Kaiba's already decided that he'll end up getting new sheets for his bed. He has no choice. Towels too, after what he ends up having to do
First, he attends to himself, because it would be stupid not to. Off comes the jacket, off comes the shirt and bracers, until the only thing he's wearing above the belt is the locket he'd never take off. His scratches are treated, but not bandaged. Stupid. No need.
Then his face is taken care of, and he has a drink.
Actually he has two.
Water, which he sucks down as if he's never hydrated in his life, because his throat is burning after three Burst Streams, despite one never really firing off completely.
Then, he raids the mini-fridge for a small bottle of actual whiskey, which is not his preferred libation of choice, and drinks that too. It burns all the way down, which is what he wants. It settles in his stomach like poison warmth, and gives him the will to do the rest of what he needs to. Liquid courage...? Hardly. He has that. This is to ease his pain from the fight, and make it easier to want to bother cleaning Jonouchi up. He fetches several towels, damp and dry, and uses them to wipe the blood from his opponent's face and neck.
...Halfway through, he decides yep, he's going to need another one of those whiskies. This is a terrible idea in a long list of terrible ideas, but he has another drink before he finally sits Jonouchi up and peels his upper clothing off. It's hard to see the bruising through all those fluffy feathers, but it's not hard to see the giant claw-shaped scar on Jonouchi's chest.
The scar shaped like Ra's claws, that he doesn't remember ever seeing happen.
The one Kaiba doesn't remember. And...something else, bisecting across it, which he can't explain either. He wants Jonoouchi to properly explain, but then, hadn't it been his fault that no explanation happened?
...No, it was still Jonouchi's fault. Surely.
Eventually, Kaiba does a sufficient job of cleaning the other up, and turns to himself, wiping away what blood he can see and then raiding the mini-fridge one more time, this time for a bottle of beer he doesn't intend to drink anyway--he uses it to ice his eye as he sits himself on the couch, his mind buzzing with the last things Jonouchi said to him.
He hopes that things weren't the same for Kaiba.
That they were friends now, a bond sealed in blood.
Ridiculous. Utterly stupid.
By the time the idiot wakes up, Kaiba's got his boots off to let his talons stretch, one leg crossed over the other as he reclined his head back and rested his eyes. His arms are also crossed, closed off posture as usual.
When Jonouchi does wake up, it's to an old, agonizingly numbing pain that seems to ring through him head to toe. It's been a long time since he woke up like this- staying at the Kaiba's means no more dodging bottles, and for that matter means that typically any 'fights' he's been getting in as of late were one of two things; either royally one-sided no matter the fact that it was either him on his own or him and honda against a team, or in the controlled environment that was the sparring room for staff.
Sure, he'd suffered many a beatdown there, but everyone there drew a line at a particular point because there wasn't exactly a good reason to throttle someone into a coma.
So, Jonouchi wakes up with a low, croaky groan that speaks of familiarity but also of...well, maybe not regret but the understanding that maybe he was a little stupid
"Mnnnhh....ugh....f'rgot th's part 'f gettin' c'mpletely thrashed..."
Everything hurts. Everything, even the things he doesn't think he can feel. Those absolutely hurt, even if he can't really feel them. Something occurs to him though, as he blears his eyes awake. It's not quite a sense of coldness- Hell runs at a hotter temperature for the most part, even if angels are greatly sensitive to the polar degrees the outdoors is blasting right now. But there's a gradual awareness that he does not have his winter coat (extremely bloody now whoops), nor his jacket (which he stubbornly kept on under it as it has his deck and wallet), nor his t-shirt-
"NYH-!"
Jonouchi jolts to full awareness and actually sits up, and while he regrets doing that, he pushes the emotion down long enough to immediately bring a hand toward his neck.
Toward a set of dog tags, dangling off a chain not unlike the way others would wear lockets. Provided they're there, he immediately relaxes with relief, albeit with a bit back 'Ow...'
...If they aren't, he's quicker to start looking around in panic though. Either way, his actions are telling.
Kaiba's better eye slowly opens, and he frowns at the sight of Jonouchi sitting up. How in the hell can he sit so soon after being hit so many times? Kaiba's starting to wonder if he really is getting too soft. Then again, he generally doesn't fistfight since the name of his game is cards.
Which makes it more annoying that he'd found himself goaded into punching the idiot so many times.
"Keep it down," he demanded, his voice still sharp but somewhat hoarse and with a tired quality to it. "You've already given me enough of a headache."
Admittedly, the two drinks were probably not heling with the headache at this point, but it's fine. It's his personal choice to have had two whiskies to deal with the rest of this "issue" and it's not as if he's a compulsive drinker. He's not even...strictly legal for it, but you tell a business collaborator that and see how they treat you if you don't put them in their place.
The answer makes itself clear very quickly. With a resounding, quiet groan, he crumples back down on the bed.
Jonouchi could sit up. But really, he really should not be sitting up, and the rest of his body is protesting.
Still- from where he is on the bed, he can at least answer. "...Kaiba?"
