Tumgik
#I mainly had an aesthetic in mind for this ficlet
alectoperdita · 3 years
Text
Fictober - Day 13
prompt: “I missed this” fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters pairing: Jounouchi Katsuya/Kaiba Seto rating: teen warnings: none a/n: no thoughts head empty, have a disjointed continuation of I won’t be home for the holidays | Jounouchi toasts the end of a month-long romance with Kaiba. Or is it?
Jounouchi had never seen Domino City quite like this before: a glimmering landscape laid out far below his feet with dots of lights crawled through urban arteries of freeways and winding streets. From this height, the view was unobstructed all the way out to the bay. Were it daytime, Jounouchi would be able to see the multitude of ships docked in port. But right now, the quarter moon's reflection was the only vessel floating on the dark water. 
Swinging his feet in wide arcs, he craned his head toward his companion and admitted, "You weren't kidding. This is some view."
They sat side-by-side, perched on top of the Kaiba's desk in Kaiba's old office on the top floor of the KC skyscraper, occasionally bumping shoulders and knees as they passed a wine bottle between them. It was not their first bottle of the night. An empty one laid abandoned on the floor—starlight and city lights pooling where Riesling once sat.
The moonlight pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows highlighted Kaiba's sharp cheekbones and bounced off the champagne bottle—some leftover gift from a business associate that'd sat in his office for who knows how long. With his suit jacket discarded and sleeves rolled back, Kaiba was the very picture of languid grace as he sipped the wine straight from the bottle. Jounouchi's eyes couldn't help but linger on the long tendons of his neck and his bobbing Adam's apple as he drank. When Kaiba unsealed his lips from the mouth of the bottle, he glanced at Jounouchi out of the corner of his eyes, smirking knowingly.
Ignoring the heated thrill worming through his body, Jounouchi huffed and snatched the champagne away, deliberately brushing his fingers over Kaiba's as he withdrew. 
"I did promise you the most exclusive in the city," drawled the other man as he pressed close to speak his words against Jounouchi's ear.
"Was that supposed to be the view or the company?" He laughed before taking a drink. The champagne bubbles burst across his tongue like miniature firecrackers.
"Both are good, no?" asked Kaiba. He nudged Jounouchi to face him, stealing both a kiss and then the bottle. 
Resisting the urge to chase the other man's lips, Jounouchi rested his cheek against Kaiba's shoulder and rubbed the soft fabric against his skin. Kaiba's frame shuddered as he bit down laughter. That too, Jounouchi ignored in favor of his companion's warmth. The sloppy makeout session they had on the office couch when they first stumbled in had taken the edge off his libido. But like the alcohol, Jounouchi doubted that would be the last time they laid hands on each other tonight. For now, Jounouchi wanted to soak in as much of Kaiba's presence while he still could. 
Dangling the half-empty bottle between his legs with one hand, Kaiba slung an arm across his back and clasped one shoulder. For a while, they stayed wrapped up with each other as they watched the city below in silence. The deep night and Kaiba's warmth lulled Jounouchi to the edge of slumber. 
"I missed this," Kaiba eventually said.
Groggily, Jounouchi lifted his head from his comfy pillow against Kaiba's shoulder to watch the man in profile. 
This—what a vague word. Did Kaiba mean the view? Or the city he'd lived away from for almost a decade? Jounouchi once had the impression that Kaiba did get homesick, even if he wouldn't admit it. Maybe it was his office he missed, the very same one where he first took control of the company and steered it into uncharted waters? But even for all his alcohol-addled brain, Jounouchi didn't think for a second Kaiba might be referring to him or the surprisingly steadfast and quiet affections they'd built over messaging since that one night stranded at an airport or the explosive New Years they'd shared.
"This view. This city," admitted Kaiba several beats later. "San Francisco isn't the same."
"Whelp, you better drink it all in now. Cuz it's your last chance before you fly out in the morning." 
The corner of Jounouchi's mouth hurt from forcing a smile. He tried not to think about the hole that would open up in his life once Kaiba was gone again. The last month of having Kaiba back in Domino had been like a dream. The sex was fantastic. Jounouchi hadn't gotten laid that consistently or frequently since he broke up with his last boyfriend almost a year ago. But mostly, he'd been swept up in the time they'd spent together outside of the bedroom, whether it was Kaiba keeping him company in the backroom of the game shop while he did inventory or them indulging in room service and the minibar as they watched television in Kaiba's hotel room.
