I've been gone for a while... haven't I? Um, sorry... I'm rather proud of this piece. It's cute and I love cute things! I hope you all agree! Ooh, a few quick manga recs "Legal Drug" by Clamp and "Only the Ring Finger Knows" by Satoru Kannagi and Hotaru Odagiri.

DISCLAIMER: Why, yes. I do own Yu-Gi-Oh... ignore those Japanese men in corporate suits viciously glaring at me... and pay no mind to the lawyers dragging me to court. IT'S MINE, DAMN IT!

WARNING: this is YAOI story as in BOY/BOY material! That's right HOMOSEXUALITY! If you have issues with such subject matters... LEAVE! Run far away! Also this fic contains bad words. Katsuya-chan and that naughty mouth of his

Author Note: ruler means time/scenery change and italics sometimes means thought (usually it means emphasis)

DEDICATION: Yes, yes, this is a dedication fic! And it's dedicated to Emily English who gave me info about the RASH! Love Like Tide manga! Thank you again, and I hope you especially enjoy this.

Falling For Kaiba Seto

"Jou... we saw the two of you-"

"NO!" Katsuya hollered wildly, throwing his arms in the air. His friends all took a step back, seemingly frightened and bewildered. "No! What you saw was me falling!"

"Falling?" Yami repeated skeptically. Katsuya nodded and former pharaoh raised his eye brows, "Falling on Kaiba?"

Katsuya nodded again, but more furiously. His mouth was thinning with agitation.

"On Kaiba's lips?"

"YES!" Katsuya growled in frustration. All afternoon he had been desperately trying to explain what had transpired between him and the CEO. "I just tripped, is all! It was an accident!"

"Well then, does that mean Kaiba tripped, too?" Honda piped in, "He was..." The boy shuddered at the memory. "Falling back, you know."

"No, he wasn't!" Katsuya's face had taken on a dreadful crimson. "I only fell! And that's all, you sick bastards!"

"But Jou," Yuugi spoke up, looking innocent and baffled about the scene he had witnessed early that day, "he had his arm wound around your waist..."

Katsuya stared at Yuugi in disbelief. He had betrayed him! Abandoned him! Joined the evil forces with his other bastard friends! "Damn it!" He yelled, startling Yuugi. "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! I FELL! Got that? I fell on Kaiba! FELL!"

"I believe you."

Katsuya spun around in bliss, grinning widely at his brand new best friend. "Really, Ryou! You believe me! Finally! See, you friggin pervs! Ryou knows the truth!"

Ryou flushed under the attention and smiled. "Well, of course you fell, Jou. You've been falling for a while now."

Katsuya nodded his head triumphantly before Ryou's words sunk in. His grin faltered, "Eh? What do you mean?"

"I mean," Ryou began slowly, choosing his words cautiously. There was a nervousness in his face that hadn't been present a moment before. "I mean, that you've been... erm, falling for Kaiba-"

Jou's right eye twitched sharply, "Don't you mean on, Ryou?"

"No," Bakura answered, now materializing beside his Hikari. "He means for. Don't you, Ryou?"

Ryou blanched and looked up at Bakura, his face flared up. He immediately glanced down at the floor and then tentatively raised his gaze to meet Jou's. He chuckled nervously, "Um..."

"You don't have to play along with the thief's game, Ryou," Yami glowered at Bakura. "To say that Jou and Kaiba were kissing is"

"GROSS!" Jou snapped, looking frantically between his friends for some reassurance of their belief. There wasn't any. "It's twisted and wrong and... and... gross! We weren't kissing! I fell! FELL, DAMN IT!"

"...Accurate," Yami continued, ignoring Katsuya's huffs of indignity, "but to think that Jou has tangible romantic feelings for Kaiba is just another one of this pervert's mind games."

Bakura drew himself up. "Pervert? How am I a pervert! I didn't even know about this torrid liaison until Ryou mentioned it!"

Every set of eyes slowly swiveled to fixate on the frail, pale boy. Who was apprehensively tugging at the hem on his sweater and refusing to acknowledge everyone's stare.

"Ryou," Jou ground in a shockingly even tone. "He's lying, right? Tell me he's lying."

Ryou's hands hesitated in their fidgeting. His eyes flickered up so quickly, Katsuya almost believed he had simply imagined them moving at all. Ryou sighed heavily and his arms hung limply by his sides. "Um..."

"NO! Ryou how could you!" Katsuya glared heatedly at him. Ryou had been demoted from his post of brand new best friend.

"I'm sorry, Jou! I couldn't help but notice! You're so obvious!"

The traitor!

"Obvious? Obvious about what! I don't like Kaiba! I never did like Kaiba! You're hallucinating the whole thing!" Katsuya breathed deeply, willing himself to calm. Bakura would mutilate him if he throttled Ryou to death. "You know, maybe you should go in with Malik to his therapy sessions."

"First of all," Bakura answered before his Hikari could, "those are closed sessions. And second of all, he's right! You are obvious when it comes to Kaiba!"

"Oh- oh yeah!" Jou was becoming reckless. He had to direct everyone's attention elsewhere and the constant shifting of eyes reminded him uneasily of a tennis match. "Si-since when did you start defending Ryou, huh Bakura!"

Inwardly, Katsuya grumbled. His rebuttal, admittedly, wasn't very good and made it look like he had something to hide. Besides, what could Bakura possibly say that would make everyone forget his and Mr. Kaiba Stick-Perpetually-Up-My-Ass Seto's lip lock?

"Since he started letting me kiss him, that's when!"

That, apparently.

"Er, Ba-bakura?" Yuugi ventured hesitantly. "Could you... repeat yourself? I- I think I heard you wrong." Honda and Yami nodded in dazed agreement.

"No," Ryou muttered, rubbing his temples and periodically glaring at Bakura. "No, you heard right."

And that's how Katsuya was saved!

Momentarily.

The attorney pushed her fashionable glasses up as they had begun to slip off her thin nose as she was going over the papers on her desk. She finished reading, frowned, and turned the document over to see plain, unmarked white paper shining back at her. She shuffled through a few more pages of the suit, blinking in confusion when she still couldn't find what she was searching for.

"Mr. Kaiba," She said respectfully to the boy who was twenty years her junior. His eyes flicked up to hers and her breath caught momentarily in her throat. She never fared well with intimidation and this boy was practically intimidation personified. She swallowed and forced herself to speak. "I believe you forgot something."