Alright, ask first. Then answer. "Nhh...hey, ain't m' first rodeo...y' should've seen how it was at Rintama, hehehe..."
There is a fragile edge to those words, an edge that says it isn't as funny as he's trying to make it. Middle School Jonouchi was a mess. Middle School Jonouchi shouldn't have made it to High School, frankly, and High School Jonouchi came damn close to delivering on Middle School Jonouchi's shitty promise in that regard. If it wasn't for Honda, and especially for Yugi, well...
He doesn't like to think of that, and the very ghost of a thought causes his smile to become a grimace as he tries to think through the pain.
"Nhg...gotta be able t'...crawl t' somewhere safe normally, y'know..?" he manages instead, muffling a groan and moving his hand from the dog tags to his head.
"Damn...who th' hell taught y' t' punch, Kaiba...I think y' almos' took m' head off, 'n tha' was after we'd already gone at it f'r a while..."
He's slowly becoming aware of his surroundings. There's a lot of red- something he bets pisses Kaiba off to hell and back, if he's anything like her in that regard. For now though, thinking too much hurts too much, so he'll ease up on trying to figure much out right now.
Kaiba listens, not like he has much of a choice. And yeah, he's just going to roll his eye at Jonouchi over his attitude. Seriously, the guy's a glutton for punishment, to the point that Kaiba wonders if he didn't take a wrong turn and end up in Heaven by accident. With all the street fighting, Kaiba would hazard to guess Jonouchi might fit in here better.
It's a miracle he has any braincells left to put up a fight, but clearly he'd managed to do alright. Kaiba's terribly aching jaw is testament to that.
"If you know me so well, then why don't you tell me who taught me how to punch?" he asks shrewishly.
Kaiba had been trained aggressively as a child, in many principles. Defending oneself was one of those principles, but even if it hadn't been...
...his adoptive father had taught him what it felt like to be struck, and how to strike, though that hadn't been meant as a lesson, had it? It'd been meant as a punishment.
Too bad for Gozaburo, he'd adopted a smart kid.
"Instead of getting into fights, you might consider keeping your mouth shut. The endless yapping is exhausting."
And the way Kaiba says it, it really does sound just a bit looser than his usual tone, whether he means it to or not. The emphasis is almost dragged out, tired and annoyed for sure.
After talking so much himself, he can't help but rub the side of his face, his jaw still really hurt, and his tongue was no better.
"Heh, who said it was jus' fights?" he says without thinking, and then just as quickly, because if he can just keep talking before anyone can linger on that, he keeps going.
(If Kaiba's going to be Kaiba after all, then it's probably better Kaiba never learn about what his dad, his blood related dad, has done- Mokuba might have the more obvious heart of the pair, but he knows damn well a hidden heart is still a heart, and he's not here to make Kaiba feel more awkward than he damn well is.)
(Mostly.)
"Hey, yer th' one who said I didn' know y' righ'..? An' technically, yer righ', so if y' ain't tellin' me then I can take a hint an' leave it, no biggie," the griffon decides with a feeble shrug. "Man though...yer room huh?"
With a somewhat stupid grin as he lifts his head up ('augh'), he manages a laugh. "Seems like we oughta trade rooms man, bet you'd love all th' white mine has 'upstairs'."
"Focus...just focus on one thing, would you? You're like a damned force of nature."
Kaiba really does have a headache, and Jonouchi is way too much to deal with right now. He wants to throw the beer bottle at the idiot and maybe nail him on the foot just to annoy him, because that wouldn't really hurt anymore than what they'd already done to each other.
But...he doesn't. Instead, he assesses the situation around him. If Jonouchi sits up again, he'll see Kaiba with no shirt, and while it's perfectly fine when the shoe's on the other foot, he has no intention of being bared like that. Even though his body was scales and segments now, there were still visible scratchlike marks that had nothing to do with the other's taloned feet.
"This room is serving a purpose. An unattractive, terribly decorated purpose, but a purpose nonetheless. Once I've gotten real estate to reopen a business, I have no intention of staying here--nngh!"
Fuck. His tongue. Ouch.
"You know...I ought to break your wrist," he adds conversationally. "The lack of stability would heavily impede you from hitting me like that ever again."
Jonouchi's response is a feeble 'thumbs up'- fortunate for Kaiba, at least from Kaiba's perspective, but it seems that Jonouchi is actually listening to some source of inner sense by remaining flat on his back.
As flat as one gets with a great set of wings, anyway.
"Heh, already plannin' on breakin' int' the market huh?" he jokes, trying to stay comfortable on the bed. "Gonna get th' duel disk goin' again? You should-"
Jonouchi doesn't finish that sentence, what with Kaiba having his moment about breaking wrists. He doesn't quite sit up, but he does huff, and try to at least spiritually give the dragon as dry a frown as possible.
"Hey, I ain't th' one who was abou' t' burst stream at m' face, what would you've done huh?"
"I wouldn't have anyone Burst Stream at my face, because I'm the only one like this here, first and foremost. Secondly, I would have kicked the offending party off of me. You didn't do so great a job because I'm heavier than you."
