Homelife

A/N: I don't have a lot of time, so here's the next chappie, hope you'll like it. It begins to start the next plot thread in my little story here. I'm not sure how long this story is, but for now, there will be more. I hope you continue to enjoy it.
This chapter has no abuse or anything, it's more of a compassionate chapter, one that show the mutual love of my characters. I feel it's important to show both sides of them.

Dislaimer: Nope, I do not own them. I seem to have a virtual monopoly on this kind of fic though. Strange, I never thought I could say I actually was one of the first to write a certain kind of story. Woo-hoo for me. lol


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HOMELIFE PT. 3
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My eyes flutter open slowly as the first bright rays of sunlight filter in through the thin curtains covering my window. My head feels light and dizzy and I throw the covers over my head to block out the unwanted light. I lay still in bed, wrapped up protectively in my sheets, and clutch at the teddy bear pressed against my chest. The present appeared unexpectedly sometime during the night and I cuddled up to the furry warmth gratefully. I'm a bit too old, and a guy besides, to be going gaga over a stuffed animal, but for some reason it makes me smile and so I'm going to keep it. It's medium sized and has light blue fur, which matches my covers well, and his button eyes are bright and shiny. I rub it under my chin and enjoy the soft texture against my skin.


I pick my head back out from the blankets later and notice a card perched on the edge of my desk near the head of my bed. It has cute little pictures of duel monsters drawn around the edges and the Black Magician Girl is holding a sign that says "Get well Jounouchi-kun!" written in Anzu's hand writing. The pictures were probably drawn by Bakura, he's got some talent for doodling; considering hftenften he practices during math he should be good by now. I guess since I notice he's doodling and not paying attention it means I'm not paying attention either, but that's really beside the point.


The card makes me smile and I reach out and pull it closer, opening it up one handed to see all my friend's signatures inside. Surprisingly Kaiba's name is in there too, but the printing seems suspiciously like Mokuba's. The kid's sweet though to actually bother. If his brother found out he'd probably get lectured against wishing the mutt well. Screw it though, I hope Mokuba's smart enough to ignore his brother, I don't want the kid turning out like Kaiba has. It's the duty of big brothers to protect the younger siblings. I tried to as much as possible when Shizuka still lived with me. Since we were so young not much came up, but I liked to pretend I was the good big brother, always defending my innocent sister from the injustice of the world. Yeah sure, I have a pretty dramatic overview of the world I live in, but it makes it so things are never tedious.


I turn my head slowly and stare out the window, watching the birds flitting from branch to branch on the trees outside. I can't see many birds while laying down, but I don't have the energy to stand up right now. I can't be sure when the last time I ate was, probably a day at least. I'm really worrying everyone I guess, but I can't help it. I don't want to leave my room right now, I don't want to see anyone at all. I even keep my face averted from the mirror in the bathroom; I don't want to catch anyone's eye, not even my own.


I go rigid as the door to my room slowly opens and I can hear my father clattering inside, a tray of food is precariously being balanced with one hand, a cup of juice in the other. He's trying unsucessfully to close my door with his foot.


I chuckle and sit up in bed, folding the blankets into my lap and resting my arms lightly around my little blue companion. "Forget the door and get over here with the food already!" I demand happily, my nose definitely detecting the scent of bacon from the tray. Like I said, it seems like forever since I ate last.


My Daddy smiles and saunters over as casually as possible and carefully sets the steaming tray across my lap, then he places the juice down on the desk beside me. He looks down at me a moment, his eyes guarded and almost frightened looking. I guess I scared him bad the other night.


I begin to nibble at my breakfast, much more delicahan han my normal method of simply inhaling anything edible in range. He watches me silently and I eat in the same fashion, not sure what I should say first. I can't be certain what he's feeling now, if he's sorry or worried, or perhaps angry at my brewn. wn. Even I don't know exactly what happened to me that night, it seems surreal, like it was part of a dream. I grab a piece of bacon and shove it in my mouth as I decide what the best route is to deal with this and get back to what passes for normal. What happened before was anything but normal, I jdidndidn't see it coming and my barriers weren't up to protect us both. I feel like such a screw-up, having a panic attack and going nutso on him.