"No, I did not." Seto said with a note finality.

"The description, Mr. Kaiba," She replied reasonably. Ever since he had entered into her office that morning his fists had been balled and shaking. His shoulders were tense and it was apparent to anyone that if he wasn't with her, he would most assuredly be burying a body in some remote part of Japan. "You forgot to include the description."

"You don't need one," Seto replied, irritated that she was bothering him with such meaningless things.

She sat back, opened her mouth slowly, before closing it again and staring at Kaiba completely baffled. "Mr. Kaiba, sir, I- I can't file a law suit on the grounds of physical assault, if you don't at least tell me what the assault entailed."

Seto narrowed his eyes, considering her words. She waited nervously for his answer. "I cannot give one. These cases, like all cases, are open to the public. The public which includes the media. I'm sure you understand that with my status, I cannot afford such a thing."

Her eye twitched, until she immediately remembered whose company she was in. "Please, Mr. Kaiba, no judge would take this seriously unless you can offer up what happened."

"What if my mind is repressing the memory?" He questioned.

She hesitated and then, in an unintentionally challenging voice, "Is your mind repressing it?"

"No," He answered, waving it off. "But I don't see why that should get in the way of anything. So, do I have a case?"

"Um," Her eyes darted around the room, searching for some sort of escape. When none presented itself, she began to prepare herself for the coming onslaught of screams. "N-no. I don't think so. Th-the description..."

Seto was shockingly calm at the announcement. "I see. And you cannot fathom any way to get around the description dilemma?"

"N-no, sir."

Seto nodded slowly. "Then I suppose your legal expertise is really no use to me, is it?"

"N-no, sir. I suppose not."

Seto nodded again and the lawyer vaguely wondered if he had gone into shock. She watched him in silence, expecting him to leave, but instead he simply sat still and stared at nothing in particular. When she counted five minutes, she began to worry.

"Mr. Kaiba? Do you need assistance? The hospital, perhaps? If you are going into sho-"

"How long have you been practicing law, Miss. Takarhu?"

Naomi blinked in surprise, it was the first time he said her name. "About twelve years now."

"Did you get a lot of criminals during that time?"

"Yes, I suppose I di-"

Kaiba interrupted her, "Did you get them off?"

"Most, yes."

"Most? That's impressive. What were they charged with?"

Naomi flushed with the praise. "Money laundering and corporate fraud, Mr. Kaiba."

"Any more... serious crimes?"

"Serious crimes? Those are seri-"

"Yes, yes, of course they are." He recognized impatiently. "But I mean crimes as in, oh let's say, drug trafficking, smuggling... assassination..."

She frowned. There was that one man with cocaine in Kyoto two years back. "Well, yes I have."

Seto's eyes lit up, though he struggled not to allow his excitement show. "I don't suppose you would be able to contact one of those people? Perhaps one who dealt in... eliminating certain annoyances, as it were?"

Naomi gasped in horror. Her quick eyes scanned the room as if expecting to discover an eavesdropper. She leaned in cautiously and dropped her voice, "Are you asking me to refer you to a hitman?"

Seto frowned thoughtfully at her. "Well... can you?"

Seto growled in frustration as he entered his house and threw a kick the door. The woman had forced him out of her office. However, not before she gave him a business card and told him that should he decide to "take care" of his little problem himself and be caught, that he should call her again. Damnable woman. He couldn't sue or kill Jounouchi!

Seto frowned. Or kill Jounouchi...? Perhaps that was a bit irrational, but still! That boy had... had forced himself on Kaiba! Heat began rising into Seto's cheeks. He fought it back down. Why? Why did he keep doing that! It wasn't as if the kiss if one could even call that sloppy smash of lips a kiss- was at all enjoyable. So why did his heart quicken anxiously at the mere memory?

"Seto?" Mokuba came jogging down the stairs. "Seto, where have you been all afternoon?"

"Trying to find an assassin."

Mokuba frowned, his eyes, though, were glittering. "Again? Seto, I don't think that's healthy." He giggled. "But really, where were you?"

"With a lawyer," Seto replied.

Mokuba's eyes widened. "Why? Is someone suing you?"

"Yes. Why else would I be looking for a killer-for-hire?"

Mokuba smiled widely, and laughed softly. "Seto..."

"No, I'm not being sued," Seto assured his brother. "I went trying to figure out a how to sue the mutt for extreme emotional distress brought on by a physical assault."

His little brother's shoulders sagged as he rolled his eyes. "Jeez, Seto, the two of you were just caught kissing each other. No reason to get all-"

"We were NOT caught kissing each other! Because we were NOT kissing each other! He attacked me!" Seto raged, his face heating up. Seto didn't want to brood on whether the heat was from anger or something else entirely.

Mokuba was unaffected by his brother's tirade. "Uh huh. 'Course he attacked you. One could clearly see that from the way you were kicking and screaming and pushing him off yo- oh, wait a moment. You didn't do any of that, did you? No, instead you wrapped your arm around his waist." Mokuba snickered. "Yeah, I can totally see the attack in that."

Seto lowered his gaze and sent a feral glower at his little brother. "And what," he asked slowly, in a dangerously soft voice, "is that supposed to mean?"

Mokuba giggled. A quite unusual response for most when receiving a heated glare from Kaiba Seto. But all things considered, Mokuba was quite an unusual boy. How many other twelve year old boys could boast about being kidnapped on a fairly regular basis? "Oh come on, Seto. You can't fool me! You liked it when Jou kissed you!"

Seto gaped wordlessly, only brought to his senses when Mokuba began reenacting the terrible horror of the attack with his hands and making obnoxiously loud kissing noises.

"I most certainly did not like it!" Seto snarled. "I HATE HIM!"

Mokuba glanced up, momentarily stopping his Seto-left-hand's love confession to his Jou-right-hand. He frowned at his brother before shaking his head in slow amusement. "No, Seto, you don't."

"Yes, Mokuba, I do!"

"No, you don't. I know you and I know you don't hate him. You're just frustrated. I mean, he sorta makes you loose control. He makes you nervous and confused and that is completely foreign to you. And it drives you insane."

