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Ambivalence	By : PupshitDesu Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 4882 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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Chapter List
- 4
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- 6
One Week Later

He didn't know why he was in KaibaLand by himself, but after a rather stressful week, Kaiba needed the time away. It was better than lashing out at his employees or upsetting Mokuba, who ran off after lunch to "see a friend", whoever that was. Rarely was Kaiba ever concerned about that, Mokuba's kidnapping days seemed to have finally died down, and if he was going to be anywhere, the tracker on his shirt would tell him where he was anyways.
No, Kaiba was alone and feeling slightly bitter about it. Kids were running around bumping into him, giving him odd looks before getting in line for rides and the like. Having made the rides, he wasn't too sure himself if he wanted to get on one alone, it didn't seem like it would be that entertaining. He knew all of it by heart, each of his theme parks, and there wasn't much about them that could honesty surprise him anymore.
No, he mainly just enjoyed the ambiance. Kids made him feel better, because they were always happy looking, and in the middle of the day, the at-risk groups would take their charges to the park before everyone else would show up later in the day. He liked the orphans. They always seemed so pleasantly surprised as they ran around with their chaperones chasing after them, and it certainly calmed Kaiba down.
For a while.
He was just stressing himself out, as usual. Sigfried wouldn't leave him alone, and now Otogi was on his back begging for sponsorship. All these people, who just wouldn't leave him the fuck alone. Now was not the time for it, he had his own convention coming in two months, and dealing with their brand of bullshit was not going to happen, it was a waste of time for him and they were likely to gain more from a business alliance than he was from them.
No, he didn't plan on entertaining their demands. Ever.
Instead, he left the office and cleared his mind as kids ran past him pointing and laughing. They all seemed to have recognized him, but didn't ask for an autograph or anything silly like that, thank god. One girl showed him her Duel Monsters card, she couldn't be more than six years old, and he was a little surprised it had happened.
Usually kids were a little intimidated by him.
But the girl wanted to meet him, and walked over to him when he sat at the food court. She gave him one of her cards and shaking his hand saying he was a "very handsome and nice man". It made him snort. She sat next to him at the table and ate her lunch of pizza with him, talking about her brother's duel deck and how he wanted to play like the pros. Her expressions were funny, and Kaiba couldn't help but be charmed. Before she left, he pulled out a card from his briefcase.
It wasn't very powerful, but it had potential. Baby Dragon, with the right combo, could grow into one ferocious monster, and it made him frown when he realized it was one of Jonouchi's deck monsters. No matter. He gave it to the little girl and watched a smile bloom on her face before she ran off to show her friends.
This was much better than answering demanding phone calls.
But when he turned around, he could hear Mokuba's voice sounding down the court alongside another, more masculine one he'd heard before. It was very familiar, and his face went pale when he realized his brother was hanging around with Jonouchi again.
At his park.
He'd just watch them then. Wait until they didn't expect him to show up out of nowhere and get Jonouchi back for that nasty trick he'd played on him. Dumping hot coffee on him, it was near scalding, and it was complete luck that Kaiba hadn't been burned. It would be nice to just repay the favor, but maybe not quite yet. Sometimes it was better to wait until someone was least expecting the attack before delivering it...
Jonouchi hadn't noticed Kaiba just yet. He was too busy enjoying the park. He was lucky that Mokuba was a bit of a brat, to the point that he'd invite Jonouchi to the theme park after what had happened with Kaiba. Maybe Mokuba didn't know. Whatever the case, Jonouchi wasn't complaining about a free pass to the park and the ability to cut in lines with Mokuba.
Jonouchi loved rollercoasters, and KaibaLand was the only place within the city to find one. It was indoor, of course, but no less impressive for it. He made Mokuba take him before they got lunch, which Mokuba got them for free. Jonouchi wasn't shy about mooching. He still had a good portion of the money that Kitamura had given him a week ago, and he planned to make it last. All he'd heard of the man since that day was that he would be back in town in a week or two. That had been days ago.
