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Passed planes
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Yu-Gi-Oh › General
Rating:
Adult +
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2
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1,575
Reviews:
4
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Currently Reading:
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Category:
Yu-Gi-Oh › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
2
Views:
1,575
Reviews:
4
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 2
Title: Passed planes. Chapter 2/?
Author: Akuchan
Rating: R
Pairing(s): SxJ
Beta: Selena
Spoilers: None.
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, nor do I make any money from this story.
Summary: As their anniversary approaches Jou and Seto are on opposite sides of the world. They both set out to surprise the other on their special day.
Jou gripped the edge of his seat as the plane began its ascent into the sky above Tokyo. No matter how often he flew, he knew he would always have a queasy feeling in his stomach upon takeoff along with the irrational fear that the plane would go up a few hundred feet then nosedive and crash in a fiery ball onto the runway below. He loosened his fingers from the chair and released the breath that he had been holding once the plane had leveled off and started its journey toward San Francisco.
The afternoon had been a mixed bundle of angered hurt feelings, a chaotic rush to the airport, and endless waiting after he had exchanged his currency, checked in, and gone through the departure routine. Now that he was on his way, he allowed himself to relax. Or tried to relax but couldn’t help the uncomfortable feeling he had. He hadn’t been able to contact Seto and not knowing if Mokuba had been able to get in touch with him (because of course Mokuba’s phone was turned off, again and for the life of him Jou could not remember the phone number for the limo), Jou had almost changed his mind about going. What if his boyfriend had left town for a few days and wouldn’t be there to meet him? That got his blood boiling again, if the jerk could take off in California for a short time he could have come home. Or why hadn’t Seto suggested that he come and stay with him for a few days. Probably because he had a little something going on, on the side, Jou thought to himself and then gave his head a good shake. Seto might be a Grade A asshole to other people, but Jou knew in his heart that he would never ever do something like that to him… he hoped… no, no, he was sure. Jou knew he wasn’t being fair, if he hadn’t hung up on him his lover may have suggested that Jou come to California.
After his third call to Seto, Jou realized that in California it was the middle of the night and that his lover was probably asleep. He knew that if Seto was sleeping through the shrill noise from the telephone he must be exhausted and he felt guilty about trying to wake him up. Though the thought that Seto could sleep soundly when the two of them had yet to make up insulted him. Perhaps Mokuba had gotten in touch with him and explained everything, which would allow his lover to rest. The hotel had a private voicemail service for the executive suites and he had left a message for Seto, but he didn’t like that he hadn’t been able to talk to him in person. As an extra measure Jou considered calling the hotel and leaving a message for him at the front desk but decided against it. He doubted that at that hour there would be someone who spoke Japanese and he didn’t feel like struggling with his English over the telephone. If Mokuba had been unable to get hold of his brother, Jou would have to find his way to Seto’s hotel by himself. He had ten hours to obsess over that fact and tried valiantly not to think about it.
He let his mind drift back over the past year. It had been a good one in many ways, he was no longer living under the same roof as his father, he was doing better in school than he ever thought he would and then there was Seto. Their relationship though far from perfect was pretty good. They had the occasional fight though the one they had today was not typical. Most of their fights were usually just personality clashes not Seto being an insensitive jerk. Though if he looked at the current situation with an impassive eye he could admit that he hadn’t been crystal clear about why Seto had to be back on the 26th. When Seto had said that would be leaving for San Francisco, Jou had only asked him if would be home by the 26th. When he had answered that he definitely would be, Jou just assumed that Seto understood the significance of that day. Granted he didn’t like that Seto hadn’t thought about their anniversary at all, but he supposed in the grand scheme of things he could live with it. No one was perfect and if he had to trade in one of Seto’s good qualities in order to have him remember birthdays and anniversaries on his own, Jou decided that he would have to decline. And if what Mokuba said were true, Seto would make sure that he never forgot again.
Regardless of that, unless Mokuba said something to his brother about July 26th being their anniversary when he called to say that Jou was on his way to San Francisco, he wasn’t sure now that he would even mention it to Seto. He had wanted a celebration of something that was of mutual importance to them both and didn’t want his boyfriend to make a big deal about it now just because he was upset. In Jou’s heart their anniversary lost its importance if Seto felt compelled to celebrate it just to make him happy. He could feel his depression attempting to take over and he sorely wished he had someone beside him to divert his attention. As luck would have it though he was in a row by himself.
He started to recall the day that had set their being together in motion. Jou remembered how scared he had been when he finally asked Seto out. He had had a crush on the brunet all the way through high school but hadn’t acted on it, mainly because of the disdain that the other treated him with. Even now he wasn’t sure what had possessed him to approach Seto that day, though Honda goading him probably had a lot to do with it. They had finished school in March and he was on his summer break from his first half term at college when the opportunity to ask Seto out had risen. He realized that if anything were to happen between them, he was the one who would be making the first move. At the time he was sure Seto was going to say no, in fact Jou was certain that there was a snide remark on the tip of his tongue but then the granite fell away from his gaze and whatever harsh comment was about to leave his lips was replaced with a simple yes.
As Jou reclined in his seat, he realized he had never asked his lover about that; he would have to make a point of it when he saw Seto in San Francisco. And he would see Seto in San Francisco and everything would be perfect, he tried to convince himself as he gazed blindly through the airplane’s window.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seto relaxed in his seat as his private jet raced him toward Japan and hopefully a joyful anniversary celebration with Jou. He couldn’t believe that he had been so wrapped up in his business that he had forgotten something as important as the date when Jounouchi had become an integral part of his life. Granted on that day he didn’t know what lay in store for him but it was definitely the start of something great.
It was a Saturday and the first time in months that he felt comfortable not going into the office or even working at home. He was leaving on a business trip the next day and much to his surprise everything was in order, meaning he could actually spend the whole day with Mokuba. His brother had been concerned that he was spending too much time at work especially now that he was finished with school forever. Mokuba had been under the misguided assumption that because Seto no longer had the extra burden of schoolwork he would actually have more free time. The brunet had suffered from that delusion as well, for all of one day. It seemed there was a cosmic force that knew Seto could now devote more of his time to Kaiba Corporation and it didn’t take long for problems at the office to take over his life.
Before he could divulge his good news to his brother at breakfast, Mokuba happily informed Seto of the plans he had made to spend the day in the park with Yugi and the rest of the gang. He then asked Seto what time he was going into the office. When he learned that Seto had the day off, Mokuba immediately offered to break his plans and spend the day with him, but Seto wouldn’t allow it. This was the first time they had been able to get the whole group together since school had ended and Seto could tell that Mokuba was excited to see everyone again. Mokuba pestered and cajoled his brother enough that Seto reluctantly agreed to join them in the park. His brother thought he would enjoy seeing everyone again as Seto hadn’t seen them since school had ended either. He told Mokuba that he was content never to see that miscreant crew again, but he would do it for him.
“You’re the best you know that Seto, and you can’t tell me you don’t miss them, even just a little bit. Especially Jounouchi?” His brother teased.
“I do not miss that mutt, Mokuba.” Though if Seto were honest, he would have to admit that since school had ended, he did miss the almost daily verbal tussles he had had with one Jounouchi Katsuya. He missed the way the blond’s eyes would light on fire and his useless attempts at a witty comeback that usually resulted in him uttering something completely inane like “piss off moneybags”. Off he’d stomp pretending that because he had gotten in the last word he had won that round, when in actual fact both knew who the real winner was. Yes he did miss Jounouchi but not because the blond meant anything to him, no it wasn’t that at all. It was because Jounouchi Katsuya was one of the very few people who stood up to him and didn’t kiss his ass.