As Mokuba said all this, he watched his brother's face seep into disgruntled understanding. Encouraged by Seto's lacking of indigent screaming, Mokuba pressed on. "And yesterday. That kiss. It only served to confuse you more. One instant he's kissing you with all he has, and the next he's pushing you back and sprinting away." Mokuba paused and hazard a guess, "And that's what is really bothering you, isn't it? That he pushed you back."

Seto walked over to the sitting room and sat, sighing tiredly. He didn't know how Mokuba had become so damned insightful. Seto blamed all the therapy sessions he sent his brother to in order to help him cope with the multiple kidnappings. Apparently the boy had picked some of it up.

Damn Dr. Porpleski and his 100 dollars per hour sessions.

"No, not so much that he pushed me back. Because I don't like the mutt, Mokuba, get that clear. It's just..." Seto seemed uneasy, as if he wasn't even really sure of the words he was saying himself. "Why did he do it in the first place? That's what I don't get." Seto paused. His eyes narrowed, "I think he's trying to get me back for calling him a mutt all the time."

"Isn't that just a wee bit paranoid, Seto?" Mokuba sighed and down next to his brother. "If you want to know, just ask him. But are you ready for what he says? What if he says he did it because he likes you back? How would you handle that, Seto?"

"I suppose I wou- wait." Seto shot a murderous scowl at his brother. "Likes me back? That would require me liking him first, Mokuba!"

Mokuba was the picture of wicked innocence. "Would it?"

"Yes, it would! And being as I do not like him, I don't-"

"You can deny it all you want, Seto." Mokuba told him flatly. His tone leaving no room for discussion. "But I know you. And I can recognize the subtle changes in you whenever he's around."

Seto narrowed his eyes. "Even if I did like him, which I don't, it wouldn't matter. I can give you a million reasons why the mutt hates me and I'm sure he could give you a million more."

Mokuba nodded reluctantly in agreement. "Yes, but that doesn't mean any of those reasons are the truth. Jou doesn't go around just randomly kissing people, you know." His eyes softened. "Would it kill you to give him a shot?"

Seto grumbled discontentedly, "The only shot I want to give him is for rabies."

Katsuya greedily dipped himself a fourth scoop of strawberry ice cream and proceeded to drizzle chocolate syrup all over it. He plunged his spoon in when three knocks sounded at the door. He glared accusingly at it, before getting up to answer.

"Yeah? What do yoOh. It's you." He glowered half heartedly, stepping back to let the other boy in.

"It's nice to see you too, Jou." Ryou said as friendly as he could. He gave an amiable smile. "I see you don't bother to dress up to answer the door."

Katsuya grunted at him. He was still in his sleep wear. "What are ya doing here?"

"Um, I just wanted to... talk. You know, since I didn't really have time to yesterday."

"Oh that's right!" Jou exclaimed brightly, clapping his hands together. "Bakura interrupted your perverted speech with one of his own perverted speeches about the two of you making out like rabbits!"

Ryou shifted as though injured. "I wouldn't exactly compare us to rabbits..."

"Look," Katsuya said, already on the defensive. "If you're here to talk about my alleged feelings for Kaiba-"

"Yes, that's precisely why I'm here," Ryou smiled smugly, a rather odd look on the delicate boy. "And they aren't alleged, Jou. They are confirmed.

Katsuya stared at Ryou for a moment. "You're relationship with Bakura must've really screwed you up, Ryou." With that, Katsuya turned back around into the kitchen. He didn't want to deal with thiswith Ryou's suspicions. He could forget it all, pretend the whole kiss was no more than some ghastly nightmare induced by undercooked meat in the school cafeteria. But not if someone was constantly harping on it.

"Jou," Ryou said in a soft, patient voice. "Jou, listen to me. It wasn't an accident. You didn't fall. If anything, you jumped him."

"I sure as hell didn't jump him!"

Ryou smirked. "Then you're willing admit you didn't fall, at least?"

Katsuya stayed silent and pushed his ice cream around with his spoon.

Ryou's grin widened. "That's what I thought." He sat down across from Katsuya and gazed at him in a supportive manner. "Now, what's on your mind?"

Katsuya stared at his spoon contemplatively. "Think I could stretch this far enough to wrap around Kaiba's neck and choke him out? I mean, metal is ductile, right? That's what they said in science class."

Immense discomfort would be the only way to describe Ryou's appalled expression. "Um, wo-wouldn't you rather do... ah, other things to Kaiba?"

"Yeah, but beating someone to death is so cliché," Katsuya explained. "Choking someone to death with a spoonnow that's original! Anything out of the ordinary would do, really. Maybe Kaiba could choke on his own big ego, or a pen cap, or-"

"Your tongue?"

"Yeah! Or my tong" Jou instantly screwed his nose up in profound horror. "Eww! NO! Gods, Ryou! What the hell would make you think of something like that!"

"Something tells me you thought of it first, Jou." Ryou, sensing that Jou was ready to beat him to a pulp, decided to change the conversation in an act of self preservation. "So... Kaiba choking on a pen cap. That's... uh... creative."

Katsuya shook his head and ate a little of his quickly melting ice cream. "No, my spoon idea, that's creative. The pen cap thing is just probable. He chews his pens all the time."

"I've never seen him do that."

"He doesn't do it at school." Katsuya explained. "But if you look closely at his caps, you'll see a lot of them have little teeth marks. I'm betting its a nervous habit he got from working at Kaiba Corp."

Ryou was quiet and attentively observed Katsuya, waiting for him to say something else. When he didn't, Ryou asked in a harmless voice, "You really watch him closely, don't you?"

Jounouchi shrugged. "I guess so."

He didn't notice Ryou smile.

Katsuya ate another bite of ice cream when a noise attracted his attention. "Hey! Ryou, where are you going?"

The other boy paused, his hand just above the kitchen doorknob. "Oh, I thought I should get going. Leave you alone with your thoughts."

Katsuya eyed his friend suspiciously.

Ryou's lips stretched into a mischievous grin reminiscent of Bakura. "You have a lot to think about, I'm sure." Ryou smiled knowingly at him. "What with this whole kissing business and what not."

Katsuya sent Ryou a dark look, "I have a lot of spoons, Ryou. Tons of 'em."

Ryou chuckled uneasily at Katsuya's threat, "Just think on it, Jou. The two of you could both use... an end to all this tension between you." Ryou then giggled again and winked cheekily at Jou.

Katsuya gaped as Ryou left with the innuendo still hanging in the air. All the... the tension between him and Kaiba! What tension! There was no tension, damn it! NONE!