He explains it like he'd thought about this a great deal, but the truth is that the words just spill out before he can mentally vet them. Much like the next part.
"I'm going to make a Duel Disk one way or the other, if I can get enough parts to make one. And if everyone here finds a way not to be inappropriate on business inquiry posts!"
"I'd say 'alright, any other laser' then, but I can't really argue th' part abou' most people in Japan bein' shorter than y'." Booo hiss, also how the heck is Kaiba still 6'2'' come to think...
Wait.
He sits up. Yes it hurts, and he winces immediately, but the emotion is quickly covered with the surprise that made him sit up to begin with. "Business stuff? I mean I dunnk what t' tell y' there Kaiba, int'rnet's th' int'rnet." With an extremely casual shrug-
Followed by a wince, ow, he should stop moving-
He adds- "I mean, assumin' y' just posted on th' forum here or whatever."
He could've seen the pornbot accusations Without precog big guy,
"Heheee sounds great oth'r than that though..! What kinda stuff y' need t' get started, bet I could search around upstairs no problem for y'!"
Edited (WAIT THE DISKS-) Date: 2024-12-15 08:55 am (UTC)
As soon as Jonouchi sits up, Kaiba does the same, his wings flaring and his tail curling up off the ground in surprise. Even his accents glow brightly. He's glad his arms are crossed in front of his chest, but he still doesn't like being half-naked in front of Jonouchi. Rules for thee, but not for me, as it were.
"I posted and stated very clearly that serious offers were all that I was entertaining. I set the rules!"
Hey, is...is Kaiba throwing a tantrum about it? He sounds less put together than usual, doesn't he?
"Good luck getting anything useful, by the way, I had someone mention they had a game console that they weren't selling! What an incredible find!"
He snorts derisively, his one good eye flicking back and forth nervously, because while he's complaining, Jonouchi is sitting up, and no, no no no--
--Reflexively, his wings close around him, like he's some kind of bat hiding from something.
"Yeah, not yer fault, like I said, int'rnets th' int'rnet. Fuckin' wild west out there, 's how it goes."
He's remarkably 'chill' about that.
"Anyway I was figurin' like...basic parts y'know? I mean y' designed th' thing, y'd know what went int' it; so I figured, if y' gotta work from scratch materials, tha's still somethin'. Like eh...wire metals, stuff like that."
Surprisingly logical! Unlike the way Kaiba is holding his wings now.
And unlike the way Jonouchi tilts his head in turn. He. Isn't saying anything but uh...hm.
Maybe Kaiba is more like 'Seto-chan' in other ways then..?
It's a scarf, hand-knitted by the looks of it, and so soft. It's also, uh, dotted with flaming bird skulls? Because... it's warm? And she thinks he enjoys birds, so hopefully he would enjoy this!
There's a small note attached wishing him a "happy Yam Ween". Find solace in that, Junouchi.]
It's been a while. Kaiba has the distinct notion that putting this off any longer would mean never knowing about it, and as a man who prides himself on knowing everything, he has come to the conclusion that technology, espionage, or any combination of the two cannot be relied on for this.
If he wants to ask Jonouchi about what the hell his dreams were about way back when...then he'd have to commit. And Seto Kaiba isn't a coward, it just hadn't been occupying mental bandwidth until...recently.
When he received news of...something.
Regardless...Jonouchi will find a very simple message sent to his personal inbox.
We need to discuss something. This is not up for debate.
Jonouchi likes to think he's done a good job at avoiding everyone. Maybe too good a job- he hasn't been able to even hear from Yugi since the leather drip incident, and best he can tell the other just isn't there. He's gone.
He went home.
He knows of course that those things can be sudden but...it still stings. He finds himself insisting to the nearest cherub that he gets at least a week notice, and even then the cherub can only stammer a 'we'll try'.
...It's something he supposes.
Realistically he should try to connect with others after that. Before they disappear as well. He should.
But he doesn't.
And even getting what may as well be a sign from the Gods themselves, he reads Kaiba's message and hesitates.
[Kaiba does not apologize for waiting so long to ask. If anything, Jonouchi should apologize to HIM for all of...that, but that's neither here nor there, since he's not going to verbalize it.]
I'd prefer to discuss it in person. But that's up to you.
[Because Kaiba expected no one else to show up to his hotel room uninvited, and if they did, they would deeply regret it.
When Jonouchi enters, he'll find Kaiba situated in the kitchen nook, doing something that might look incredibly...odd??? Well, if you didn't know that Seto Kaiba was perfectly capable of domestic living, anyway.
He was making tea. Or rather, pouring it into cups at this point.]
You didn't take very long, did you? I expected you to try weaseling out of this.
[Bold thing to be doing, with imps around, but Jonouchi supposes it'd be their funeral, that's true.
He comes in though, and quickly casts his eye toward the kitchen nook. Not because of any visions, but just the smell- he can't help but stare.]
