Adult-FanFiction.org : Yu-Gi-OH

Thin Line	By : Rroselavy Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 8050 -:- Recommendations : 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 List
- 11
- 12
- 13
A/N: I don't own or profit in way from Yu-Gi-Oh.

Chapter 12
"Hello?"
"Hello Mo--"
"Seto, I knew you'd call! Jou is here with me, hold on!" Mokuba cried, not allowing his brother a chance to speak further. He thrust the phone at Jounouchi.
"Hello?"
Kaiba swooned at Jou's voice. His mouth went dry. "Hello Jou," he said softly.
He was still angry at Kaiba. He couldn't deny it. No matter how Kaiba had suffered as a boy, Jou didn't deserve to punished because of it. He willed himself not to say anything stupid. Best just to keep his mouth shut.
Kaiba continued in the silence. "I need to talk to you about some things. I didn't get a chance to this morning." More stony silence.
"I-I," he faltered and took a breath. "I want you to know that you don't need to worry about your father. He cannot touch you now."
"Kaiba, what did you do?" Jou hissed.
"No harm has come to him. We reached an agreement."
Silence. Jou pondered the meaning of agreement. "What d'ya mean, 'an agreement?'" he asked suspiciously.
Kaiba sighed at the other boy's mistrust. "He signed a contract. Giving up guardianship. He wasn't coerced." 'Much,' he thought to himself.
Jou thought about it for a moment. A contract meant money. "How much did you buy me for?" he asked, anger rising in his voice.
"Jou, I didn't buy you," Seto assured, "I bought your freedom. On Thursday, when I reach majority, so will you. With one condition, that you finish school."
Jou was speechless. He was free of the old man. He was free. He didn't have to worry about being put in foster care, about losing touch with all his friends. His heart leapt. Seto must love him, even if he couldn't, wouldn't admit it. Still, he wasn't feeling very charitable.
"How much did that set ya back?"
"Excuse me?"
"How much did you pay?" He almost added 'for me,' but managed to shut his mouth in time.
"I thought it was a bargain," Kaiba said evasively.
There was a long silence, and Jou knew that there would be no answer. "Thanks, Kaiba. I guess we'll have to tack it to the bill I owe you."
Kaiba swore under his breath. Jou would be the death of him. He would never stop getting under his skin. The thought made him smile, though. He didn't want Jou to stop getting under his skin.
"You don't owe me anything. Don't you know that by now?"
"Whatever," Jou said flatly.
He was exasperating, to say the least. Now Kaiba found himself reining his anger in. After all, the cold shoulder he was getting was much deserved.
"Also, when you get back to the house," he continued, "You will find a Blackberry for your use, and a credit card with your name on it. In case you need anything."
"I still have some of the money you gave me yesterday, Seto." Jou softened, slightly.
"That is for you to buy clothes, the card is for anything else you may want, or anything Mokuba requires. I'm at the airport now, so I have to ring off. We'll talk more when I get back Friday. Okay, Jou?" Silence. "Jou, are you there?"
"Yeah, I'm still here."
"Katsuya, what is the matter?"
Jou took a deep breath, he didn't want to say the wrong thing, but he needed to say something, he needed Kaiba to know he wasn't off the hook, yet. "I don't want to sound ungrateful, because I really do appreciate what you've done for me, Seto. But I didn't deserve to be treated like that this morning, and there's one thing you haven't said ta me. Ya haven't said you're sorry." He held his breath in the silence, waiting for Kaiba's wrath.
"Puppy," Kaiba spoke softly, "I AM sorry. I want to say more, but I want to tell you in person, okay?" his voice quivered with emotion.
"Yeah, okay Seto," Jou's voice softened more. "We'll talk when you get back. Be safe."
"Bye Katsuya." the phone clicked dead.
* * *
"Is everything okay, Jou?" Mokuba asked hopefully.
"I dunno, Moku. We'll see on Friday."
"So you'll stay?"
"We'll see," Jou repeated. "I'll be here at least until your brother gets back." They had arrived at Mokuba's school. "Now get inside before you're late," Jou smiled weakly.
"Okay, see ya later!" Mokuba kissed him on the cheek. The chauffeur peered into the open door.
"Excuse me, sir, where would you like me to take you?"
Jou thought for a moment. "Take me home, please."
"Very well, sir." The door closed decisively, and Jou sunk back into the posh leather.
Kaiba's words still stung, but as he digested what Mokuba had confessed, he began to gain some perspective. It should have made him angrier to know that Kaiba had secretly helped him out. But instead he felt his anger draining away. Kaiba could have humiliated him on numerous occasions with that little piece of information, yet he didn't. That had to count for something.
He was Kaiba's dog, but not in the insulting sense that Kaiba thought of him. He thought about the dog that he had owned when he was a kid. His father had gotten rid of her before they moved to Japan. She'd been a pitbull mix, he wondered if she were still alive, if she still remembered him. He remembered how soft the dog's tongue was as she'd licked his hand or face. He wiped away a tear that slid down his cheek.
Jou had found her in a junk yard and rescued her. She had been in a dogfight, he could tell, apparently on the losing end. She'd probably been raised to be a fighter, but she had a sweet temperament. Not killer material. He nursed her back to health, tending her wounds, bottlefeeding her until she was strong enough to eat on her own. Serenity's mom was okay with her, as long as she stayed in Jou's room and he took care of her, but his father despised the animal. The feeling was mutual. She never failed to bare her teeth at the sight of the old man, always remaining outside the perimeter of his kicks, punches and missiles he launched at her.
Jou knew on some level she intimidated him. She repaid Jou a hundredfold for his care, loyally protecting the family from his father's abuse, placing her body between him and the object of his rage. For a while, Jou thought they would be able to survive as a family, that his father would be able to stop. That was until Jou caught him abusing Serenity in that different, far more sinister way.
Suddenly it dawned on Jou that he had been ensnared in an intricate trap. Kaiba never did anything, never made a move without a blueprint. Every decision he made came after considering the outcomes, investigating every angle. In fact, Jou knew his own trait of running headlong into situations without thinking first was probably one of the things about him that annoyed Kaiba most. He smiled. He had to admire how Kaiba had used this flaw to his advantage, he was able to plot the course of events of the past weekend unhindered, knowing full well that Jou wouldn't catch on until it was too late, if ever.
With that in mind, Jou realized as well that Kaiba was feeling a lot more toward him than he was able to or willing to admit to. Even Kaiba could not be bothered to expend so much energy plotting, unless he was trying to attain something he believed was truly valuable. Kaiba thought he was worthwhile.
This morning's argument stemmed from both their insecurities. Jou was afraid Kaiba didn't think he was worthy of his affection, Kaiba was afraid to give and receive affection freely.
It was time for him to do some planning of his own. If Kaiba thought his insults alone would drive Jou away, he was sorely mistaken.
- 11
- 12
- 13
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