Wow, this came faster than I expected. I can blame that on insomnia, but I guess it's a good thing either way. Also, I have no idea how the Japanese health care system works, so I just based that part on what little I know of the American system. X.x
"He won't quit. We still have an agreement." Kaiba spoke those words in an annoyingly confident tone, and Jou wanted nothing more than to quit just to spite him. But then, he didn't really have that luxury. After all, he did need the money…
Wait, the money. That must have been the 'agreement' he was talking about. But then, hadn't he already fulfilled that? He'd just had sex with the stupid ass, wasn't that enough? Ok, so it wasn't like he hadn't enjoyed it a little too (although he would die before he ever admitted it) but that was beside the point. Besides, he'd also had his blood taken, so…
"What the hell d'you mean, agreement? We got no agreement, bastard." Exhausted and annoyed, Jou made no effort to speak politely or correctly to the other two, groaning slightly as he finally forced his eyes open.
Headache, headache! He immediately closed them once more, shutting out the blinding light that came from the floor-lamp that sat next to the couch, letting out another groan. Geez, this was ten times worse than any hangover he'd ever had the misfortune to experience. Despite the mallet pounding against the inside of his head, he could hear somebody (Mokuba?) scurrying over and quickly shutting off the light.
Ah, that was so much better. Letting out a sigh of relief, the blond slowly forced his eyes open once more, looking up to see the younger boy's face leaning over him. Once he realized that he was awake, the obvious tension in Mokuba's shoulders relaxed, and he turned back to face the other Kaiba.
"You woke him up." He said flatly, almost accusingly, and the elder brother simply shrugged his shoulders. Ok, so now that stating the obvious was over and done with…
"Damn right, woke me up. What the hell is this 'bout an agreement? I didn't agree to nothin'." His words were somewhat slurred as he turned, almost managing to glare at the two, but his head hurt too much, so he settled for sending a somewhat unpleasant look instead. The CEO, who was standing at the other end of the room, hardly even spared him a glance as he reached for the door-handle.
"You wanted money, didn't you? Half a million dollars has been wired to your account. It's a loan, not a gift. You'll pay me back through… other means. One thousand dollars per… session." He paused for a second before choosing the last word, thinking it over for a moment before he said it aloud.
Wait, only a thousand bucks a fuck? How much was that? Half a million dollars was five hundred thousand, so at a thousand dollars per go, that meant…
"You want to do me five hundred times?! No way!" It was impossible. He couldn't agree to that. Once or twice he could deal with, but five hundred times? Hell, he wanted to keep his dignity (and his ass) in one piece. There was no way he could do that after five hundred…
"Eh? Five hundred what?" Jou felt his face flush red as Mokuba spoke up, and he quickly rolled over onto his side to avoid looking at either of them. Seto smirked – Jou couldn't see it, but he could feel it in the air – and then opened the door.
"If you refuse to pay me back, I'll simply take it out of your paycheck." The words were cold, and while the blond opened his mouth to object, the door slammed shut before he had a chance to say anything.
Mokuba flinched slightly, glancing back towards Jou and then the door. He could tell that something had happened, although he wasn't sure exactly what. Seto hadn't told him anything, only carried the unconscious body into his office and laid him down on the couch, asking for a first aid kit. Mokuba had put the dots together and figured out the basics, but the details were still blurry, and he didn't understand why the atmosphere suddenly got so thick.
Not wanting to open a can of worms he couldn't reseal, he didn't even bother asking about what had happened and instead headed towards his desk, deciding to change the subject.
"So, what do you need half a million dollars for?" He asked the question casually, pulling a bottle of water and a bag of potato chips out of the bottom desk drawer, heading back around and handing them to the blond. Jou took them gratefully, forcing himself to sit up as he unscrewed the lid from the water and took a swig. Ah, damn, that felt good. Some of the lethargy from a moment before was washed away by the cool liquid, and he let out a sigh as he glanced back at the younger Kaiba (who he suspected was also his boss).
"Hmm? Ah, well…" He stared down at the bottle in front of him, fidgeting for a moment before he finally got the nerve to explain. "My little sister has a problem with her eyes. She needs surgery, otherwise she'll go blind, but it's an expensive procedure." He chuckled weakly as he opened the bag of chips, looking back u at the other. "Pretty cliché, eh?"