...Tea..? ...Thought you were a coffee guy, [he mutters, before Kaiba's statement catches up to him. Reflexively, he hunches his shoulders. If he was any less of a person, he probably would have taken a step back, even.]
Nyh... Yeah? An' then what, get my phone blowin' up all day? F'rget it.
Coffee is my preferred drink. However, I thought I'd try something different.
[They're Japanese, aren't they? Why not tea? Besides, he'd gone with an oolong, so it wasn't entirely deprived of caffeine. As long as he gets his fix...then something different is fine.]
If there is something I have learned in the past couple years, it's that trying to destroy the past will never really succeed, and running from it is just as untenable. It finds you and clings like a bur, even as you proceed into your future.
You would not be served running from this. You've had enough time--and you should consider it a courtesy on my part that you were afforded that time--to process and prepare for this moment.
[After saying that, Kaiba looks Jonouchi in the eye, striking cyan into bright crimson. He slides one cup closer to the other.]
Sugar?
[...Is he being nice? Is this what nice is? Is this the uncanny valley?]
Huh. Yeah? ...Okay, [He mutters, eyeing the tea as one cup is nudged his way. He settles into his seat, eyes on the tea, but his ears trained to take in Kaiba's words.
He's getting this lecture? That's rich. And-]
...sure, [He manages, even as his chest feels cold.] ...Make what's comin go down easier or somethin', that how it goes?
Are you going to pay attention, or am I wasting my time?
[Sorry Jonouchi. Giving him noncommittal answers is not going to be thought of fondly, not if the thump of his sharp-tipped tail against the floor is any indication.]
I'm the one that got stuck in your dream. Neither of us chose that, but seeing something from thousands of years ago and, you know, human sacrifice?! That's something that I think deserves explanation!
[He wants to know, and deep, deep down, in the subterranean channels of what formed his soul, someone else wanted to know.]
...Jonouchi is very still, and very, very quiet. He tries at first to be mad. To be angry, to snap like he would have a month ago, a year ago, but he can't. For a brief moment his eyes are agleam with flame, but the moment is soon gone. There is only steam, rising from an untouched tea. Steam, like smoke from a smothered hearth.]
...Where I came from...There's a display roped off b'side th' mort'ry steles for a ruler known as th' "Mournin' Queen".
[It's not relevant to the conversation, who the Queen precisely is.
Perhaps the soul inside Seto's own can guess.]
It's dark. Like th' museum's carryin' guilt for what happ'n'd, instead 'f th' ones who left their swords b'hind. Still hopped that rope though, [He says, but it isn't smug, it isn't proud. It's flat, Jonouchi's voice.
It's cold.]
...There's a pillar in th' display. Photo of it, anyway. Lil' plaque in front of it calls it a "marv'l of ach'eology". Most well pr'served natural mummies in the planet. Not ev'n one. Doz'ns. Men. Women. Childr'n.
A hundr'd total, [he emphasizes, without a single change in his tone.
He lets it sink in. A hundred corpses. All there, in a pit to be found years later.]
...'pparently th' dig site thought it might've been mass burial at first. Some disease, plague.
...Then they found all th' foreign weaponry, an' called it what it was.
...Ritual slaught'r.
[He hasn't moved an inch.]
...Part of me wonders now, 'f I could pick mine out in th' pile. ...I dunno, [Jonouchi admits.]
...Buried pr'tty deep, after all.
[That's not an explanation. Not really. It's on his mind though, and still with that same tone, his eyes glazed and glued upon the steam of the tea as if it would provide answers for himself, he says what comes to mind.]
Th' items magic said t' my face that normal people can't see or hear 'm. Doin' tha' 's still jus'...makin' sense of what ain't normal, but it's still more than what is normal. I had one call me kin. My blood nearly brought one alive in my damn body, [he hisses, and the inflection has changed.
Slowly. Gradually.
From boy, to man, even if the strange goat herd of the Nile wasn't really that old at all when he died.]
I don't think...I've ever known, what happened, [Jonouchi confesses. And with a dull look, he finally raises his eyes up from the steam and up to Kaiba's own.]
...'s differen', [the griffin notes. And just like that, it's Jonouchi's strangely small, strangely fragile voice again.] Wouldn' y' say? Like how Yugi w's never th' Pharaoh.
Like how you an' tha' Priest who won' call 'mself a King, keep yerselves separate. ...'s diffr'n', [Jonouchi repeats. A slightest shake of the head is all the emphasis the words can take, accompanied by the subtle, pained crinkle at the corner of his eyes.]
What'd'y' want me t' say? [he asks, and his voice is nearly a whisper.] 'S a memory like anythin' else. Somethin' that got locked up in a box 'cause it hurt too much t' think abou'. 'S a whole life tha' I lived an' died. ...I died, [Jonouchi repeats, his voice quietly keening.] An' now I'm alive. What'm I supposed to say t' tha'?
...What would you say, huh? [he asks- and the tilt of his head is once again just one notch more motion than anything he's done so far in this conversation. His gaze is piercing. As if by will, he could address two people at once and receive an answer from both in turn.]
