Chapter Text
New: Minor editing for the sake of flow and clarity. No plot changes.
A/N: It's been a little while since I've written anything. I'm a tad rusty but hopefully it's still an enjoyable read.
Early-December
December settled in quickly, bringing the first of winter's chill to Domino. Undeterred by the cold, the city grew even more vibrant. Strings of festive lights encircled the trees and hung from the windows of even the smallest shops. People weaved in and out of the crowd to get where they needed to go in preparation for the year's end, buying sweets and gifts for their loved ones. Among them, Kaiba had tucked himself into the corner of a small boutique, watching his younger brother rifle through a pile of scarves trying to find the perfect one.
Their morning had been more eventful than Kaiba would have liked, with Mokuba practically tripping down the stairs with excitement and whisking them out the door to hit the stores. December was the one time when he was able to take some time out for himself as stocks generally took care of themselves with all that gift-giving and group-gathering nonsense everyone except him seemed to like so much. He also worked himself raw October through November to ensure that his commitments were light and he could afford to have the time off. Due to that, shopping wasn't his preferred leisure activity, but Mokuba was almost 18 and Kaiba had realized that the possibility of Mokuba running off to some foreign college, and disappearing on him for three years, was becoming quite possible now that acceptance letters were being mailed out.
"What about this one?"
Mokuba held a dark red scarf in one hand. The material was thick and warm, with strands of green running through it here and there, and the ends were cut to look frayed. Kaiba let his head dip slightly in approval and Mokuba signalled to the store clerk that his mind was made up. He shoved it in his bag, along with the other things he'd bought throughout the day, and grabbed his brother's hand, dragging him out of the store.
Grateful at least to be out of the corner, Kaiba let himself be dragged out onto the sidewalk. The dry, cool wind, hit his face and he let himself enjoy it for a moment or two before he turned to Mokuba who was hurriedly tapping away at his phone's onscreen keyboard. He knew it was probably Yuugi his brother was messaging, or some girl, one or the other, but when he tried to look, Mokuba pulled the phone back skillfully without even looking up from what he was typing.
He clucked his tongue and shoved his hand into his pocket. He told himself he should enjoy this while it lasted... After all, he still felt like one day he woke up and Mokuba was a teenager. The younger Kaiba had cut his hair shorter recently, giving him a teen idol sort of look that Kaiba was still getting used to, but his clothing taste developed, running more towards business casual, and Kaiba was thankful for that. Mokuba was definitely handsome, a thought that was echoed by all the teenage girls in Domino City, and he was having his own successes hosting a lot of KaibaCorp fundraisers and expos, which suited his exuberant personality much better than Kaiba's, which still remained icy and indifferent.
But , he conceded, this is nice.
Finally, Mokuba looked back to him, a bright smile on his face. "Everyone's finally here now."
Kaiba's eyes narrowed. “And here I thought I was just starting to have fun."
Mokuba grinned at him devilishly and held up the bag he'd been shoving the numerous purchases into. "Gifts, big brother," he said pointedly. "That you helped me pick out."
"You showed me, I nodded, you bought.”
"Close enough," Mokuba chimed and slid his phone back into his pocket. "So, coffee?"
Kaiba nodded. Coffee sounded good.
As they walked, he let himself quietly observe the scenery around him once more, all the while idly agreeing or disagreeing with his younger brother on the myriad of topics that were on his mind. Blah, blah, blah, KaibaCorp, Christmas parties, different kinds of cake, blah, blah, blah, KaibaCorp having a Christmas party with five different kinds of cake. By the time they arrived at the cafe and settled into a booth next to each other, Mokuba had already planned a whole party down to the napkins.
"You're good at this.”
Mokuba gave him a side-glance from from over the rim of his hot chocolate.
"You could always run for Chief Creative Officer next year."
"Or you just don't want me accepting the offer to go to Switzerland," Mokuba snorted when he put his cup down.
"I am simply saying you have other options to consider," he corrected him before lifting the cup of coffee to his mouth. “And what time are you meeting the others tomorrow?" he asked, before he took a sip. “You still have priorities.”