After having a full meal of a burger, fries, and a soda, Jonouchi wandered to the VR section of the park. While Jonouchi was easily frightened by the supernatural, he fully enjoyed the thrill of the horror rides. He vaguely wondered at intervals whether Kaiba knew he was there. If he did, Jonouchi could only guess what might happen. Inevitably, Kaiba would want revenge. He always wanted fucking revenge.
"So Jonouchi," interrupted Mokuba from the blond's passing thoughts, "What happened at the party when you disappeared? I couldn't find you after you ran off to antagonize my brother. What was with the ditching?"
"Sorry about that," Jonouchi did feel a little bad for just leaving without at least tracking the kid down to let him know first. He'd been too busy trying to put on an act for Kaiba and Otogi, one neither of them seemed to fall for. Well, maybe Kaiba did. Otogi...not so much. "I went to my room. I was tired..."
Well, at least he didn't lie completely. He just left out about ninety-nine percent of the truth.
"I won't ditch you again like that, I promise," Jonouchi smiled.
"I'd hope not..." Answered Mokuba, "I thought maybe you got food poisoning or something. Whatever, it's fine. And if you want to use the hotel room again, all you have to do is ask. I don't mind, I hardly ever go there anyway."
"Really?" Jonouchi stared wide-eyed at Mokuba. It was a very generous offer, in his mind. "That's really great, actually."
Fantastic, even. When he was trapped uptown after dark because of work, it would be way better to just crash in the hotel room for a night than try to run home without being assaulted.
"You sure your brother won't mind?" Jonouchi's face fell when he contemplated an encounter with Kaiba while he was stuck in his hotel, surrounded by his security.
"He's hardly ever there himself, I don't think he's actually going to kill you anytime soon like he said," laughed Mokuba, rolling his eyes, "I think he was just being a drama queen, although it was pretty shitty of you dumping coffee on his lap like that. You could have really burned him."
"Yeah, well..." Jonouchi tried to look more ashamed than he was. He honestly didn't give a fuck. Kaiba had pissed him off beyond his own comprehension, to the point that his grudge still simmered under the surface after he'd cooled down. Kaiba was just lucky that he got coffee in his lap, where his clothes could protect him, rather than his face.
"I won't make a habit of it," Jonouchi stated. Like he'd be able to. He planned to avoid Kaiba in the future anyway, and he doubted the man would ever feel safe in any proximity with Jonouchi and hot coffee again.
"I think you should apologize," mumbled Mokuba, not feeling the sincerity, but he didn't want to start a fight over it. It wasn't like anything he said would change Jonouchi's stubborn mind. He just hoped it didn't happen again.
Which became more important to him when he saw his brother approaching them. Mokuba immediately stiffened up in response, unsure if he was about to be verbally assaulted for letting Jonouchi into the park or not. It wasn't like KaibaLand blacklisted people, and his brother didn't say the public theme park was off limits.
"Nii-sama," he greeted, looking at him nervously, "I thought you were at work."
"I thought I said to leave the dog outside," he replied, side glancing at Jonouchi briefly before scowling, "And yet here he is."
"Be careful, Kaiba," Jonouchi growled, baring his teeth unabashedly, "He does bite."
If he was reluctant to consider apologizing before, now the thought had been completely chased from his mind. Like hell if he was going to apologize. It wouldn't mean shit to Kaiba to begin with, and now Jonouchi couldn't even convince himself that he deserved an apology. He wished he'd been born at least smart enough to figure out something he could say to really hurt Kaiba. Not that he hadn't in the past, by telling him he had no friends and never would, or that he didn't really care about his brother. But he could hardly say things like that in front of Mokuba...
"Then maybe someone should do the world a favor and put you down," he replied nastily before half turning as if preparing to leave, "I don't see why you hang around Jap trash like that, Mokuba, but if you insist on it, please keep it away from where we work. There's a saying you should learn: never shit where you eat."
He turned and stalked away, immediately losing interest in both of them before feeling Jonouchi grab his arm and try pulling him around.
"You aren't very creative, you know that?" Jonouchi snorted. "I've heard that shit a thousand times, and you think you're special because you thought to do it, too."