I'm Jonouchi Katsuya.
...An' I'm also a herder who carved out my soul t' trick th' devil. An' whatever good it did, I don' think it did me favors, [Jonouchi finally says.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
CONTINUATION OF THEIR MEETING THREAD...
Date: 2024-12-14 05:18 pm (UTC)First, he attends to himself, because it would be stupid not to. Off comes the jacket, off comes the shirt and bracers, until the only thing he's wearing above the belt is the locket he'd never take off. His scratches are treated, but not bandaged. Stupid. No need.
Then his face is taken care of, and he has a drink.
Actually he has two.
Water, which he sucks down as if he's never hydrated in his life, because his throat is burning after three Burst Streams, despite one never really firing off completely.
Then, he raids the mini-fridge for a small bottle of actual whiskey, which is not his preferred libation of choice, and drinks that too. It burns all the way down, which is what he wants. It settles in his stomach like poison warmth, and gives him the will to do the rest of what he needs to. Liquid courage...? Hardly. He has that. This is to ease his pain from the fight, and make it easier to want to bother cleaning Jonouchi up. He fetches several towels, damp and dry, and uses them to wipe the blood from his opponent's face and neck.
...Halfway through, he decides yep, he's going to need another one of those whiskies. This is a terrible idea in a long list of terrible ideas, but he has another drink before he finally sits Jonouchi up and peels his upper clothing off. It's hard to see the bruising through all those fluffy feathers, but it's not hard to see the giant claw-shaped scar on Jonouchi's chest.
The scar shaped like Ra's claws, that he doesn't remember ever seeing happen.
The one Kaiba doesn't remember. And...something else, bisecting across it, which he can't explain either. He wants Jonoouchi to properly explain, but then, hadn't it been his fault that no explanation happened?
...No, it was still Jonouchi's fault. Surely.
Eventually, Kaiba does a sufficient job of cleaning the other up, and turns to himself, wiping away what blood he can see and then raiding the mini-fridge one more time, this time for a bottle of beer he doesn't intend to drink anyway--he uses it to ice his eye as he sits himself on the couch, his mind buzzing with the last things Jonouchi said to him.
He hopes that things weren't the same for Kaiba.
That they were friends now, a bond sealed in blood.
Ridiculous. Utterly stupid.
By the time the idiot wakes up, Kaiba's got his boots off to let his talons stretch, one leg crossed over the other as he reclined his head back and rested his eyes. His arms are also crossed, closed off posture as usual.
HEEEHEEHOOHOO
Date: 2024-12-14 11:59 pm (UTC)Sure, he'd suffered many a beatdown there, but everyone there drew a line at a particular point because there wasn't exactly a good reason to throttle someone into a coma.
So, Jonouchi wakes up with a low, croaky groan that speaks of familiarity but also of...well, maybe not regret but the understanding that maybe he was a little stupid
"Mnnnhh....ugh....f'rgot th's part 'f gettin' c'mpletely thrashed..."
Everything hurts. Everything, even the things he doesn't think he can feel. Those absolutely hurt, even if he can't really feel them. Something occurs to him though, as he blears his eyes awake. It's not quite a sense of coldness- Hell runs at a hotter temperature for the most part, even if angels are greatly sensitive to the polar degrees the outdoors is blasting right now. But there's a gradual awareness that he does not have his winter coat (extremely bloody now whoops), nor his jacket (which he stubbornly kept on under it as it has his deck and wallet), nor his t-shirt-
"NYH-!"
Jonouchi jolts to full awareness and actually sits up, and while he regrets doing that, he pushes the emotion down long enough to immediately bring a hand toward his neck.
Toward a set of dog tags, dangling off a chain not unlike the way others would wear lockets. Provided they're there, he immediately relaxes with relief, albeit with a bit back 'Ow...'
...If they aren't, he's quicker to start looking around in panic though. Either way, his actions are telling.
(no subject)
Date: 2024-12-15 12:40 am (UTC)Which makes it more annoying that he'd found himself goaded into punching the idiot so many times.
"Keep it down," he demanded, his voice still sharp but somewhat hoarse and with a tired quality to it. "You've already given me enough of a headache."
Admittedly, the two drinks were probably not heling with the headache at this point, but it's fine. It's his personal choice to have had two whiskies to deal with the rest of this "issue" and it's not as if he's a compulsive drinker. He's not even...strictly legal for it, but you tell a business collaborator that and see how they treat you if you don't put them in their place.
"I expected you to be out longer. Stubborn lout."
(no subject)
Date: 2024-12-15 01:28 am (UTC)Jonouchi could sit up. But really, he really should not be sitting up, and the rest of his body is protesting.
Still- from where he is on the bed, he can at least answer. "...Kaiba?"
Alright, ask first. Then answer. "Nhh...hey, ain't m' first rodeo...y' should've seen how it was at Rintama, hehehe..."