He shook his head ruefully.

Ryou; the sweet, modest, innocent, unassuming, frail, naive British boy he had grown to know and love had disappeared. Only to be replaced by some pervert manufactured from Bakura's own corrupt imaginings.

There was no justice in the world.

"Forget it," Katsuya ordered himself. "Just forget it. Ryou's just acting crazy and so is everybody else. That... that thing in the hallway was an accident. Just an accident. I accidentally fell and Kaiba accidentally... fell back. And... he was... just... holding me up! That's it!" Katsuya smirked in triumph, not at all disappointed no one was there to witness his genius. "Kaiba wasn't," he shuddered, "hugging me. He was just making sure I didn't collapse onto the floor in some uncharacteristic show of common decency!"

Satisfied with this decision, Katsuya went back to his ice cream. The tasty treat had liquefied completely now, but that didn't dampen his mood.

He heard some knocking at the door, a bit hesitantly. "Come on in!" He called. Ryou must have forgotten something.

'Forgotten his sanity!' Katsuya thought with a grin. 'Nothing's going on with me and the pretentious bastard!'

Katsuya heard soft footsteps in the living room, slowly making their way into the kitchen. The sound stopped at the door and suddenly an air of apprehension washed over Katsuya. His stomach clenched almost painfully, his cheeks burned, and his throat seized up with an unexpected lump. Then he blinked, and only the uneasy atmosphere remained in place.

He didn't even have to look up to know what had caused the definite change in the room. It always happened.

"Your soup doesn't look entirely safe, puppy." Kaiba drawled. He was leaning against the door frame in what must have been the most uncomfortable stance Kaiba had ever been seen in. His arms were crossed and shoulders rigid. Every muscle in his body seemed tense and his eyes had a guarded and nervous look about them.

"It's not soup!" Jou automatically replied with a sense of indignity. "It's ice cream."

Seto raised a single brow, "In my house we serve it frozen."

"Yeah, well, I like it better this way!" Katsuya lied. He took a spoon full of the sweet liquid and slurped it up. "Yummy."

"Shouldn't you place that bowl on the floor and lap it up like all the other dogs, pup?"

Katsuya threw his spoon back in the bowl, ignoring it as the melted ice cream splashed onto his shirt, and hastily stood up. "What the fuck do you want, Kaiba!"

"I... uh, what are you wearing?" Seto seemed to have temporarily forgotten what he was about to say, and instead became focused on Katsuya's appearance. Dark blue boxers revealed miles of the puppy's long legs and a white tank top with a neck too large for Katsuya so the left strap would occasionally slip of the blonde's shoulder.

"They're called boxers, Kaiba. You must not recognize them since they aren't the fancy Italian imported half silk half lace crap you probably have."

"That's not what I mean!" Seto was horrified to feel his pulse speeding up considerably. His eyes were trained to the wall behind Katsuya. "All you have on is those and that tank top..." Kaiba trailed off quietly, then resumed with the unmatched fervor of a desperate man, "GO PUT SOME DAMN CLOTHES ON!"

"Why?" Katsuya demanded, suddenly very angry at the other boy. How dare he come into his home and criticize him! What the hell was wrong with him? Katsuya walked over to Seto in what he would call a threatening walk. Seto had an entirely different term for slight hip swishing approach.

Seto, for his part, had done a phenomenal job fighting down his blush at the beginning, but with the pup quickly drawing closer he was starting to lose. "What?" Katsuya questioned, forcing Seto to concentrate on him again. "Do I make you uncomfortable, or something?"

Seto's face erupted in brilliant color.

"I," Seto paused, uncertain. He decided to go for the guarantee; an excuse and a way out. "I simply stopped by to make certain that thing you inflicted upon me didn't infect me with some disease. You can never be to careful with wild dogs."

Katsuya predictably snarled. "That's what you came here for!"

Seto inwardly congratulated himself on skillfully evading a potential disaster. "Yes, I was wondering if you had your papers? I would like to see for my self when your last visit to the vet was. You don't have fleas, do you? I sure there's some sort of bath salt for that kind of thing."

Seto knew he went too far. He wanted to go too far. He didn't know why he had actually gone to Katsuya's house. Had he really expected to talk to about the kiss? No matter how threatening he had intended on being. he couldn't bring it up! He just-

"FUCK YOU!" Katsuya shrieked, ripping Seto away from his thoughts. The boy was frighteningly enraged, his body was trembling, face bright red, and his breath coming out as gasps. He almost looked as if he was in the throws of an orga-

Seto clenched his eyes tightly, willing the thought away. My bed! He thought despairingly. Why the hell did I picture him like that on my bed!

"HEY!"

Seto blinked and stared at Katsuya, who was now less than three feet away. The boy scowled up at him angrily, "Are you listening to me, you bastard!" He stepped even closer and Seto was becoming uncomfortably aware of a droplet of chocolate syrup that stubbornly clung to the corner of the blonde's lips.

Seto wanted to say something, anything, to get Katsuya to just step back a little. "Don't spit on me, mutt." Seto hissed coldly, surprising even himself. "I don't need anymore interaction with your saliva after that attack you launched on me and my person."

"Attack!" Katsuya shouted incredulously. He did not, however, step back. "I- I fell!"

"Whatever, Mutt. I don't give a damn. Just get the hell away from me." As to not sound as panicked as he was feeling, Seto quickly added, "I don't want your filth tarnishing my good clothing."

Katsuya began trembling again and Seto mentally berated himself for his once again wandering mind. Seto had hoped the comment would hurt Katsuya enough for him to step away, or maybe even put some clothes. But, of course, Katsuya had to go and do the exact opposite.

He extended his arm and jabbed Seto soundly in the chest with an accusing finger. "Who," poke, "the," poke "fuck" poke "do you" poke "think" poke "you" poke "ARE!" At that, Katsuya abandoned his single finger poking style of attack and flattened both his palms on Seto's chest and slammed him into the wall the brunette had been slowly retreating towards during the whole assault.

Seto couldn't think. Katsuya was pressed against in what he was sure the blonde thought to be a menacing way, but it came off a little different for Seto. Every time. Every blasted time Katsuya was too close this happened!