Later that day he found himself sitting in the shade of an ancient maple tree working on files that didn’t need his attention while his brother and the fools that he called friends played soccer in the scorching heat of that July afternoon. He found that his attention was often pulled away from the computer in front of him to a blur of tan and gold in black shorts out on the field. They had only played for twenty minutes when they unanimously decided that it was much too hot to be playing soccer and perhaps their time would be better spent swimming. When he heard that, Seto worried that Mokuba would offer their pool, but the group, save for Jounouchi and Honda were off and running toward the public pool on the other side of the park before his brother could say anything.
The two who remained behind were sprawled out under a tree not more than 10 feet away from him and though they thought they were talking low, Seto could hear every word they said. Normally he would ignore their conversation as being of no interest to him, but since he was the subject he did find it rather intriguing.
“Jou it’s the perfect opportunity, no one’s around and he’s right over there, just go ask him.”
‘Ask me what?’ Seto remembered thinking to himself. ‘What on earth could the Mutt possibly need to ask me?’
“I don’t need to ask him Honda, I know what the answer will be. I don’t think so Mutt.” Jou sneered impressing even Kaiba with his imitation.
Honda was laughing at his friend “oh that was bang on Jou. Just go, you’ll never have this perfect opportunity again. I’ll even go away if it’ll help.”
“Just forget it Honda, let’s catch up with everyone” out of the corner of his eye Seto saw the blond rise to his feet and wait for his friend to join him.
“You’re just chicken,” the brunet said not moving from his spot on the ground. “I’ll bet this months rent that you don’t have the nerve to ask him.”
“You’re right I don’t, so just forget it alright.”
“OK Jou, but I don’t want to hear about it anymore, you got that. Ask him out or don’t ask him out, I don’t care but never talk to me about it again” his friend said as he rose from the ground.
“Ask me out”, Kaiba repeated quietly to himself, unnoticed by the other two. ‘The Mutt wants to ask me out. Oh do it Mutt, do it. Don’t walk away, come back here so I can finally crush you.’
Seto never understood where his deep longing to crush the blond came from. He later figured out that it was to push away emotions that he was not comfortable dealing with. That his constant taunting was designed to keep Jounouchi at arms length but still retain some kind of bizarrely intimate interaction with him. But at that moment he wasn’t analyzing his motivations, he was staring at the screen of his laptop, pondering how best to use the information just learned. Seto didn’t notice that Jounouchi had not joined his friends at the pool, but was now standing in front of him until the blond spoke.
“Kaiba, can I ask you a question?”
“You can ask me anything you want, Mutt” Seto answered, hiding the fact that Jou had taken him by surprise by not looking up from his computer. He could see over the edge of his laptop that Jounouchi was shifting back and forth on his feet and twisting his t-shirt in a nervous fashion.
“Well, um, you date guys, right?”
Oh this was priceless, the Mutt was a stuttering nervous wreck and when it came time to put him down, Seto was going to be ruthless. “When I date, it’s with men, yes. But rarely do I find anyone interesting enough to waste my precious free time on.”
“Oh” that one uttered syllable sounded so defeated to Seto’s ear that he had a difficult time concealing the smirk on his lips. He was surprised when the blond continued. “Well do I?”
“Do you what, Mu… Jounouchi?” Seto realized he could not be too harsh and have the mutt go off on a tangent before he was able to deliver his ultimate humiliation.
“Do I interest you? What I mean Kaiba, would you; I mean will you have dinner with me tonight? The words tumbled out of his mouth so quickly that Seto barely understood what was said.
His eyes finally left his laptop and ran up the length of the legs of his latest victim. Unfortunately for Seto he found the legs in front him to be very interesting. The calves though covered in white sweat socks appeared to be quite muscular. As his eye traveled further up, it was delighted with the vision of strong sinewy thighs that disappeared too soon under the cloth of the black shorts the blond was wearing. Too bad too, Seto thought as he had a quick vision of those thighs spread wide for him while he explored in-depth the area between them that was now hidden from his view. He shook his mind clear of the thoughts that were sidetracking him from his current mission of putting one Jounouchi Katsuya in his place once and for all. Instead of continuing the distracting journey up Jounouchi’s body he tried to focus on the other’s face but his traitorous eye was following a bead of sweat as it traveled down the chiseled chest and slid over the tight stomach to disappear into the waistband of his shorts. He chastised himself for getting lost in the expanse of black cloth once again and willed his errant eye away from its current distraction and made sure his sneer was firmly in place. As he was about to deliver his crushing response in his most condescending voice he looked Jounouchi straight in the eye.
That was the end of his plan to humiliate the blond. If Seto were truly the cold unfeeling jerk he pretended to be and sometimes wished that he were, he would have continued. But he wasn’t, or not anymore and what he saw in Jounouchi’s eyes made him question everything he was about to do. What he saw was fear. Fear that Seto was going to hurt him, not just embarrass him, but wound him deeply. Seto considered that, he had the power to bring the normally overconfident blond to his knees? He should have been pleased considering that had been his intention just seconds ago, but at that moment he found himself unwilling to abuse that power. He could suffer through one date with the puppy. His eyes softened and from his lips came forth a gentle “yes”.
“Really?” The fear disappeared to be replaced with a look of genuine happiness that Seto realized was seldom there. Oh Jounouchi was always happy and laughing, but rarely did his eyes sparkle the way they were at that moment and the smile on his face seemed so much brighter than Seto ever remembered seeing it before. He found that he was pleased to be the one who put the blond into this state.
“Yes Jou, I will have dinner with you tonight.”
As Seto remembered it now a tiny smile graced his lips and touched the depths of his eyes. Jounouchi had been so excited that he was sure that if the blond really was the puppy Seto accused him of being he would have been chasing his tail at that moment. To Seto’s amusement Jounouchi must have realized how cool he wasn’t behaving because he straightened up and unsuccessfully tried to reign in his exuberance. “Uh that’s great Kaiba. I’ve got to go get ready, meet me right back here at six and don’t worry about arrangements, I’ll take care of everything, OK”. He was off and running out of the park before Seto could even respond. He had wondered at the time why Jounouchi would need almost four hours to get ready, a quick shower and in Seto’s estimation the blond would be just perfect. He didn’t question the sudden reversal of attitude where Jounouchi was concerned.
Four hours later when he met up with Jounouchi again, he got his answer after the blond led him to a small area surrounded by bushes at the far end of the park. He was not pleased as they approached to see Honda standing there as if waiting for them, but he was relieved when they got close and Jou said, “thanks for giving me a ride and keeping an eye on everything”.
“No problem Jou, have fun.” Honda gave his friend a wink as he walked away.
When Seto saw what Jou had done, he was impressed. Laid out on the ground before him was a red and white-checkered cotton blanket held down at the corners by citronella candles in tin buckets and on top of that was a picnic basket and hard plastic plates and instead of chopsticks there was Western styled cutlery that matched the plates. There was also another tin bucket filled with ice that had a bottle of white wine chilling in it and two hard plastic wine glasses. “So this is what needed four hours of preparation, very nice Jounouchi.”
Jou quietly accepted the compliment and said, “I hope you don’t mind Western style food.”
Seto said that he didn’t and sat down as Jou laid out the food and presented him with a plate with cold Greek lemon chicken breast, a Greek styled tomato salad sans the garlic and a large piece of crusty bread. The food was so good that he actually allowed himself to have seconds of everything, and was completely stuffed when the meal was over.
After barely wiping down the dishes with a paper towel, Jou hastily shoved them into a plastic bag and then tossed the bag into the picnic basket. In the meantime Seto leaned back on his elbows with his legs stretched in front him, wineglass in one hand and the other rubbing his stomach as he released a very satisfied sigh. “That was one of the best meals I’ve had in a longtime, Pup. Where did you get it, I want to put that place on my list for take out.”
