Chapter Text
Jounouchi stood in front of the thermostat, sizing it up the way he might stare down an opponent from across a duel area. He clutched the blanket tighter around his shoulders, regarding the little sliver of red-painted metal that was firmly fixed on the number fifty-two. Fifty-two degrees inside, and the weather report was not optimistic that the outside temperature would rise past twenty for the rest of the week. It would only get colder from here on out, as would Jounouchi’s apartment, it seemed, unless he acted. Gritting his teeth as if the motion required an immense amount of strength, he twisted the dial minutely, adjusting it to read fifty-five. He could afford fifty-five, probably. The rent had already been paid this month, an impressive feat considering what the water bill had been. Jounouchi was still a little unsure as to how he had accomplished that on his combined part-time salaries. But he had, and with the landlord kept at bay for another month, he figured he could splurge on a few extra degrees. Fifty-five. Jesus.
He returned to the couch, picking up a second blanket and wrapping it around himself as he returned to the video game he’d been playing before he’d started hearing ominous creaking noises coming from beneath the floor. The trick was to keep the building just warm enough so that the pipes didn’t freeze, but not so warm that the gas bill would be enormous. Hopefully, spring would come soon, but from the way January and February had gone, Jounouchi wasn’t optimistic for March. In order to not be home, he’d picked up a lot of hours at the grocery store he worked at, but they could only give him so many a week. It was a similar deal with the convenience store he worked nights at. They wanted to help him out, give him more work, but they couldn’t afford to give him the hours he needed.
Jounouchi sometimes caught himself missing the days when he didn’t have to worry about these things so much, when he’d lived with his father and had spent most of his time at school or Yuugi’s house. While it had been nice to have his father legally obligated to keep the roof over his head, it had not been so nice to actually live with said father. His friends had been his escape, but now they were mostly gone, too. Yuugi was always travelling, Anzu was in New York, and Honda worked long hours in his garage. He’d never been that close with Ryou and he still held that grudge against Otogi, even after everything. That left him with very little options, not that he’d ever ask for charity from anybody. He’d always been self-sufficient, solved his own problems. This was no different. He was lonely, true, but he didn’t want to bother anyone. They saw each other enough considering their busy adult lives. It was sad, but it was reality. No big deal. Adult life was a lot of sad reality, he’d all-too quickly discovered.
It was only during the nights, when the wind howled and he shivered underneath a mountain of blankets that couldn’t hold enough heat to keep him warm that he could admit to himself that things weren’t working, his life wasn’t working. He was barely keeping his head above water, and he missed the simple days of card games and friendship. Something would have to give eventually, he just wasn’t sure what it was going to be. Going back to his father wasn’t an option, and his mother had never been all that receptive when he’d been a child. She’d never take care of him as an adult. And he’d never burden Shizuka with his problems, not when she had so many of her own to deal with. He had to take care of himself. No one else was going to do it for him. He would just have to grin and bear it until something came along to make things better, or at least a little easier. Either that, or he would wind up homeless. It was unthinkable, but it had already happened to a few guys he’d known from back in his gang days. Jounouchi just hoped that he would come out on top when he finally hit his “make or break” moment.
When he slept, he dreamed of card games, warm weather, and the smiles of his friends.
The next day came and went, and Jounouchi had just finished up a shift at the grocery store and was walking home with a brown paper bag full of microwave noodles when something caught his eye, a new billboard he hadn’t seen before up along the highway emblazoned with bright, bold letters advertising a Duel Monsters tournament that would be coming to Domino next month. Jounouchi stopped to look at it, absently wondering why he hadn’t heard anything from Yuugi about it. This would be great, though! Yuugi would have to come to town for a Kaiba Corp. tournament (they were his main sponsor, after all), and Jounouchi could enter the tournament, too. It would be like old times again - and maybe he’d win some prize money for himself! Jounouchi smiled at the thought as he hurried home, eager to put his groceries away so he could register himself for the tournament before he had to get to his other shift. He would have to go to a game shop to register, though, since he couldn’t fill out any kind of online form. He hadn’t paid his internet bill for the past two months, so he couldn’t get online.
After the quick stop to his apartment, Jounouchi hopped on a bus, deciding he would visit the Kame Game shop and call Yuugi on the way using the bus’s wifi. Kame was actually not too far from his other job, so he would probably still make it on time, even if he got to talking with the old man.
Jounouchi opened up his phone and clicked on Yuugi’s name.
“Hello? Katsuya?”