"WELL!" Katsuya demanded, struggling to look superior despite the height difference. "Who do you think you are, Kaiba! Coming in here, calling me names, mocking me, and just... just...!" Raw emotion flickered painfully in Katsuya's chocolate eyes. Then, heart wrenchingly soft, "What did I ever do to you?"

Seto stared at Katsuya. A bubble of bitterness and confusion erupted inside him, "What did you ever do to me? You don't know! You do it every fucking day, Jounouchi! And I can't stand it! It's too much and its infuriating because you... you don't even realize you're fucking doing it all, do you!"

Katsuya blinked in confusion before his anger made itself known once more. "Really? Cause I always try to ignore you! Always! Is that one of the things I do, huh!"

"YES!" Seto snapped, all the anger, confusion, and frustration rushing out of him in a violent stream of partially fragmented words. "AND THIS! AGAINST ME! AND YOU... YOU STILL DON'T SEE IT! AND A THOUSAND OTHER THINGS! EVERY DAMN DAY! AND YOU JUST WON'T GO AWAY, NO MATTER HOW FAR YOU ARE FROM ME, YOU'RE STILL THERE! I CAN'T THINK, DAMN YOU!" He slowed, almost remorseful. "I I can't think."

Katsuya was silent for a moment, taking in all the things Kaiba had shouted. "How is that my fault?" He asked. Seto could tell that the only reason he wasn't yelling was because he was afraid of Kaiba screaming again.

"Because," Seto's speech was slow, controlled. And so soft Katsuya had to tilt his head closer. Mokuba's words came back to him with a vengeance. Insane. Not true at all. Seto simply did not think of the puppy in that way. Yet, at the same time... "Because you are you. And I can't stand you." Katsuya's mouth flew open, no doubt to regale Seto on his own issues, but Seto, in his own infinite horror, kept on. "The thoughts won't stop. I can't stand that, pup. You... what you do... I can't stand it."

"Oh?" Katsuya's voice was wavering a little more than he would like. His chest had constricted painfully as had his throat. His eyes were burning. The blonde, however, firmly refused to indulge himself in any inner searching to discover exactly why. "And what exactly do I do to you?"

Katsuya's body was so close and the words left Seto's mouth unintentionally, "Everything." Katsuya's eyes widened and he was about to question Seto's response. Seto, assuming he had already dug himself a deep enough hole, figured he may as well take a suicide head first dive in. He lowered his face and pressed his lips delicately against Katsuya's. He drew back only slightly, brushing the tips of their noses together, and finally leaning his forehead against Katsuya's.

That's when Seto saw it again. That little bit of chocolate on the corner of Katsuya's mouth that had teased him earlier. Confident that the other at least wasn't going to murder him, Seto stuck his tongue out and licked up the sweet candy. He didn't really mind the way Katsuya gasped as he did it, either.

"Hey," Katsuya said softly, a bit dazed. "That was-"

A loud crash stopped Katsuya from continuing, still he did lean in a bit closer, something Kaiba had thought to be impossible.

Seto looked over to where the crash had emanated to see a confused and nervous blonde man standing awkwardly over a shattered coffee mug.

"D- dad!" Katsuya choked out.

Katsuya's father blinked at his son and then glanced over at Seto. He shook his head a bit as if to clear his thoughts. "I... I was just popping in for so-some papers I left on the counter." He laughed nervously and gently waved before mentioned documents. "I, uh, didn't know I'd be... interrupting anything. So, I'll go and you can, um, continue." He hesitated. "But not in here! We... we eat in here, ya know?" His face was brilliant ruby red and Seto could practically feel the heat waves of embarrassment radiating off him. Even still, it didn't compare to Katsuya's burning cheeks.

His father felt uncomfortable, but at the same time purposeful and he decided it may be a good time to impart some wisdom to his son. "Um," he began, rather unimpressingly. "Don't... don't do anything I wouldn't do." He immediately seemed dissatisfied with this and continued nervously to his horror struck teenager. Who was still pressed against Seto. "Or actually, I guess you would. I mean, I'm not into guys" He blanched. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, Katsuya! I, uh, I still love you... and, um, your... boyfriend seems very..." He searched his mind for the right word before settling weakly on, "Affectionate."

"Thank you," Seto said, thinking it might be a good idea for him to say anything to alleviate the tension.

It wasn't.

Katsuya's father stared at him in amazement. Part of him almost thought he was hallucinating the whole thing, or maybe Seto was just a board shouldered, small chested, strangely tall girl. But hearing his deep voice stamped out any of those suspicions. Katsuya whimpered in lethal embarrassment, and tried to hide himself in Kaiba's chest. This only lead to his father gaping in stunned silence at his only son.

Seto decided a shell shocked father was worth it if Katsuya snuggled up to him.

"I... I'm gonna go!" Katsuya's father said in a rush once he regained thought. Before he left, though, he hesitated and dug something out of his pocket. "Here," he said, tossing it to Seto who immediately snatched it out of the air. Katsuya's father gave a strained smile that didn't even begin to reach his eyes and an uncomfortable thumbs up. "Sa-safety first!" Then he suddenly realized how ridiculous he looked giving Seto thumbs up and slowly let his arms fall to his sides and walked numbly out of the apartment.

"I... I can't believe he saw that!" Katsuya mumbled against him. Seto instantly concluded that anything Katsuya did against him was good. He could feel Katsuya's warm breath through his clothing. "He saw you kissing me! And... and licking me!" Katsuya drew his head back and glowered up into Seto's blue eyes. "What the hell were you thinking! Kissing me! Licking me!"

"What were you thinking when you kissed me in the hall in front of everyone just two days ago?" Seto retorted a little upset that Katsuya wasn't pressed against him anymore. But he wouldn't say that aloud.

"I... I didn't!" Katsuya answered weakly. "It was an accident! I fell!" Seto raised his eyebrows and Jou knew the other boy didn't believe a word of it. "Shut up, Kaiba!" Suddenly, Katsuya found he couldn't bear to look into Seto's eyes any longer and he stared at his hand instead. "Hey, what did he throw at you?"

Seto uncurled his fist to reveal the item.

"Oh... he... oh." Was all Seto responded. He was a little amused, a little embarrassed, and, not that he would ever admit it, a little intrigued by the possibilities it offered.

"HE GAVE YOU A CONDOM!" Katsuya screamed in surprise.

Seto frowned disapprovingly at him. "A little louder, pup. The tenants on the top floor didn't hear you properly."