He met Kaiba's eyes stubbornly. He wasn't going to let his gaze intimidate him. Not after seeing the way he'd been drunk in a corner at the hotel party. He could act as tough as he wanted to, but Jonouchi would always know that defeated, socially-inept drunkard was lingering somewhere in there.
"Either come up with something new, or stop wasting other peoples' air."
Jonouchi released Kaiba. He didn't need to hold him in place all day, but he'd wanted his word in edgewise whether it took root or not. Kaiba fought like a coward, making snide comments and then walking away...
Which Jonouchi was actually doing at the moment, with no intention of stopping. If Kaiba wanted to say something else, he could say it to his back.
"I'll meet you back in the lobby, Mokuba," he stated as he walked back by him, "Whenever Kaiba's done making you feel like shit."
"You see," continued Kaiba, going on and blowing off Jonouchi's somewhat scalding comments, "You can't trust someone that lowly to be your friend, little brother. Certainly not someone who left you at a party to get laid. I don't see why you bother with him just because he used to be Yugi's friend. Let's go home; this place is a waste of time."
Mokuba just blinked at Jonouchi for a while, confused, before following after his brother. He wasn't sure what the "getting laid" thing was about, but Jonouchi looked furious when he turned around, and therefore, his brother couldn't be lying about it. Kaiba never to him, of all people, and frowning, he left Jonouchi behind without a word.
Jonouchi was seething for a long time after that. The quick walk to the park lobby he had to take in order to exit was hardly enough to quell his rage. For a while, the only thing on his mind was pounding on someone, preferably Kaiba, and strings of profanities ran through his head incoherently. It was the usual for him, when he was enraged.
Unfortunately, it was also usual for him to feel defeated after he cooled off, and maybe even sink into despair for a little while. When he was in high school, he fixed that problem by beating the shit out of anyone who insulted him. He'd dealt with insults all his life. Outside of his mother calling him worthless, there had been plenty of kids at school who found his poverty hilarious and enjoyed throwing it in his face. Then he'd joined the gang and learned that beating in the face of any smart-ass who tried insulting him made him feel a little better.
The "stray dog" terminology wasn't even new to him. It upset him more than most things he heard from people, but something about hearing it from Kaiba especially was bad. Maybe it was because they knew each other personally. And Jonouchi had once considered him a friend. Fuck, he'd put his life on the line for that asshole before. It obviously meant nothing to him, but it was easy to feel that way when he'd lost nothing for it.
More than being insulted, Jonouchi was angry that Kaiba had actually gone to the trouble of stopping him and Mokuba from spending time together. Not that Jonouchi could blame the kid for being upset with him. He had ditched him for the sake of making one of the dumbest mistakes of his life, and then lied about it later. What was he supposed to do, though? Tell Mokuba about that?
Jonouchi lost his fire about halfway home and ended up leaning against an entryway to the metro, scowling. He didn't like the idea of things just ending like that. Not just because of the satisfaction Kaiba would get from it, but because he owed Mokuba more than that. He had to apologize, at least. For what he'd actually done, and not just for ditching at the party. It was made multiple times worse by the fact that he'd left Mokuba for a stupid hookup.
That said, he wasn't sure how he should go about it. Mokuba might be pissed at him. He hadn't been much of a grudge-holder when he was a kid, but he remembered every slight whether he chose to hold it as ransom or not. And now he was a teenager.
Still. He had to try. They were friends, right?
Jonouchi sighed, taking out his phone. Then he stopped, realizing that he could hardly apologize over the phone, and Mokuba might not answer him anyway. He'd have to figure out how to talk in person.
He banged his head against the metro entryway. How was he going to do that? Walk out to Kaiba Mansion and try to sweet-talk security into letting him in?
He decided, after some deliberation, to try the hotel. If Kaiba was there with Mokuba, things would be even more awkward, but he'd have to deal with that. If Mokuba happened to be there alone for whatever reason, then he had a better chance of getting a one-on-one with him.