“Yuugi, hey buddy!” Jounouchi greeted, “How are you?”
“Good! How are you?”
“Doin’ great,” he lied smoothly, matching Yuugi’s excited tone, “So, listen, are you gonna be in town for the KC Tournament next month by any chance?”
“Yes!” Yuugi cheered, “I was going to text you about it as soon as the tournament went public, but I got super busy with stuff. I’m flying back home, like, tomorrow!”
“That’s awesome! I’m gonna enter, too!”
Yuugi paused on the other end of the line. Then, “Really? That’s great, Jou!”
“Yeah, I’m actually headed to your grandpa’s place to get my name on the list now,” Jounouchi continued, “You’ll have to give me the details when you get back. Ah, man, this is gonna be just like the old days, huh?”
Yuugi chuckled. “Yeah, just like old times,” he agreed, “Listen, though-,”
“Where are you now, Yuugi?” Jounouchi asked, grinning. It was so good to hear his best friend’s voice again. He’d missed Yuugi terribly. He could count on one hand how many times they’d talked in the last two or three months. Being King of Games sure didn’t seem like an easy job, even if it was a job Jonouchi would kill for.
“I’m, uh, actually I’m in China right now.”
“Oh, wow! Fancy stuff, huh?”
“Yeah, Jou,” Yuugi agreed with a giggle, “Mostly it’s exhausting, though. I wish I could say coming home will be relaxing for me, but since Domino is where KC headquarters are, I feel like I’ll be busier than ever.”
“That Kaiba keep you on a tight leash or something?”
“Well, sort of. Being a pro-gamer is a lot more than just playing the card games, actually.” Yuugi chuckled again. “I have to practice a lot, attend brand meetings, promote new stuff. I actually have to do a lot of non-duel monsters stuff, too, ever since KC broke into the PC gaming market.”
Jounouchi listened to Yuugi talk about his job with a tiny, guilt-inducing flame of envy in his heart. He would have loved to go pro after school, but he didn’t have the wins under his belt that Yuugi did, nor did he have the start-up money to devote all his time to gaming. He’d been kicked out of his dad’s house pretty much the moment he turned eighteen, so he’d gotten his part-time job to keep himself afloat. Then, when the ship had continued to sink, he’d gotten the other part-time job, and that left him with almost no time to devote to gaming. Not to mention, the technology itself cost money to buy and maintain. Jounouchi had tried for a few months, but he just couldn’t finance it, so he stopped. If he’d been good enough to win Duelist Kingdom or Battle City back in the day, maybe then he’d have been able to secure corporate sponsorship. Although, thinking about Yuugi’s situation, Jounouchi wasn’t sure he’d want a guy like Kaiba as his sponsor. He liked to do things his own way, which meant no uptight, know-it-all, rich boy jerk telling him what to do. Still, a sponsorship from KC would be huge, life-changing stuff.
“Listen, Yuugi, this has been awesome, but I’m gonna bounce now,” Jounouchi said good-naturedly, “I’ll see you when you get back, yeah? We’ll have to get together.”
“Absolutely! I can have grandpa roll out the guest futon for you!”
Jounouchi could have kissed him. “That’d be sweet! Just like old times, man. Catch you later.”
The bus stopped right in front of the Kame Game Shop, and Jounouchi hopped off and stood on the curb, simply staring up at the building for a moment. Some of the best times of his life were spent at Yuugi’s grandpa’s place, playing games with his friends and fawning over new cards and packs.
He strode inside with all the confidence befitting a person who essentially used to live there. “Hey, Grandpa!” he called out over the ringing of the shop’s bell.
“Jounouchi?” the old man called back, poking his head out of the back room, “Is that you?”
“Sure is! I’m here to register for the new KC tournament!”
“You are?” Grandpa Mutou approached Jounouchi, stroking his chin absently. “I didn’t think that tournament was open to the public.”
Jounouchi scoffed. “I’m hardly the public.”
Grandpa continued frowning in thought. “Even so, my boy, you’d have to take that one up with Kaiba himself. I could look online for you to see what his website says, but I don’t have the authority to enter you.”
Jounouchi snorted out his nose. “No way a jerk like Kaiba would give me special treatment.”
Grandpa shrugged. “I don’t know what else we can do. Maybe Yuugi will know?”’
Jounouchi nodded eagerly. “Ah, yeah! Yuugi said he was gettin’ in tomorrow! He’d definitely know how to enter me into the tournament.”