There is a fragile edge to those words, an edge that says it isn't as funny as he's trying to make it. Middle School Jonouchi was a mess. Middle School Jonouchi shouldn't have made it to High School, frankly, and High School Jonouchi came damn close to delivering on Middle School Jonouchi's shitty promise in that regard. If it wasn't for Honda, and especially for Yugi, well...
He doesn't like to think of that, and the very ghost of a thought causes his smile to become a grimace as he tries to think through the pain.
"Nhg...gotta be able t'...crawl t' somewhere safe normally, y'know..?" he manages instead, muffling a groan and moving his hand from the dog tags to his head.
"Damn...who th' hell taught y' t' punch, Kaiba...I think y' almos' took m' head off, 'n tha' was after we'd already gone at it f'r a while..."
He's slowly becoming aware of his surroundings. There's a lot of red- something he bets pisses Kaiba off to hell and back, if he's anything like her in that regard. For now though, thinking too much hurts too much, so he'll ease up on trying to figure much out right now.
actually cw; child abuse
Date: 2024-12-15 02:20 am (UTC)It's a miracle he has any braincells left to put up a fight, but clearly he'd managed to do alright. Kaiba's terribly aching jaw is testament to that.
"If you know me so well, then why don't you tell me who taught me how to punch?" he asks shrewishly.
Kaiba had been trained aggressively as a child, in many principles. Defending oneself was one of those principles, but even if it hadn't been...
...his adoptive father had taught him what it felt like to be struck, and how to strike, though that hadn't been meant as a lesson, had it? It'd been meant as a punishment.
Too bad for Gozaburo, he'd adopted a smart kid.
"Instead of getting into fights, you might consider keeping your mouth shut. The endless yapping is exhausting."
And the way Kaiba says it, it really does sound just a bit looser than his usual tone, whether he means it to or not. The emphasis is almost dragged out, tired and annoyed for sure.
After talking so much himself, he can't help but rub the side of his face, his jaw still really hurt, and his tongue was no better.
(no subject)
Date: 2024-12-15 02:31 am (UTC)(If Kaiba's going to be Kaiba after all, then it's probably better Kaiba never learn about what his dad, his blood related dad, has done- Mokuba might have the more obvious heart of the pair, but he knows damn well a hidden heart is still a heart, and he's not here to make Kaiba feel more awkward than he damn well is.)
(Mostly.)
"Hey, yer th' one who said I didn' know y' righ'..? An' technically, yer righ', so if y' ain't tellin' me then I can take a hint an' leave it, no biggie," the griffon decides with a feeble shrug. "Man though...yer room huh?"
With a somewhat stupid grin as he lifts his head up ('augh'), he manages a laugh. "Seems like we oughta trade rooms man, bet you'd love all th' white mine has 'upstairs'."
(no subject)
Date: 2024-12-15 02:53 am (UTC)Kaiba really does have a headache, and Jonouchi is way too much to deal with right now. He wants to throw the beer bottle at the idiot and maybe nail him on the foot just to annoy him, because that wouldn't really hurt anymore than what they'd already done to each other.
But...he doesn't. Instead, he assesses the situation around him. If Jonouchi sits up again, he'll see Kaiba with no shirt, and while it's perfectly fine when the shoe's on the other foot, he has no intention of being bared like that. Even though his body was scales and segments now, there were still visible scratchlike marks that had nothing to do with the other's taloned feet.
"This room is serving a purpose. An unattractive, terribly decorated purpose, but a purpose nonetheless. Once I've gotten real estate to reopen a business, I have no intention of staying here--nngh!"
Fuck. His tongue. Ouch.
"You know...I ought to break your wrist," he adds conversationally. "The lack of stability would heavily impede you from hitting me like that ever again."
Haha say psyche Kaiba.
Say psyche...
...Kaiba?!?!
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Date: 2024-12-15 03:08 am (UTC)As flat as one gets with a great set of wings, anyway.
"Heh, already plannin' on breakin' int' the market huh?" he jokes, trying to stay comfortable on the bed. "Gonna get th' duel disk goin' again? You should-"
Jonouchi doesn't finish that sentence, what with Kaiba having his moment about breaking wrists. He doesn't quite sit up, but he does huff, and try to at least spiritually give the dragon as dry a frown as possible.
"Hey, I ain't th' one who was abou' t' burst stream at m' face, what would you've done huh?"
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Date: 2024-12-15 08:45 am (UTC)He explains it like he'd thought about this a great deal, but the truth is that the words just spill out before he can mentally vet them. Much like the next part.
"I'm going to make a Duel Disk one way or the other, if I can get enough parts to make one. And if everyone here finds a way not to be inappropriate on business inquiry posts!"
Seriously? He is NOT making pornbots!!
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Date: 2024-12-15 08:53 am (UTC)Wait.
He sits up. Yes it hurts, and he winces immediately, but the emotion is quickly covered with the surprise that made him sit up to begin with. "Business stuff? I mean I dunnk what t' tell y' there Kaiba, int'rnet's th' int'rnet." With an extremely casual shrug-
Followed by a wince, ow, he should stop moving-
He adds- "I mean, assumin' y' just posted on th' forum here or whatever."
