrong time of the night to be grocery shopping, I guess. Like you said, I'm kinda stupid and I won't be out that late again... Hungry or not."

It wasn't convincing, but Kaiba let the matter slide. For now. He could tell Jonouchi was hiding something, but it didn't look like he would get the truth anytime soon. At least not this night. He sighed, rising from his chair and ignoring the soreness in his back and legs. "It's late. You've been through a lot. Get some rest; I'll be back in the morning."

Jonouchi blinked before nodding his head, sighing loudly again before looking away towards the wall once more. They weren't going to get anywhere arguing all night, anyways.

As promised, Kaiba returned the next day. He frowned when he saw the tray of food sitting on Jonouchi's side table, untouched. "You won't get any better if you don't eat, you know."

"It all tastes like garbage..."

There was a mushy bowl of rice with plain miso soup and what appeared to be soggy shrimp tempura Jonouchi had completely snubbed. The only thing he had eaten was the fruit and tea, which wasn't all that surprising. Mokuba behaved much the same way when presented with something he didn't want.

"Guess what," Jonouchi slurred as he turned his head towards Kaiba's direction, "they gave me so many painkillers today. I feel great."

The frown on Kaiba's face deepened as he took a seat by Jonouchi's bedside. "The wonders of drugs. I'm surprised you're even awake. It's okay to sleep; you'll probably heal faster…"

"Nope, I can sleep when I'm dead," answered Jonouchi as he tried adjusting up on his bed, "although this place is pretty damn boring. Can we play chess?"

"You talk as though I carry a set around wherever I go. Sorry to disappoint, but I don't think it would be much of a game in your current state, anyway," Kaiba said, leaning back and crossing his legs.

"I want to play."

Jonouchi's eyebrows furrowed as he gave Kaiba an irritated look. Although his arms didn't move this time to cross against his chest, the tension in the jaw was clear enough in showing his displeasure.

"There's a box under the counter," he whined, "just humor me."

Sighing, Kaiba retrieved the box, tucking it under his arm. He moved the tray of food aside onto one of the free seats lining the wall of the room (it really did look disgusting) and dragged the side table out, setting the game up. It was cheap and worn, hollow plastic bits and frayed cardboard.

"I'll give you white, so you go first."

"Excellent."

He grabbed a pawn and quickly made his move. It became apparent that Jonouchi wasn't really playing with any kind of logic. Probably because of the drugs he was on; he seemed more focused on causing chaos on the chessboard than actually trying to win the game. A few times he knocked over pieces, laughing each time Kaiba had to bend over to pick them up.

"You see," said Jonouchi as he stared at the board, "this is nice."

"Is that so," Kaiba remarked flatly as he captured Jonouchi's rook. The latter only had five pieces left on the board. "I'm not sure we can even call this chess with the way you're playing."

"That doesn't make this any less nice," laughed Jonouchi. "We haven't fought any today. Agree with me, it's nice."

"Fine. It's nice. Check." Kaiba peeked up at Jonouchi through his bangs. He wore an easy smile on his face, but Kaiba wondered whether it was merely the drugs talking.

Jonouchi turned his head to stare at the board. It took him awhile to focus enough before he moved his king, just barely managing to figure out an escape route for him. He only had two pawns, a knight, and his king and queen left. Kaiba had taken out everything else rather quickly, but Jonouchi didn't really seem to care about winning anyways.

"I have a question," blurted Jonouchi.

"I may have an answer," Kaiba replied as he took Jonouchi's queen. "Check."

Jonouchi looked perplexed as he stared at the board before frowning, "Okay fine, you got me. I'll reset the board."

He fumbled his way with it, not quite as graceful getting all the pieces together like Kaiba had been. It didn't help either that he had only one hand to use since his left wrist was still incapacitated.

"Do you like hanging out with me?"

Kaiba blinked. The question caught him off-guard, and he stared at Jonouchi openly before responding. "Yes," he admitted, "although you don't make the greatest chess opponent," he added carefully. He wasn't really sure where Jonouchi was going with this line of thought.

"Why, because I'm not a perfect gaming master like you?" asked Jonouchi with a hint of amusement, "some of us normal folk actually have to practice to get good at things, you know. Besides, I'm drugged up. You can't expect me to actually win a game..."

Didn't stop Jonouchi from trying again, though. He moved one of his white pawns forward, waiting for Kaiba to do the same.