"Well nothing's set in stone, yet, but since everyone's back today, we'll probably coordinate the time soon… Are you sure you won't come?"
He made a face like he had tasted something particularly bitter. "Certain.”
Mokuba stroked the handle of the cup with his thumb, still holding it up to his mouth. "The one time that everyone is actually here, and we actually have free time, you won't come.” He sighed hard. “How did I know this was going to happen?"
Kaiba glanced at him, but upon seeing the crestfallen look, he chose to bite back his snide comment, and started to take advantage of the view his window seat offered him instead.
They'd been over this before: Mokuba had chosen to keep in touch with ‘them’–mostly Yuugi from what he gathered, but it was a group package so ‘them’ it remained. Kaiba, himself, made no effort, and wanted no part in the periodic updates. Mokuba would scold him for his attitude towards the people who 'saved the both of us repeatedly, if you happened to forget', and Kaiba would answer with the usual, 'I saved myself and I owe them nothing'. Now, it had been five years since he had seen them as a group and he still felt the same. At least, the year that just went past, Mokuba had given up on it. Kaiba figured hormones, girls, and university offers had finally become more important than the near impossible task of convincing him to care.
Mokuba piped up again, his voice the certain type of teenage-bitter that let's you know you’re in deep. "Change of plans, big brother,” he said, “We're meeting them now.”
The rush of noise that approached them, coupled with Mokuba's words, made his stomach drop. His eyes darted to face front and he saw Yuugi first, Anzu and Honda behind him, heading towards the booth.
His jaw clenched immediately, realizing what Mokuba had done, and the urgency to head out the door and finish the shopping first thing in the morning.
“Change of plans, my ass,” he hissed quietly, before they reached the table.
Mokuba did not stand to greet them, and Kaiba knew it was to keep him planted where he was. As they hugged and greeted, he assessed if he could hop the table and make a brisk getaway, but he didn't do it quickly enough.
"Hey, Kaiba," Yuugi greeted as he slid into the booth opposite, taking the window seat.
"Yuugi," he managed with a slight nod of his head, avoiding the inquisitive violet gaze by turning his own back towards the window.
Honda slid into the seat next to him, and Anzu sat down next to Mokuba, and quickly the booth was consumed by their chatter and the scent of chocolate and cinnamon; but the erratic clinking of cups and forks hitting plates, and random raised voices kept him on-edge. They exchanged gifts, and winter wishes. It was nauseating. Mokuba's cheery demeanour only added to his ire, going so far as to make him feel disrespected.
Tricked, sour, and still festering, Kaiba turned his glare to Yuugi whose eyes he could still feel burning holes into the side of his head, but unfortunately, this only gave Yuugi the impression that he was ready for conversation.
"How have you been, Kaiba?"
As polite as he could, he deflected the question: "Fine."
"I saw your VR reveal on TV last month. It'll be a big success, I think."
"Of course it will.”
“And Mokuba's speech was really good. The crowd accepted it easily."
"Yeah, maybe he should be the new face of KaibaCorp," Honda interjected teasingly, gaining the harsh glare of Kaiba's pent-up frustration.
"Actually," Mokuba piped up, before Kaiba could get any slandering words out, "Seto was just suggesting that I become Chief Creative Officer next year."
There was a murmur of approval and congratulations throughout the table and then Anzu: "So you're not considering the school in Switzerland, anymore?"
Kaiba looked towards his brother, glare still locked-and-loaded, his mood and eyebrows knitting even tighter.
Since when did they all get this close?
Mokuba just smiled–a business man's smile–and with impressive tact, said, “It’s still being considered.”
Kaiba looked back out of the window again, trying to unball the fists that had formed under the table, nails starting to dig painfully into the flesh of his palms. Down the street, a young boy and girl argued, and Kaiba let his attention focus on their scuffle. He quickly realized that it was over a candybar of some sort, the brightly coloured wrapper being waved around by the boy, far out of the smaller girl's reach. Just as the girl gave another futile jump, her face red with frustration and cold, the candybar was snatched away by a stranger who had just walked up.