The chances that he was actually at the hotel were low, but it was the only option Jonouchi really had. His brain kept telling him annoyingly that Kaiba had told Mokuba they were going home, and the hotel they barely used was hardly that, but he ignored it. At least walking there was something to do to keep himself from just sitting at home and stewing.
When he got to the hotel, he walked in through the front door, trying to look as casual as possible. He wasn't apprehended by security, so apparently he still wasn't banned. For the moment, anyway. He looked around the lobby for any sign of one Kaiba brother or another. Maybe he could ask the lady at the front desk if they were in, though he knew from experience that hotels didn't give out the status of guests at request...
Fortunately, he didn't need to ask. When he peered through the open archway to the bar and cafe, he saw Kaiba sitting in the corner with a glass of something transparent in front of him. Jonouchi felt a sense of dread come over him as he approached. He didn't want Kaiba to kick him out or some shit. Mokuba was probably there too, and Jonouchi still needed to talk to him. But he couldn't just go traipsing around the hotel while both Kaiba brothers were pissed at him, and especially if Mokuba wasn't actually there.
He approached Kaiba from behind. Kaiba either didn't notice it was him yet, or he did and was ignoring him. Judging by how angry he looked, though, it was unlikely he'd miss a chance to make some snide comment.
"Kaiba," Jonouchi addressed, his voice far more confident than he felt. He wasn't nervous so much as just reluctant to fight. Maybe he was used to getting put down, but that didn't stop it from stinging, and he didn't have the energy to fly into another rage.
"What do you want this time?"
Kaiba's voice was annoyed, but that extra sting was missing. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe finding him later in the day meant he wasn't quite as eager to start something like he had been at KaibaLand. Whichever it was, Jonouchi was in luck, since he made no effort to move, just staring out in front of him blankly while letting his mind veer off into lala land.
Jonouchi wasn't sure just how drunk Kaiba was. He was being impatient and snippy as usual, but he hadn't thrown a single insult so far. Jonouchi decided to just count his blessings and be straightforward.
"Is Mokuba here?"'
"He's in his room."
"Right," Jonouchi muttered. He didn't move yet, though. He felt like he should say something else, but after thinking it over, he realized it would be pointless. Apologizing to Kaiba was about the same as providing the courtesy to a brick wall. And he certainly didn't feel like trying to fuck with him. Jonouchi was ahead for the moment, and insulting Kaiba wasn't on the agenda.
Still, he stood there for almost a full minute, which was enough time for him to start cursing his burning sense of conscience. A curse on Kaiba, too, for looking like such a pathetic drunk. Even if he was angry.
"Hey," Jonouchi took a seat next to Kaiba. He was half expecting to get snapped at for it, but when that didn't happen, he offered a small, friendly smile. "So long as I'm here, I figured I should apologize for what I said earlier."
If Kaiba didn't want to accept his apology, well...it didn't matter. Jonouchi was going to give being the "bigger man" a try and apologize for the sake of being decent. Maybe he felt like Kaiba deserved to hear something that hurt, after the shit he said all the time, but Jonouchi couldn't help feeling bad after the fact.
"Is that why you're here?" He asked, not looking at Jonouchi at all, still staring at the space in front of him as his eyes began getting too blurry for him to focus, "I thought you came to see Mokuba. I know you don't like me, and I don't see why you bother talking to me even when we don't get along."
"You're a strange one," Jonouchi rested his elbow on the bar and used his hand to hold his head up as he looked at Kaiba. "I can't believe you'd say that, after everything we went through in the past. If I didn't like you at least a little bit, I wouldn't have put my ass on the line for you, would I?"
"I find that hard to believe."
"I'm sure you've encountered more incredible things than people who give a fuck about you," Jonouchi rolled his eyes. Kaiba had seen people struck into comas by magic, stood at the brink as the world ended, and witnessed Yugi splitting in two. How the idea of friendship was harder to wrap his mind around baffled Jonouchi.
"Maybe you aren't the most loveable person on earth, but shit. I don't hate you. I even think of you fondly when you aren't kicking me in the teeth for existing."