Jounouchi’s cheeks were tinged with a slight pink as he told Seto that he was the one who made the food. That was the first of many surprises that night. They sat on the blanket and talked while the summer sun faded to dusk and then to darkness. Seto let Jounouchi do most of the talking and learned many things about his companion. About the difficult choice he made between following the path to become a chef or a teacher. He’d always known that Jounouchi wasn’t stupid but had figured that his grades were never good enough to get into University. But Jou had applied himself the last two years of high school and had managed to lift his marks just enough to get accepted to Domino University. He was studying history and hoped one day to be a high school history teacher. He explained that though it was his friendship with Yugi and his interest in Duel Monsters that had straightened him out, it was their history teacher and the enthusiasm he ignited in his young pupil that led him to that decision.
He learned that Jou’s talent for cooking came from having to provide his own meals much of the time while growing up. At the time he resented having to provide for himself and could have easily learned to hate cooking but his friends were so impressed with his talents that he found that in his efforts to astonish them, he gained an appreciation for it. When he was making his decision about what career path to follow, he realized that he loved cooking for friends and family, but didn’t like the idea that as a chef he would have to work evenings and all major holidays taking him away from his loved ones at the times he would most like to be with them. And his desire to work with and help kids was so strong he had to try teaching. Talking with him that night Seto knew that Jounouchi had chosen the right path for him.
Seto also learned that Jounouchi Katsuya was one hell of a kisser. They had been making out on the blanket and Seto had a writhing Jounouchi half naked beneath him, while his lips retraced the path his eyes had traveled earlier when another couple intruded upon them.
“Oh, we’re sorry,” said a feminine voice that neither of the two on the blanket paid any attention too. In fact they never would have known the other couple was there if the woman hadn’t of spoken.
“Yeah, yeah, just go away,” Jou panted out as Seto continued his assault on the blond’s stomach.
“Well” the girl huffed as she and her boyfriend left the area.
Regretfully Seto lifted his head from its current position to look at Jou “I hate to say this, Pup, maybe we should get out of here. I do have to leave early in the morning and I should spend a little bit of time with Mokuba tonight.”
Grudgingly Jou couldn’t argue and the two men packed the blanket and candles into a box that Seto hadn’t noticed before and carried everything to his car. He drove the blond to his apartment building and spent at least fifteen minutes saying goodbye. With a promise from Seto to call him when he got back from his business trip, Jou slid out of the car and stood on the sidewalk and watched as he pulled away from the curb. Seto watched Jou standing on the sidewalk in his rearview mirror until he turned the corner, and that was their first date. One year ago tomorrow.
At the start of the evening Seto had believed that their date would be a one-time only thing. As he was driving away he couldn’t wait to see to Jounouchi again. His cursed business trip was an endless bore and he was completely distracted the whole time by thoughts of Jounouchi and had ended up calling him every night that he was away. Normally he was not one for long phone conversations, but the calls to Jounouchi on that business trip lasted for hours. Like their date, he let Jou do most of the talking and he was content just to listen to the voice that had become a pleasing distraction.
When he got home things with Jou progressed rather quickly and as the year passed Seto began to see their relationship as something that could be permanent. If he hadn’t blown it, he reminded himself. He knew Jounouchi was angry and hurt, but how much real damage he had done would only be known when he came face to face with his lover.
They would be touching down in Domino in approximately an hour’s time just after midnight of July 26th. From the airport it would not take long to reach the mansion and hopefully by 1:00 am he would be reunited with Jounouchi and forgiven. Though after only receiving the answering machine message and not hearing from Seto in person in over ten hours Jounouchi could be in a total rage when he showed up. He hadn’t thought of that earlier and most certainly wished he hadn’t thought of it now, well what was done was done there was nothing he could do about it now. Even in a rage he was sure that Jounouchi would appreciate the gesture of him flying to Japan to be with him on their anniversary; he hoped. When he got home one of the first things he was going to do once everything was good between him and Jou again was put reminders on his computer for next year. And as soon as he got back to San Francisco he would add them to his laptop as well. He hoped that once he pointed it out to Jou, the significance of the fact that he never went anywhere without his laptop and that it was still sitting on the desk in his hotel room would not be lost on his lover.
Soon enough the jet was taxiing down the runway of Domino City Airport and he was in the backseat of a cab on his way home. His main reason for the taxi instead of his limo was the element of surprise. He didn’t want to alert anyone to his impending arrival. As they pulled up in front of the mansion he was somewhat concerned to find the place in total darkness but with a glance at his watch he was reminded that it was almost 1:00 in the morning and everyone was probably asleep. He paid his fare and got out of the cab.
He entered the front door and before he went upstairs he decided to do a cursory search of the first floor to see if Jounouchi was still awake or more likely asleep in front of the television set. He turned on the light in the hallway, walked past the formal living and dining rooms and continued to the back of the house where they did most of their living. As he approached the door to the kitchen he came across a broken plate and stale sandwich lying on the floor. He assumed correctly that they were the result of Jounouchi’s frustration. As he picked them up and threw them in the trashcan in the kitchen he was annoyed that neither his brother nor his boyfriend had seen fit to clean up the mess. His regular housekeeper was on vacation and the person from the temporary agency only came in the day during the week.
When he was sure that Jou wasn’t on the lower level, with some trepidation he climbed the stairs that would lead to his bedroom and his pissed-off boyfriend. If he weren’t so close to the situation he might have found it amusing that the big bad CEO, who had on many occasions had grown men quivering in their pants was worried about the reaction of one little puppy. But at the moment, that was his reality.
He took a deep breath and steeled himself for what could be an ugly scene; on the other hand if Jou were sleeping he would have the element of surprise on his side and in his grogginess he might forget that he was mad at Seto. As he stepped into the room he knew instantly that Jou wasn’t there. Even in his sleep Jou was never quiet and Seto was surrounded by a stillness that screamed EMPTY. His hand shot out to the light switch along the wall and as the room was bathed in light, what he knew in his heart was confirmed to his eye.
There was no one on the bed; it had not been made but that was probably from the night before. He knew Jou would not have made it by himself. Worse the closet door was open and only his clothes were hanging in it. He was sure if he checked Jou’s dresser drawers and his drawer in the bathroom he would find them empty as well. Seto couldn’t believe it, Jou left him; he took everything and just left without giving him a chance to make it up.
He could feel his heart begin to ice over but fought against the chill. Jounouchi was worth fighting for. He turned on his heel and strode to his brother’s room. Hopefully Mokuba could shed some light on how bad the situation really was before he shut down completely. He opened the door and flipped on the light only to discover his brother gone as well. What the hell was going on? Then it hit him, no matter how angry Jou was with him he wouldn’t leave Mokuba alone. That meant that his brother was either with Jounouchi or he was staying with somebody the blond trusted.
He went back to his room to start making phone calls. His obvious first choice was to call the apartment Jounouchi shared with Honda. The phone rang three times and then the machine picked up. He hung up, waited a few seconds then tried again. Once more he got the machine. Next he tried Yugi’s with the same results. What was with the thoughtlessness of people setting their answering machines so that the phone wouldn’t wake them up in the middle of the night? In cases of emergency they would not be able to be reached. Like right now. He reached into the middle drawer of his desk, grabbed his key ring and was out of his bedroom and down in the garage before he could think logically about what he was doing.
He hopped in his silver Porsche, started it up, hit the automatic garage door opener and reversed at full speed out into the early morning air. His first destination was Jounouchi’s apartment. He had a key that was given to him after they had gone out for a month and so wouldn’t have to pound on any doors to wake anyone up. At the speed he was driving, it didn’t take him long to get across town to his lover’s apartment. He double parked in front of the building, turned the car off and quickly made his way inside. He let himself in without knocking and as he looked around the darkened hallway he saw no sign of his brother or Jounouchi being there, but continued to the room that belonged to his lover anyway. Upon opening the door and finding no sign of life, he barged into the room that belonged to Honda and without ceremony flipped on the light and demanded to know where his loved ones were.