Jounouchi had seen glimpses of what it'd be like to date Kaiba during that brief window between last Christmas and New Year. The previous month had confirmed all his suspicions, and he found that he liked it very much. 
Too much, probably.
Kaiba was leaving soon, though, back to his life on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. It was not somewhere that Jounouchi could or was willing to follow. He was too old and settled now to abandon his own life on a whim and fancy, no matter how much he really really liked Kaiba or would miss him when he was gone again.
It seemed he was eternally cursed to pine after Kaiba Seto.
Jounouchi released Kaiba to grip the edge of the desk on either side of his swinging legs. An awkward silence had overtaken them, interrupted only by the rhythmic thumping of Jounouchi's heels colliding with the desk beneath on the backswing. Each kick that connected sent vibrations up through the wood, along the length of his arms and into his chest cavity. For some reason, Kaiba didn't scold him. 
Then again, what did Kaiba care if Jounouchi kicked the desk to pieces? It wasn't as if he worked in this office anymore. Come morning, this office would sit empty for however long it took before its wayward master returned to the country. That could be another year or more. 
Placing the bottle on his thigh, Kaiba fiddled with its neck as he asked, "Can I confess something?" 
With another full-faced but forced grin, Jounouchi quickly reclaimed the bottle. "If you're confessing to murder, I need to get way drunker first." Then he took a large swig. The champagne burned on its way down his throat.
Kaiba waited for him to finish before next speaking. "I was done with my business after the second week. I didn't need to stay for an entire month."
His frantic heart scaled its way into his throat and lodged there. "Then why'd you hang around for so long?" 
Spinning in place, Kaiba faced him head-on, one hand slinking out of the shadows to caress the shell of his ear. Jounouchi tried not to lean into the touch, but the alcohol and the night—their last night together—had whittled down his usual defenses. The one weakness he wouldn't allow himself was to break eye contact with the other man. He would force Kaiba to give him his full attention while it was still possible to demand that. 
"I was curious."
Jounouchi knitted his eyebrows in confusion. "About?"
For several seconds, Kaiba stayed quiet, blue eyes fixed on his face. "About us, I suppose. Christmas and New Year felt like a different world. I wanted to know if the allure persisted beyond that liminal space and time. So I gave myself a trial period to find out."
A flashfire of familiar old anger flared inside him. "Why didn't you say something before?" 
"My goal wasn't to disrupt your life. I also didn't want to get your hopes up if it didn't work out. I'd rather shoulder that disappointment on my own."
Following Kaiba's lead, Jounouchi inhaled sharply, turned, and drew his legs onto the desk to sit cross-legged, bracing the champagne bottle in his lap. On his next exhale, the anger flowed out of him in a whoosh of alcohol-laced air. He supposed not saying anything was Kaiba's brand of kindness. Besides, Jounouchi had explicitly not allowed himself to think about what happened to them after Kaiba's trip was over. 
Getting a whole month with Kaiba was already more than Jounouchi had ever dared to hope. 
Still, his next questions came out clipped. "Yeah, is that right? What'd you find out?"
He told himself not to be stupid. To not be disappointed. But the moment stung because Kaiba was still leaving in the morning.
Meanwhile, Kaiba's hand settled over his cheek, cradling his face with his large, warm palm. "I thought there was potential."
Jounouchi's fingers spasmed and itched, overcome with the desire to dump the rest of the bottle's content over Kaiba's head.
"I still think there's potential," concluded Kaiba as he bent forward to capture Jounouchi's lips. 
When they next separated, Jounouchi licked his lips, tasting wine, moonlight, and bittersweet hope. "I gotta admit, I have no idea what that means."
Dropping his hand to take one of Jounouchi's, Kaiba cocked his head toward the window. His bangs flopped over his eyes with the motion and would have obscured them if not for the spotlight of moonbeam on his face. "I meant what I said about missing this city. It's not even the same one I left years ago, and almost everyone I knew who once live here has moved away, but I've never been more nostalgic for Domino than this last month." 
As Kaiba spoke so soft and low, he played with Jounouchi's limp fingers, mapping out the bumps of his joints and caressing the scarred knuckles. That and the hypnotic tone of his words that drained the remaining tension from Jounouchi. He wanted very much to fall forward and bury his face in the crook of Kaiba's neck. 
"No," Kaiba corrected himself with a shake of his head. "Nostalgia isn't the right term. The opposite, really. To look forward to the promise of tomorrow, the future."
Jounouchi snorted loudly. "It's called being hopeful. Damn, Kaiba, it took you long enough to figure that one out!"