“I’m going to pick him up at the airport around lunchtime. You could come here and wait for us to get back?” Grandpa suggested.
Jounouchi cringed. He would have to call out his shift at the grocery store to do that. But it would be worth it, wouldn’t it, to get a shot at the prize money? “Will he be busy tomorrow night, do ya think?”
Grandpa waved his hands around a bit comically. “Oh, I don’t know what my Yuugi gets up to anymore! He’s always so busy, you know? But I’m sure he would make time for a good friend like you, Jounouchi.”
Jounouchi was grateful for the old man’s kindness. He spent a few more minutes in the shop, asking polite questions about business and about Yuugi, until he could make his excuses and duck out to get to work. The entire shift, though, he couldn’t stop thinking about the tournament. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to enter, after all, if sign-ups weren’t open to the public. But Yuugi might be able to get him a place, he was Kaiba Corp.’s top duelist. Kaiba wouldn’t say no to him, would he?
Jounouchi oscillated between gut-wrenching doubt and stalwart confidence for the entire next day, equal parts certain his friend would be able to help him out and afraid that the animosity between himself and Kaiba during their high school years would be too wide a gap to bridge. He wasn’t usually such a worrier, but it had gotten into his head that this tournament might just be his only shot left at breaking into the pros. A private tournament was much more prestigious than a public one, after all. If he could just work a little Jounouchi magic, pull off one last miracle win, he would make a name for himself and finally snag that all-important sponsor that would let him quit his jobs and devote all his time to Duel Monsters.
Jounouchi hadn’t even finished untying his apron all the way after his shift before he was dialing Yuugi’s number.
“Hey, Jounouchi!”
“Yuugi, let’s hang out! Burger World? I’m starving!”
“Yeah, for sure! I actually just finished up my meeting at KC, and I can put off starting my tournament prep until tonight.”
“Dueling champs like you still gotta eat,” Jounouchi agreed.
“I haven’t had Burger World in so long,” Yuugi moaned, “Text me your address so I can come pick you up.”
“Grandpa let you borrow his wheels?”
“Get this: company car.”
“No!!”
“Oh, yeah.” Jounouchi could hear Yuugi grinning. “It’s sweet. Wait ‘til you see it, you’re gonna die.”
Jounouchi’s eyes bugged out of his head when, ten minutes later, a sort-of villainous looking black car pulled up beside him. A black-tinted window rolled down to reveal Yuugi’s mock-scowling face. “Come with me if you want to live,” he intoned, his voice a little too high to pull off the action movie quote.
Jounouchi threw himself into the passenger seat and embraced his friend over the center console. “Yuugi, buddy, I missed ya!”
“I missed you, too! Now, let go of me. I’m so, so starving.”
Yuugi peeled away from the curb, whooping at the squealing noise the tires made against the pavement. “This car is so sick!” he exclaimed over the roar of the rapidly accelerating engine.
“Whoa, Yuugi, slow down!”
Yuugi laughed. “Sorry. I just never get a company car. I feel like a badass! Doesn’t this thing totally look like something a gangster would drive? Like, an old timey gangster? You think Kaiba could get me a company Tommy gun?”
Jounouchi laughed. “God, you haven’t changed.”
“Yup, same old me. How’re you, Jounouchi?”
Small-talk occupied them on the ride there and through their first couple burgers. Jounouchi participated as enthusiastically as he could, but as much as he had missed his best friend, the question he was dying to ask was gnawing at his mind, threatening to drive him crazy with anxiety. But he didn’t want to make Yuugi think that was the whole reason he’d wanted to hang out, so he reigned himself in as best he could. He kind of wanted Yuugi to be the one to bring it up, too. Because Yuugi wanted him to play in the tournament, too, right? Jounouchi rarely experienced insecurity - he was far too proud - but it would still be nice to be reassured.
His patience was blessedly rewarded after Yuugi had ordered them some dessert milkshakes and was signing the check. “So, Jounouchi, I’ve been thinking about what you said about the upcoming KC tourney. Did you know it’s a private tournament?”
Jounouchi nodded. “Yeah, your Gramps told me when I went over the other day.”
“So, normally, you’d need an invite to participate.” Yuugi fiddled with the pen in his hands as he spoke. “Kaiba sent them out months ago. But, I think it’d be worth it to go talk to him about it. The tournament is a reunion of sorts, with all of the past winners of the last several seasons being invited to compete in this, kind of, clash of champions.”