The two bodies in the bed jumped at the sudden intrusion of their slumber and just stared at the raving beast in front of them. Once they realized they were in no mortal danger, both men began yelling back at him.
“Kaiba what the hell’s the matter with you?” Honda screamed at him.
“Yeah what’s the big idea, aren’t you supposed to be in the United States?” Honda’s raven haired lover screamed at him.
“Shut it, Otogi, where’s Jou?”
“Why, what’d you do to him?” The one that had just been told to shut up shot back.
“It’s none of your business, just tell me where he and my brother are?”
By this time Honda was out of the bed, had put on a robe and was right in Seto’s face. “You come barging into my house, wake us up at” he looked at the clock on his bedside table “1:30 in the morning, demanding to know where your lover is, when he’s supposed to be at your house and tell me it’s none of my business. Screw off Kaiba, even if I knew where he was I wouldn’t tell you.”
“So he’s not here?”
“I just said that, didn’t I?”
“You don’t know where he is? You haven’t talked to him today? Seto couldn’t help the dejection that crept into his voice.
At the sound of the other’s voice Honda, took some pity on him. “Why don’t you try Yugi’s, he’ll probably know where Jou is? Use the phone in the living room.”
“I already tried calling there, like here the machine picked up before anyone could answer.”
“Well then you’ll have to go over there, but just try to be more considerate of the fact that they’re sleeping and we’ll try to wake them up from here OK.”
“Yeah OK.” He left the apartment and drove over to the Kame Game Shop at a much slower pace than he had driven to Jou’s. All of a sudden he was terrified of losing Jou forever. What if he was there and refused to talk to him or worse that he had taken off and no one knew where he was. Sooner than he wanted, he arrived in front of the game shop. As soon as he pulled in the driveway it was obvious to him that Honda had been able to get through. There was a light on inside and as soon as he parked the car his brother, Yami, and Yugi all stumbled out of the door attached to the living area of the house to greet him.
“Where’s Jou?” he couldn’t believe that his lover wasn’t there with them.
“Seto, what are you doing here?” Mokuba asked him.
“I came back as soon as I realized it was our anniversary. Where’s Jou?” He didn’t like the look on the faces of the three standing in the doorway.
“Come in the house Kaiba, and we’ll talk in there” Yami said as he pushed the other two out of the way and motioned for Seto to come in.
He entered and looked around the kitchen hoping to see a sign of his lover, when none was forthcoming he asked what was fast becoming his mantra “Where’s Jou?”
Mokuba was the one who spoke up, “Seto, Jou’s gone…” and before he could finish the sentence Seto slumped against wall, rendering Mokuba speechless. He couldn’t believe it, he really left him, and Jou didn’t even give him a chance. This time he didn’t try to stop the ice as it encased his heart. Fine, he was stupid to have ever trusted the mutt anyway.
“To San Francisco, Kaiba” Yugi finished the sentence that Mokuba was too shocked to complete.
Seto raised his head, looked at the three in front of him and as he processed that information his body began to shake with silent laughter. He had been up for God knows how many hours, had flown across the Pacific Ocean to be with his lover on their anniversary, only to arrive and find Jou gone in the opposite direction to be with him.
“I’m glad you find this funny Kaiba” Yami said with a stern voice. “But you fail to see the severity of the situation.”
Seto stared at Yami incomprehensively.
“Jou’s plane will be landing in San Francisco right about now, and when he gets through customs he’s going to be expecting you to be there to pick him up.”
“Why would he be expecting that when I didn’t even know he was on his way”?
Mokuba explained most of what had happened after Jou had hung up on him and how he had promised his brother’s boyfriend that he would get in touch with Seto once he got back home. “So he probably thinks that even if he wasn’t able to get in touch with you, I was.”
“Didn’t any of you get the message that I would be gone from the hotel for a few days?”
Mokuba looked rather embarrassed that he hadn’t thought to contact the front desk. He then told his brother that he had just rung directly through to his room and had thought that Seto was sleeping when he first tried and left several messages on the voice mail provided by the hotel.
Yugi spoke up, “None of that is really important Kaiba. The important point is that Jou is in San Francisco all by himself and we all know that his English…”
“SUCKS” all four people in the room said together.
The weariness that had begun to take over Seto was pushed aside with a new determination to get back to the United States. “Well I have to get back, NOW. If I leave soon when I get there it will still be the 26th.”
“How Seto? You and your pilot just made the trip, neither one of you will be in condition to fly your jet,” his brother said.
Seto was already on the phone calling his pilot and said over his shoulder, “true, but he knows people who can make it happen.”
The phone at the other end was answered on the second ring and Seto at least had the decency to say hello this time though he didn’t apologize about the possibility of waking the man up. He then relayed his needs and promised him a huge bonus as well as a larger than usual payout to the person who got him back to the United States. He gave him Yugi’s phone number, and after he was assured that everything would be done to accommodate him and that he would be contacted soon with the finalized details, Seto hung up and gratefully accepted the cup of black coffee Yugi pressed into his hands.
He sat down at the table and though he didn’t want to talk at the moment those around him were not so inclined to be quiet. “If you had called to tell Jou that you were coming Kaiba, this whole mess could have been avoided” Yami said in a rather accusatory tone.
Seto shot the former Pharaoh a withering glare and said, “I did call, but there was no one at home and Mokuba’s cel phone was turned off, again.”
“Sorry, Seto” Mokuba said rather contritely.
“Kaiba we have to figure out what to do about Jou” Yugi said in an attempt to bring the conversation back to what was most important.
Seto rubbed his face in his hands in frustration, could these boobs not think of anything on their own? “That’s easy Yugi, it’s too late to arrange for someone to meet him at the airport, but we can be fairly certain that if I’m not there Jou will find his way to my hotel. I’ll call the hotel and leave a message for him stating that I had to leave but will be back later tonight and I will leave instructions that he is to be given admittance to my room. I was just waiting until I could give an accurate time of my impending arrival before I phoned.”
The other three in the room quietly agreed that this was the only thing they could do from where they were and just hope for the best. They talked amongst themselves without trying to bring Seto into the conversation. After about half an hour Seto’s pilot phoned back stating that he had a maintenance crew on its way to the airport to check the plane over and he had a very good pilot whom he trusted to fly it. If everything was all right and the pilot was certain that it would be, they would be ready to go by six am.
Seto thanked him and then hung up. Next he called his hotel in San Francisco and explained the situation to manager. He was assured that his lover would be well taken care of. Just before he hung up, Seto asked the manager if he could arrange for a representative from a local jewelry shop to be present for him with an assortment of items to choose from when he arrived at midnight. He wasn’t sure if this was the best idea or not, his lover might interpret it as Seto trying to buy him off with a hastily chosen bauble and perhaps that’s what it was. He decided right then that if he didn’t see something extraordinarily special he would bypass the gift and make sure that next year he had something that would blow Jou’s mind.
He had two hours to kill before he had to leave for the airport again and though he was exceedingly tired he thought it best not to lie down or in seconds he would be out cold. He urged his brother to go back to bed and Yami did the same with Yugi. It was decided that Yami would drive Seto to the airport in Yugi’s grandpa’s car and his Porsche would stay parked at the game shop until he returned home. Yami continued to ply Seto with coffee until it was time for them to leave at 5:00 am.
When they arrived at the airport, Seto was informed that everything was fine with the plane and that they would be able to leave at 6:00 am sharp. That would mean he would arrive back in San Francisco around 11:00 pm and he would be reunited with Jou as July 25th turned into the 26th. Once he was sure that Seto was going to be able to leave at 6:00 Yami wished him luck and went home. Not long after that Seto was able to board the plane and he began his return journey to the United States.
