Venturing

A/N: Oooh....last chapter....

The second he stepped foot into Yugi's living room, Seto knew he was going to regret ever venturing outside. The sight of the Yugi-tachi, all turning to glance in his direction with uneasiness or surprise, caused him to return an icy glare at each and every one of them. Being graced by his presence did not call for them to stare rudely.

Thankfully, Jou swept past Seto and immediately brought the center of attention to his potluck contribution. "Ok, I brought some food!" he announced with pride, practically waving a medium-sized dish in front of Yugi's nose. The short boy's eyes widened with glee, and like a child, his hands reached for the tantalizing porcelain dish. Instantly, Jou moved the dish away. It provided such great pleasure to Seto to witness Yugi trying to pitifully jump for the food held out of reach in Jou's hands.

"Aw, Jou! You're so mean!" Yugi finally exclaimed, his cheeks reddened at the effort he made to retrieve the dish.

Jou laughed. "I'm just playing, Yug," he supplied, placing the food squarely in his friend's hands. The boy rejoiced silently before scurrying off to place it on a table littered with junk food Seto determined not to partake. After all, the brunette was ready to leave at any moment. The only thing that kept him tolerating the mass of imbeciles in his midst was Jou, Mokuba, and the thought of waltzing with Jou in front of his moronic "ex", Honda.

Seto wondered where the brunette blockhead resided at the moment. Normally, he was as loud and brash as the rest of the Yugi-tachi, laughing and goofing around. Since the two entered the building, Honda was no where to be seen.

As Seto surveyed the room, he noticed Jou giving Anzu a hug. Seto felt himself tense at the sight of his lover holding someone else, but he instantly relaxed when Mokuba and Shizuka followed suit. His younger brother had to stand taller to give Anzu an appropriate embrace. Seto was relieved that the contact was brief and platonic, yet, he hated seeing his puppy touching another person.

The brunette did not fathom how his feelings of jealousy caused such stress for him, but Seto realized a while ago that possessiveness meant he actually cared about the blonde. If he did not care, he would not concern himself with such trifling things in the world. But Jou had won over his heart—won over every aspect of him thus far—and Seto felt an overwhelming need to keep Jou near him.

Seto realized that he looked out of place, his trench coat contrasting greatly with the Yugi-tachi's simple T-shirts and jeans. Glancing at Jou, Seto found that Jou stood out compared to his friends. Clad in a simple red jacket, Jou looked unlike himself if it were not for the lopsided grin on his face.

Stealthily, Seto pulled off his coat and neatly folded it over his arm before heading for his lover. When he reached Jou, who entranced Anzu and Mokuba with a story about one of his cooking disasters, Seto touched the blonde's shoulders. The puppy tensed underneath the contact, and Seto backed off, unsure how to react.

Jou peered over his shoulder, the look of concern dissolving into a smile as he realized who stood behind him so closely. "Oh, Seto, you scared me," he drawled, but Seto knew he was concealing the truth. He was nervous. Like himself, Jou was awaiting the entry of Honda, and it seemed that the anticipation was playing its suspenseful hand over the blonde's vigilance.

Though he disliked having to hide something as subtle as anxiety on Jou's part, Seto was certain the blonde would not appreciate his weaker emotions put on display. Deciding it was better to play along, Seto offered Jou a small smile, and reaching for his lover's shoulders again, felt the blonde relax. Quietly, the brunette slid the jacket from Jou's shoulders until he held both jackets in his arms. Jou supplied him with a lopsided grin, but the waning challenge that was Jou's amber eyes seemed evident.

Before Seto could halt his body, his hand was stretching out, his fingers extending, until they wrapped around Jou's hand. He felt the same emotions in which his hands had clasped around Jou's hand earlier in the day, but somehow, Seto wanted to comfort the blonde.

Jou's eyes widened with surprise. Seto could feel the puppy's heart beat within his warm hands, pulsating quickly against his pale skin. The throbbing brought the brunette back to his senses. The moment ended instantaneously, and Seto found his hand releasing his lover's hand. Jou blushed before Seto turned away to avoid any more involuntary actions from his body. Somehow, Jou brought out things in him he thought never existed.

Why did he just do that? Why in front of everyone?