"Now that I find really hard to believe," snorted Kaiba, turning his face away before swallowing the rest of his drink, setting his empty shot glass down, "I'm not that drunk yet, Jonouchi. And I'm not interested in hearing your friendship speeches all night long..."
"Do I look like Anzu to you?" Jonouchi joked. "I don't have the energy to throw that kind of shit at people. I'm just saying, I wouldn't be apologizing to you if I hated you. I have no reason to waste my breath on it, especially after what you said to me. And have said in the past, and will probably continue to say in the future."
Jonouchi turned in his seat and stood. While the rare occasion that he had a successful conversation with Kaiba should probably be noted on the calendar, he didn't think he should stick around to watch him get drunk and wallow. He'd seen enough of that at the party, and so long as Kaiba was too busy feeling sorry for himself to accept his apology, he may as well quit while he was ahead.
"I need to go talk to Mokuba," Jonouchi informed him, not really wanting to make it seem like he was leaving in a huff, "But I'll catch you later, I guess."
"You always do," was the response he was given back, "Whether I want to see you or not."
Jonouchi turned back when he heard that, not really sure what to make of the implication that Kaiba didn't always not want to see him. He sure as hell acted like he didn't ever, and seemed anywhere from inconvenienced to pissed when they encountered one another. But whatever. He was half-drunk probably, and wasn't saying what he meant. Most likely.
He walked back toward the lobby, hoping that Mokuba was in his personal suite. Jonouchi wasn't sure he could get into the top suite without some kind of clearance. Then again, if both brothers were at the hotel, then they were probably in the master suite at the top, right? Even if not, it wasn't like he could only choose one...
He took the elevator to the top floor. The only door there was the Kaiba brothers' room, of course, so Jonouchi strode directly to it and knocked. And then rang the little doorbell just in case. And then he waited, hoping that when Mokuba saw him through the door peep, he'd let him in.
"Hey."
Mokuba opened the door, smiling timidly but not quite inviting Jonouchi in either. His face was a bit tense, like he was unsure of himself, and looking past his friend's shoulders, he was relieved to see that his older brother was not there behind him.
"What's up? You can get the key to your room from the front lobby, I informed them..."
"Oh," Jonouchi was surprised and relieved to see that Mokuba wasn't pissed at him and was still willing to let him use the hotel. "I just...I wanted to apologize, actually. For lying to you about the party."
He felt embarrassed. He didn't know what Mokuba thought of him, even if he didn't know he'd snuck off with a man. Unless Kaiba had told him that, too, in which case...Jonouchi might need to go back to the bar.
"I shouldn't have ditched you like that for something so stupid."
"Oh, it's whatever," laughed Mokuba nervously, "I'm not that mad. I mean, a little disappointed, but... shit happens, I guess."
"Well..." Jonouchi sighed. This was awkward. It would be different if he was apologizing to someone his age, but Mokuba was so much younger. "I won't do that again. You deserve better."
The kid looked so worked up, like he was anticipating something. Jonouchi looked behind himself out of paranoia, even though he hadn't heard anything. Then he looked back at Mokuba confusedly.
"Why do you look so anxious?" He queried, wondering if he'd messed something up by coming upstairs.
"No reason," Mokuba said, giving Jonouchi a bit of a confused look, "I'm just wondering when Nii-sama will return. I don't like it when he disappears to be alone. He's always going into dark places...mentally, but whatever. I guess that's just how he is."
It wasn't like Jonouchi was going to volunteer to get him back to his bedroom, and Mokuba was fine dealing with it. He usually only got fucked up during social events, so he was probably sitting somewhere alone buzzing off and thinking too much about things that didn't matter. That was what his brother usually did, getting a weird look on his face before saying troubling things that usually made Mokuba shy away.
"Huh..." Jonouchi thought that over. It wasn't that he didn't already get the impression that Kaiba was probably going through some shit. It was basically known among his group of friends that Kaiba had a shit childhood, and his adulthood wasn't all that much better until maybe a year ago. Even without that knowledge, Jonouchi lived around people with problems. He knew drinking for comfort when he saw it.
"Maybe he shouldn't drink in public so much," he muttered, feeling embarrassed, like he'd discovered a secret, "It's probably not my business, but if you need help with him...I've carried heavier things."