End chapter 2
Author’s note: Sorry this has taken so long to update. As I don’t have other distractions at the moment hopefully the next chapter won’t take so long.
Author: Akuchan
Rating: R
Pairing(s): SxJ
Beta: Selena
Spoilers: None.
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, nor do I make any money from this story.
Summary: As their anniversary approaches Jou and Seto are on opposite sides of the world. They both set out to surprise the other on their special day.
Jou gripped the edge of his seat as the plane began its ascent into the sky above Tokyo. No matter how often he flew, he knew he would always have a queasy feeling in his stomach upon takeoff along with the irrational fear that the plane would go up a few hundred feet then nosedive and crash in a fiery ball onto the runway below. He loosened his fingers from the chair and released the breath that he had been holding once the plane had leveled off and started its journey toward San Francisco.
The afternoon had been a mixed bundle of angered hurt feelings, a chaotic rush to the airport, and endless waiting after he had exchanged his currency, checked in, and gone through the departure routine. Now that he was on his way, he allowed himself to relax. Or tried to relax but couldn’t help the uncomfortable feeling he had. He hadn’t been able to contact Seto and not knowing if Mokuba had been able to get in touch with him (because of course Mokuba’s phone was turned off, again and for the life of him Jou could not remember the phone number for the limo), Jou had almost changed his mind about going. What if his boyfriend had left town for a few days and wouldn’t be there to meet him? That got his blood boiling again, if the jerk could take off in California for a short time he could have come home. Or why hadn’t Seto suggested that he come and stay with him for a few days. Probably because he had a little something going on, on the side, Jou thought to himself and then gave his head a good shake. Seto might be a Grade A asshole to other people, but Jou knew in his heart that he would never ever do something like that to him… he hoped… no, no, he was sure. Jou knew he wasn’t being fair, if he hadn’t hung up on him his lover may have suggested that Jou come to California.
After his third call to Seto, Jou realized that in California it was the middle of the night and that his lover was probably asleep. He knew that if Seto was sleeping through the shrill noise from the telephone he must be exhausted and he felt guilty about trying to wake him up. Though the thought that Seto could sleep soundly when the two of them had yet to make up insulted him. Perhaps Mokuba had gotten in touch with him and explained everything, which would allow his lover to rest. The hotel had a private voicemail service for the executive suites and he had left a message for Seto, but he didn’t like that he hadn’t been able to talk to him in person. As an extra measure Jou considered calling the hotel and leaving a message for him at the front desk but decided against it. He doubted that at that hour there would be someone who spoke Japanese and he didn’t feel like struggling with his English over the telephone. If Mokuba had been unable to get hold of his brother, Jou would have to find his way to Seto’s hotel by himself. He had ten hours to obsess over that fact and tried valiantly not to think about it.
He let his mind drift back over the past year. It had been a good one in many ways, he was no longer living under the same roof as his father, he was doing better in school than he ever thought he would and then there was Seto. Their relationship though far from perfect was pretty good. They had the occasional fight though the one they had today was not typical. Most of their fights were usually just personality clashes not Seto being an insensitive jerk. Though if he looked at the current situation with an impassive eye he could admit that he hadn’t been crystal clear about why Seto had to be back on the 26th. When Seto had said that would be leaving for San Francisco, Jou had only asked him if would be home by the 26th. When he had answered that he definitely would be, Jou just assumed that Seto understood the significance of that day. Granted he didn’t like that Seto hadn’t thought about their anniversary at all, but he supposed in the grand scheme of things he could live with it. No one was perfect and if he had to trade in one of Seto’s good qualities in order to have him remember birthdays and anniversaries on his own, Jou decided that he would have to decline. And if what Mokuba said were true, Seto would make sure that he never forgot again.
Regardless of that, unless Mokuba said something to his brother about July 26th being their anniversary when he called to say that Jou was on his way to San Francisco, he wasn’t sure now that he would even mention it to Seto. He had wanted a celebration of something that was of mutual importance to them both and didn’t want his boyfriend to make a big deal about it now just because he was upset. In Jou’s heart their anniversary lost its importance if Seto felt compelled to celebrate it just to make him happy. He could feel his depression attempting to take over and he sorely wished he had someone beside him to divert his attention. As luck would have it though he was in a row by himself.
He started to recall the day that had set their being together in motion. Jou remembered how scared he had been when he finally asked Seto out. He had had a crush on the brunet all the way through high school but hadn’t acted on it, mainly because of the disdain that the other treated him with. Even now he wasn’t sure what had possessed him to approach Seto that day, though Honda goading him probably had a lot to do with it. They had finished school in March and he was on his summer break from his first half term at college when the opportunity to ask Seto out had risen. He realized that if anything were to happen between them, he was the one who would be making the first move. At the time he was sure Seto was going to say no, in fact Jou was certain that there was a snide remark on the tip of his tongue but then the granite fell away from his gaze and whatever harsh comment was about to leave his lips was replaced with a simple yes.
As Jou reclined in his seat, he realized he had never asked his lover about that; he would have to make a point of it when he saw Seto in San Francisco. And he would see Seto in San Francisco and everything would be perfect, he tried to convince himself as he gazed blindly through the airplane’s window.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seto relaxed in his seat as his private jet raced him toward Japan and hopefully a joyful anniversary celebration with Jou. He couldn’t believe that he had been so wrapped up in his business that he had forgotten something as important as the date when Jounouchi had become an integral part of his life. Granted on that day he didn’t know what lay in store for him but it was definitely the start of something great.
It was a Saturday and the first time in months that he felt comfortable not going into the office or even working at home. He was leaving on a business trip the next day and much to his surprise everything was in order, meaning he could actually spend the whole day with Mokuba. His brother had been concerned that he was spending too much time at work especially now that he was finished with school forever. Mokuba had been under the misguided assumption that because Seto no longer had the extra burden of schoolwork he would actually have more free time. The brunet had suffered from that delusion as well, for all of one day. It seemed there was a cosmic force that knew Seto could now devote more of his time to Kaiba Corporation and it didn’t take long for problems at the office to take over his life.
Before he could divulge his good news to his brother at breakfast, Mokuba happily informed Seto of the plans he had made to spend the day in the park with Yugi and the rest of the gang. He then asked Seto what time he was going into the office. When he learned that Seto had the day off, Mokuba immediately offered to break his plans and spend the day with him, but Seto wouldn’t allow it. This was the first time they had been able to get the whole group together since school had ended and Seto could tell that Mokuba was excited to see everyone again. Mokuba pestered and cajoled his brother enough that Seto reluctantly agreed to join them in the park. His brother thought he would enjoy seeing everyone again as Seto hadn’t seen them since school had ended either. He told Mokuba that he was content never to see that miscreant crew again, but he would do it for him.
“You’re the best you know that Seto, and you can’t tell me you don’t miss them, even just a little bit. Especially Jounouchi?” His brother teased.
“I do not miss that mutt, Mokuba.” Though if Seto were honest, he would have to admit that since school had ended, he did miss the almost daily verbal tussles he had had with one Jounouchi Katsuya. He missed the way the blond’s eyes would light on fire and his useless attempts at a witty comeback that usually resulted in him uttering something completely inane like “piss off moneybags”. Off he’d stomp pretending that because he had gotten in the last word he had won that round, when in actual fact both knew who the real winner was. Yes he did miss Jounouchi but not because the blond meant anything to him, no it wasn’t that at all. It was because Jounouchi Katsuya was one of the very few people who stood up to him and didn’t kiss his ass.
Later that day he found himself sitting in the shade of an ancient maple tree working on files that didn’t need his attention while his brother and the fools that he called friends played soccer in the scorching heat of that July afternoon. He found that his attention was often pulled away from the computer in front of him to a blur of tan and gold in black shorts out on the field. They had only played for twenty minutes when they unanimously decided that it was much too hot to be playing soccer and perhaps their time would be better spent swimming. When he heard that, Seto worried that Mokuba would offer their pool, but the group, save for Jounouchi and Honda were off and running toward the public pool on the other side of the park before his brother could say anything.
