Waking up to the sounds of rumbling snores echoing in the bedroom, Jonouchi slowly opened his eyes, sight blurry and nose slightly stuffed up. He could feel a cold coming on as he got up to use the restroom before returning, pulling out his boxers and casually placing them on the bed where they'd be in reach before getting back under the sheets.

Kaiba was knocked out. When Jonouchi scooted closer to him, he placed a hand on his chest, feeling each time it rose and fell with the breaths he took in his sleep. His eyelids remained closed, black lashes fanning out across his face, and now that there was light in the room, Jonouchi could make out little brown moles along his back and shoulders.

He was too awake to sleep. Shifting over closer, Jonouchi instead laid his head down on the pillow, playing with Kaiba's back in a game of "connect the dots" as he waited patiently for the man to eventually wake up.

That would probably be a while. They had both been drunk as skunks the night before, Kaiba more so than Jonouchi. Kaiba had been falling all over the hotel once they arrived back, and after insisting upon sex, Jonouchi knew from his own experience, Kaiba wouldn't want to get up and get going anytime soon.

Jonouchi was slightly glad he was still asleep. He felt embarrassed about the night before, mainly in his lack of endurance. Last time he'd tried being with a woman, a very similar thing had happened. He couldn't edge well, and despite trying to hold out, Jonouchi always found himself being premature, or sometimes not becoming aroused enough at all.

Thankfully, had at least been able to try. Kaiba didn't seem likely to leave him alone until he had, and after fucking up, Jonouchi scrambled to find a way to make it work out. He couldn't expect Kaiba to have him, unfortunately; he was down for the count by then. It was clear by the look of surprise and slight disappointment on his face that he thought that was that and had planned to pass out right after, but Jonouchi had made love to him another way. He felt too bad to get shy about it, being far more enthusiastic about it than he ever thought he could be, and it didn't bother him nearly as much as Jonouchi thought it should when it came to a startling end.

If anything, he felt washed over with a sense of relief. Jonouchi had to stop himself from thinking of gagging, and he ran off into the bathroom soon after to clean himself up.

By the time he'd gotten back, Kaiba seemed asleep. It dawned on Jonouchi that Kaiba might not even remember the majority of the night. That was probably a good thing. Jonouchi really didn't want to recall being such a horrible top ever again, if he could help it.

Now that he was awake and coherent enough to think properly, he could reason that the night before was probably going to be a one-time affair. Not because of Kaiba's tolerance of it, but more because Jonouchi couldn't see himself trying that again. It had felt good, physically, being able to penetrate, but it hadn't felt natural. Kaiba had always seemed so calm and collected whenever they were together, and while Jonouchi knew it had to do with his experience, he also knew it just came easier to Kaiba, being like that. He didn't second guess his actions and he had great control over his body. Besides the first time they'd had sex together, which had been sloppy and rushed thanks to high emotions and alcohol, Kaiba had been a consistently mindful and skillful lover. At least in Jonouchi's eyes, he didn't seem strained in the moment trying to control himself and Jonouchi always felt lost in the moment, his arousal peaking long before Kaiba was about to give out.

It seemed odd that Kaiba would be so adamant about changing roles up, but maybe his intense curiosity had gotten to him. Kaiba was not and had never been uptight. Not like Jonouchi had, and even though he said before he wasn't particularly interested in bottoming and didn't find it arousing, he'd at least given Jonouchi the opportunity willingly.

The gesture meant a lot to him. Kaiba had trusted him, and while Jonouchi knew he probably wasn't a great lay, he certainly hoped that any awkwardness that might erupt between them would dissipate quickly as the day continued on.

Turning around, Jonouchi grabbed the phone from the bedside table, calling in an order for breakfast before his stomach would rumble and wake up the sleeping beauty next to him. He was hungry. They both hadn't eaten enough to warrant all the beer they'd finished the night before, and he didn't want Kaiba getting to work feeling both sick and sore on top of that.

It didn't register immediately when Kaiba had woken up. The bed shifted, but Jonouchi was too distracted to really notice much until he felt hands in his hair, and turning around just enough to make out the outline of Kaiba's face, he smiled a little before swatting his hands away.

"You're awake," Jonouchi said more to himself than Kaiba despite the grunt as a reply, "I thought you'd be down for the count until much later."

"I still have work," mumbled Kaiba as he tried to fix his hair, "although I think I'm going to call in today. I don't feel up to showing my face while I'm still visibly hung over."

"Your eyes are a little red, but that's really it," said Jonouchi with a small laugh, "I don't think they'll really notice that much unless you decide to puke on your desk or something."

"I don't get sick."

"Well then," continued Jonouchi, "they shouldn't be able to tell, should they?"