Mokuba was… Well, honestly he was a little surprised. Ever since he had first met Jounouchi, he had given off an impression of being a bit of a slob, an uneducated and rough man. Hearing this added a soft side to the image, and honestly made him seem sweet, caring. Maybe even cute.
He felt his face immediately turn the colour of a tomato as he thought of that, and quickly scurried back over to his desk so that Jou wouldn't see. Thinking of another man – particularly one who was at least three years his senior – as cute was just… weird. Bizarre. Still, the silence in the room was awkward, so he continued the conversation with his face buried in a pile of paperwork.
"But that's strange, isn't it? Doesn't health insurance usually cover that?" He was honestly a little curious to the answer, but it was more just to keep talking than anything else. He wished in an instant that he could take it back, though, as he seemed to have struck a nerve. The bag of chips crumpled up, the bottle cracking as it was squeezed by a tight fist.
"Tch. It should. But they say that it's not life-threatening, so they pulled our coverage. We can't even afford a lawyer to combat the decision." He spoke through gritted teeth, grinding his molars in irritation. Even the thought of the long battle with the system was enough to get him riled up, and he had to take a deep breath in order to calm down again. "Even if she loses her eyesight, she'll still live. So they refuse to pay for a procedure that won't be saving a life. They claim it's 'cosmetic' or 'experimental' or something. Our family isn't exactly rich, so I need to pay for the surgery myself. That's the main reason I applied here."
The black-haired teen was silent throughout the explanation, and for a moment Jou was worried that he had scared him or something, so he quickly forced a laugh, waving one hand.
"Ah, but it's not really a big deal. What'll happen'll happen, no way around it." He spoke lightly despite the heavy topic, but Mokuba simply shook his head, clenching his fists.
"That's not right. I-if big brother won't lend you the money, I will! I mean, I don't have quite enough, I don't have access to company funds or anything, but…" He spoke determinedly, and when Jou saw the look on his face, he couldn't help but laugh once more. It was a genuine laugh this time, and he honestly felt a little better.
"Nah, don't worry about it. The thought's enough. Besides, I can't take a kid's pocket money, I'd feel bad." That earned him a pouty glare, and he couldn't help but chuckle again. Ah, if only big brother Kaiba were as cute and earnest as little brother.
Yeah, like that would ever happen. Thinking about Kaiba only irritated him, and he groaned as he sat up, looking around Mokuba's office. It was… Different. Unlike the grey box that Kaiba worked in, this place was warm and comfortable. There were pictures on the wall and desk, the paint was a warm shade of tan, and overall it felt like a home. It was nice. He would much prefer to recover in a place like this than a steel chamber like the other room.
Recover. That was right, these guys... Jou squirmed slightly, then cleared his throat.
"Er, Mokuba, are you and Kaiba both… Er, I'm not sure how to ask this…" He stumbled over his words, and Mokuba let out a sigh as he sat down at his desk.
"If you mean the vampire thing, I guess. Seto's the only one who has to drink blood, though. We have the same parents, though, and we've both been alive for a long time, so I don't know why. But I just don't need it, whereas he does." He spoke lightly, trying to keep the conversation from getting too tense, but Jou could tell that it was a heavy subject. Still, curiosity won over courtesy, so he decided to press a little more.
"So that's why he has all those women coming in and out. And the sun thing? I noticed that neither of your burn up." He mused, the realization finally dawning on him that Kaiba simply saw them as a source of food. Maybe he wasn't that big of a manwhore after all. It still bugged him, but at least it cleared one thing up. The younger brother coughed and looked away, his cheeks flushing slightly as he nodded.
"They generally forget about it afterwards, so they keep coming back. There's no shortage either… Ah, I don't know why he approached you, though. Maybe it has something to do with his… personal taste. The sun thing is pure myth. It's never affected either of us at all."
Jou snorted. Huh. Personal taste. What was he, a buffet? If stupid Kaiba didn't like what else was available he could just take a taste of the special? That pissed him right off. He wasn't going to let himself be sold so cheaply.