The two who remained behind were sprawled out under a tree not more than 10 feet away from him and though they thought they were talking low, Seto could hear every word they said. Normally he would ignore their conversation as being of no interest to him, but since he was the subject he did find it rather intriguing.
“Jou it’s the perfect opportunity, no one’s around and he’s right over there, just go ask him.”
‘Ask me what?’ Seto remembered thinking to himself. ‘What on earth could the Mutt possibly need to ask me?’
“I don’t need to ask him Honda, I know what the answer will be. I don’t think so Mutt.” Jou sneered impressing even Kaiba with his imitation.
Honda was laughing at his friend “oh that was bang on Jou. Just go, you’ll never have this perfect opportunity again. I’ll even go away if it’ll help.”
“Just forget it Honda, let’s catch up with everyone” out of the corner of his eye Seto saw the blond rise to his feet and wait for his friend to join him.
“You’re just chicken,” the brunet said not moving from his spot on the ground. “I’ll bet this months rent that you don’t have the nerve to ask him.”
“You’re right I don’t, so just forget it alright.”
“OK Jou, but I don’t want to hear about it anymore, you got that. Ask him out or don’t ask him out, I don’t care but never talk to me about it again” his friend said as he rose from the ground.
“Ask me out”, Kaiba repeated quietly to himself, unnoticed by the other two. ‘The Mutt wants to ask me out. Oh do it Mutt, do it. Don’t walk away, come back here so I can finally crush you.’
Seto never understood where his deep longing to crush the blond came from. He later figured out that it was to push away emotions that he was not comfortable dealing with. That his constant taunting was designed to keep Jounouchi at arms length but still retain some kind of bizarrely intimate interaction with him. But at that moment he wasn’t analyzing his motivations, he was staring at the screen of his laptop, pondering how best to use the information just learned. Seto didn’t notice that Jounouchi had not joined his friends at the pool, but was now standing in front of him until the blond spoke.
“Kaiba, can I ask you a question?”
“You can ask me anything you want, Mutt” Seto answered, hiding the fact that Jou had taken him by surprise by not looking up from his computer. He could see over the edge of his laptop that Jounouchi was shifting back and forth on his feet and twisting his t-shirt in a nervous fashion.
“Well, um, you date guys, right?”
Oh this was priceless, the Mutt was a stuttering nervous wreck and when it came time to put him down, Seto was going to be ruthless. “When I date, it’s with men, yes. But rarely do I find anyone interesting enough to waste my precious free time on.”
“Oh” that one uttered syllable sounded so defeated to Seto’s ear that he had a difficult time concealing the smirk on his lips. He was surprised when the blond continued. “Well do I?”
“Do you what, Mu… Jounouchi?” Seto realized he could not be too harsh and have the mutt go off on a tangent before he was able to deliver his ultimate humiliation.
“Do I interest you? What I mean Kaiba, would you; I mean will you have dinner with me tonight? The words tumbled out of his mouth so quickly that Seto barely understood what was said.
His eyes finally left his laptop and ran up the length of the legs of his latest victim. Unfortunately for Seto he found the legs in front him to be very interesting. The calves though covered in white sweat socks appeared to be quite muscular. As his eye traveled further up, it was delighted with the vision of strong sinewy thighs that disappeared too soon under the cloth of the black shorts the blond was wearing. Too bad too, Seto thought as he had a quick vision of those thighs spread wide for him while he explored in-depth the area between them that was now hidden from his view. He shook his mind clear of the thoughts that were sidetracking him from his current mission of putting one Jounouchi Katsuya in his place once and for all. Instead of continuing the distracting journey up Jounouchi’s body he tried to focus on the other’s face but his traitorous eye was following a bead of sweat as it traveled down the chiseled chest and slid over the tight stomach to disappear into the waistband of his shorts. He chastised himself for getting lost in the expanse of black cloth once again and willed his errant eye away from its current distraction and made sure his sneer was firmly in place. As he was about to deliver his crushing response in his most condescending voice he looked Jounouchi straight in the eye.
That was the end of his plan to humiliate the blond. If Seto were truly the cold unfeeling jerk he pretended to be and sometimes wished that he were, he would have continued. But he wasn’t, or not anymore and what he saw in Jounouchi’s eyes made him question everything he was about to do. What he saw was fear. Fear that Seto was going to hurt him, not just embarrass him, but wound him deeply. Seto considered that, he had the power to bring the normally overconfident blond to his knees? He should have been pleased considering that had been his intention just seconds ago, but at that moment he found himself unwilling to abuse that power. He could suffer through one date with the puppy. His eyes softened and from his lips came forth a gentle “yes”.
“Really?” The fear disappeared to be replaced with a look of genuine happiness that Seto realized was seldom there. Oh Jounouchi was always happy and laughing, but rarely did his eyes sparkle the way they were at that moment and the smile on his face seemed so much brighter than Seto ever remembered seeing it before. He found that he was pleased to be the one who put the blond into this state.
“Yes Jou, I will have dinner with you tonight.”
As Seto remembered it now a tiny smile graced his lips and touched the depths of his eyes. Jounouchi had been so excited that he was sure that if the blond really was the puppy Seto accused him of being he would have been chasing his tail at that moment. To Seto’s amusement Jounouchi must have realized how cool he wasn’t behaving because he straightened up and unsuccessfully tried to reign in his exuberance. “Uh that’s great Kaiba. I’ve got to go get ready, meet me right back here at six and don’t worry about arrangements, I’ll take care of everything, OK”. He was off and running out of the park before Seto could even respond. He had wondered at the time why Jounouchi would need almost four hours to get ready, a quick shower and in Seto’s estimation the blond would be just perfect. He didn’t question the sudden reversal of attitude where Jounouchi was concerned.
Four hours later when he met up with Jounouchi again, he got his answer after the blond led him to a small area surrounded by bushes at the far end of the park. He was not pleased as they approached to see Honda standing there as if waiting for them, but he was relieved when they got close and Jou said, “thanks for giving me a ride and keeping an eye on everything”.
“No problem Jou, have fun.” Honda gave his friend a wink as he walked away.
When Seto saw what Jou had done, he was impressed. Laid out on the ground before him was a red and white-checkered cotton blanket held down at the corners by citronella candles in tin buckets and on top of that was a picnic basket and hard plastic plates and instead of chopsticks there was Western styled cutlery that matched the plates. There was also another tin bucket filled with ice that had a bottle of white wine chilling in it and two hard plastic wine glasses. “So this is what needed four hours of preparation, very nice Jounouchi.”
Jou quietly accepted the compliment and said, “I hope you don’t mind Western style food.”
Seto said that he didn’t and sat down as Jou laid out the food and presented him with a plate with cold Greek lemon chicken breast, a Greek styled tomato salad sans the garlic and a large piece of crusty bread. The food was so good that he actually allowed himself to have seconds of everything, and was completely stuffed when the meal was over.
After barely wiping down the dishes with a paper towel, Jou hastily shoved them into a plastic bag and then tossed the bag into the picnic basket. In the meantime Seto leaned back on his elbows with his legs stretched in front him, wineglass in one hand and the other rubbing his stomach as he released a very satisfied sigh. “That was one of the best meals I’ve had in a longtime, Pup. Where did you get it, I want to put that place on my list for take out.”