Jounouchi hoped he hadn’t visibly paled. He watched the dueling network religiously - when he could get a good signal to stream the games on his computer - and all of the competitors who’d won were ruthlessly good.
“But you were always pretty good in high school,” Yuugi continued, “You had your gambling strategy that, while not always reliable, fascinated Kaiba.”
“He said that?”
Yuugi nodded. “We’ve had one or two conversations about your decks and strategies in the past.” His expression softened. “You think I’m just going to leave to work for the best gaming company in the world and not get a good word in for my buddy while I’m there?”
Jounouchi felt a prickling behind his eyes. “Yuugi, I-,”
Yuugi continued, talking over the words Jounouchi couldn’t quite get out. “It never amounted to much, which is why I’ve never mentioned it. Kaiba is, as you probably remember, kind of a hardass. But he’s always been interested in your strategies, mostly because he doesn’t know how you win with them. He thinks you should’ve never been able to beat me to take back Red Eyes. You’ve never beaten him, but I’ve beaten him, and you’ve beaten me. Get it?”
Jounouchi nodded. “Stuck-up prick like him, probably drives him nuts.”
Yuugi pulled a face. “Yeah, maybe when you ask him to let you play, don’t call him that.”
Jounouchi scowled. “You want me to play nice with that guy?”
Yuugi frowned thoughtfully. The expression made him look sad. “Not to be indelicate, Jounouchi, but you really shouldn’t insult him like that. He’s done a lot for me, and he’s not as bad as he used to be. It’s been years since high school. And he could start your dueling career, even if it isn’t in this tournament. Playing nice with Kaiba, it’s…,”
Jounouchi sighed. “My only option. Yeah, Yuugi, I get it.”
“I just, I know how hard things have been for you,” Yuugi explained with some hesitation, “And I don’t know if they have to be that way. You’re a good duelist, but, well, how should I say this?”
“I piss off the wrong people?” Jounouchi offered grimly.
Yuugi grimaced, but he didn’t correct him.
Jounouchi sighed. “I mean, you’re right, Yuugi. This could be my shot at redemption, yanno? I didn’t have the wins under my belt to go pro like you did back then, but I could make my case for Kaiba to sponsor me. I just gotta suck it up, huh?”
“I’ll help you talk to him,” Yuugi offered hopefully, “You’re a good duelist, Jounouchi. You’re really good! You just need to, uhm, to network better!”
Jounouchi laughed. “Yeah, yeah, clean up my act, I get it.”
“If you’re not doing anything today, I actually have to head back to KC later to talk to Kaiba about some things I’ve been working on for him. I was going to do it tomorrow, but he blocked some time out for me today in case I changed my mind.”
Jounouchi’s brows furrowed. “That doesn’t sound like Kaiba.”
“Like I said, he’s changed. Anyway, you wanna come with me?” Yuugi asked.
Jounouchi knew he should’ve been excited, but he wasn’t. He was actually incredibly nervous, but he’d never been one to let it show. “Yeah! The sooner I get entered, the sooner I can start building my deck. Man, I haven’t worked on that thing in ages.”
“You can come over tonight, then, and sleep over!” Yuugi declared, spinning his keyring around his finger. He stood, pocketing his credit card and motioning for Jounouchi to follow him. “I’ve got a ton of cards you can choose from. Like you said, it’ll be just like old times!”
Jounouchi rose and followed Yuugi to the car, smiling. “Yeah, just like ‘em.”
Yuugi and Jounouchi drove into center city Domino, all the way up to the doors of KC headquarters. Yuugi steered the car into the parking garage, leaving the car in an employee parking spot. They walked over a bridge made of glass from the garage to the building itself, the floor displaying the dizzying, several story drop to the street below.
Jounouchi felt his heart racing. He couldn’t help it - he was excited! Things were really starting to look up for him! He’d been struggling for a while on his own, but it really was like how Anzu always used to make it out to be. On his own, he wasn’t much, none of them were. But together! He felt a surge of gratitude in his heart for Yuugi.
When they entered the building, the receptionist scanned Yuugi’s employee badge and asked Jounouchi to sign a guest book. “I just spoke with Mr. Kaiba’s personal assistant. He’s wrapping something up in his office and should have a few minutes to speak with you. Do you need directions?”
“35th floor, right?” Yuugi asked.
The receptionist nodded.
“Then we’re good, thanks.”
Yuugi and Jounouchi walked over to an elevator and entered, pressing the button for the top floor.
“Of course Kaiba would be on the top floor,” Jounouchi said with a roll of his eyes.