"HE GAVE YOU A CONDOM!"

"I didn't seriously mean for you to say it louder!" Seto hissed, embarrassed as he tried to silence Katsuya.

"But... but he gave it to you, damn him!" Katsuya glowered at Seto as if it was all his fault. "Like he thinks just because you're taller than me that you would definitely be on top!"

The corners of Seto's lips tugged at him, then a little more, until he lost control and began chuckling softly at the blonde. "Wouldn't I?" Seto mused.

Completely the wrong thing to say. Seto blanched and Katsuya wouldn't look at him. Seto stared awkwardly at Katsuya's back for a little while before mumbling, "I think I should go."

"Y-yeah. You probably should." Katsuya turned around to say good bye, but the words died in his throat. He nipped his lip and steeled himself. "Hey, Kaiba?"

"It never happened, puppy. None of it ever happened." Seto replied, knowing what was on Katsuya's mind. He said it so simply. Like it was that easy. And why shouldn't it be? Seto just had to remember he didn't care about Jounouchi like that... providing he cared about him at all.

"Oh. Right, okay. Never happened."

Seto couldn't help noticing the barely hidden bitterness in Katsuya's voice.

Walking into Domino High School on Monday morning was like walking onto a battle field years after the fight. The evidence of war is all gone, but the thick air remains. Everyone had seen Katsuya kiss Seto. And those who hadn't, had been quickly told about it from their friends. Katsuya's shoulders stiffened. The moment he walked through the doors with Yuugi, Honda, and Ryou all conversation had stopped. Every eye stared at him and he could barely make out a few people muttering about fairies and queers. Then there was the more disturbing, and frighteningly frequent, whispered comments about how cute Katsuya and the rich jerk were together. Katsuya wanted to scowl these people into silence, but he couldn't pick them out of the crowd.

"Don't worry," Yuugi said beside him. "In a little while, they'll forget all about it!"

"He launched himself on the school heart throb, Yuugi." Ryou reasoned, "There is no way they'll ever forget that." He paused. "They'll probably even tell it as a bed time story to their grandchildren."

"Gee Ryou," Katsuya grumbled opening his locker. "You sure know how to make a guy feel better."

"Hey Jou, if anyone gives you any hassle about it, just point them out to me." Honda made a threatening gesture with his hands. "I'll take care of them."

Katsuya smiled weakly. "Sure thing," But he had a sinking feeling that Honda would easily be overwhelmed. After all, he was certain more than half of the school wanted to "hassle" him.

"Seto?" Mokuba asked quietly, peeking in on his brother in his work room. "What are you doing? Why aren't you in your school uniform yet? We have to go! If you don't hurry and get ready, you'll never be to school on time."

"I know," Seto answered, tapping away at his computer. "I'm not going in today."

"Why?" Suddenly worried, "Are you sick?"

Seto paused. "In a way."

"Wait, you're just skipping because you don't want to face Jounouchi, aren't you!" Mokuba accused him.

Seto sighed, "Why shouldn't I?"

"You can't make him go through this alone! People might be really mean to him! Don't you want to be there to help!"

"No, I prefer to be the only one being mean to the mutt."

"You know what I meant, Seto!" His brother stamped his foot impatiently. "You're not acting like a very good boyfriend! You should help Jou!"

Seto's eye twitched. "First off, I'm NOT his boyfriend. And secondly, I don't want to help the puppy. He got himself into this mess, he can get himself out."

"You don't mean that." Mokuba stated. Then a little triumphantly, "You like him."

Seto looked back his screen, his face feeling a little warmer than usual. "Are you ready for school, Mokuba? I'll take you in."

"You should really go, Seto." Mokuba said in one last plea for Jou's sake. "It would be easier for him. Besides, he might be grateful," Mokuba winked at his older brother.

Seto arched his eye brows.

"And he might," Mokuba continued slowly. "Kiss you again to show his appreciation."

The puppy does have soft lips...

Seto stood up and made his way to the door, Mokuba in toe. "And why would I want him to do something like that?"

His eyelashes are really quite long and they caress his cheeks when he closes his eyes for a kiss.

"Oh I don't know..." Mokuba giggled.

His body is rather warm, almost burning to the touch.

"Maybe," Mokuba continued, unaware of his brother's thoughts. "Because you like him?"

"Maybe," Seto answered.

"Awww! Where's your little boyfriend, Jounouchi?"

"Hey! Jounouchi! Is Kaiba always on top, or do the both of you switch off?"

"Couldn't keep your hands off him even in school, could you?"

"Jounouchi! Do you drop to your knees in front of him a lot?"

"Ignore them, Jou."

"I know, Yuugi," Katsuya gritted out through tightly clenched teeth. He had only been in school for a few minutes and already caustic barbs were flying. The initial stunned silence and muttered words had quickly worn off on the student body and they became rasher. Katsuya had already punched three guys, but even the fact two had bloodied noses and one a black eye, the others were not deterred.

Jounouchi sat down at his usual seat and glanced irritably to his left. Kaiba wasn't there. Figures, Katsuya thought bitterly. Bastard decided he didn't have to deal with any of this. Sure, I may have been the one to kiss him in the hall... but... but he kissed me at my home! And he licked me! The least the jerk could do is show up...

Katsuya laid his head on his desk in defeat as he heard someone scream, "Look! It's a fairy!" right outside his classroom. It didn't take a genius to realize who they were directing it at.

Katsuya felt completely alone.

Damn Kaiba...

"JOUNOUCHI KATSUYA!"

Katsuya's head jerked up and he looked at the girl who had shrieked his name. Surrounding her were seven others. "Um, yeah?"

"My name is Haru Rika and I am the President and Co-founder of the Kaiba Seto Fan Club Domino branch!"

Katsuya stared stupefied. "You're joking. That bastard literally has a fan club!"

A girl with black hair and blue streaks screamed, scandalized. "How dare you call The Great Kaiba Seto a bastard!" She demanded, her eyes wild. Every girl leaned in a bit, awaiting his response.

Katsuya leaned back uneasily. "Well, you know, if the shoe fits..."

"YOU HORRIBLE BOY!" They all screamed simultaneously.

"What do you all want!" He demanded. He was having a bad day as it was, he didn't need to deal with Kaiba's rabid fan girls as well.