Jounouchi’s cheeks were tinged with a slight pink as he told Seto that he was the one who made the food. That was the first of many surprises that night. They sat on the blanket and talked while the summer sun faded to dusk and then to darkness. Seto let Jounouchi do most of the talking and learned many things about his companion. About the difficult choice he made between following the path to become a chef or a teacher. He’d always known that Jounouchi wasn’t stupid but had figured that his grades were never good enough to get into University. But Jou had applied himself the last two years of high school and had managed to lift his marks just enough to get accepted to Domino University. He was studying history and hoped one day to be a high school history teacher. He explained that though it was his friendship with Yugi and his interest in Duel Monsters that had straightened him out, it was their history teacher and the enthusiasm he ignited in his young pupil that led him to that decision.
He learned that Jou’s talent for cooking came from having to provide his own meals much of the time while growing up. At the time he resented having to provide for himself and could have easily learned to hate cooking but his friends were so impressed with his talents that he found that in his efforts to astonish them, he gained an appreciation for it. When he was making his decision about what career path to follow, he realized that he loved cooking for friends and family, but didn’t like the idea that as a chef he would have to work evenings and all major holidays taking him away from his loved ones at the times he would most like to be with them. And his desire to work with and help kids was so strong he had to try teaching. Talking with him that night Seto knew that Jounouchi had chosen the right path for him.
Seto also learned that Jounouchi Katsuya was one hell of a kisser. They had been making out on the blanket and Seto had a writhing Jounouchi half naked beneath him, while his lips retraced the path his eyes had traveled earlier when another couple intruded upon them.
“Oh, we’re sorry,” said a feminine voice that neither of the two on the blanket paid any attention too. In fact they never would have known the other couple was there if the woman hadn’t of spoken.
“Yeah, yeah, just go away,” Jou panted out as Seto continued his assault on the blond’s stomach.
“Well” the girl huffed as she and her boyfriend left the area.
Regretfully Seto lifted his head from its current position to look at Jou “I hate to say this, Pup, maybe we should get out of here. I do have to leave early in the morning and I should spend a little bit of time with Mokuba tonight.”
Grudgingly Jou couldn’t argue and the two men packed the blanket and candles into a box that Seto hadn’t noticed before and carried everything to his car. He drove the blond to his apartment building and spent at least fifteen minutes saying goodbye. With a promise from Seto to call him when he got back from his business trip, Jou slid out of the car and stood on the sidewalk and watched as he pulled away from the curb. Seto watched Jou standing on the sidewalk in his rearview mirror until he turned the corner, and that was their first date. One year ago tomorrow.
At the start of the evening Seto had believed that their date would be a one-time only thing. As he was driving away he couldn’t wait to see to Jounouchi again. His cursed business trip was an endless bore and he was completely distracted the whole time by thoughts of Jounouchi and had ended up calling him every night that he was away. Normally he was not one for long phone conversations, but the calls to Jounouchi on that business trip lasted for hours. Like their date, he let Jou do most of the talking and he was content just to listen to the voice that had become a pleasing distraction.
When he got home things with Jou progressed rather quickly and as the year passed Seto began to see their relationship as something that could be permanent. If he hadn’t blown it, he reminded himself. He knew Jounouchi was angry and hurt, but how much real damage he had done would only be known when he came face to face with his lover.
They would be touching down in Domino in approximately an hour’s time just after midnight of July 26th. From the airport it would not take long to reach the mansion and hopefully by 1:00 am he would be reunited with Jounouchi and forgiven. Though after only receiving the answering machine message and not hearing from Seto in person in over ten hours Jounouchi could be in a total rage when he showed up. He hadn’t thought of that earlier and most certainly wished he hadn’t thought of it now, well what was done was done there was nothing he could do about it now. Even in a rage he was sure that Jounouchi would appreciate the gesture of him flying to Japan to be with him on their anniversary; he hoped. When he got home one of the first things he was going to do once everything was good between him and Jou again was put reminders on his computer for next year. And as soon as he got back to San Francisco he would add them to his laptop as well. He hoped that once he pointed it out to Jou, the significance of the fact that he never went anywhere without his laptop and that it was still sitting on the desk in his hotel room would not be lost on his lover.
Soon enough the jet was taxiing down the runway of Domino City Airport and he was in the backseat of a cab on his way home. His main reason for the taxi instead of his limo was the element of surprise. He didn’t want to alert anyone to his impending arrival. As they pulled up in front of the mansion he was somewhat concerned to find the place in total darkness but with a glance at his watch he was reminded that it was almost 1:00 in the morning and everyone was probably asleep. He paid his fare and got out of the cab.
He entered the front door and before he went upstairs he decided to do a cursory search of the first floor to see if Jounouchi was still awake or more likely asleep in front of the television set. He turned on the light in the hallway, walked past the formal living and dining rooms and continued to the back of the house where they did most of their living. As he approached the door to the kitchen he came across a broken plate and stale sandwich lying on the floor. He assumed correctly that they were the result of Jounouchi’s frustration. As he picked them up and threw them in the trashcan in the kitchen he was annoyed that neither his brother nor his boyfriend had seen fit to clean up the mess. His regular housekeeper was on vacation and the person from the temporary agency only came in the day during the week.
When he was sure that Jou wasn’t on the lower level, with some trepidation he climbed the stairs that would lead to his bedroom and his pissed-off boyfriend. If he weren’t so close to the situation he might have found it amusing that the big bad CEO, who had on many occasions had grown men quivering in their pants was worried about the reaction of one little puppy. But at the moment, that was his reality.
He took a deep breath and steeled himself for what could be an ugly scene; on the other hand if Jou were sleeping he would have the element of surprise on his side and in his grogginess he might forget that he was mad at Seto. As he stepped into the room he knew instantly that Jou wasn’t there. Even in his sleep Jou was never quiet and Seto was surrounded by a stillness that screamed EMPTY. His hand shot out to the light switch along the wall and as the room was bathed in light, what he knew in his heart was confirmed to his eye.
There was no one on the bed; it had not been made but that was probably from the night before. He knew Jou would not have made it by himself. Worse the closet door was open and only his clothes were hanging in it. He was sure if he checked Jou’s dresser drawers and his drawer in the bathroom he would find them empty as well. Seto couldn’t believe it, Jou left him; he took everything and just left without giving him a chance to make it up.
He could feel his heart begin to ice over but fought against the chill. Jounouchi was worth fighting for. He turned on his heel and strode to his brother’s room. Hopefully Mokuba could shed some light on how bad the situation really was before he shut down completely. He opened the door and flipped on the light only to discover his brother gone as well. What the hell was going on? Then it hit him, no matter how angry Jou was with him he wouldn’t leave Mokuba alone. That meant that his brother was either with Jounouchi or he was staying with somebody the blond trusted.
He went back to his room to start making phone calls. His obvious first choice was to call the apartment Jounouchi shared with Honda. The phone rang three times and then the machine picked up. He hung up, waited a few seconds then tried again. Once more he got the machine. Next he tried Yugi’s with the same results. What was with the thoughtlessness of people setting their answering machines so that the phone wouldn’t wake them up in the middle of the night? In cases of emergency they would not be able to be reached. Like right now. He reached into the middle drawer of his desk, grabbed his key ring and was out of his bedroom and down in the garage before he could think logically about what he was doing.
He hopped in his silver Porsche, started it up, hit the automatic garage door opener and reversed at full speed out into the early morning air. His first destination was Jounouchi’s apartment. He had a key that was given to him after they had gone out for a month and so wouldn’t have to pound on any doors to wake anyone up. At the speed he was driving, it didn’t take him long to get across town to his lover’s apartment. He double parked in front of the building, turned the car off and quickly made his way inside. He let himself in without knocking and as he looked around the darkened hallway he saw no sign of his brother or Jounouchi being there, but continued to the room that belonged to his lover anyway. Upon opening the door and finding no sign of life, he barged into the room that belonged to Honda and without ceremony flipped on the light and demanded to know where his loved ones were.