Kaiba shook his head, but he made no attempt to get out of bed, just flipping over to the other side like he was going to fall back asleep instead. Furrowing his eyebrows, Jonouchi watched him for a moment, neither of them speaking, before crawling over to where Kaiba laid, resting his head on his shoulder.

"Hey," he breathed, moving close to Kaiba's ear before grabbing it playfully with his teeth to tug on his ear lobe, "I hope I wasn't too much of a disappointment last night."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," chuckled Kaiba in response, eyes remaining closed, "I wasn't expecting it to be mind blowing, Jonouchi. I just wanted to give you a chance, since you were under the impression before that I would never allow you to do it."

"I thought you weren't interested in bottoming."

"I'm not," laughed Kaiba, "but I can tolerate it if you need a change of pace."

Was it really all that much an issue? Jonouchi didn't really think so any more. The more he thought of it, the more he reasoned that he had originally desired the change because of his own feelings of inferiority. It had nothing to do with any kind of natural desire to lead. Jonouchi had never been any good with it. Last night made that evident more than ever, and he hoped not to embarrass himself like that ever again.

"I don't need the change of pace," Jonouchi answered quietly, avoiding eye contact for a moment before laying his head back down and sighing, "I actually like how we do things. Honestly, I prefer it with you leading me. It always felt more comfortable that way, and although I appreciate your consideration, I don't think that'll be necessary to do again.

"I just won't let you drink so much next time we plan on fucking," laughed Jonouchi as he leaned over Kaiba's chest to place his hands between his shoulders. Kaiba's gaze was piercing. His eyes were always so striking, and maybe it was because of the sharp color, but Jonouchi always felt like he was being looked through. But maybe, just this once, that wasn't a bad thing.

"I'm sorry about being stupid about the whole thing before," he admitted, "I let too much of my own personal shit get in the way of something I enjoyed doing with you.

"So," he added a tad awkwardly, "are you really not planning on going to work today?"

"No, I'm not," replied Kaiba as he raised an eyebrow. "Are you not planning on going to work today yourself? You might want to call Eguchi to let her know."

"Eh, I'd rather not and let her worry," .

Shifting up from the bed, Jonouchi pulled back the sheets as he straddled Kaiba's hips, holding him with his thighs. They were still both naked, and Jonouchi tried to ignore the fact that neither of them had bathed since the night before as he leaned down into Kaiba's chest, letting his arms wrap around his neck before tugging at his hair.

"I want to try this again," mumbled Jonouchi into Kaiba's ear, "but I think you'll like it better this time. Promise."

"You promise?" Kaiba laughed as Jonouchi felt warm hands on his hips, the long fingers sliding up and down the sides of his ribcage, tickling, "What exactly are you planning on doing?"

"Nothing you won't like. Just lie down and relax."

Kaiba melted in his hands. Jonouchi enjoyed the feeling. All inside, his stomach tightened, the feeling of build up coming from within.

Grabbing onto Kaiba's neck, Jonouchi reached forward to kiss him, tugging on his lower lip with his teeth before sighing as he felt his ass being kneaded into. Blood pumping and vision blurring in the corners, Jonouchi could feel his excitement rise as his body burned up, and his heart began pumping fast as Kaiba pulled him closer, taking a firm grip of Jonouchi's hip to keep him steady while another hand started trailing down his back.

Little beads of sweat grew on Jonouchi's brow, dripping down his shoulders and pooling to the small of his back, his entire body on fire.

"Hopefully this won't take too long," Jonouchi muttered as he reached forward to grab the essential items, "I actually ordered breakfast for you. I don't want the delivery people to hear us."

"They won't say anything," chuckled Kaiba, but that didn't really appease Jonouchi's reservations. He was quick to prepare himself.

Kaiba stroke his inner thigh as Jonouchi brace himself against the bed near Kaiba's head.

He felt completely raw. Every ounce of his body was burning. Sweat rolled off Jonouchi's skin, and he bit his lip as he relaxed. Anticipation was both a gift and a curse; Jonouchi found himself stuck between loving and hating each motion he made, until it felt right and nothing seemed to matter anymore.

It was a little tiring. His breaths were hot, hair damp against his brow as he allowed Kaiba's hand on his waist. They were both eager. Both quick. It was more of a workout than Jonouchi had first imagined. It sent his back shuddering and moans escaping his lips while Kaiba tried kissing him. The contact was sloppy, and Kaiba was leading it more so than Jonouchi, tugging at his lips and grasping onto his hair, saying dirty words into Jonouchi's ear that made him blush uncontrollably.

Jonouchi was quick. Kaiba continued, pulling Jonouchi's legs over his shoulders before turning deliberate. Erratic. Jonouchi melted into the sheets.