Kaiba played his knight. "You don't use any sort of strategy. When you're not drugged, it's easy to read your moves," he observed.

"I've just started playing the game, Kaiba," sighed Jonouchi as he rolled his eyes, "and you aren't exactly a very patient teacher, either."

"It's not unlike Duel Monsters; it's actually much simpler."

"Well, I'm good at Duel Monsters, so have a little faith," said Jonouchi as he knocked Kaiba's knight off the board with his rook, "You just like being a giant stick in the mud. I think you get personal satisfaction by being so sour about everything."

Frowning again, Kaiba righted the knight and set it off to the side. "I'm not sour; I'm a realist. How am I sour?"

"You're sour," corrected Jonouchi, "and sting a little, like a pineapple. You keep yourself pointy to keep people out, but sometimes... Sometimes, you can be a little sweet inside, but just barely."

Kaiba felt his stomach flip a little. He moved a pawn up. "And when have I been sweet?"

"You came in to see me before work. But you didn't bring me food, so you lose points for that," snorted Jonouchi.

Kaiba snorted in return. "I'll remember for next time." He wondered if Jonouchi would even remember any of this, he was so drugged up.

"What will you bring me?" asked Jonouchi as he batted his eyelashes playfully. "If you were in the hospital, I'd bring you a strawberry crepe because they are delicious. I'd probably eat half of it before I gave it to you, though."

"How considerate," Kaiba laughed, "although I'm pretty sure sugar doesn't make for the best recuperation fuel." He snatched up Jonouchi's bishop. "What would you like? And what's my incentive for getting you food? It's not cheap, you know," he said with a sly smile.

"Uhhh..."

Jonouchi fumbled regaining his upper hand as he stared at the chessboard in mild confusion. It took him a moment to process the loss of his bishop, but once he realized what happened, he changed tactics and moved his knight to try and knock out Kaiba's rook.

"If you feed me," answered Jonouchi slowly, "I'll return the favor once I get better. I'll take you to that curry place you like. But I want a strawberry crepe, health be damned. Deal?"

"Hmm." The offer surprised Kaiba, as Jonouchi had seemed thoroughly uncomfortable when they had last gone. But it was a start, he supposed - at least Jonouchi wasn't acting all weird and standoffish around him. "It's a deal. Checkmate."

"Ahh, fuck."

Rising from his seat, Kaiba collected the game pieces and shifted them back into their box. "I've got to head to work now. Try not to cause too much trouble," he smirked.

"Whatever, it's not like I can even go anywhere with two of my ribs still cracked," snorted Jonouchi, "You're coming back tomorrow, right?"

Kaiba took in the large bruise mottling across Jonouchi's face, the IV hooked up into his arm, the soundtrack of regular beeping. Jonouchi's expectant gaze. "Yes," he said, turning to leave and closing the door behind him.

Early morning visits to the hospital became how Kaiba started his work days that week, and after-work visits became how he closed his nights. They were often alone - Jonouchi never got any visitors, except one occasion when Honda had stopped by in the evening, and Kaiba's blood pressure has risen to such a degree that he'd had to step out to avoid starting a confrontation. Honda had come in, all apologies, but for someone whom Jonouchi considered a close friend, Kaiba thought the excuses were thin and too late. Yet Jonouchi had appeared happy, so he had set his own feelings aside on the matter.

But Jonouchi had also appeared happy each time Kaiba had come to visit, which was a welcomed change. Sure, each time Kaiba had brought food - there was no way Jonouchi's body would ever begin to repair itself without nourishment, since he repeatedly refused the hospital's provisions - but Jonouchi's good mood seemed to extend past the initial gratefulness each time. He would actually engage Kaiba in conversation, and the pair passed the hours by working their way through the small pile of board and card games in the room.

It was hard to believe, but Jonouchi was right. When they weren't arguing, spending time together was nice. And with the external world and its worries left abandoned outside Jonouchi's hospital door, Kaiba found there wasn't much for them to argue over.

Although it probably helped a little that Jonouchi was drugged up, Kaiba had to admit. The painkillers put him into a relaxed state, and his usual anxiety around Kaiba (at least since his confession almost two weeks prior) had all but dissipated. Kaiba wondered if this easiness between them would disappear once Jonouchi was released from the hospital, but he pushed those thoughts away, trying his best to enjoy the moments for what they were.