Yuugi raised his eyebrows.
“Right, sorry,” Jounouchi said sheepishly.
The elevator took them all the way to the top, and they exited into a posh waiting room with several comfortable-looking couches, a mini-bar, and an excellent view of center city. Jounouchi collapsed onto a couch gracelessly, openly gaping out the window. Yuugi passed by the couches, presumably to check-in with Kaiba’s assistant, and then he, too, took a seat to wait.
“You want anything to drink?” Yuugi asked, reaching into the mini fridge and pulling out a soda.
“Oh, sure!”
Yuugi tossed him a soda, which Jounouchi cracked open gleefully. “A guy could get used to this!” he declared.
Yuugi nodded his agreement, crossing his legs primly and sipping his own drink. His phone was in his hand, and he scrolled idly on it, not really paying attention. Jounouchi contented himself to look out the window. He didn’t have a fancy phone that he could access the internet with, didn’t even have a phone at all. It didn’t usually matter to him, but all of a sudden, sitting in the midst of this luxury, it did. Yuugi just looked so comfortable, sitting there on the couch like he owned the place, like nothing felt out of the ordinary. Jounouchi supposed that was true, though. Yuugi belonged in a place like this now - it was his job to be at Kaiba Corp. He was probably used to Kaiba’s extravagance by now.
“I thought I smelled wet dog.”
What was left of Jounouchi’s smile melted off. He turned his head to see Kaiba, standing in front of the doors of his office. He was wearing an all-black suit, right down to the shine of his shoes, and his scowl was exactly the way Jounouchi remembered it, when he cared to think about Kaiba at all.
“Hey, Seto,” Yuugi greeted, ignoring Kaiba’s rude comment, “I brought the latest research for the project I’ve been working on. I thought it would be better to tell you in person, since we’re actually in the same country for once.”
Kaiba looked at Yuugi and actually smiled. The expression made him look younger, much younger than Jounouchi had ever seen him look, even in high school. Kaiba stuck his hands in his pockets as he approached them. “Well, at least on video call, there’s no risk of you dragging vagrants into my office.”
Jounouchi scowled and was about to snap an angry comeback when Yuugi cut back in. “Actually, Kaiba, Jounouchi has an offer for you.”
“Does he now?”
Kaiba turned his gaze on Jounouchi. His eyes weren’t cruel, merely curious. Jounouchi was taken aback. “Uh, yeah, Kaiba. Long time no see. How’s about a friendly hello for your old pal Jounouchi?”
Kaiba snorted. “We are hardly friendly.”
“We weren’t friends, either, before I started working for you,” Yuugi pointed out quickly.
Kaiba’s brows raised. “Am I then to assume that yours is a business proposal?”
“Well, yeah,” Jounouchi replied, summoning his trademark courage, “I wanna enter your tournament next month. I’m here to register.”
“Are you aware the tournament is invitation only?”
“Are you aware how dumb you are for not invitin’ me?”
Yuugi visibly stiffened, but Kaiba laughed. It wasn’t cruel laughter, exactly. Jounouchi couldn’t tell, but Kaiba sounded amused, so he probably hadn’t messed up too badly yet. “Step into my office, Jounouchi. Let’s discuss this further. Yuugi, you may leave your reports with my secretary.”
“I haven’t written them down.”
“You may borrow a pen. Jounouchi, come here.”
Jounouchi looked at Yuugi questioningly, but Yuugi’s face only mirrored his own indecision.
“I won’t ask again,” Kaiba said, a bit testily, then went back into his office, leaving the door ajar.
Well, now or never, Jounouchi supposed. He mustered up a confident grin for Yuugi’s sake, then followed Kaiba, shutting the door behind him.
“Sit.”
“I’m not a dog, Kaiba. You can’t order me around.”
Kaiba leaned his weight against the front of his desk, crossing his legs at the ankles. He was all limbs, just the way Jounouchi remembered him. God, Kaiba had to be, what? Six foot five? Long, graceful legs arching up into slender hips, accentuated by a silver KC logo buckle. His arms were crossed against his chest which, even through his black button-down, was noticeably well-defined. He regarded Jounouchi with calm interest, his long neck tilted to the side, as if trying new angles would help him to see something new. “No, you aren’t a dog, but I used to call you one quite often, didn’t I?”
“You did,” Jounouchi agreed, “It wasn’t nice.”
“No,” Kaiba agreed passively, “No, it was not.”