Then suddenly, he shuddered at the strange feeling he'd slowly became accustomed to. It was still a surprise, and he chided himself for not using a condom but that had been his own fault. He didn't say anything, just trying to catch his breath as Kaiba sighed a few times, his wet lips on Jonouchi's face before he finally pulled away and collapsed on the bed.

They didn't speak to each other for a few minutes. Kaiba just rolled over and stroked Jonouchi's hair, Jonouchi too tired to do much than allow it. He didn't mind the closeness, and eyes open, he watched as Kaiba looked back at him, his gaze intense yet warm, before finally getting up.

"I really need to take a shower," said Jonouchi rather abruptly. "It's trickling down my legs."

"You can't blame me this time," replied Kaiba with a snort.

"I'm not," whined Jonouchi, "but I will blame you if you don't hurry up into the shower and join me."

Breakfast long ago eaten, they were finishing up getting dressed when Kaiba heard a loud buzzing from across the room. Jonouchi's phone was vibrating across a small side table (where he usually dumped his junk, much to Kaiba's chagrin). "Hey, your phone's going off," Kaiba called towards the closet, where Jonouchi was still rubbing a towel against his head.

Popping his head out, Jonouchi yelled back, "Who is it?"

"Kame Shop."

"Shit," Jonouchi replied, hobbling out of the closet while trying to pull up his jeans. "What could that old man possibly want now - I hope it's not because I still haven't picked up my crap…" Finally securing his jeans over his hips and quickly tugging a T-shirt on, Jonouchi snatched his phone off the table, scowling at it before accepting the call. Kaiba rolled his eyes, focusing on fixing the scarf draped around his neck.

"Yeah, what's up, Jii-san? Listen, I- Say what?"

Jonouchi had gone completely still, drawing Kaiba's attention. He watched curiously as Jonouchi's eyes visibly widened, his initial irritation melting away until he was practically beaming.

"No way, you aren't kidding me, right? We'll be over right away!" Ending the call, Jonouchi tossed the phone into the air, catching it with his other hand and flashing Kaiba a huge smile.

"I take it it wasn't about a pick-up…" Kaiba said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yugi's coming home soon, and I want to meet him at the game shop once he gets here," Jonouchi practically exploded. "You gotta come with me. He'd like that."

The other eyebrow lifted to join the first. "You sure of that? He and I aren't exactly best friends or anything of the sort." Although, Kaiba had to admit to himself, seeing Yugi again could be interesting. Although he'd been off the Duel Monsters circuit for close to a year, and he wasn't exactly the rival Kaiba had chosen from years before, Yugi had been the only one to defeat the lost pharaoh.

"Yes, I'm sure," answered Jonouchi with a tad of irritation as he finished dressing, trying to get socks on his feet as he hopped around the bed, "he always liked you even if you were difficult about it. Come with me. I'll even make sure that Jii-san leaves you alone."

"I'm going to hold you to that." Wouldn't be his problem if he dampened the mood because the old man decided to try to throw his weight around.

"You gotta be civil, though."

Jonouchi ran out the door before Kaiba could respond. He seemed quick to get to the door, and when Kaiba followed him, he was scrambling to get his shoes on. For someone who just tired himself out only a few hours ago, Jonouchi was as animated as ever.

"Unless you plan on welcoming Yugi with a concussion, settle down," Kaiba snickered, spinning his keyring on a finger. He easily slid into his boots, sneaking around a still-fumbling Jonouchi to head to the parking garage. Jonouchi ambled in moments later, throwing himself bodily into the passenger seat while Kaiba revved the engine.

He was quieter during the ride through town. His eyes were glued to the passenger side window, watching people on the street and folding his hands onto his lap as he fidgeted a little. Kaiba watched from the corner of his eyes, noting each time Jonouchi's legs shaked, counting the little movements in his head until it became irritating and he dropped a hand on Jonouchi's thigh to still him.

"Why are you so fidgety? You were almost completely out of energy just hours ago."

"I don't know, I'm just really excited," mumbled Jonouchi as he turned and stole a look at Kaiba's face before turning back towards the window again. "I can't help it. I'm not tired anymore."

"I was...surprised...at how forward you were this morning," Kaiba said smoothly, flickering his gaze over to Jonouchi briefly before returning it to the road. "You've never really been like that - at the beginning, I thought I might've still been dreaming." Jonouchi's leg stilled, and Kaiba withdrew his hand to return it to the wheel.

"Well, I, uh," started Jonouchi, his words fumbling into each other, "I don't know. I felt bad about the night before. Kinda knew it wasn't the best of ideas, but you were so adamant about it, so I couldn't tell you no. I didn't want you thinking that I sucked at everything," joked Jonouchi, "and besides, you liked it, right? It was a good change?"