He could've seen the pornbot accusations Without precog big guy,
"Heheee sounds great oth'r than that though..! What kinda stuff y' need t' get started, bet I could search around upstairs no problem for y'!"
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Date: 2024-12-15 09:20 am (UTC)"I posted and stated very clearly that serious offers were all that I was entertaining. I set the rules!"
Hey, is...is Kaiba throwing a tantrum about it? He sounds less put together than usual, doesn't he?
"Good luck getting anything useful, by the way, I had someone mention they had a game console that they weren't selling! What an incredible find!"
He snorts derisively, his one good eye flicking back and forth nervously, because while he's complaining, Jonouchi is sitting up, and no, no no no--
--Reflexively, his wings close around him, like he's some kind of bat hiding from something.
...????
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Date: 2024-12-15 09:27 am (UTC)He's remarkably 'chill' about that.
"Anyway I was figurin' like...basic parts y'know? I mean y' designed th' thing, y'd know what went int' it; so I figured, if y' gotta work from scratch materials, tha's still somethin'. Like eh...wire metals, stuff like that."
Surprisingly logical! Unlike the way Kaiba is holding his wings now.
And unlike the way Jonouchi tilts his head in turn. He. Isn't saying anything but uh...hm.
Maybe Kaiba is more like 'Seto-chan' in other ways then..?
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From:tsun tsun tsun TSUN TSUN TS--
From:Cant spell cactus without cat- no wait-
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From:SECRET SANTA
Date: 2024-12-21 11:28 am (UTC)It's a scarf, hand-knitted by the looks of it, and so soft. It's also, uh, dotted with flaming bird skulls? Because... it's warm? And she thinks he enjoys birds, so hopefully he would enjoy this!
There's a small note attached wishing him a "happy Yam Ween". Find solace in that, Junouchi.]
MAKES HANDWIGGLY MOTIONS. we talked about it ok
Date: 2025-08-08 05:00 am (UTC)If he wants to ask Jonouchi about what the hell his dreams were about way back when...then he'd have to commit. And Seto Kaiba isn't a coward, it just hadn't been occupying mental bandwidth until...recently.
When he received news of...something.
Regardless...Jonouchi will find a very simple message sent to his personal inbox.
We need to discuss something. This is not up for debate.
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Date: 2025-08-09 12:18 pm (UTC)Jonouchi likes to think he's done a good job at avoiding everyone. Maybe too good a job- he hasn't been able to even hear from Yugi since the leather drip incident, and best he can tell the other just isn't there. He's gone.
He went home.
He knows of course that those things can be sudden but...it still stings. He finds himself insisting to the nearest cherub that he gets at least a week notice, and even then the cherub can only stammer a 'we'll try'.
...It's something he supposes.
Realistically he should try to connect with others after that. Before they disappear as well. He should.
But he doesn't.
And even getting what may as well be a sign from the Gods themselves, he reads Kaiba's message and hesitates.
...
Okay.]
alright
shoot
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Date: 2025-08-10 06:53 am (UTC)[Kaiba does not apologize for waiting so long to ask. If anything, Jonouchi should apologize to HIM for all of...that, but that's neither here nor there, since he's not going to verbalize it.]
I'd prefer to discuss it in person. But that's up to you.
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Date: 2025-08-13 12:52 pm (UTC)fine
[Is he normally so short? No. But given the topic, it's probably not a surprise either.]
where?
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Date: 2025-08-15 07:36 am (UTC)[As usual, a cold response. He's waited far too long to address this, and now he's at a loss for how to do anything but be terse.
Below the surface, something stirs, an uneasiness at the edges of his subconscious. He doesn't heed it.]
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Date: 2025-08-16 01:37 pm (UTC)But, he swallows his pride for now. If only because making a fuss about it would probably just make it a bigger deal and then...
Eugh.
Fine.
Downstairs and down the elevator he goes, eventually locating Kaiba's room and knocking.
Another courtesy he's grudgingly delivering.]
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Date: 2025-08-19 02:06 am (UTC)[Because Kaiba expected no one else to show up to his hotel room uninvited, and if they did, they would deeply regret it.
When Jonouchi enters, he'll find Kaiba situated in the kitchen nook, doing something that might look incredibly...odd??? Well, if you didn't know that Seto Kaiba was perfectly capable of domestic living, anyway.
He was making tea. Or rather, pouring it into cups at this point.]
You didn't take very long, did you? I expected you to try weaseling out of this.
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Date: 2025-08-22 01:11 pm (UTC)He comes in though, and quickly casts his eye toward the kitchen nook. Not because of any visions, but just the smell- he can't help but stare.]
...Tea..? ...Thought you were a coffee guy, [he mutters, before Kaiba's statement catches up to him. Reflexively, he hunches his shoulders. If he was any less of a person, he probably would have taken a step back, even.]
Nyh... Yeah? An' then what, get my phone blowin' up all day? F'rget it.
[Plus, he's tired.
...Not that he says it.]
