Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Fragile ❯ Safety ( Chapter 4 )

::Kitzaku-san::

Disclaimer: I don't own YGO. But I do own my very own Chibi Otogi muse!

Chibi Otogi: Oyaho! ^_^

Authoress Note: I'm so sorry for not writing in SUCH a freaking long time! I can't really think of a good excuse other than I've been stuck, I've had a buttload of homework, I've been working on other stories, and I'm been reading/writing webcomics. Not too mention I've been in an uber-big Otogi/Jou mood and working on my Otogi shrine. ^-^;;; Eheh… but I haven't died completely! So, to make it up to you guys… I decided to make a… bath scene! ^_^ Hee…

I want to thank everyone for all the support, and e-mails and crap they had to put up with while I was on my brief hiatus. I hope you all haven't forgotten about this keen little ficcie over here! Yano-if I still had the reviews from the old version of this, I woulda had over 100? I had approx. 60 and this is 40-ish so you do the math. ^.^; Here's to technically 100 more!

::Fragile::

~Jou's POV~

You would think I'd be used to the pain by now. And I am. But ever since Seto showed me compassion in the bathroom yesterday, I can't stop crying at anything. In the limousine, he tends to my new wounds that Father made with that broken beer bottle. I think it's amazing the way Seto's hands can be so tough and hard when he has his dark profile at school. But here and now, he's like an angel.

So what can you do when an angel is caressing you? Fall into the depths of sleep, so I think that's exactly what I'll do.

::Chapter 4::

Jou was asleep by the time they had reached Seto's Mansion. Seto figured he would be. Someone who had to go through what Jou had would be exhausted anyway. One of his guards that opened the door offered to wake the sleeping blonde up.

"No, I've got it, thank you." Seto said briskly as he stepped out of the car. He turned around and scooped the sleeping Jou into his arms. He was a little heavy and still soaked a bit in blood, but at the moment, Seto didn't really care. The CEO carried Jou up the steps into his mansion and once they entered, the blonde stirred.

"Ugh… where am I?" He held his head. (Authoress: Oh wow… lots of H's. That called alliteration or something?)

"You're at my place." Seto said calmly, pausing to look into his caramel eyes. "No one can get you here."

Jou tried to smile, but went into a coughing fit instead. Worried, Seto took him to the front lounge and set him on the couch. "Are you alright?" As soon as he said it, Seto silently cursed himself. It was an awfully stupid thing to ask.

"I wish I could say yes." Jou answered, a little sheepishly. He threw another coughing fit again. Seto placed a comforting hand on the blonde's back. When the fit finally receded, Jou wiped something from his mouth. Seto barely saw a flash of red… blood? Was Jou coughing up blood?

"We need to get you some help-" Seto started.

"NO!" Jou's eyes went wide with shock.

Seto sighed reluctantly. "I know you refuse to get professional help. But I want to do everything in my power to get you back in a good mood. You could at least do with a bath."

Jou sighed, relieved that he wouldn't have to let his secret known to anyone else. And what Seto said was true. Jou rarely ever had the chance to take a bath. His Father didn't want him wasting water on himself. Why his friends managed to stand around him for so long surprised even him at times. "Yeah."

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up." Seto helped Jou to stand up again.

"Just, show me where it is… I can take care of myself." Jou's eyes lowered to the ground.

"You can barely walk." Seto growled.

"But I don't-!"

"Listen. Do you want me to help you or not?"

"Yes… I mean. No! I can take care of myself, just like I said!"

"Oh, then perhaps I should have left you back there?" Seto let go of Jou and folded his arms. The sudden lack of support caused Jou to falter and hit the ground hard.

Jou bit his bottom lip and hugged himself. "Alright… just please, don't take me back there…"

Seto reached out and took a hold of Jou's hand and pulled him back up again. Then, wrapping his arm around him once again for support, they walked together down a hallway to the bathroom. Seto opened the door and Jou stumbled in and sat on the toilet seat.

"Here…" Seto began to remove the torn and stained shirt that Jou had on. Jou's hands immediately caught Seto's wrist. The CEO was so shocked at the fast reflexes that he didn't react.

"Do you have to undress me too?"

"Damnit Jou, I was just trying to help you. Can't you open up for at least a little bit?" Seto growled. Jou stared at him hard. " Fine. You want to take a bath yourself? Then it's not my fault if you can't stay conscious enough to finish it! If you drown it's your own fault! You're immature, Katsuya Jounouchi."

Jou didn't say anything. He just finished the removal of his shirt and tossed it carelessly aside. After a moments pause, he looked up at Seto.

"What?" Seto said, impatiently.

"A little privacy?"

"Oh." Seto said sarcastically. " Excuse me." And with that, he shut the bathroom door, muttering to himself. "What does it take to get through to him? Does he hate me that much?"