There was something odd about the way Kaiba was looking at him, the icy calm of his voice. The air felt somehow charged with the energy of some unspoken possibility.
“So, you want to enter the tournament,” Kaiba repeated, “But it’s only open to past tournament champions. Bit of a problem for you, isn’t it?”
Jounouchi steeled himself. “A problem you could solve pretty easily if you wanted to.”
“Yes, if I wanted to,” Kaiba repeated, upper lip curling cruelly, “But I’ve never made it my business to solve other people’s problems, least of all yours.”
“It’d help you, though.”
Kaiba’s cruel smile persisted. “How? How would allowing you a place in my tournament help me? You’re unranked, you have no sponsorship, you don’t have any kind of fan following, to my knowledge. You won’t bring anything into this tournament. I would be giving you everything, and that’s a risky investment.”
Jounouchi felt his vision going red. He tried to force himself to think calmly, but his blood was boiling. “It ain’t my fault I don’t have a sponsor! Some of us didn’t have the money to go pro right out of school!”
“You would’ve if you’d been any good.”
“That’s not true!”
Kaiba pushed his weight off of his desk, stalking towards Jounouchi on those long limbs. “Yuugi said you had a proposal for me. Let me be very clear: it is only a proposal if you have something of value to offer to me. You have very little of value in general, Jounouchi, let alone something I would want.”
Kaiba’s danced with cold mirth, but there was something else, too. Interest? A challenge? Jounouchi couldn’t tell; he was too angry to process his own emotions, let alone Kaiba’s.
“I knew this was a waste of my time! Yuugi said you’d changed, but you haven’t!” Jounouchi yelled, grabbing hold of Kaiba’s collar and yanking, “You’re just the same, stuck-up prick you’ve always been!”
“And you’re just a third-rate duelist whose lost every game that’s ever mattered!” Kaiba spat back, slapping Jounouchi’s hand away.
Through the haze of rage, a light-bulb flickered on. “Almost every game, Kaiba,” he corrected, gazing heatedly into Kaiba’s eyes. “Almost every game, but I’ve beaten Yuugi, unlike you.”
Kaiba scowled. “Shut your mouth, you filthy mutt. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Jounouchi’s smug grin split his face from ear to ear, “He told me you still haven’t managed to beat him yet. How’s that feel?”
“Get out of my office,” Kaiba ordered, “Now!”
“Not until you let me into your tournament!”
“LIke hell I would ever attach my name to anything remotely related to you!” Kaiba roared, “You’re stupid, you’re sloppy, and representing you would drag my name through the mud of your incompetence!”
Jounouchi froze, standing stock still, and regarding Kaiba warily. “Now, hold on-,”
“No. Leave before I call security.”
Kaiba turned his back to him, reaching a hand to the phone on his desk. With a frustrated yell, Jounouchi whirled on his heel and slammed the door open, bursting through it and making Kaiba’s personal assistant cry out in surprise. The first thing Jounouchi saw was Yuugi’s sad face, because of course he’d heard everything.
The second thing Jounouchi saw was himself in the polished glass of the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sun hitting it in such a way that it took on a mirrored effect. He looked angry. He looked tired. Jounouchi stared at the reflection, surrounded by the high-tech glamour of Kaiba Corp., and he saw himself through Kaiba’s eyes. A deadbeat. A loser. A duelist who had looked so promising at sixteen but by twenty had fallen through the cracks into obscurity. An old enemy in rumpled, ill-fitting clothes, coming to his tower to insult him and bully him into favors he had no right to ask for. Jounouchi looked at his reflection, and he hated what he saw.
Head bowed, he walked back into Kaiba’s office.
“I thought I told you-,” Kaiba started angrily.
“Please,” Jounouchi interrupted, voice quiet but steady. “Kaiba, I need this. You’re right, I have no sponsorship. I’m unranked. I work two jobs, but I can barely pay my bills, let alone invest in cards or duel tech, if I even had the time to play anymore.” He looked up into Kaiba’s eyes, humbled but still determined. “I’m the underdog. I always have been; this isn’t, like, a new thing for me. And you don’t have to like me. But I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have to be. I know I can do more; I know that I can be more, but I can’t get there by myself.”
Kaiba was pensive. He sat down at his desk, laid his hands down flat on the surface and stared at Jounouchi. “It takes a lot of guts to admit that kind of thing,” he said quietly, “But that still doesn’t solve the problem for me. What do I get from sponsoring you?”