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Date: 2025-09-18 03:33 am (UTC)[They're Japanese, aren't they? Why not tea? Besides, he'd gone with an oolong, so it wasn't entirely deprived of caffeine. As long as he gets his fix...then something different is fine.]
If there is something I have learned in the past couple years, it's that trying to destroy the past will never really succeed, and running from it is just as untenable. It finds you and clings like a bur, even as you proceed into your future.
You would not be served running from this. You've had enough time--and you should consider it a courtesy on my part that you were afforded that time--to process and prepare for this moment.
[After saying that, Kaiba looks Jonouchi in the eye, striking cyan into bright crimson. He slides one cup closer to the other.]
Sugar?
[...Is he being nice? Is this what nice is? Is this the uncanny valley?]
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Date: 2025-09-20 01:52 pm (UTC)He's getting this lecture? That's rich. And-]
...sure, [He manages, even as his chest feels cold.] ...Make what's comin go down easier or somethin', that how it goes?
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Date: 2025-09-21 07:01 am (UTC)Are you going to pay attention, or am I wasting my time?
[Sorry Jonouchi. Giving him noncommittal answers is not going to be thought of fondly, not if the thump of his sharp-tipped tail against the floor is any indication.]
I'm the one that got stuck in your dream. Neither of us chose that, but seeing something from thousands of years ago and, you know, human sacrifice?! That's something that I think deserves explanation!
[He wants to know, and deep, deep down, in the subterranean channels of what formed his soul, someone else wanted to know.]
(no subject)
Date: 2025-09-21 03:11 pm (UTC)...Jonouchi is very still, and very, very quiet. He tries at first to be mad. To be angry, to snap like he would have a month ago, a year ago, but he can't. For a brief moment his eyes are agleam with flame, but the moment is soon gone. There is only steam, rising from an untouched tea. Steam, like smoke from a smothered hearth.]
...Where I came from...There's a display roped off b'side th' mort'ry steles for a ruler known as th' "Mournin' Queen".
[It's not relevant to the conversation, who the Queen precisely is.
Perhaps the soul inside Seto's own can guess.]
It's dark. Like th' museum's carryin' guilt for what happ'n'd, instead 'f th' ones who left their swords b'hind. Still hopped that rope though, [He says, but it isn't smug, it isn't proud. It's flat, Jonouchi's voice.
It's cold.]
...There's a pillar in th' display. Photo of it, anyway. Lil' plaque in front of it calls it a "marv'l of ach'eology". Most well pr'served natural mummies in the planet. Not ev'n one. Doz'ns. Men. Women. Childr'n.
A hundr'd total, [he emphasizes, without a single change in his tone.
He lets it sink in. A hundred corpses. All there, in a pit to be found years later.]
...'pparently th' dig site thought it might've been mass burial at first. Some disease, plague.
...Then they found all th' foreign weaponry, an' called it what it was.
...Ritual slaught'r.
[He hasn't moved an inch.]
...Part of me wonders now, 'f I could pick mine out in th' pile. ...I dunno, [Jonouchi admits.]
...Buried pr'tty deep, after all.
[That's not an explanation. Not really. It's on his mind though, and still with that same tone, his eyes glazed and glued upon the steam of the tea as if it would provide answers for himself, he says what comes to mind.]
Th' items magic said t' my face that normal people can't see or hear 'm. Doin' tha' 's still jus'...makin' sense of what ain't normal, but it's still more than what is normal. I had one call me kin. My blood nearly brought one alive in my damn body, [he hisses, and the inflection has changed.
Slowly. Gradually.
From boy, to man, even if the strange goat herd of the Nile wasn't really that old at all when he died.]
I don't think...I've ever known, what happened, [Jonouchi confesses. And with a dull look, he finally raises his eyes up from the steam and up to Kaiba's own.]
...'s differen', [the griffin notes. And just like that, it's Jonouchi's strangely small, strangely fragile voice again.] Wouldn' y' say? Like how Yugi w's never th' Pharaoh.
Like how you an' tha' Priest who won' call 'mself a King, keep yerselves separate. ...'s diffr'n', [Jonouchi repeats. A slightest shake of the head is all the emphasis the words can take, accompanied by the subtle, pained crinkle at the corner of his eyes.]
What'd'y' want me t' say? [he asks, and his voice is nearly a whisper.] 'S a memory like anythin' else. Somethin' that got locked up in a box 'cause it hurt too much t' think abou'. 'S a whole life tha' I lived an' died. ...I died, [Jonouchi repeats, his voice quietly keening.] An' now I'm alive. What'm I supposed to say t' tha'?
...What would you say, huh? [he asks- and the tilt of his head is once again just one notch more motion than anything he's done so far in this conversation. His gaze is piercing. As if by will, he could address two people at once and receive an answer from both in turn.]
I'm Jonouchi Katsuya.
...An' I'm also a herder who carved out my soul t' trick th' devil. An' whatever good it did, I don' think it did me favors, [Jonouchi finally says.]
What do you want me t' say?
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