Almost a week had passed, and the doctors were optimistic about Jonouchi's recovery. His concussion had resolved, and the inflammation in his face and wrist had largely subsided. He still sported mean bruises across the bridge of his nose and in splotches along his chest, but the doctors seemed satisfied that Jonouchi's bones were healing quite nicely and determined that Jonouchi was over the worst of it. They still wanted to keep him for a couple extra days, but discharge was on the horizon. Jonouchi had rejoiced at the news, but it had felt like a stomach full of ice cubes to Kaiba.

It meant a return to reality. To leaving the room behind where the two of them only seemed to exist. And while Jonouchi had accepted Kaiba's companionship during his stay, Kaiba was uncertain whether things would continue along that path after, or if the camaraderie would be left abandoned once Jonouchi escaped the confines of his hospital room.

The dread really started to set in when Shizuka finally appeared for a visit. Kaiba had been deep into a chess game against Jonouchi again, the both of them focused on the board, when the girl had showed up with a bouquet of flowers and a stuffed bear. Jonouchi had nearly knocked the entire board down sitting up at her approach, and Kaiba could feel his aggravation begin to rekindle.

He had been completely ignored, pushed aside and abandoned as Jonouchi turned all his attention onto his sister. Kaiba knew he was feeling selfish; Shizuka was his family, and Jonouchi hardly ever saw her, but still. He couldn't fight away the jealousy when they embraced, and Jonouchi gushed over the sickly cute stuffed teddybear that Kaiba was sure he only liked because his sister had given it to him.

There was nothing to do but just sit there on the sidelines and eavesdrop into their conversation.

"I'll be out of here in two more days," reported Jonouchi as he sat the stuffed bear on his bed's side table, "the doctors just wanted me around in case I caught pneumonia or something. It's not a big deal."

"Onii-chan, you got busted up badly enough to be sent to the hospital for a week! It is a big deal," she pouted. "I was so shocked when Honda-kun texted me. You couldn't even let your own sister know!"

"Ehh... I didn't want to worry you about it," said Jonouchi with a smile, "You'd freak out, and I knew you were busy at home anyways. It wasn't like I was on my death bed or some shit."

Shizuka only appeared more troubled at Jonouchi's words. "I would have come out sooner, if I'd had known. Maybe even Okaa-san would have visited, too. I hope you weren't lonely all this time…"

"Hardly," snickered Jonouchi, "and I'd be obligated to run out of here if you tried dragging our mother over. You know she doesn't like me."

"You're still her son," Shizuka asserted. Turning and giving a slight bow and smile to Kaiba, she said, "Um, thank you for taking care of my brother. Have we...met before?"

Jonouchi had cut off Kaiba entirely before he could answer, waving his arms wildly despite still wearing a brace, "He's a friend, Shizuka, and he doesn't like being bothered by silly girls like you. Not every guy is like Honda," he continued, and Kaiba could feel his mouth twitching as Jonouchi dismissed him, "Can we talk about something else besides my egg donor now, Shizuka?"

Shizuka rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to her brother. "O-nii-chan! You shouldn't talk about Okaa-san like that!" she frowned, flicking Jonouchi on his uninjured arm.

"No, I probably shouldn't, but I'm still going to," Jonouchi answered back, and he stuck out his tongue for good measure.

Kaiba felt completely locked out. He didn't know why he even remained in the room, where Jonouchi acted like he didn't exist and his sister's curiosity about him had waned as quickly as it had appeared. The longer he sat, the longer his irritation continued to burn, until he found himself on the precipice of exploding. Standing up abruptly, he made his way to the door.

"Hey wait, where are you going," blurted Jonouchi as he cut off what his sister was saying, "we're almost done finishing up, and we still have a game to play. You don't usually leave for another hour. What gives?"

Kaiba turned halfway, his hand still clasped around the doorknob. "I figured I would give you siblings some...space...since you haven't seen each other in a while," he uttered low.

"Liar. You were going to walk out," accused Jonouchi, and he fell back into the hospital bed before letting out an exasperated sigh.

"I can come back another time," said Shizuka with a smile, "I did interrupt your game, and I'll be in town throughout the weekend."

"Don't leave on my account. You're family, and I'm merely a friend." His eyes flashed to Jonouchi. He could feel the blood racing through his veins; it was almost dizzying.

Blinking, seemingly stunned, Jonouchi didn't respond. There was an awkward silence in the room as Jonouchi continued to stare while Shizuka's eyes downcast towards the floor of the room. Whatever cheerful mode they were in before had quickly died.