“I know you don’t think I’m good, but I am the only person who’s ever beaten Yuugi,” Jounouchi reasoned.
Kaiba’s face was unreadable.
“C’mon,” Jounouchi pleaded, “There’s gotta be something you want from me, Kaiba.”
Kaiba seemed to consider this, hands clasped in front of him on his desk. “What are you willing to do to secure this sponsorship?”
“Anything,” Jounouchi answered immediately, “I’d do anything.”
Kaiba’s eyes scanned him with uncomfortable slowness, as if scrutinizing every single inch of him. Jounouchi fidgeted with his hands, clutching at the bottom hem of his jacket in sweaty palms. He hadn’t wanted to get real serious with Kaiba, but he honestly didn’t know what he’d been hoping for. This was good, though, right? Kaiba was considering him, if a bit thoroughly. He wasn’t kicked out anymore. He was here, in Kaiba’s office, and Kaiba was staring at him with… what was that emotion, anyway? The guy had always been downright unreadable, but Jounouchi was confused by what he saw in Kaiba’s eyes. He looked, well, he looked hungry.
“Alright,” Kaiba said eventually, “I have some strict conditions, but I will be able to offer you employment at KC. I need to know what, exactly, your needs are in terms of salary and benefits in order to determine the exact proposal.” There was a brief moment of uncomfortable silence before Kaiba said, “And your boundaries. Sit.”
This time, Jounouchi did.
“I still cannot allow you to enter the tournament,” Kaiba said abruptly, speaking quickly, “The roster was finalized months ago. The promotional material has been sent out all over the world. It would be too costly to change anything now. And too big a risk to throw you in unpracticed.” Kaiba’s tongue darted out to wet his lips, and it occurred to Jounouchi that perhaps Kaiba was feeling nervous. “However, there are other ways to reconcile your situation. To make use of you.”
Jounouchi furrowed his brow. “I don’t understand.”
“Normally, my full-time employees go through screenings, an application process, and training. That takes quite a while, and the pay would not be at a high enough initial rate to allow you to begin building your professional dueling career from the ground for several months, considering your financial situation and the possibility of debts.” Kaiba seemed to be talking to himself now. At least, he was speaking so quickly, Jounouchi couldn’t seem to get a word in edgewise, even if he’d had anything to say. “Contract employees don’t need all of that, however, and the pay would be flexible enough to allow for a commission-based structure. The only problem, then, would be of…,” he trailed off, eyes looking distinctly hazy for a moment. Then, he snapped out of it, focusing intently on Jounouchi in a way that made him feel like his skin was crawling.
“What?” Jounouchi asked, “Kaiba, you’re actin’ weird.”
“Jounouchi,” Kaiba said, sounding dissonantly hesitant. Jounouchi had never heard Kaiba sound uncertain about anything before. It was gone in an instant, however, as Kaiba stood. “I am prepared to offer you a contract position and sponsorship with Kaiba Corp., provided you are willing to meet certain requirements specific to your-,” he paused, eyes trailing up and down the length of his frame, “-unique position.”
“And what would those be?”
Kaiba rounded the desk, seeming to devour the ground with each step until they were scarcely less than a foot apart. “You need the sponsorship and the contract to be financially stable enough to devote your time to professional dueling. Understand, Jounouchi, that I am prepared to give this to you, provided you meet certain needs of my own.”
“What needs?” Jounouchi felt his growing impatience like an itch he was unable to scratch. Excitement was welling up within him, but his natural suspicion of everything that seemed too good to be true kept it from being realized. “What’s the catch?”
There was another silence. It felt ominous, but that could’ve been the way Kaiba was glowering at him, hands steepled in front of him at chest height. “As my personal assistant, you will be expected to meet my physical needs when and where I require them, on an exclusive, confidential basis, as compliant with your contractual obligation.”
What?
He couldn’t have heard that right.
“In return,” Kaiba continued, “You will receive financial compensation, a full benefits package, and access to company equipment and products.”
Kaiba hadn’t meant “physical needs” that way, had he?
“In addition to your attention to my physical satisfaction, your job will, of course, include practicing dueling, making use of the facilities here at the tower, and performing quality checks on KC products pertaining to dueling.”
“What?” Jounouchi finally managed.
“Sponsored duelists living in city limits are required to help maintain servers and-,”
“I didn’t mean that, Kaiba.”
Kaiba cocked his head again, stretching his long neck to the side, almost invitingly. Jounouchi could see the long tendon standing out against his pale skin.