Seto regarded the Yugi-tachi—all of whom had stopped all movements to stare at his and Jou's simple interactions—before the brunette found Yugi milling near Yami. He brushed off the obvious stares and strode confidently up to his rival. Yugi seemed to snap from his stupor as Seto addressed him.

"Do you have a coat closet?" Seto inquired dully, indicating to the jackets in his arms. He hated having to ask where things were, but judging from small amount of moveable space in the living room, Seto estimated that having a coat closet could be nonexistent for the short boy.

Yugi nodded. "Yes, but I can take it," he answered, reaching for the jackets.

Seto moved the material away from his rival. "No, I will put them up myself," he replied, holding the jackets possessively. "Where is your coat closet?"

Yugi seemed taken aback by the response. He seemed to think about his own reaction before he finally pointed towards a door in the corner of the room. "When you leave, don't forget your jackets," he added as Seto turned to properly hang the outerwear. The brunette glanced at Yugi, uncertain if the comment was meant to have a two-fold meaning or if it was just an innocent reminder. Locking eyes with him, Yugi waved his hands in front of him uneasily. "Jou always forgets his stuff, so since you're more… sensible, I thought you could remind him."

He laughed nervously, and Seto continued on his path towards the coat closet, wondering why his rival was even his rival. Did everyone have to get all nervous around him just because they said something even remotely related to Jou? It was beginning to annoy Seto how the Yugi-tachi was noting every move, every comment, that intercepted his and Jou's path. It was purely unnecessary.

As Seto opened the closet door and hung their jackets carefully on the flimsy hangers, he pulled his small token from his coat pocket and placed it in his pocket. Once the door was closed, Seto relaxed slightly.

"Hey, when are we eating? I'm starved!" Jou claimed loudly, heading towards the packed dinner table. Shizuka jumped in his way, blocking the table.

"But didn't you just eat? At least wait until everyone gets here!"

Jou stopped in his tracks, seemingly understanding the meaning behind Shizuka's words. Seto observed silently, trying to decipher the emotion that briefly appeared on his handsome face. The brunette was beginning to dislike this gathering more. Watching his puppy become distraught was more painful than he expected.

A smile quickly covered the puppy's guise. "All right, all right, that's cool." Jou laughed anxiously and ran his hand through his golden locks. It seemed his sister could pacify Jou's hunger better than a chef. "I'll wait for them to show up. No need to eat Yugi out of house and home till then!"

"Aw, man, that wasn't your stomach talking!" The voice made Seto look at its owner. Otogi entered the room, followed by Honda. The room fell quiet as Honda and Jou stared at each other. Seto deliberated. His main audience was here, and now was his chance. Something within the CEO wanted to join Jou and show off childishly, but something else caused Seto to hang back. He was interested in Jou's reaction, and if the moment called for it, he would rescue his puppy if he needed rescuing.

After a few moments, Jou straightened himself and stood taller, facing Honda seriously. "Honda."

"Jou."

They lapsed into another staring competition. Seto almost interrupted just to break the uneasiness in the room. As much as he set an ill atmosphere for everything business—and sometimes, socially—related, the billionaire hated tension that he did not voluntarily place. The truth was, he was exceedingly impatient in scenes that he did not control or manipulate. Still, nothing explicitly happened, and the thought that something would kept Seto as an observer.

Otogi looked from both men, his emerald eyes going from one man to the other, before he finally broke the awkward tension. To Seto's surprise, the aloof entrepreneur playfully wrapped a toned arm around Honda's shoulders and smiled at Jou. "Man, if I knew the reunion would be this dull, I would had stayed at your house, Honda."

Honda's face turned a dark shade of red at the remark. "Otogi—"

"What? It's not like he doesn't know."

"He doesn't know."

"Oh." It was Otogi's turn to blush in embarrassment. He grinned wider before he leaned closer to Honda's ear and whispered something. When Otogi pulled away, grinning like a fox, Honda's face was almost the shade of a tomato. Seto wanted to laugh at how ridiculous the two were being. Of course, they made the perfect couple in their own manner, yet Seto felt very little entertainment from such a collaboration of idiocy and mediocrity.

However, Jou seemed very much amused by the display. He chuckled, dismissing the waves of uneasiness from the air, before he faced them seriously. "Honda, it's been awhile," the blonde replied seriously, stepping towards the couple with a hand extended. "I'm sorry about earlier."