Back in the bathroom, Jou fumbled with the buckle of his jeans. He was shaking so much that it was hard to even undress himself. It would have been nice to get a little help-but he didn't want to risk being seen by Seto like that. It was too embarrassing. In any case, once he had stripped to his boxers, he fumbled with the knobs on the bathtub. Try as he might, every time he turned the water on, it was either too hot, or too cold. He couldn't get it in between. And to top it off, he couldn't even get the faucet to run. The showerhead kept turning on instead.

Seto was waiting outside the door, holding a few towels. His devious plan was to walk in and offer some towels. And maybe then Jou would come to his senses and acknowledge his help. Hearing the water run, and thinking the blonde was in the tub, Seto walked right on in:

Only to see Jou in his boxers cursing at the shower head.

"Ah…" Seto blushed. "I brought you some towels…"

Jou whipped around. "I thought I told you to go away!" he now was red with fury and embarrassment.

"Heh, I don't recall you telling me that. It was something along the lines of 'privacy please?'"

Jou picked up a soap bar and got ready to throw it at Seto.

"Hey, chill out…" Seto held up his hands and managed to steal the bar of soap. He set the towels down on the toilet seat. "Remember, I could throw you out at any time…" Jou was quiet and Seto immediately went to the faucet and pulled down on the mouth. The showerhead stopped running and instead, the faucet ran for the bath. He then plugged the drain and poured strawberry bubbles into the churning water.

"Strawberry?"

"Mokuba's favorite."

Jou nodded, pretending to understand. He began to wonder where Mokuba was in the first place, but instead his thoughts wandered back to Seto and how he was standing over the bathtub, his trenchcoat on the floor and his sleeves rolled up.

"Gah!! What are you doing?"

Seto motioned for Jou to get into the tub. "Get in. You can leave your boxers on if it makes you uncomfortable."

"Hey, I let you see me half-naked, and I'm allowing you to help me this much. But giving me a bath? I'm not a baby… or a pet."

Seto's eyes flashed with extreme impatience. "You get in the bathtub now. This will all be over much faster if you only cooperate."

"Geez, what's eating you? It's a little embarrassing to get bathed by someone the same age as you." Jou muttered.

"Well, I don't mind at all. And…" Seto's voice trailed off. Jou slowly inched back towards the bathtub again.

"And what?"

"...it might not be as bad as you make it out to be." Seto finished, only a little hesitantly.

Jou paused for a moment, a pondering look fell upon his face. Apparently, whatever battle he was having with himself, Seto's side had won and he stepped into the bathtub, and sank beneath the bubbles.

The water was already filled pretty much to the appropriate height and Seto turned it off. Jou emerged, and Seto handed him a bottle of shampoo. After they both scrubbed at his scalp, Jou sighed and leaned back into the bubbles and disappeared underneath the water.

Now that Jou couldn't really see him, Seto smiled-but only lightly. After a moment the smile faded when Jou didn't come back up. Had he really lost consciousness? The CEO reached into the water, found Jou's shoulder and hauled him out of the water.

Jou gasped and wiped his eyes. "What was that for?"

Seto's mouth hung open. "I… thought you lost consciousness under there. I was… worried."

At the mention of 'worry' Jou's eyes widened. "Seto…"

The CEO blushed furiously and reached for the bar of soap that Jou had tried throwing at him earlier. "Come on, let's get you washed up." He took a sponge and rubbed the soap against it until it was soft. He took a hold of Jou's arm and sponged it gently, careful not to irritate the cuts and bruises that went up the length of his skin.

Seto's hands worked expertly around both of Jou's arms and then his collar and around his neck. Then, his hands came across the fresh cuts on Jou's chest. The blonde gasped when the soap entered the open wounds.

"Sorry." Seto apologized and rinsed them clean with water from the sink. But instead of it being warm like the rest of the bath water-it was freezing.

"Ack-cold!" Jou jumped at the sudden touch of the washcloth. Water splashed out of the tub and all down Seto's front.

" Sorry." They both said at the same time. Then laughed nervously, each of them had a lump growing in their throats.

"Ah, let me help you with that, then." Jou reached toward Seto's green shirt to unbutton it, but only managed to soak Seto's front more, plus getting him all soapy.

"I can do it, Jou…" Seto unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it on the floor behind him. He looked around for the sponge and found it again on the floor beside him. Rinsing it off once more, he dipped it into the warm bath water and motioned for Jou to turn around. "I'll get your back."

Jou turned around, now easing up a little to Seto's mysteriously calmer nature. And, since he wasn't looking at the brown haired boy giving him a sponge bath, he wasn't as embarrassed anymore. Not to mention, Seto was right in what he said earlier. He was not at all sorry that he'd let Seto bathe him. Soon, the lump in his throat decided it didn't have a use to be there anymore and left just as suddenly as it had arrived.

"Seto…tell me why… you're being so nice." He said quietly.

There was a silence for a moment. Seto had stopped sponging Jou's back for a moment. Then he spoke, "Must I say it again, Jounouchi? I've laid claim to you. And whatever I want, I get."