“You know I didn’t mean the goddamn job description.” His voice came out surprisingly measured and even, considering the subject at hand. “Well, that part of it, anyway.”
“Are you disagreeable?” Kaiba asked genuinely.
“Hell yeah I’m disagreeable! Where is this even coming from?!”
Kaiba moved his head to the other side, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I was under the impression that you’d do anything to secure sponsorship?”
“Well, yeah, but this is just humiliating!” he protested. “Like, are you making fun of me right now, or what?!
Kaiba inhaled sharply, then let out a long sigh. “You were honest with me. I’m being honest with you. I’m unhappy. My doctors tell me I need an outlet for my stress or else my health will continue to suffer. I,-” he paused, wrinkling his nose, “I have difficulties with leisure and relaxation.”
Jounouchi snorted loudly. “I’ll say!”
Kaiba glared. “You want me to help you. In return, this is the problem I’m hiring you to fix.”
Jounouchi regarded Kaiba skeptically, but he had never been good at reading the other’s emotions - that had already been a problem for him several times today. But Kaiba didn’t seem to be lying. After all, who would lie about something like this? It was kind of a double-edged sword to be using as a humiliation tactic. Sure, Jounouchi was the one being bought like a whore, but Kaiba was the one trying to pay for him, so what did that say?
“Why can’t you just get some girl to do it with?”
“It can’t be just anyone.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Think what you want. It changes nothing about my offer.”
The real problem was, would he do it? Could he do it? At twenty years old, he’d never considered himself anything other than straight, but then, he’d never even so much as kissed a girl, either. He’d certainly never thought about kissing Kaiba before. They were enemies, after all! Enemies just didn’t go around trying to kiss each other. And Kaiba seemed to be asking more of him. Much more. Hell, even kissing would be further than he’d ever gone with anyone before. It was all too much, too much to handle in one moment, even in one day.
“Is this for real?” Jounouchi asked. His voice sounded strange to him, like it wasn’t his own even though it had come from his mouth.
Kaiba nodded. “Have I ever joked before?” He cracked a smile, then. Just a small one, barely more than a sliver, but it was a smile nonetheless. “I’m Seto Kaiba.”
Jounouchi did not smile back. “This is the only way you’ll sponsor me?”
“It won’t be indefinitely. We will set a time limit in your contract.”
Jounouchi shivered. “I, uh, I need to think about this.”
Kaiba nodded. He reached behind him and plucked something off of his desk. Handing it to Jounouchi, he said, “Take my card, it has my direct extension on it. You will call me when you’ve made your decision. And you will tell no one about my offer.”
Jounouchi slipped the card into his pocket. “Yeah, uh, sure.”
They stood like that, then, simply staring at one another for a moment. Jounouchi wasn’t sure how to process what he was feeling - he certainly couldn’t articulate it to Kaiba, of all people. So, he turned and left, and God, he really couldn’t talk to Yuugi about this, either. But there he was, standing near the doors with a questioning look on his face. Jounouchi paled as he worried about how much his friend had heard.
“You ready to go?” Yuugi asked, concerned.
“Uh, yeah.”
They walked away together, and as soon as the elevator doors had closed, Yuugi was grilling him for answers.
“I dunno, I told him I had to think about it.”
“What?! Why? Was his offer bad? He did make an offer, right?”
Jounouchi shrugged. “It’s complicated. He did, but I’m not sure I want it.”
“Jou…”
“Look, man, it’s-,” Jounouchi paused, struggling for words, “I dunno how to talk about it. I just need to think about it, is all. Nothin’ major, nothin’ to worry about. I just need time to, y’know, think it over.”
Yuugi grudgingly left him alone, instead filling the silence on their ride back to Jounouchi’s apartment with talk of the project he’d been working on for Kaiba. Something to do with a phone app, some kind of new mobile game, but Jounouchi wasn’t wholly listening. He was grateful for his friend’s chatter, but his mind felt scattered.
He was also grateful that he didn’t have work that night. He would’ve probably called out if he had. Everything that Kaiba had said, the things he wanted Jounouchi to do… it felt like a lot for him to have to deal with. He hadn’t so much as seen Kaiba in two years, and then the guy offers him a job as, what? His sex pet? It was too bizarre, not something that would ever happen in real life. And yet, those seemed to be the terms of the arrangement that would get him into the pro-dueling circuit. A KC sponsorship, a paycheck, benefits, and access to all the latest tech and cards. All he had to do was fuck Seto Kaiba.