"I don't think he'll get that bad tonight," mumbled Mokuba, unsure whether to get upset about Jonouchi knowing or not, "And I could have used your help last week, but... I managed. He's really not that bad, and I'm sure he'll come back tonight before the bar closes when he's ready. It's not like he gets messed up every night. Just sometimes."
When someone or something really got to him, whatever it was. It wasn't like Kaiba had someone to talk to, about anything personal really, and Mokuba was too young to dump his personal demons on. No, instead he dealt with them the best he could, alone, and unless he was about to explode, brooding in the corner seemed to calm him down enough to be functional most days.
If not, well... People were easy to use to blow off steam on.
"Just don't judge him for it, he doesn't need that and you don't know what he's gone through..."
"I've been around the block a couple of times, Mokuba. I'm not gonna judge your brother for needing a drink once in a while."
At least drinking wasn't the only thing he did, unlike plenty of people Jonouchi had seen. Hell, his dad had slowly just stopped working by the time Jonouchi had graduated. It was a wonder that he'd conjured up the fortitude to make it that long.
"I know he's been through some shit. I'm not gonna excuse him for being a dick to everyone, but I won't pretend he doesn't struggle."
It was only apparent on occasion. Kaiba was the type of person who had a lot of burdens and carried them alone. Some people thought that was how it should be, probably Kaiba included. Jonouchi might have felt worse for him a few years ago, but he was less forgiving now that he was older. That, and Kaiba had a lot more opportunities since then to talk down to him. At least when they were teenagers, it was a rare occurrence.
Jonouchi shook off those thoughts before he started getting pissed. There wasn't any point in it. Kaiba was downstairs wallowing, and things seemed to be all right with Mokuba. Honestly, everything had gone far better than he'd expected. Which was good, since it was probably going to be dark before he would have made it home. Now he would be able to stay in the hotel where it was comfortable and safe. He didn't even have to work in the morning.
"Well, like I said," Jonouchi shrugged, "I'll actually be around this time if you need help with him."
"I don't think I'll need help tonight," answered Mokuba back, closing the door slightly, "The staff will make sure he gets back. I'm going to bed. Don't worry about him, he'll be fine."
Then Mokuba closed the door and left Jonouchi alone to decide in the hallway about what he'd do.
At first, Jonouchi didn't want to concern himself with it any further. He didn't hate Kaiba, but damn, the guy didn't deserve that much from him. If Mokuba asked for help, he'd give it. But to just actively offer? It wouldn't mean shit to Kaiba, so why bother?
Then again, helping people wasn't supposed to be done just for gratitude. It should be done because people needed help. Or, at least, that was the way Yugi always saw things. Jonouchi wasn't quite as golden-hearted as that, but he knew he wasn't going to be able to rest comfortably until he tried to do something.
So he ended up riding the elevator downstairs, half-hating himself the whole way, but resigned to it. Kaiba was still in the corner at the bar, and Jonouchi approached boldly. This time, he didn't sit down.
"Mokuba's worried about you, you know," he stated. He didn't expect much in reply. "If you're going to drink, do it in private. Don't make the kid deal with dragging you upstairs to bed."
"He's doing nothing of a sort," grumbled Kaiba back, his Japanese slurring as he slumped over the table, "I'll get myself back to my room, Jonouchi. I don't need your help, and neither does he. I can take care of myself."
"I didn't say you needed my help," Jonouchi replied, undaunted by Kaiba's snippy behavior. It was hardly unexpected. "But that doesn't mean help wouldn't make things a little easier."
He sighed. Why was he doing this again? Obviously for Mokuba, because Kaiba wasn't worth the effort.
"And don't get all pissy about it. I'm just here because I don't want Mokuba to be upset later. I know what it's like having a drunk to carry home."
He turned, exasperated. Kaiba was too hard to talk to. Jonouchi didn't have the time and patience to dig through all those layers and layers of emotional trauma and bitterness to get to the good part. Especially if it was a one-sided effort.
"I'm not a drunk."