Honda recovered from his bout of humiliation, and looking at Jou in the eye, he shook Jou's hand firmly. "It's cool, man," he accepted. "I missed you, but I thought you were still mad at me."

Jou laughed. "I thought you were mad at me. I mean, I slugged you good."

"Hey, the last time I checked, you were on the ground last."

"Ok, ok, but I didn't get cut up that bad."

"Whatever, man, I'll always be taller."

Seto's jaw almost dropped. They forgave each other, after a fight and months of silence, like nothing happened? He knew of people who held grudges over spilled milk, yet, his lover and his best friend were fine with beating the crap out of each and not talking for so long? The Yugi-tachi world was certainly a dangerous one if Seto hoped to get out alive as a successful businessman…

"Hey, Seto!" At the call of his name, the brunette turned toward the source of the calling voice. Honda pointed at the blonde, and to Seto's amazement, Jou was already at the dinner table, his mouth already chewing on some anonymous potato chips. When Seto looked back at Honda, the other brunette simply smiled kindly. "Better get him before you have to buy another round of pizza."

Though Seto did not follow the demands of others, he knew that the azure-eyed male was right. Jou was fully capable of eating anything that was edible within his reach. Promptly, Seto joined Jou at the dinner table and plucked a sandwich from his lover's already-filled plate. The blonde looked at Seto with surprise.

"Hey! I was going to eat that!" he protested as Seto found himself a plate and placed his new prize on it. Ironically, the very food he thought he was going to neglect currently looked slightly appetizing. It was probably the prior stress increasing his metabolism and hunger.

When Seto looked up, he found Jou watching him intensely as if he were trying to say something with his eyes. The brunette closed the gap between them, and smiling slightly, Seto brushed stray crumbs from the edge of Jou's mouth.

"What? Happy?" He kept his voice firm yet gentle, in case Jou was still a bit shaken up by the un-climatic showdown.

Jou's amber eyes enlarged for a moment before he smiled, nodding a "yes" to the curt question. Seto felt his heart melt at his lover's happiness, despite the fact that the joy was not caused by him solely. Still, the sight of Jou really smiling, void of the anxiety and nervousness from earlier, gave Seto solace.

Mildly aware of how the Yugi-tachi eyed them, Seto felt it no harm to press his lips softly against Jou's forehead. The action seemed to startle the blonde as Seto pulled away, enjoying the subsequent murmurs from Jou's friends when Jou broke into a bright smile.

"Aw, that was too cute!" Otogi suddenly interrupted, chasing away the romantic moment as he flung each of his arms around Jou and Seto's shoulders. The close proximity to his business rival irritated the brunette to no end. He wondered if it was too rude to simply ignore it, but his pride settled for a hard glare to the green-eyed male. "Even I didn't know you were capable of such feeling, Kaiba!" Seto resisted the urge to punch him, not wanting to complete destroy a perfectly harmless night. He was sure that Jou would not appreciate it.

However spiteful his eyes portrayed, Seto watched Jou blush at the comment. It seemed that his lover was more sensitive to meager remarks thrown carelessly in his direction. Feeling his guise soften beneath Jou's embarrassed expression, Seto decided it was best to wave off the wealthy imbecile.

"Thanks," Seto said tersely, pushing Otogi's arm disgustedly from his shoulder. He slid the male's arm from Jou's shoulder before claiming Jou's shoulders with his own arm. Otogi took a step back, his emerald eyes regarding them with amazement. "Now, if you excuse us…" The brunette steered Jou away from him and pretended to busy himself with a bowl of fruit that miraculously appeared on the junk-food inhabited table.

There was no reason for him to associate with the likes of an idiot who ran a half-hearted company based on luck and dice. He did not want to get dragged down into the other male's millionaire dollar slump when Kaiba Corp made billions.

An elbow nudging his side brought Seto to peer down at Jou. "Hey, can we hurry up and eat?" The abrupt question made Seto arch an eyebrow. "I have a present to give!"

"Oh, you have a present for me?" Anzu suddenly squealed from the center of the living room. Jou was stunned by the interjection, his face reddening at his failed plan. Seto gave him a wiry smile, trying to comfort him.

"Well, it's not exactly—" Jou began to say, but Otogi cut him off.