"We want you to make a formal apology in front of Kaiba Seto and the rest of the student body for assaulting him in the revolting way you did!" She announced. "If it had been you and any other boy, we probably would have swooned. However, it was with Kaiba Seto! And Kaiba Seto is completely off limits! He's ours! You defiled him! I wouldn't be surprised if he will have to go to therapy for this-"

"HE SHOULD GO TO THERAPY ANYWAY!" Jou yelled at her.

"WHAT! WHY! THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH KAIBA SETO!"

"IT'S ALL HIS FAULT!"

"YOU WERE THE ONE WHO KISSED HIM IN THE HALL!"

"AND HE WAS THE ONE WHO KISSED ME IN MY KITCHEN!"

The girls stared at Katsuya in horror and slowly it dawned on him what he had screamed out. He sank lower into his seat.

"You... you lie!" The girls charged him. "Why- why would you lie about something like that? You... you...!" They all began to blubber and tears spilled down their cheeks. "You horrible boy! Spreading nasty rumors about Kaiba Seto like that! You pervert!"

"Yeah... everyone thinks I'm the pervert and Kaiba is squeaky clean. Figures that the pri- OWW!" Katsuya clapped his hand to his reddening cheek. Rika stood furiously over him, looking rather self satisfied at having slapped him.

"How DARE you imply that Kaiba Seto is in ANY way perverted! You entirely deserved that! Not just for your insults, but also for stealing away Kaiba's first kiss!"

"Hey!" Jounouchi piped up, outraged. "It was MY first kiss too, you know!"

"I thought you fell?"

"Shut the hell up, Honda youOWWWW!" He grasped his other cheek in pain. "QUITE IT! STOP HITTING ME!"

"He's right," a voice said slowly from the doorway. "You shouldn't strike him. The Animal Rights Organization may get on you about it."

The girls all administered a high pitched squeal. "KAIBA SETO!" And they rushed over to him. Suddenly, they were no longer the frightening, vicious creatures that had accosted Katsuya. Rather they were blushing and coy... and little slutty judging by a few girls who were sticking their chests out as far as they could.

Seto glowered down at them and coldly hissed, "Get away from me." Katsuya felt a little vindicated. Then he remembered that it was all Seto's fault in the first place and he got angry again.

"So you finally decided to saunter in, huh jerk?" Katsuya growled at him, still cupping both of his cheeks.

Seto drew himself up and narrowed his eyes at Katsuya. "I'm on time," He told him. Then sneering, "You look even more like an idiot when you hold your face like that."

"Shut up!" Katsuya snapped angrily. "It's your fault this happened!"

"My fault?" Seto questioned taking his seat next to Katsuya.

"Yes, your fault! You and your nutty fan club. They attacked me!" Katsuya pointed at one of his cheeks which now had a bright red hand print clearly on it.

Seto laughed.

"YOU THINK THAT'S FUNNY!"

"Yes. A little." The corners of Seto's lips twitched. "I take it they weren't too pleased with you kissing me in the hall, hm?"

"How'd you guess?" Katsuya huffed.

"Um, Kaiba?" One nervous girl said in a near whisper.

Kaiba glared at her, and the girl flushed with happiness. Kaiba Seto had, no matter how unpleasantly, acknowledged her existence. "I was just wondering," she tugged at her skirt. "If you'd... um, maybe g-go out with m-me? Ma-maybe on... on Friday night?"

Katsuya, who was back to cupping his face, snorted. "Why the hell would you wanna go out with that freak? Hell, you might as well go out with Honda."

"DON'T CALL THE GREAT KAIBA SETO A FREAK, JOUNOUCHI!" Rika drew her hand back and sent it swinging at his head, only to whiff right past and twirl her body around when he ducked.

"HA! Thought I'd let you hit me again didn't you? Well obviously you don't me all that wOWW!" He grabbed the back of his head and snarled at Honda. "Why did you hit me!"

Honda shrugged, "You kind of called me a freak."

"Kind of? You hit me because of a kind of! That hurt!"

"I would've knocked you out of your seat otherwise, pal." Honda explained. He frowned suddenly, his eyes glowing mischievously. "Of course you probably would've liked that."

"Oh yes, I just adore laying on the ground," Katsuya replied sarcastically.

"Most puppies do," Seto chimed in.

Katsuya whirled on the other boy. "And who asked-"

"You would've landed in Kaiba's lap," Honda interrupted. Jounouchi's eyes widened and he slowly turned to face his apparently unhinged friend. "And we all know that would have made your day." Honda chuckled in what Katsuya thought a rather sadistic manner. "His, too."

Honda didn't have time to defend himself before an iron force hand collided against his cheek.

Jounouchi stared flabbergasted.

"DON'T IMPLY THAT KAIBA SETO WOULD DO ANYTHING WILLINGLY WITH THAT THING!" Rika panted with agitation, her previously neatly pulled back auburn hair now fraying radically around her deceptively sweet face.

"H-Honda?" Yuugi whispered, his eyes miles wide. "I- I think you're bleeding!"

"K-Kaiba Seto?" The girl's quiet voice brought Katsuya mind back from worrying about Honda. The bastard deserved it anyway. Why the hell would he want to be in Kaiba's lap?

No, Katsuya told himself firmly. Don't even think that. But he did, and a blush quickly took over his face, though with the hand prints still there it was rather hard to see.

Seto looked at the girl, then darted his eyes to Katsuya, and back to the girl. "No." He said adamantly. "I already have plans for that night."

"Oh..." She looked crestfallen, but then, "What about some other time?"

"No, I really don't see that happening."

She was crushed.

And Katsuya wondered if he had some sort of malicious streak in him, because he was pleased when Kaiba turned her down. He didn't want to investigate what it could mean any further than that. But then Kaiba glanced at him again and all Katsuya could see for a moment was blue.

Which suddenly turned to red.

Blood red!

"GAH! Honda get away from me!" He pushed his friend away. Seto was already looking somewhere else.

"Jou! Is it really bad! My mouth is all coppery!" Honda panicked and some blood was dribbling from his mouth.

"Gross! Get back!" Jou raised his arms defensively.

"Honda!" The teacher snapped. "What on earth did you do this time?"

Honda gaped at him. "I didn't do anything! That lunatic," he pointed a wavering finger at Rika, "attacked me!"

The teacher shook his head and rolled his eyes. "This young lady is an exemplary student. She would never do such a thing. However," He turned on the girls. "All of you should be going to your class rooms now or else you'll be marked tardy."