A wry grin spread across Kaiba's lips. "My point is that I haven't felt excited or challenged by much in a while. San Francisco's become stagnant. My job— My position remains the same no matter which office I operate out of. Mokuba's graduated, and he's expressed interest in moving to Berkeley." 
"To be closer to Rebecca."
Kaiba nodded, his fingers now tracing the lines in Jounouchi's palm. "And the space to figure out what he wants to do next. I don't require that he join the company if he wants to pursue a different path."
Jounouchi reached over and squeezed one of Kaiba's knees. "That's good."
Clearing his throat, Kaiba continued, "The point is there's not much left to keep me in the States anymore. It may be time for another change of scenery."
"By coming back to your hometown?" he asked in disbelief. "That doesn't really sound like you're taking on a new challenge."
Kaiba's eyes pierced him. "Not a challenge then. But I'm a businessman, and it's important that I pursue new opportunities when they arise."
Jounouchi's breath hitched. "And you think there are new opportunities here? In Domino?"
"Quite a few," quipped Kaiba with another infuriatingly smug smirk.
Carefully, Jounouchi set the bottle aside and rose onto his knees to shuffle forward and close the infinitesimal distance between them. His shaky hands clasped Kaiba's shoulders to keep from falling over. In return, Kaiba gripped his waist and carefully pulled him into his lap, meeting him halfway as he swooped down to kiss him. Jounouchi had been right about one thing: that makeout session on the couch had only been a prelude.
Check out other puppy/violetshipping ficlets I’m writing all #fictober20 long
24 notes · View notes
lifeofkaze · 3 years
Note
...Okay, I can't resist. Could I submit a ⭐ request for the Fareva ficlet you did, Paint Me a Picture? (i'msorryijustlovethemsomuchIcan'thelpit 🙈)
Of course you can! Seeing an ask from you always make me so happy 💛💚
Alright, let's talk Paint Me A Picture 🥰
When we had our first chat about the loveliness that are these two polar opposites, the vague idea of Reva pulling Farid along to show him something in excitement was there in my mind very early on and I just *knew* I wanted to write something for them. (Just the image of tiny but determined Reva and tall but ever so shy and flustered Farid alone makes me warm and fuzzy all over again.)
I remembered giving Reva the ability to spray paint in an off-hand ask, but never planned to do much with it. It was more of a nod to her artistic as hell best friend Zadie @the-al-chemist and I figured spray painting would fit Reva's skater aesthetic best. And here was the prime opportunity to actually make use of it!
What changed most before I started writing was probably the setting. I contemplated letting the short play out in Montrose when Farid is visiting, with Dylan and Reva both working on the picture and shooing away some Muggle kids claiming the wall they're spraying on. But I couldn't really make that work. Also you said Farid is probably a Cancer, so they would be at school during that time. I then thought about Reva painting in the Room of Requirements. I really liked the idea of her dragging Farid through the castle because I think he doesn't get as much opportunity to explore there as he would like. But again, it didn't really feel right.
I finally settled on Hogsmeade, because 1) Farid lives there and would go there naturally and 2) Reva giving jack all about the rules and sneaking out on a regular basis is so her. I also decided to replace Dylan with Zadie, mainly because while Zadie and Farid probably kind of know each other, they're not really friends in their own rights (as of now, at least?). Had Dylan been part of this I would have gotten this adorable sibling dynamic out of it, but it also would have taken the focus away from Reva and Farid, seeing as Dylan is his best friend and that would have changed the pacing of the story, I think. Zadie just made more sense, from her being a begrudging but still supporting part of Reva's ideas to her teasing her friend about her obvious crush on Farid - even though Reva doesn't want to admit it either to Zadie or herself at this point.
One thing I did have to change after talking to you was Reva's reaction to Farid seeing the picture. My original plan was either her kissing him on the cheek or hugging him before being off on her way but after consulting you and some research of my own, I realised that would be such a massive overstepping of Farid's boundaries that it didn't work at all. Reva isn't that respectful of rules in general, but when it comes to people's personal boundaries and beliefs, that's something she takes seriously and would never intentionally break these.
I was a little at a loss of what to do then, because Reva's primary love language is physical touch and she is a very impulsive person. But then again, my confusion and desire to write her touching him was exactly what she was feeling in that particular moment, so I decided to just adapt it as it was. That's why she reaches out to him on instinct but stops herself last minute, even though it's really hard for her. Everything about Farid is a challenge for her ways and character and that's what makes him so frustrating and intriguing at the same time for her. Reva never backs down from a challenge after all 💛❤️
10 notes · View notes