"Katsuya?" he asks quietly, dark eyes still unreadable. He reaches out absently and plucks the bear from my lap, his worried hands running along the stitching thoughtfully.


"I like him." His head darts up, blinking in confusion. I laugh and point with my fork at the bear. "I like him, thank you."


He smiles at me and then the present. "I'm glad, I just thought...I know you're almost an adult..."


"S'alright, everyone can use some comfort once and a while, and since we can't have a real animal, stuffed ones'll do." I shrug, diving wholeheartedly into my pancakes. He really went all out, especially considering how much he hates cooking. When either Daddy or I go for more than a day without eating it's a sure sign that somethings up with us. My body was definitely beginning to complain from a lack of food, but I didn't want to go back out of my room. I didn't want to see the kitchen.


Yeah, yeah, I'm being a total freak about this, but for some reason whenever I thought about getting myself some food, whether or not Daddy was home, my stomach would churn my my knees felt weak. I hate myself for being so easily played around with by my own dumb mind. I know I'm over reacting, but the sickness in me doesn't seem to agree. I feel so weak lately, so why to I bother to struggle so hard? I admit, I've never made sense, even to myself.


"When'd the guys bring the card?" I ask as I sop up the last bits of syrup with my toast. Mmm, sweet.


He looks over to the card and smiles, opening it up to peer at the names. "You have lots of friends, Katsuya. People like you."


I can't help but blush, I'm well liked, big deal. Okay, yeah it is a big deal. I spent the first three quarters of my life as a screw up and then fell into this amazingly tight group of friends. It changed my whole life in a way I never thought I even wanted. I stopped fighting one day. I just woke up and realized I didn't feel like hitting something like I had every day before. It was pretty peaceful, and I guess I started to feel really good. About two weeks after I was friends with Yuugi and everyone I just stopped all my dumb struggling and realized that there wasn't much point. Things got better with my Daddy after that, he hit me much less and it seemed easier to indulge him in his fantasy-play and keep him happy. I want everyone around me to be happy, I try my best with jokes and dumb behaviour. I can usually get a smile out of anyone, although I still have yet to conquer my biggest challenge. Kaiba Seto seems incapable of smiling to anyone but Mokuba, but he does know I've made it my secret goal to make him laugh just once in his miserable life. Okay, sure he laughs like a maniac at inappropriate times, but I mean a really good happy chuckle. Seriously, the insane laugh really freaks me out, the guy sounds like he's going to grab a bomb and and a bus or something, like that action flick...sad thing is, Kaiba could probably do it and get away with it. Damn super geniuses. Heh, Yuugi'd manage to beat him, Kaiba doesn't stand a chance against the little guy.


"...Why do you never bring friends home, Katsuya?"


My eyes flicker and widen, somewhat surprised by the question he of all people could ask. I almost choke on my toast. ".....N-No reason."


He sets my bear down in my lap again and ruffles my hair. "You're everything anyone could want in a son."


My heart beats loudly in my chest, and my cheeks feel warm. I push the tray over the side of my bed and leap up towards him, hugging him roughly around the waist and burying my face in his shoulder. I can feel tears welling up in my eyes, but for once it isn't anything that bothers me. This feels like an appropriate moment to start bawling. His arms wrap around my shoulders and one hand strokes my spine comfortingly, like Mom used to when I was sick as a child. It's so surprising and nice, to just stand here like this, hugging him for all I'm worth. I almost never touch him so casually anymore, never just leap at him like this. It seems too often that every touch has more than one purpose, something I'm scared to unleash, it's like every time I touch he might think other things are on my mind. I try to avoid touch like that.


"Katsuya!" he chuckles warmly against my neck and pulls me straight so he can look me in the eye. I'm glad he does bring up the fact that my eyes are wet. He just stares at me a moment and then hands me a tissue from the box on the desk. I take it gratefully and dry my face, though I probably look silly and as red as a tomato. Oh well, it was worth it, just this once though.


"T-Thank you, Daddy." I say quietly, my eyes downcast and embarrassed by my own childish antics. I'm almost never such a freak about the little things as I have been lately. At least this was a more pleasant reason to get emotional.