The young children turned to face their assailant, and Kaiba found himself doing the same, observing the stranger who was dressed all in black with the hood up. The man put the candybar behind his back and crouched to their level. Kaiba arched an eyebrow, his frown still deeply rooted on his face, and watched intently as they started to talk before, finally, the little boy pointed. The stranger took a hand out from behind his back, and gave the candy bar to the young boy. A second later, the other hand came into view and he gave the girl a matching pack, as well.
How sweet , Kaiba snarked to himself, picking up his coffee and bringing it to his lips.
As the children scampered off, the man continued on down the block heading closer, his head lowered enough that Kaiba could not make it out. Upon taking in the man's outfit, and realizing that it was much more than just a black ensemble, he bit the inside of his cheek feeling annoyed still, but appreciative. Taking a sip of his coffee, he watched the stranger reach up to take off his hood. Promptly, upon seeing that stranger's face and a head of blonde hair, he choked on the coffee going down his throat.
He tried to smother the cough that came along, but the bitter taste that was coating his throat made it difficult and he let out a quick cough. The red-hot flame of embarrassment boiled up inside of him, along with the realization that he had somehow managed to find Jounouchi attractive for even a split second after all this time.
"Are you okay?" Yuugi asked, genuine concern displayed on his face, his question echoed by the others at the table.
He didn’t bother to respond, trying to keep his composure and wait, and the concern of the others was quickly diverted as the door to the store chimed, and while Kaiba continued to suffer with the liquid stuck in his throat, Jounouchi sidled up to the table.
"Kaiba, are you dyin'?" Jounouchi asked, his voice filled with laughter and curiosity at the same time.
"Not likely," Kaiba managed as the dark liquid finally quit its assault on his throat and found its way down the right way.
"Good," he replied, pulling off his coat and taking a seat next to Honda.
Kaiba felt Mokuba pat his leg underneath the table but at this point it wasn't much comfort.
"Sorry, I'm late," Jounouchi apologized, "The meeting ran a little bit late."
"Wouldn't be like you to be on time," Honda jeered.
Jounouchi snorted. "Yeah, well, I was busy jumping a little kid for their chocolate bar."
"But how did the interview go?" Honda asked, clearly unamused.
"The meeting went fine, Honda, thanks for askin'."
"So?" Mokuba asked excitedly.
"What's the verdict?" Anzu joined in.
"Uh, well, I'm still waiting for the call but I'm pretty sure it's a go. The head engineer didn't seem to have any reservations about showing me the project specs and introducing me to some of the mechanics."
From his spot in the corner, Kaiba dealt with his stomach as it started to twist. He knew what was coming now. This wasn't just a happy highschool reunion and those weren’t holiday gifts. It was a god damn reunification, and Mokuba was welcoming them back.
"So then the gang's back together!" Anzu cheered from behind Mokuba.
"Hear hear," Honda grumbled, looking just as Kaiba felt.
There was a quiet laughter at the table then, and Kaiba could feel the momentary disconnect before the conversation resumed.
He had always wished Mokuba had chosen to sever his ties all those years ago… So he'd never felt like it had been in his best interest to listen to Mokuba's updates, but now he regretted it. If he had paid attention then maybe he would understand now why the scene before him seemed like someone had bought a horribly cheap cake, and smeared icing over it to try and make it taste better, or why a small smile had crept up on Jounouchi's lips and even as the chatter resumed between them, Jounouchi stayed silent, not talking to anyone at all.
Kaiba kept his gaze focused on the other, trying to project his frustrations him, but even though he had been forced into this situation–blocked into the booth by Mokuba and Anzu, stuck being analyzed by Yuugi from across the booth, even assaulted by Jounouchi through the window–he could not. Jounouchi just sat there, looking something both wistful and contrite, and despite Mokuba being right next to him, he had never felt further removed from a situation.
"I've gotta head out now," Anzu said suddenly, sounding satisfied, "I have recitals in a few hours. Yuugi?"
"Coming," he answered complacently.
"I'll come with you," Honda echoed, "Gotta head back to the station."
Mokuba suddenly perked up. "Can I stand in the line-up?"