"Hey, Mokuba… If he's gonna be taking from me for the next few months, d'you think you could do me a favour? Y'know, just ask him if he can stop seeing the women." He was a little embarrassed as he looked away from the other. It was a little humiliating to actually say it, but he didn't want to be just an extra. If Kaiba was going to force him into this, he was going to set some rules too.
***
"Ungh, Kaiba, stop it!" One hand was placed on the CEO's chest as Jou attempted to push him away, but his struggled proved futile as the brunette in question held him in his arms. It was always so hard to say no in this position, not only because Kaiba was strong as an ox, but also because the feel of those wet-lips on his neck made Jou swoon. He would never admit it, but ever since that first time two weeks ago, Jounouchi had grown accustomed to this bi-nightly routine of theirs, and having Kaiba suck on his neck like this was more than just pleasurable.
Surprisingly, Kaiba had agreed to stop seeing the women, and they o longer came into the office. There was still the chance that he could have been seeing them at home, but somehow Jou doubted that. His appetite was always far too large for him to have been sneaking snacks on the side, that was for certain. They had originally agreed for a feeding every night, but after only four days the poor secretary had passed out due to anemia, so a new plan was in order. In addition to less often, his boss had also (begrudgingly) agreed to take less, and for the moment they seemed to have reached a happy medium of sorts.
Or not. Jou continued to squirm, his head starting to spin as he tried once more to shove the other man off of him, but to no avail. At least he'd stopped drinking, but now he could feel Kaiba nipping at his skin, running his tongue across the fresh wound as he gently nicked at the scar-tissue that had been building up from times past. Jou had also noticed this increasing lately – although they hadn't had sex again since that night, Kaiba was always getting more touchy feely after the meal was done, and tonight it was clear that he wanted desert.
One hand slid down Jou's pants, and that was where he drew the line. His cheeks burning, he finally kicked the other in the crotch, causing the CEO to stumble backwards as the receptionist quickly turned away from him, darting for the first-aid kit.
"Urgh… What the hell was that for?" The brunette was none-too happy as he glared up at the blond, who was applying a pair of band-aids to his throat before he wrapped a scarf around his neck. That was the cover that he always used, and it seemed to work seeing as it was nearing winter and the colder weather was coming closer.
"I told you to stop, jackass! I can't be late tonight, I have a date." He said simply, which caused the CEO's eyebrow to rise. Obviously he hadn't expected Jou to have much of a sex-life, although it wasn't exactly /that/ kind of date. Face still pink, the blond turned away with a slight huff, pulling on his jacket. "You don't need to act so surprised." He grumbled the last line as he headed out.
Now, it was true that he did have a date of sorts, but it wasn't in the romantic sense. Today was the day that Shizuka was released from the hospital after her surgery, and he wanted to get home as early as possible so that he could pick up a special dinner to celebrate her recovery. The bandages wouldn't be coming off for a little while yet, but the doctors had decided that she could recover the rest of the way at home, where the stress would be less.
To mark the occasion, Jou had ordered a bouquet of flowers and had already picked out a few restaurants for the food. He wanted things to be perfect tonight, and he didn't want this to be ruined by Kaiba being greedy.
Pushing out the door, however, he noticed a familiar face. It was the girl that he had first seen his boss with two weeks ago; the one in the side of the alleyway. It was a little embarrassing to meet up with her again, seeing as the last time he'd spotted her she was topless and crying out in ecstasy, even though she hadn't even known he was there. Still, he forced a small smile, and she returned it. At least, until his scarf caught on her hand-bag and was pulled off.
"Ah, sorry about that, here you go—" She broke off as she unhooked the loose thread, handing the garment back to Jou, who quickly wrapped it around his neck. Not fast enough, however, to prevent her from noticing the scars on the side of his throat. She feigned ignorance, sparing one more smile before she turned around, heading inside before Jou could even thank her. He didn't know why, but she seemed… angry for some reason.
***
"And here we go. This one's chicken balls, here's the spring egg-rolls, fried rice, low-mein…" Jounouchi had one hand over Shizuka's as he lead the girl's chopsticks from one plate to another, identifying the food for the girl whose eyes were still bandaged from her surgery. She giggled as she poked each food item, shaking her head.