"Of course Katsuya. I was being honest." he added. One hand can up and rubbed once gently across my cheek. "You're looking pretty pale, Katsuya. Do you feel okay?" I nod once and smile, giving him a thumbs up. Nothing ever gets Jounouchi Katsuya down. "Here, why don't you get back in bed. I'll bring you in the television while I'm out job-hunting."


The fact he is going to cart our tv in here is testament to how worried he's been. I usually don't spend days in bed, I almost never get sick anymore. Well, I never admit to feeling sick anymore. After Mom left with Shizuka I felt I needed to toughen up, I afford to spend time being sick. I had to take care of Daddy after all. I walk back across the room and almost go sprawling on my face, but his strong arms catch me again, like they did nights ago. I can always depend on him being there behind me, ready to catch me if I need it. It's sort of warm and comforting.


He shakes his head and gives me a teasing little "tsk, tsk." before pulling down the covers on my bed to let me back under. His hand clamps down suddenly on my arm, and I whimper slightly, but it goes unnoticed. His eyes are sunken suddenly, and his own face looks strangely white now. "Katsuya!" he gasps, and I wonder what I did wrong now to spoil this moment. I run my free hand across my eyes and rub at the headache forming in my temples.


"Can't it wait, please?" I beg plaintively, resorting once again to the childishness that Daddy usually responds well to. "Just, please, tomorrow. Okay Daddy?"


Things tilt suddenly and I open my eyes to find myself on my back, and his eyes are bright with panic. I don't feel much like dealing with this right now, things were going so perfectly before. I feel parts of my body being lifted from the floor and wrapped up warmly, but for some reason my eyes don't want to open and see what's going on.


"Everything will be okay Katsuya!" his breath is close to my face and I reach one up up and try to find him in the darkness around me. He grabs my hand and gives it a little squeeze.


"Ouch." I murmur sleepily and wonder why I feel so tired still, despite all the food I ate, and the fact I've been in bed for days now. I'm picked up roughly and he throws me over his shoulder in a fireman's hold. Fireperson's hold, whatever. As I'm being jostled around my eyes flicker open once and I wonder absently why there's so much blood on my bed. It looks like an awful lot, but that doesn't really make much sense. I've been in bed for days and I didn't notice...


"Umph." I can hear him grunting as we head outside and down to the small parking lot outside our building. I can't see any of this anymore, but I know how everything is from the countless days before that I've trudged wearily up and down these same steps. Nothing ever changes in my little world, no one around here can afford the money to bother changing anything. Never much liked change anyways, it can be upsetting. Then again, it can be like meeting Yuugi and all my friends. I smile and sigh tiredly at the thought.


I hear a loud clunk come out of the dark and then I'm being set down on something, it's probably the backseat of our old Toyota. It's cold and I shiver, I want to bring my arms around to cover my chest, but I can't find them out in the dark. I wonder absently if I should be scared, but Jounouchi Katsuya laughs at danger. My normally health chuckle comes out as a gasping cough and I wonder what part of the laugh instruction my brain lost in translation. A hand strokes the hair from my forehead and kisses me soundly. I feel wetness on my face, but not from my own eyes. His face presses once against me in the dark and I realize he's crying.


My world begins to shatter and crumble, unhinged so easily by the startling fact that my father is crying over me. My shivers turn into great convulsions as I begin to panic, trying desperately to force my body upwards and out of the darkness.

His voice is so quiet floating out of the nothingness to reach me, so far away. "It's all right son. Everything's fine Katsuya-chan."

*Daddy! Daddy!* I shout out into the darkness, but there isn't anything in here beside myself and the redness that seems to be leaking from me. I look at the roughly formed self image of myself in this unreal place and begin to scream as the empty void beneath my feet begins to drag me down with it into the nothingness at it's heart. *Daddy!*

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A/N: Uh...my mom's going to be home from work any moment now so I don't have time to do all my replies to my readers. I'll do them for next chappie. So very sorry. Also, yes suddenness is a good thing. Go, suddenness! Wahahahaha (If Kaiba can laugh like a maniac whenever, so can I! WAHA) Enjoy.