Secrets, Lies, and Lust

Duel the Second:

The blonde walked into his small apartment making sure not to make much noise. As he expected his father was laying on the couch, sputtering in a drunken stupor. Tip-toeing across the room to his bedroom, his closet actually, Jou barely even breathed. Just as he opened the door a large knife came flying at him. It barely missed, just grazing his cheek, before landing in the wall with a loud thunk. Before he had time to react a solid punch to his face knocked him on the floor.
“Where the HELL have you been!” his father yelled throwing more punches.
“I…I had to stay late at school. I was working.”
Katsuya’s father gripped him by the throat, lifting him from the floor, and threw him into his room. The sound of the lock was deafening to Jounouchi.


I sat in my study looking over the shock collar Gozubaro used on me as a child. No one knew I still had it, after all these years… I compared it to the leather collar I bought for my pup. As much as I hate collars I want him to wear one, I want to know he belongs to me. My bastard of a foster father thought that collar kept me under control. He was wrong, all it did was make me fight harder. Outside I submitted to him but in my mind I plotted against him.
With my pup--- I know he would submit to me and the collar was only a symbol of his submission.
I threw the shock collar on the floor as I screamed a curse to Gozubaro. Even in death he still tormented me when I was alone with my thoughts.
The clock struck midnight as I stared out the window. I knew I should get to sleep but I couldn’t. Katsuya… Jounouchi… kept running through my mind. I thought of how close I was to him earlier. I don’t know why I was so forward and demanding with him. I surprised even myself doing what I had, especially in a public place. I couldn’t let anyone find out the truth about me, even if I wanted them to. It was hard enough to accept it myself.
As I stared out of the window I saw something move in the shadows. I thought to call my security but I noticed those sad amber eyes reflecting the moonlight. I walked out of my study towards the front door and opened it just as he stepped up to knock.
“What are you doing here?” I asked concerned for both him and myself.
I didn’t notice the bruises and dried blood until he fell forward into my arms. He was shaking, and to my surprise crying, as he tried to stand up again.
“What happened?” I nearly screamed.
“My… my father…” he barely whispered as I walked him to my study.


The deep concern in Kaiba’s eyes assured Jounouchi he hadn’t made a mistake to run to him. After gulping down two glasses of water he explained, in a rush, how his father beat him when he got home for being late and then locked him in the closet. He told Seto that his father started drinking afterwards until he passed out again. After a few hours Katsuya’s father woke in a rage, from a dream of his ex-wife, and went back to beating his son. Seto listened intently as he explained how his father blamed him for his mother leaving. When Jou was thrown back in the closet he was lucky enough that his father didn't lock it again. Once his father had passed out again he left his apartment.
The golden haired boy ran without thinking to Kaiba Mansion to his own surprise. They weren’t truly enemies but they had never been friends, so when Jounouchi ran to Seto first, never even thinking to go to Yugi’s until he reached the mansion, he wondered what was happening between them.
Jou felt slightly unnerved sitting in Kaiba’s mansion alone while the other boy went to get a wet towel and bandages. In a nervous fit Jou’s eyes roamed the dimly lit room landing on a thick black strap. Picking it up he realized he was holding a shock collar, like the ones used to train unruly dogs. He could feel cold eyes piercing through his back and turned to see Kaiba glaring at him.


I could hardly believe that he was holding that damned collar when I walked back into the room. I knew I had left it out but I was angry to see him holding it, to see the questions filling his eyes. I gritted down on my teeth and tried to remain calm. I simply took it from him and put it back in my desk drawer. He sat down with his lip pouting, begging me not to be mad. He really is a pup…
I washed off the blood and put bandages on his cuts, the whole time he never looked away from me. If I could have done it I would have fixed him up without my eyes leaving his pleading ones. The smallest cut, the one on his cheek, started bleeding when I wiped away the old bloodstains. I don’t what came over me but I was suddenly filled with the impulse to lick it away… and I followed that urge.


The amber eyes of Jounouchi Katsuya were filled with surprise and fear as Kaiba leaned closer to him. For a moment he thought he was going to kiss him. Wrong. A shiver ran down his spine when he felt Seto’s warm, soft tongue pass over his bleeding cheek. It seemed to him as intimate and personal as a kiss. He didn’t know how to react.
“Wh-what... what was that?”
The only answer he got were sad cobalt eyes.


I didn’t understand why I did it. I just did… I felt him keep shivering even though I wasn’t touching him anymore. Before he could say anything else I left his side to put away the bandages and towel. When I got back he was standing in front of the window. Raindrops started beating the glass softly as I walked towards him. He turned to me, I knew what he was going to ask.
“The collar… What was that for?”
I let out a sigh before answering, “Gozubaro, my foster father, used it to… teach me. He used that… and this…”
I pulled another hated item used to teach me from the small drawer on my desk. Jou’s eyes filled with fear, disgust, and anger when he saw the long, thick leather whip unroll from my hand. I threw the whip down and started unbuttoning my shirt. I turned around and let the soft fabric slide off of my shoulders. I had never shone anyone this.
I never even let Mokuba see me like this…