"Oh, so am I just some prize?" Jou turned around sharply to face Seto's blazing blue eyes. Jou's own caramel ones were glazed over, as if on the edge of tears.

Seto's gaze seemed to soften. And there was a deep meaning hidden behind those blue eyes that Jou searched hard to find. "You'll learn to interpret what I say one day."

Jou blinked for a moment, at a loss for words. Slowly, he turned around again and Seto finished sponging his bath in silence. But still, the words lingered in his mind. I've laid claim to you. And whatever I want, I get. And how was Jou supposed to interpret that? To him it sounded like Seto was some sort of obsessive sadistic bastard who would do anything to get what he wanted.

And that's what Jou would have believed if he hadn't seen that look reflected in Seto's eyes. Jou had seen Seto look at Mokuba like that once before. Could it mean that… Seto actually cared something for Jou? That he wasn't just doing this to show that he could be irresistible?

The sad truth was, Jou found Seto increasingly irresistible. So much that as soon as Seto placed a hand on Jou's shoulder to indicate that he could get out of the tub, Jou turned around quickly and grabbed Seto's bare shoulders.

They both stayed, unmoving in that position for what seemed like forever, just staring into each others eyes, daring each other to blink. Then, simultaneously, they pressed their mouths together to form a deep kiss. Seto's tongue didn't have to wait long to gain access into Jou's mouth, and his hands went to the back of Jou's head, gripping his hair.

They finally broke, mainly for air, and both couldn't help but turn a bright shade of red. And, almost robotically, Seto grabbed behind him, groped around for a moment and grabbed a towel. The whole time, he and Jou didn't break their locked gaze.

Then suddenly, Seto blinked and any magic that was holding them together was lost. Jou stood up and took the towel. "Uh, thanks." He mumbled and wrapped the warm cloth around his shoulders.

As Jou stepped out of the tub, Seto took another towel and began drying off his legs. But, as soon as he reached Jou's soaking wet boxers, he stopped.

"Ah, I'll go and see about some extra clothes for you, alright? You can dry off." Seto said quickly and awkwardly. He headed out from the room quickly.

Jou sighed and took a seat on the toilet, gently drying his hair. His mind was playing that kiss over and over again. He smiled and laughed to himself lightly, shaking his head. What that meant, Jou didn't know. It had just been a spur of the moment, but he was %100 positive that he'd wanted that kiss. And Seto… Seto must have wanted it too.

Moments later, the CEO returned carrying a small stack of neatly folded clothes. "Here you are… there's a clean pair of boxers too."

"Thanks." Jou took them.

"I'll be in the kitchen, if you need anything." Seto said even quicker and disappeared.

Jou snorted lightly and changed his boxers. It was obvious that Seto was uncomfortable. It was quite a change to have Jou being the confident one. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage. Pulling on the tight black long-sleeved shirt that Seto had ready for him, Jou stretched a bit. It felt good to be clean again for once. He felt as though he had more energy.

Out of habit, Jou picked up the mess of clothes they'd made of the bathroom. He threw away his old clothes, but was aware of his deck of cards in his jacket. After his father had forced him into the garage, Jou carried his Duel Monsters deck with him everywhere, in case if father should find them and get rid of them. He quickly pocketed that and did away with his old and tattered jacket.

Upon leaving the bathroom, Jou looked back and forth down the hallway. "Oh shit. I should have asked him which way the kitchen was… Wait a moment-if he's got a mansion, why would he be in the ki-" Jou stopped. There was a light smell of cooked meat. Jou was known for his uber-sensitive nose, so he cleverly used that to weave through the maze of hallways and stairways to the kitchen.

Seto was there, talking to a man in a tall white chef's hat. Oh. Jou figured. He wouldn't be cooking anything, he'd be requesting something.

Seto caught Jou's gaze and walked across the kitchen to him. "You look much better already. I'm having the Chef make us something for dinner. It'll be in a while though, so until then, the time is yours."

"That's great." Jou heaved a great sigh. "I'm exhausted."

"You can sleep in my quarters. Follow me." Seto took a hold of Jou's hand and began to lead him through the maze of hallways.

"Seto, I can walk on my o-" Jou stopped mid-sentence one again, because Seto squeezed his hand lightly. The corner of Jou's mouth turned into the tiniest of smirks and he followed Seto's lead, returning the light squeeze.

But all Jou could think of was that Seto had this huge mansion-who knew how many guestrooms there were in the place. And of all the beds Jou was to sleep in, it was Seto's.

And that was saying something.

TBC

What can I say? I'm in a REALLY good mood. ^_^ So there's a happy ending to this chapter.

Yami Muse: ::sniffs:: It's so fluffy! T.T

Otogi: Ayiyi… Kitzaku-san's Yami Muse is the type to cry at just about anything he sees.

Yami Muse: OMG! Yugi killed a spider!…the poor thing. T.T

Yugi Muse: Dude, chill… it's a spider.

Yami Muse: ::sniffs:: Here… R&R Tear drops…