"It was," Kaiba agreed, tapping a finger against the steering wheel as they waited at a red light. "I like it when you show you're just as into it as I am. I found it very sexy," he purred, laughing when he earned a swat on the arm. Jonouchi's face was bright red, and he refused to budge his gaze from the side window.

"Yeah, I could tell," replied Jonouchi as he glued his eyes away towards the glass, his legs bouncing again repeatedly, "you wouldn't shut up about it."

The light flipped to green. "New experience," Kaiba smirked, "Wasn't sure when I'd get that kind of a show again."

Jonouchi made a noise like he was snorting, making a show of rolling his eyes before crossing his leg. "I think I've done enough new things for your benefit in one week," he answered, "I gotta make you work for it, after all."

"I have to ask," Kaiba began, his voice losing its teasing edge and taking on a more serious tone, "why are you okay with it all now? Or you seem to be, with how last night and this morning played out…"

Jonouchi was silent for a minute, his eyes glancing towards Kaiba for a second before turning back towards the street again. They appeared a little anxious, but Jonouchi eventually seemed to get a grip on himself and spoke up.

"My father wasn't a very open minded guy," explained Jonouchi, "and he had a very limited view on what was okay and not okay for guys to do. When I lived with him, he used to make all sorts of comments... I didn't think I cared too much about it at the time, but I let his way of thinking get into my head and it took a while to just not care anymore. I guess I needed to really get away from him to let it go for good. I mean, it was still all sorts of embarrassing, at least for me at first, but I wanted you to be happy, so I got over it."

I wanted you to be happy. Kaiba felt a sudden, painful clenching in his chest, his hands reflexively digging into the leather of the steering wheel. His voice was caught in his throat, and all he could manage was a quiet, "I see," as he turned the corner toward Yugi's neighborhood.

Slowing the car to the new speed limit, Kaiba delicately reached over and brushed his fingertips over Jonouchi's knee, squeezing lightly before retracting again. "I'm glad you did."

"Of course you did," Jonouchi joked before turning his full attention towards Kaiba finally. "You got laid twice almost in one day. Who wouldn't be glad about that? I mean, I know I'm not a good top, but I tried to make it end well at least."

"Your technique could use some finesse," Kaiba smirked, "but it got the desired outcome. Although I am a bit relieved that you're fine with how we are. I'm not wholly against doing that with you again, but it's not my - preferred - method, shall we say."

"Kaiba, you can be honest and say I suck," laughed Jonouchi, "I knew that long before last night. You aren't the first attempt, but I'm pretty sure you'll be the last. I don't really like doing what you do, so let's agree to keep things the way they were before and maybe if you're good, I'll work on that finesse crap...

"In my defense, that was my first time and I was very drunk."

"I'm always good," Kaiba replied mildly. "We'll just have to find an opportunity for you to prove yourself sober, then."

Jonouchi rolled his eyes.

The familiar curves and angles of the Kame Game Shop became visible as Kaiba drove up the hill. Jonouchi burst out of the car before it completely rolled to a stop in the side alley, racing around to the entrance before Kaiba had had a chance to disengage his seatbelt. Strolling to join Jonouchi at the front, he found the other man peering into the dark store, hands and face pressed against the front door's glass.

"Closed," Kaiba announced, pointing to the handwritten sign in the window.

"Huh, that's odd." Jonouchi knocked on the door loudly, peering through the glass again before poking into his pant pockets. "I got the key here, anyways. I'm sure they're at the airport now, on their way. Wanna duel while we wait? I got my deck upstairs."

Kaiba turned sharply toward Jonouchi, staring down at his inquisitive face. Suddenly it was summer again, heat radiating down Kaiba's back, an orange sky painting the color of his defeat. And then Jonouchi nudged him on the elbow with a look of concern, and Kaiba was thrust back into the present, the stinging, cold air biting against the back of his neck.

"Sure, why not," he replied as he stepped through the door, a smile crossing his face.

FIN

Author's Notes:

This story is full of controversy! Fortunately, I don't like this story enough to really care about dealing with it any longer, so I apologize for all the madness. I got so many other bigger, better projects to worry about that frankly, this is really a small thing. I sincerely hope this whole drama fest is done and over with.

In the future, I will revise this again. A part of me is sad that I didn't finish this with the person who helped me begin it.

I hope you guys enjoyed the story. As always, I write for myself first and foremost, but I post it for you all. Without my readers, I would have never gotten this far. You guys are my strength and perseverance every time I want to just toss a story away or put it on the back burner. You guys are the reason why my creative light can never burn out.

Thank you and I hope you all stand by for the many other projects I have lined up.

Again, this is the toned down version of Just Friends. The uncut version is available on AFF, linked on my profile page.

~AW