"I'll see you tomorrow." And turning the knob, Kaiba exited the room.

He knew he was being ridiculous, but Kaiba's anger only continued to rise with each loud clacking of heel against tile. Jonouchi hadn't even tried to deny it, to try to make him stay, other than an unfinished game and routine. On an objective level, Kaiba knew he shouldn't have been surprised. He couldn't compete against a baby sister whom Jonouchi rarely got to see. But hadn't the past week counted for anything? Kaiba had been the only one who really bothered to visit Jonouchi at all during his recuperation, had been the person who collected Jonouchi off the streets all battered and bloody during the middle of the night. And to be ignored - discarded - so easily? It stung, worse than a physical slap to the face.

Kaiba barely slept that night, and morning hit him like a ton of bricks. Almost mechanically, he got himself ready and headed over to the hospital.

When he walked in, Jonouchi was sitting in bed, picking at his food with chopsticks. It didn't look like he'd touched most of it, and apparently getting frustrated, he dumped the entire tray on his bed's side table before turning his attention towards Kaiba.

"Welcome back," he greeted neutrally, "I didn't think you'd come today."

"I said I would," Kaiba replied as he took up residence in his familiar seat.

"You walked out on me yesterday," muttered Jonouchi angrily. He clearly wasn't over that, from the way he tried folding his arms and huffing, "For no good reason at all."

"Your sister came to visit. Obviously, you didn't need the additional company."

"You got jealous," accused Jonouchi, "that's what that show was about."

"Don't be so preposterous," Kaiba scoffed, "You made it abundantly clear that my presence wasn't necessary, so I left. I wasn't going to waste my time becoming part of the decor while you carried on with a heartwarming family reunion."

"Because you've never done the same when Mokuba's around?" Jonouchi rolled his eyes before turning his head away and sulking. "You're fucking ridiculous, Kaiba. We talked all of three minutes and you proceed to freak out over nothing."

Kaiba could feel pressure building behind his eyes. "That's rich, coming from you. You ignore me completely when someone better comes in, and then you childishly demand that I stay when I refuse to play along with your wishes."

"Oh my fucking god," muttered Jonouchi as his face twisted in frustration, "she's my fucking sister, you lunatic! I barely ever see her. The last time I saw her was six months ago and we were catching up. I'm not going to just blow her off, and last time I checked, you had a poor track record of getting along with my friends, so it's not like I expected you to be all chummy with Shizuka. You ignored her completely during Battle City, so what was I supposed to do? You are impossible to please."

"Fuck you, Jonouchi. She asked who I was, and you wouldn't even let me fucking answer. Instead, you raced in, like I was some kind of dirty fucking secret."

"Okay, fine. Next time someone asks, I'll tell them you're that guy that tried to kill me back in high school but we're buddies now, so everything's okay. Will that make you happy?" Jonouchi sighed again before narrowing his eyes and staring at the other side of the room, unwilling to look Kaiba in the face. "I thought you preferred your privacy, since you're a celebrity and all. Shizuka would have never left you alone if I dropped your name. I wasn't blowing you off, Kaiba."

Kaiba let out a short bark of laughter as the thin barrier between his mind and his mouth began to unravel. "You know what? I'm done. You know how I fucking feel about you, yet you're always so quick to throw my past faults in my face. You'll never get over it, so why even bother for a friendship or anything else when I'll always be stuck at square one? Forget that I'm the one who hauled your broken ass off the street and got you here, when everyone else failed you. Forget that I've been your one regular visitor this entire week.

"I'll be better off without you. So that I won't have to worry when your dumb ass gets discharged tomorrow, and you return to that shithole of a war zone that put you here. Since your misguided filialness keeps you a willing prisoner there. Do you know how it feels for me, to know you're going to step past these doors and walk right back into the lion's den, and the next time you end up here could be worse? Because it will happen; make no mistake about it.

"I'm done. I'm tired of trying to play your friend when it's convenient for you. I won't accept that; I won't live off the scraps of your affection." Kaiba began to rise from his seat, the swift deluge of his emotions making the room blurry.

"How long have you been holding that all in," asked Jonouchi in a shaken voice.

"Far too long," Kaiba said darkly, "I shouldn't have bothered."

Jonouchi blinked before looking down at his feet, bringing his knees up closer to his chest despite the visible discomfort on his face.

"You can't really mean all of that," he said in a low voice, as if he was trying to console himself instead of speaking to Kaiba, "I don't want you to just walk out on me because shit is hard. That's not how friendship works."