"Alcoholic, then," Jonouchi turned briefly to look at Kaiba, "Whichever you prefer. I know you need your vice, okay? I get that. But seriously, Mokuba shouldn't have to deal with the aftermath because you got trashed in public."
"This isn't public," Kaiba replied, his eyebrows becoming furrowed as he stared at his empty glass, "I don't go here often, and when I do, this place is empty. I don't drink in the company of people, Jonouchi, and don't act like you know me, because you most certainly don't."
As far as Kaiba was concerned, it was his hotel. And no one was there. That was why he came down, along with the fact that everything rubbed on him the wrong way that day and he didn't want Mokuba seeing him drinking in the hotel room. He didn't feel good about that, and it was easier to just drag his own ass to his bedroom after the kid had gone to bed.
"I don't even know why you care. You shouldn't."
Jonouchi turned and looked at Kaiba straight-on. He was more curious than anything, really. Despite how defensive he was being, Kaiba seemed almost sincere.
"I shouldn't care? And why not, Kaiba? Even without everything else...even if you ignore everything that's happened over the past five years, you're still a human being. You're an asshole, but you aren't a bad person."
No, Jonouchi knew what a monster looked like, and he couldn't really call Kaiba a monster. But he wasn't nice, by any means. His lack of niceness wouldn't be as bad if not for his complete lack of remorse.
"Are you going to keep picking at every little thing I say that you deem inaccurate, or are you going to drag yourself to bed?"
"I can't help it. I have to analyze everything."
"Is that why?" Jonouchi grinned. "I thought you were just being argumentative. But it doesn't matter; I'm used to the fact that you're not normal."
A normal person wouldn't feel compelled to argue over absolutely nothing, for one thing. For another, usually when people argued, it was because they wanted to make a point, not because they were analytical.
"Which is fine, you know, I'm not gonna hate on you for being a genius. But that isn't an excuse for being a mess in public. Don't argue. If other people can see what you're doing, it's public. And I was there at the party, you know."
"Whatever."
He rolled his eyes in a lazy manner before getting up, not stumbling but not at all graceful about getting onto his feet either. His eyes looked unfocused, and he took out a few bills to leave on the table before walking far too quickly into the lobby and stumbling into the elevator. Thankfully Jonouchi was right behind him, because he pressed the wrong room floor button before leaning against the wall and closing his eyes.
"It's the top floor," he said almost as if telling himself that, sounding more lazy than usual, "And Mokuba's probably in bed by now."
"Good," Jonouchi replied, "He won't have to see you again until you're sober."
He knew it was the top floor. He'd just been there, after all. But whatever, he'd heard dumber things from drunk people than unnecessary information.
He looked so weary. Jonouchi wondered when he was initially planning to head upstairs to bed. He almost felt bad for him, really, but he stopped himself. If he got to the point of feeling bad for Kaiba again, it would just burn more when Sober Kaiba started ragging on him.
"I'm glad you decided to head upstairs early, for what it's worth. Which I'm sure is very little, but there it is."
The elevator stopped, and Jonouchi watched Kaiba to see if he was going to be able to make it to his room alone. It was straight down a hallway, after all...
And Kaiba completely botched it. He got himself across the hallway, but couldn't figure out how to open the door. His coordination with the key card and trying to slip it into the card reader failed over and over again until Kaiba got mad and threw it across the door before dropping his forehead against the frame and hitting himself one good, loud time. And then he didn't do anything else, stubbornly standing there angry at himself and brooding drunkenly in the hallway.
Jonouchi took pity on him and walked toward him grabbing his discarded key card on the way.
"Uh, I'll just open the door then," he muttered. Kaiba didn't respond, understandably. He was too busy having a silent tantrum, apparently. Once the door was open, Jonouchi ended up just helping Kaiba inside for a couple of reasons. One, because letting him pass out in the floor wouldn't be any better for Mokuba's sake than leaving him at the bar. Two, because he wanted to see just what the suite looked like.