"Yeah, let's give Anzu some presents!" Otogi announced with such vigor, Seto began to hold a pinch of concern for the young businessman. Why was an executive such an idiot? It made zero sense.

As everyone gathered at the couch with Anzu in the center, Seto and Jou reluctantly moved to join them. A flicker of an unnamed emotion crossed Jou's face before Seto observed the blonde scarf down half his sandwich. In spite of the emotion being but a moment, the brunette could not dismiss it. Was Jou worried he did not purchase an adequate gift for Anzu? Was it Honda's presence making him nervous? What was it?

As he raked his brain for an answer, everyone watched Anzu rip open a gift presented by Yami. The so-called former pharaoh stood confidently aside while the girl squealed at her gift, two pair of expensive ballet shoes. "Aw, you didn't!" Anzu cried, clutching the shoes dearly.

Yami simply nodded. "Good luck with dance school."

Anzu smiled warmly at him. "I will, now that I have these for good luck," she replied, tucking the precious shoes back into its box. She moved on to the next gift, which Mokuba handed to her. Seto found himself lifting his eyebrow once more, this time, towards his younger brother. In locking eyes with him, Mokuba shrugged innocently while Anzu eagerly unwrapped the present.

"Wow!" the girl gasped, displaying several different colored leotards. The elder Kaiba wondered when Mokuba had time to shop for such clothing. Then again, lately, Seto had sent Mokuba away from the mansion more often to do some dirty business with Jou. The fact that Mokuba did not tell him was more of issue than the actual purchases. Again, in connecting eye-to-eye with his younger brother, Mokuba gave him another shrug.

They watched Anzu open a few more presents, laughing and carrying on casually, until the last gift was opened and Anzu turned to Jou. "Hey, Jou, did you get me a gift? I thought you said you had a gift to give."

Seto felt Jou bristle beneath his hold, and he peered at his lover with interest. Was Jou being shy? It surprised the brunette to feel Jou tense at giving a present to someone. Normally, it was the blonde who steered attention to himself willingly. The difference in the usually bright Jou to the nervous Jou pressed against his arm made Seto stare at him with concern.

Jou gulped. "Actually, the gift that Mokuba gave you was from all of us," Jou answered, confusing Seto. Now when did Mokuba and Jou set this up? Seto thought back to the times they were not present together, and it seemed possible for them to venture out together and buy Anzu a gift. After all, the brunette did not spend every waking moment with his brother or lover.

When Jou moved underneath his arm, Seto brought himself back to reality. "Well, I have an announcement," he suddenly proclaimed. He gave Anzu an impish smile. "Sorry, Anzu, but it's something I think everyone in this room should see." When the blonde faced Seto, his nervous self came to the forefront, his eyes showing the brunette exactly what the other felt. In seeing the anxiety in his guise, the CEO knew something significant was going to happen, and it was going to happen at that moment.

It seemed like the perfect moment.

"I have an announcement, too," Seto said in turn, retrieving the item from his pocket. Jou gazed at him with confusion, but Seto did not let it deter him. Once he knew the object was secured in his hand, Seto did something he never in his life thought he would do.

His right knee bent and he lowered himself to it, stabilizing himself with his left leg. Seto watched the bewilderment claim his lover's face, his brown eyes wide with surprise, as he produced a ring. It seemed strange to propose to another male, but Seto did not care. It was someone he loved, and in being with him for the past several months, he realized Jou was someone he did not wish to part ways with, ever.

"Jou, I know I'm not the nicest guy—" Otogi's snort cut Seto off, and the brunette sent him a cold glare before resuming. He exhaled nervously, trying to recall the speech he had set to say for earlier in the kitchen. Though that moment was a done deal, the moment now was awaiting them. "I know I'm not the nicest guy, but you see me for more than just a CEO. From the time I met you, I knew you were someone special, even if I didn't acknowledge it right away. I just didn't know you would become the person I've needed in my life for so long. I love you, and I would like us to spend the rest of our lives together."

As he gazed at Jou with the softest part of his soul, Seto's heart pounded in his ears loudly. It felt like a century for his blond puppy to answer.

The response came in a small laugh, and Seto wondered if he should feel crushed or confused. Jou's dancing eyes signified it as neither. The blonde pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it.

A silver ring sat neatly inside the black box, a tiny blue stone settled in the metal.