"You didn't have to go this far, big brother. It was already enough for you to pay for the surgery." She said it in her usual sweet voice, but Jou could hear the underlying tone of guilt and regret, so he quickly squeezed her hand.
"You don't worry about that. The most important thing for you is to get better, so just focus on that instead, ok? Oh, and no touching that last plate! That's desert." He teased her, causing her to frown slightly and furrow her brow.
"But you won't even say where you got the money… I don't want you mixed up in something dangerous." Her tone was soft, caring and worried, and Jou leaned in to kiss her cheek. He hated making her nervous like this, but he couldn't exactly tell her where he had gotten the loan. Not that he was sure she'd believe him, but if she did she would surely pass out from fear and anxiety, and that was the last thing she needed after having major surgery.
"It's nothing dangerous, I promise. I wouldn't do something to make you feel scared or upset like that. You gotta have some faith in me, too. Besides, I have a job, and I'm paying back the money at a steady pace. We'll have it completely paid off within two years, I promise." He kissed her once more, and while she was still tense, he could feel her shoulders relax somewhat. Rubbing her back reassuringly, he quickly turned away and headed to the cupboard, getting out a spoon for the jello and cake that he'd bought for their desert.
That was when he saw something. A trench-coat. A very familiar trench-coat.
Jou felt his face go pale as he quickly dropped the utensils on the table, rushing to the door and pulling on his shoes. Shizuka called out to him, but he said nothing as he charged out into the street, looking around for Kaiba. He was sure that he had seen him, the little stalker, but by the time that he had gotten outside he was gone.
Damnit, what the hell was he trying to pull? Coming to his house all of a sudden like this…! He already governed him for five days a week, so why was he bothering him when he was trying to enjoy his off-time too? Finally, after searching every bush, tree and hole in the ground around the small house, Jou gave up and headed back inside. He hadn't found him, but he was certain that he was there, as certain as he was that he existed. He'd have to question him about it the next day.
"Big brother? What's wrong? Did something happen?" Shizuka's anxious voice called out to him from the kitchen table, and he let out a sigh as he realized he'd left her alone.
"Nah, it's fine. Just thought I saw something out there… It was just my imagination, though." He lied calmly to get her to relax, but he knew that what he had seen wasn't an illusion. Or at least… he was pretty sure he knew. Still, there was no point in worrying his little sister. "Just finish up your supper. I got you that audio book that you wanted."
***
Kaiba Seto was not in a very happy mood as he trudged down the street, his mouth curved into a frown. Not only had his dinner been cut short, but it seemed that Jounouchi really did have a date tonight. The girl was fairly young, just a little older than Mokuba, but he had to admit that she was pretty. Too pretty. He felt a pang of jealousy in his gut, and jealousy never went well with him.
He had done everything in his power to make it clear to Jou that he was his. He'd marked him, taken away his freedom, even given up all of the other women, yet the stupid dog still didn't get it. Ever since that first night he'd been intrigued. Surprised that some high-school dropout who was hired out of pity would have the balls to blackmail him, and then turn into a pile of putty on the floor after a little touching. Surprised at how good he tasted, losing himself in the unique flavor until he'd almost killed his new receptionist. Surprised that he had actually accepted such ridiculous terms for a loan, but also intrigued.
He didn't know what he needed the money for, although Mokuba did and refused to tell him. Still, he must have needed it bad if he went that far. Seeing the girl at the kitchen table tonight, he had put two and two together, and was definitely more than a little pissed. Stupid mutt. He actually had the nerve to use /his/ money to pay for an operation for his girlfriend? Tch. He wasn't going to stand for that.
He had been patient long enough while trying to train his new pet. If he still didn't get it, he would have to be a little rougher with his methods.
Bah, I feel like this is the worst out of the four. I tried to sort of introduce some kind of conflict, but no… x.x It just came out a jumbled mess.
But for those of you wondering, no, there is no Mokuba/Jou in this fic. ;) There is a bit of a onesided crush, but it doesn't go anywhere. If anything there might be a bit of Mokuba/Shizuka later on, although nothing heavy or extremely important to the plot.
Anyways, I decided to be nice to you guys this time. I was going to leave off on a total cliffhanger, but decided to leave that to the next chapter instead, which will probably be out either tomorrow or over the weekend sometime. Enjoy. 8)