"Yes, sir." They responded simultaneously. Rika paused and shot a snotty glare at Honda and Katsuya before joining her friends.

"Now Honda, go to the nurse. I don't need you dirtying up my room. And Jounouchi," He looked accusingly down at the blonde. "Don't even try it."

"Don't try what? I haven't done anything!" Katsuya scowled up at the man.

"Not yet, anyway. But I heard about what happened Friday afternoon in the hallway."

Katsuya's face blushed horribly. Even the teacher's were talking about it?

"What exactly did you hear?" Kaiba asked in a superior tone.

"I was told Jounouchi here tried to suffocate you." The teacher replied, eyeing Katsuya uneasily as if expecting him to leap out of his chair and attack someone.

"Did you hear what he tried to use to do it?" A male voice questioned from the front. Katsuya glared hatefully at the boy.

The teacher frowned and then glanced down at Katsuya. "You used something?"

"Yeah, his tongue!" An other voice cried out.

The teacher laughed until he saw Katsuya's horrified expression and the way Seto's eyes suddenly looked glazed over and his lips thin. He then coughed awkwardly, opened his mouth to say something, but opted not to and simply walked in front of the class to teach.

"In front of everyone," Seto murmured out of the corner of his mouth so only Katsuya could hear. "You just had to kiss me in front of everyone."

"Shut up. And quit calling it a kiss," Katsuya muttered back just as quietly.

Seto rose his eye brows delicately, but didn't look at Katsuya. "Then what should I call it?"

Jou paused and considered. "The incident," He replied as the teacher explained the difference between sine and cosine.

"All right then," Seto hesitated, debating if he should venture his thought. "What about yesterday in your kitchen? What shall we call that?"

Katsuya's eyes whipped around to Seto. "That... that didn't happen. Remember? We agreed it didn't happen."

"I know we did, puppy," Seto said even quieter than necessary. "But it did happen."

"Well, don't bring it up!" Katsuya hissed. A couple people looked back to glare at him. He quieted down. "Just don't say it."

Seto didn't say anything for a little while. He stared in a bored fashion at the blackboard where the lesson was being taught. Then, softly, he said, "I want to, though."

"Why!" Katsuya demanded, this time earning him a few sshhhings.

Seto turned his head and stared at Katsuya. The blonde's face reddened under the scrutiny. "Because it's not really a maybe."

Because it's not really a maybe. Katsuya thought to himself. What on earth does he mean by that? Weirdo. Figures he would've snapped. Katsuya pulled his gym shorts on and tied the string.

"Hey, Jounouchi!"

Oh no...

Three boys surrounded him, grinning wickedly at each other. "So we hear you and Kaiba are an item, huh?"

"You hear wrong." Jounouchi replied, hoping feverishly the boys would just go away and leave him alone.

"But Jounouchi! We saw the two of you making out in the hallway!"

"Did the two of you rush home together? Bet it would've been embarrassing if you two came in the middle of the hall, huh?"

"Go away." Katsuya hissed. "We're not together. That...thing in the hallway was an accident."

"An accident?" One boy asked innocently. "Oh, I get it! He broke your heart!" The other two chuckled with him. "He took you home, fucked you, and then kicked you out! No wonder you want to deny doing anything with him."

Katsuya's eyes hardened. "Hey, how's that girlfriend of yours? Takako, right? Still screwing every guy except you?"

The boy stepped in threateningly. "What the hell was that, Jounouchi?"

"You heard me. And everyone hears about her. You should hear what the guys say about her in this very class when you're out sick." Katsuya smirked. "She'll give it up for anyone, judging by the way they talk."

"You son of a-"

"BOYS! Get out here this instant! Ya got a mile run today! MOVE IT!" The gym coach bellowed.

The three boys withdrew, but the one stared at Katsuya still. "You just wait, Jounouchi. I'm gonna kick your ass for saying that about my girlfriend."

Katsuya watched as they left and rolled his eyes. That boy would never do anything to him. Truth was he picked a fight with everyone, but never followed through. Even when guys said much worse things about his girlfriend, if one could even call her that.

Katsuya felt sick with everything and didn't relish the idea of going out on the track with a bunch of boys that were sure to just tease him about his non existent relationship with Kaiba. So he slipped out of his gym shorts and pulled his shirt over his head and threw them both back into his locker, and got back into his jeans.

"You're skipping class? I don't think your GPA could take another hit, puppy."

"Kaiba!" Katsuya exclaimed, spinning around to see the other relaxing against the lockers. The blonde flushed, embarrassed that he only had his pants on. "Um, how long have you been there?"

"If you're asking if I saw you undress," Seto replied. "Then yes, I did." He smirked. "Nice boxers, by the way. I never knew you were fond of pandas."

"My sister bought them for me." He muttered, fumbling with his shirt to put it back on. "Hey, what are you doing here, anyway?"

Seto looked down at the ground and pushed himself off the lockers. His posture was rigid and while his eyes were now staring into Katsuya's, the blonde had a feeling Seto wasn't seeing him at all. "What I said in class. Did you... think about it?"

Katsuya wrinkled his nose in thought. "You mean the whole, 'it's not really a maybe' thing?"

"Y-yes." Kaiba stuttered.

Kaiba stuttered!

Katsuya was quickly becoming even more confused. "Um, yeah, I did. What the hell does it mean?"

Seto looked discouraged. "You mean you didn't understand it?"

"Should I have?"

"Well, no, I suppose not." He paused and slowly began stepping forward. "The kiss in the hallway-"

"The incident," Katsuya amended him.

"Yes, right, the incident. I," He stalled again. "You... can do that. Whenever you want."

"Wh-what?" Katsuya blinked up at Seto. Surely, he couldn't mean...

"As long as I can to you." Seto continued. He kept moving closer and Katsuya was becoming increasingly worried.

"Kaiba, I don't get why you're saying all-" Katsuya cut himself off. Seto stood towering over him, staring down at Katsuya.

"Because sometimes I think I might maybe like you, but..." Seto trailed off.

"But," Katsuya answered for him, his voice soft. "It's not really a maybe."

Seto's lips quirked up. "Exactly, puppy."

"Kaiba? The incident? I did it on purpose."

Seto leaned down, his warm breath caressing Jou's lips. "I know."

Have happy day, my lovelies!