Kaiba cut his eyes at his brother but he was just met with another of those dazzling businessman smiles. "Fine, but I'm not bailing you out if someone recognizes you," he snarked, trying to block out the rising emotion.
Mokuba just laughed, and gathered his things.
Finally , he triumphed as the rest of the group stood up, preparing to leave. He let himself look out of the window again, thinking he would try to gather his thoughts now, but after a minute he heard someone sit back down at the booth.
Reluctantly, he turned his eyes back to the table, expecting Yuugi and another weak attempt at conversation, but instead, he only saw Jounouchi, looking back at him. The afternoon sun, which was already falling fast, was caught in the other's dark brown eyes, revealing an amber depth that made him bristle.
"You're not going to take your leave?" he ground out, gesturing towards the door.
The silence that followed was eerie and Kaiba felt a tug of nostalgia, briefly brought back to a time that seemed very far away; a time when Jounouchi would purposely put himself in Kaiba's line of sight, always trying and never really making the statement he wanted to make. Annoyed even further by that memory, he glared at the other with contempt.
Quickly, the unreadable expression cracked and a crooked smile appeared on Jounouchi's face.
"I just figured I'd stick around and make ya miserable instead," was the astute answer Kaiba received, and the tightly wound strings within him released all at once.
He almost groaned out loud.
"Mokuba force you to be here?" Jounouchi asked, stirring his hot chocolate with a long, thin, dessert spoon now.
It clanged off the side of the cup awkwardly, and Kaiba turned his attention back towards the window for what felt like the thousandth time. He hoped Jounouchi would take the hint, or at least be put off by his silence.
"He always was a brat. Pretty good at it, too, if he managed to get you in here with all of us."
Jounouchi laughed awkwardly, and paused for a response.
"Still not much of a talker, huh? That's fine, though… I like you better when you're acting all cool and apathetic."
Kaiba let his eyes roll back to Jounouchi, an eyebrow raised in question, but Jounouchi wasn't looking at him anymore. His dark eyes were focused on what, if anything, was left in his mug and the strange expression had returned. Staying silent, he began looking at the eyelashes that were casting shadows down Jounouchi's cheeks. He raised his coffee and took a sip, watching the slow progression of emotions, always readily available on the other’s face.
"I know we've never been close," Jounouchi started finally, his voice sounding strained, "And that's not gonna change, but it's still irritating you pretend not to hear what I'm saying."
"Some things are better left unspoken," Kaiba offered, hoping to close the conversation, and met Jounouchi's wide eyes when they looked back at him.
"No shit," Jounouchi grunted, before breaking eye contact and swallowing the last of what was in his mug.
There was another silence, and Kaiba could tell that Jounouchi had something to say. He waited for it, not really curious but interested for the moment, and then Jounouchi seemed to shake himself in gear.
"Well, it was nice seein’ you, Kaiba.”
Kaiba watched as he pulled up a scarf from beside him on the booth and wrapped it around his neck. He recognized the scarf as the one that Mokuba had picked up from the boutique and an unfamiliar feeling ran through his chest.
Gifts, big brother. That you helped me pick out.
Kaiba's voice left his lips before he could stop it, and he called out to as the other stood, coat in hand.
Jounouchi looked at him, his eyebrows drawn together.
"... You, too."
He watched Jounouchi's face tighten a little bit more, a line forming between his eyebrows, and then Jounouchi was laughing. It was bright and full, and Kaiba felt a strange reassurance from it; that Jounouchi was still Jounouchi, even after all this time.
But he was sure he hadn't meant to be funny, and Jounouchi was still laughing like he'd been told a very grand joke. All he could do was watch as it died down, Jounouchi trying desperately to contain it.
"Even you trying to be nice is mean," Jounouchi said finally, his voice still ringing with humour that Kaiba couldn't understand.
The blonde dropped a few bills on the table next to his empty mug, and Kaiba watched as he walked away, feeling wholly unsettled by the entire experience, but mostly Jounouchi now. After a moment, he scoffed, settling on the idea that the blond had merely lost a few more screws over the years, and he picked up his coffee, intent on finishing it in peace.