The two bodies in the bed jumped at the sudden intrusion of their slumber and just stared at the raving beast in front of them. Once they realized they were in no mortal danger, both men began yelling back at him.
“Kaiba what the hell’s the matter with you?” Honda screamed at him.
“Yeah what’s the big idea, aren’t you supposed to be in the United States?” Honda’s raven haired lover screamed at him.
“Shut it, Otogi, where’s Jou?”
“Why, what’d you do to him?” The one that had just been told to shut up shot back.
“It’s none of your business, just tell me where he and my brother are?”
By this time Honda was out of the bed, had put on a robe and was right in Seto’s face. “You come barging into my house, wake us up at” he looked at the clock on his bedside table “1:30 in the morning, demanding to know where your lover is, when he’s supposed to be at your house and tell me it’s none of my business. Screw off Kaiba, even if I knew where he was I wouldn’t tell you.”
“So he’s not here?”
“I just said that, didn’t I?”
“You don’t know where he is? You haven’t talked to him today? Seto couldn’t help the dejection that crept into his voice.
At the sound of the other’s voice Honda, took some pity on him. “Why don’t you try Yugi’s, he’ll probably know where Jou is? Use the phone in the living room.”
“I already tried calling there, like here the machine picked up before anyone could answer.”
“Well then you’ll have to go over there, but just try to be more considerate of the fact that they’re sleeping and we’ll try to wake them up from here OK.”
“Yeah OK.” He left the apartment and drove over to the Kame Game Shop at a much slower pace than he had driven to Jou’s. All of a sudden he was terrified of losing Jou forever. What if he was there and refused to talk to him or worse that he had taken off and no one knew where he was. Sooner than he wanted, he arrived in front of the game shop. As soon as he pulled in the driveway it was obvious to him that Honda had been able to get through. There was a light on inside and as soon as he parked the car his brother, Yami, and Yugi all stumbled out of the door attached to the living area of the house to greet him.
“Where’s Jou?” he couldn’t believe that his lover wasn’t there with them.
“Seto, what are you doing here?” Mokuba asked him.
“I came back as soon as I realized it was our anniversary. Where’s Jou?” He didn’t like the look on the faces of the three standing in the doorway.
“Come in the house Kaiba, and we’ll talk in there” Yami said as he pushed the other two out of the way and motioned for Seto to come in.
He entered and looked around the kitchen hoping to see a sign of his lover, when none was forthcoming he asked what was fast becoming his mantra “Where’s Jou?”
Mokuba was the one who spoke up, “Seto, Jou’s gone…” and before he could finish the sentence Seto slumped against wall, rendering Mokuba speechless. He couldn’t believe it, he really left him, and Jou didn’t even give him a chance. This time he didn’t try to stop the ice as it encased his heart. Fine, he was stupid to have ever trusted the mutt anyway.
“To San Francisco, Kaiba” Yugi finished the sentence that Mokuba was too shocked to complete.
Seto raised his head, looked at the three in front of him and as he processed that information his body began to shake with silent laughter. He had been up for God knows how many hours, had flown across the Pacific Ocean to be with his lover on their anniversary, only to arrive and find Jou gone in the opposite direction to be with him.
“I’m glad you find this funny Kaiba” Yami said with a stern voice. “But you fail to see the severity of the situation.”
Seto stared at Yami incomprehensively.
“Jou’s plane will be landing in San Francisco right about now, and when he gets through customs he’s going to be expecting you to be there to pick him up.”
“Why would he be expecting that when I didn’t even know he was on his way”?
Mokuba explained most of what had happened after Jou had hung up on him and how he had promised his brother’s boyfriend that he would get in touch with Seto once he got back home. “So he probably thinks that even if he wasn’t able to get in touch with you, I was.”
“Didn’t any of you get the message that I would be gone from the hotel for a few days?”
Mokuba looked rather embarrassed that he hadn’t thought to contact the front desk. He then told his brother that he had just rung directly through to his room and had thought that Seto was sleeping when he first tried and left several messages on the voice mail provided by the hotel.
Yugi spoke up, “None of that is really important Kaiba. The important point is that Jou is in San Francisco all by himself and we all know that his English…”
“SUCKS” all four people in the room said together.
The weariness that had begun to take over Seto was pushed aside with a new determination to get back to the United States. “Well I have to get back, NOW. If I leave soon when I get there it will still be the 26th.”
“How Seto? You and your pilot just made the trip, neither one of you will be in condition to fly your jet,” his brother said.
Seto was already on the phone calling his pilot and said over his shoulder, “true, but he knows people who can make it happen.”
The phone at the other end was answered on the second ring and Seto at least had the decency to say hello this time though he didn’t apologize about the possibility of waking the man up. He then relayed his needs and promised him a huge bonus as well as a larger than usual payout to the person who got him back to the United States. He gave him Yugi’s phone number, and after he was assured that everything would be done to accommodate him and that he would be contacted soon with the finalized details, Seto hung up and gratefully accepted the cup of black coffee Yugi pressed into his hands.
He sat down at the table and though he didn’t want to talk at the moment those around him were not so inclined to be quiet. “If you had called to tell Jou that you were coming Kaiba, this whole mess could have been avoided” Yami said in a rather accusatory tone.
Seto shot the former Pharaoh a withering glare and said, “I did call, but there was no one at home and Mokuba’s cel phone was turned off, again.”
“Sorry, Seto” Mokuba said rather contritely.
“Kaiba we have to figure out what to do about Jou” Yugi said in an attempt to bring the conversation back to what was most important.
Seto rubbed his face in his hands in frustration, could these boobs not think of anything on their own? “That’s easy Yugi, it’s too late to arrange for someone to meet him at the airport, but we can be fairly certain that if I’m not there Jou will find his way to my hotel. I’ll call the hotel and leave a message for him stating that I had to leave but will be back later tonight and I will leave instructions that he is to be given admittance to my room. I was just waiting until I could give an accurate time of my impending arrival before I phoned.”
The other three in the room quietly agreed that this was the only thing they could do from where they were and just hope for the best. They talked amongst themselves without trying to bring Seto into the conversation. After about half an hour Seto’s pilot phoned back stating that he had a maintenance crew on its way to the airport to check the plane over and he had a very good pilot whom he trusted to fly it. If everything was all right and the pilot was certain that it would be, they would be ready to go by six am.
Seto thanked him and then hung up. Next he called his hotel in San Francisco and explained the situation to manager. He was assured that his lover would be well taken care of. Just before he hung up, Seto asked the manager if he could arrange for a representative from a local jewelry shop to be present for him with an assortment of items to choose from when he arrived at midnight. He wasn’t sure if this was the best idea or not, his lover might interpret it as Seto trying to buy him off with a hastily chosen bauble and perhaps that’s what it was. He decided right then that if he didn’t see something extraordinarily special he would bypass the gift and make sure that next year he had something that would blow Jou’s mind.
He had two hours to kill before he had to leave for the airport again and though he was exceedingly tired he thought it best not to lie down or in seconds he would be out cold. He urged his brother to go back to bed and Yami did the same with Yugi. It was decided that Yami would drive Seto to the airport in Yugi’s grandpa’s car and his Porsche would stay parked at the game shop until he returned home. Yami continued to ply Seto with coffee until it was time for them to leave at 5:00 am.
When they arrived at the airport, Seto was informed that everything was fine with the plane and that they would be able to leave at 6:00 am sharp. That would mean he would arrive back in San Francisco around 11:00 pm and he would be reunited with Jou as July 25th turned into the 26th. Once he was sure that Seto was going to be able to leave at 6:00 Yami wished him luck and went home. Not long after that Seto was able to board the plane and he began his return journey to the United States.
End chapter 2
Author’s note: Sorry this has taken so long to update. As I don’t have other distractions at the moment hopefully the next chapter won’t take so long.