"Is that what we have?" Kaiba said, feeling his anger rise, "Because it doesn't feel that way to me."

"Yes," Jonouchi answered weakly, "What more could you possibly want? I'm not resilient to shit like you are, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what happened that night and yeah, sometimes being around you makes me uncomfortable. Not because of you specifically, but..."

He grasped at his hair tightly and closed his eyes before speaking again, "-I'm not comfortable with the idea of what we did together, but I liked it. A lot. And I like you as my friend and I thought maybe having a friendship with you would help make things less confusing, okay?"

"You know I want more than that," Kaiba said quietly. "I'm not going to continue to parade my feelings around, when you won't even give me the courtesy of a refusal. It's fucking cowardly, and frankly, quite insulting."

"I can't refuse something I'm still unsure about," answered Jonouchi. "You make things really difficult, Kaiba."

"What is there to be unsure about? I'm not making anything difficult. Either you feel the same way, or you don't."

"Kaiba, I don't know how I feel about it," Jonouchi admitted, "I'm still trying to figure that all out. Not everyone is as sure of themselves as you are, and you do make it difficult. Really difficult. Between giving me the cold shoulder at work and kissing me in your car, how am I really supposed to feel about you? It's confusing as fuck, and unlike you, I didn't wake up knowing I could 'prefer men.' I thought women just weren't that interesting and maybe that would eventually change. You just keep pushing me..."

Kaiba clenched his fists by his sides. He should have already just left, but something kept him rooted to the floor. "You won't have to worry about it anymore, then. I'm not going to wait around and be treated like this while you 'figure things out.' I won't burden you with my feelings, because we're done."

"How could I try starting a relationship with you if we can't even handle a friendship?" Jonouchi sat up again, grabbing the bear off his bedside table and aiming to throw it at Kaiba's direction. "Don't you fucking dare just take off on me like a kid having a tantrum because you can't get what you want for once. I want to figure this out. Neither of us will be happy if you just walk out, and you know it.

"Besides, your weird-ass personality quirks won't let you drop this, so don't even fool yourself."

"You're only deciding that you want to 'figure this out' now that I've decided it's no longer an option. You couldn't be bothered all those weeks ago. And you have the nerve to call me childish?"

Jonouchi rolled his eyes before throwing the bear at Kaiba's face, the stuffed animal not getting too far despite the effort. It fell before Kaiba's feet. "Would you stop trying to fight for once and listen to me? I don't want you to just walk out of my life like this, Kaiba. You've been in it for as long as I can remember, for better or worse, and I'm not going to let you end it like this. If you want a relationship, I'll give it to you, but you can't fucking rush me into things I'm not ready for, okay?"

Kaiba felt his skin go cold, goosebumps erupting along his arms. "I don't want a relationship that's contrived. If you're just saying things you think I want to hear, just to keep me around, then you can go screw yourself. I don't want-"

Jonouchi laughed a little, shaking his head at Kaiba's words, "I wouldn't be offering to hang around your miserable ass more if I didn't like you at least a little," he said before turning his eyes to look Kaiba directly in the face, "Do you want to try to make this work or not?"

"Yes." The answer was honest and instantaneous.

"Okay then," sighed Jonouchi, "Are we done arguing now?"

"I don't know." Kaiba felt deflated and worn-out. It was barely ten o'clock in the morning. He fell back into his chair, cradling his forehead in his palms.

"Do you want to keep fighting?"

"No. But I'm not sure I believe you," came the muttered reply.

"You're so damn difficult." Jonouchi grabbed the remote control on his bed, pushing the button to lower the mattress so he was lying down instead of sitting up. Shifting onto his side, he reached out and made an attempt to grab Kaiba's hand. "I'm on too many drugs right now to be capable of lying well," he offered before smiling, "I can't have you just walk out of my life. I still owe you curry, after all."

Kaiba peered at Jonouchi through his hands, the warmth of Jonouchi's own against his sending shivers down his spine. He returned a feeble smile as he said, "Yes, you do."

"So what are we going to do now, then? We wasted a lot of time just screaming at each other..."

"I don't know. You barely touched your breakfast. I could get us something better to eat, and you could tell me how your sister is doing." It wasn't exactly an apology, but Kaiba didn't really think one was necessary anymore.

"Okay, sounds like a plan." Jonouchi let go of Kaiba's hand and shoved him playfully instead, "Bring me back something sweet to eat."