He wasn't disappointed. Mokuba's suite had dwarfed his apartment. The brothers' joined suite dwarfed an entire floor of apartments in his complex. Kaiba was a pain in the ass to drag across the large space, too. He seemed half-reluctant and half-grateful for someone to lean on. Maybe he kept forgetting and remembering that it was Jonouchi assisting.
"You're heavier than you look," Jonouchi grumbled, "I feel bad for Mokuba having to carry you to bed..."
"Stop guilt tripping me..."
He made it to what he assumed was Kaiba's bedroom and prepared to let Kaiba fall into bed.
"I'm not guilt tripping. Just giving you some perspective."
When he let go, Kaiba fell face-first into bed and clumsily kicked off his shoes before fumbling for a pillow. He covered his head with it. Jonouchi sighed.
"Not even in my wildest dreams," he mused, more to himself than to Kaiba. This wasn't a situation he ever predicted he'd be in. But he figured he may as well do the job right, and tugged off the pants Kaiba was wearing. It was like a routine back when he lived with his dad. Carry him to bed and make sure he didn't ruin what few clothes he had.
Unfortunately, Kaiba wasn't nearly as apathetic as his father had been.
No, Kaiba had a damn fit when Jonouchi laid hands on him, kicking out and hissing before turning onto his back and tossing the pillow into the blond's face. He was all but throwing punches before settling down, realizing that he wasn't being taken advantage of, like he first presumed after relaxing to sleep, and just stared at Jonouchi stupidly for a moment before sighing.
"Jesus," Jonouchi muttered, tossing the pants over the armchair that was in the room. Not that he could blame Kaiba for being a little freaked out, especially after what he himself had experienced only a week ago, but honestly. Jonouchi had never seen him in such a demonic fit. He was lucky that his urgent shouts not to touch him didn't wake Mokuba up. Either he'd had a bad experience, or he was really fucking paranoid.
"Before you try to kill me again, I'll let you know I'm taking your shirt off. Okay?"
"I can undress myself, mom," said Kaiba sarcastically before lifting his black top over his head and throwing it in Jonouchi's face. He didn't want to be messed with, especially by Jonouchi of all people, and he wasn't so drunk that he'd forget this night the next day. No, he felt humiliated, getting his pants yanked off by someone he didn't like (and didn't want to sleep with, for that matter), and he was scowling when he got under the covers of the bed.
"And I don't need you tucking me in either."
"You think I want to? Sorry bud, I might have been nice enough to try to keep your drunk ass out of trouble, but you aren't getting a fucking kiss and bedtime story," Jonouchi snorted, turning around. Kaiba was obviously not going to be in a better mood than he already was, and it would only get worse as he sobered up. He'd probably be butthurt about all of this when he woke up.
"I'm going to my own room. Try not to choke in your sleep."
Jonouchi left Kaiba's bedroom and then the suite. He wasn't even that irritated. Just tired. Kaiba was exhausting in large doses, especially coupled with his drunken irrationality. Unfortunately, he had to go back downstairs for his room key before he could get in, but when he did, he gratefully collapsed into the bed. It was so comfortable. Had a kind of unpleasant memory in it, but still comfortable.
He tried not to think about Kaiba too much. He was too tired for that shit. Maybe he could deal with it tomorrow, when he was refreshed. Or, if he was lucky, Kaiba would be pissy the next day and Jonouchi would forget all about how pathetic he was when he was drunk in the corner, or that he'd carried him to bed.
How could he keep hating Jonouchi after he'd carried him to bed? Maybe Kaiba's brain didn't work right and he was immune to bonding.
The only thing Jonouchi could really consider fortunate about the outcome of that incident was getting a quick look at Kaiba in his underwear, but he wasn't sure if he should be thinking about that. He filed the mental image away for later use, though he told himself he wouldn't need it.
Jonouchi stripped down, dropping his clothes in the floor, and got under the blankets. Fuck, he had just one worn-out blanket at home. The three comfy layers of sheets were like heaven. Jonouchi felt infinitely grateful for Mokuba as he fell asleep. Maybe he'd only be staying in the hotel once in a while, but the opportunity was more than he could have hoped to get.
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Ambivalence