"I was going to do the same thing," Jou stated softly, smiling with a loving gaze. "Of course, I'd like to spend the rest of my life with you, Seto."

Seto could not believe it. The ring he held was silver as well, with a tiny red stone in it. In spite of the similarity between the two separate rings, Seto could not be happier. He hurriedly climbed to his feet and embraced Jou as tightly as he could. The brunette heard everyone in the room practically riot with cheers and squeals of congratulations, but he gave it no attention. He was ecstatic beyond his imagination.

"I'm so happy for you!" Anzu cried out, approaching the two newly engaged couple with a genuine smile. "Can I be a bride's maid?"

"I'll be the maid of honor!" Shizuka shouted, joining Anzu. "And then Mokuba can be the best man for Seto, and Honda can be Jou's best man."

Seto simply stared at the two girls. "Who said we're having two best men? And how are you trying to plan our wedding?"

Shizuka waved her hands in defense. "It was just a suggestion!" she explained, composing herself. She stood to her full height before turning a glare worthy of setting fires onto Seto. He tried to remain indifferent, but the mood change confused him. The brunette thought that at least Shizuka would lack the fiery competition evident in Jou and the elder Katsuya. Instead, she faced him with a passion that Seto realized had to be in the Jounouchi bloodline.

The stern look in Shizuka's eyes told Seto how a "suggestion" was really "planning" and refusing to believe it meant the worst in the CEO's opinion. He did not want to incite the wrath of any women associated with Jou's bloodline.

"We can work out the details later," Jou chimed in, flashing them a grin that Seto translated as "Please stop fighting, it's embarrassing". Seto nodded to confirm the transmitted message.

"Hey! I thought this was a party!" Otogi interrupted loudly, trying to look stern with the hair style Seto personally felt was suited for a woman. The other CEO suddenly turned to Honda. "Hey, what're you smirking about? Best man or not, didn't Yugi tell you to bring some music over?"

Honda produced his I-pod and promptly struck Otogi in the head with it. Seto bit his lip to refrain from chuckling while Jou and the rest of the Yugi-tachi burst with laughter. Otogi blushed, clutching the reddened area on his forehead.

"Don't be mad just because I'm their best man," Honda retorted, feigning interest in his I-pod's playlist. Seto watched, with only mild interest, as Otogi leapt towards Honda, who dodged the attack. Both men broke into a game of pursuit around the living room, Otogi hot on Honda's heels.

"They might need a mortician once I'm done with you!" Otogi called out, finally catching his lover by the collar and wrestling both of them to the ground. It was Seto's cue to block out the two imbeciles. He turned his attention to Jou.

When the blonde gazed at the brunette with the softest amber eyes, Seto was spellbound to obey whatever his lover asked of him. "Could we wear our rings?"

Seto smiled. "Of course." He took Jou's hand, and slowly, he slid the ring onto his fiance's slender finger. Once Jou did the same for him, Seto gradually closed the distance between them, placing a tender kiss onto Jou's lips. It was a fleeting kiss, one that was both breath-taking and loving, but Seto thought it was one he could never live without.

Mokuba ran up to the couple and threw his arms around both of them. Seto smiled at his younger brother as Jou and Mokuba proceeded to talk about the younger Kaiba being a best man.

As he watched his lover and brother interact, Seto could not help but feel completed. The brunette could not wrap his mind around the circumstances that lead his love to this moment of completion. He never knew that a simple headache and a sudden urge to venture outdoors would be his undoing in falling in love.

Last Author's Note (sadness!)

Thank you for reading my fanfic! If it weren't for you guys, reading and reviewing, I wouldn't had finished this story and I wouldn't know what to do with the characters in the story. So, big ups to you, the reader, for contributing!

This is the first complete fanfic I've written since high school, and it's a big accomplishment for me to finish this story with all of the things going on in my life. I'm glad to have such great readers, lighting fires beneath my ass when I can't update or I fail to satisfy one's expectations (sadness).

This story originally came from a fanfic I wrote 3 years ago. It was also called "Venturing", but it was a SetoxYami pairing fanfic. I was nearly finished with it when my computer crashed and I lost everything. I don't think it was written any better, but it was planned better.

I don't know if I'll write another fanfic in a while, but we'll see. I'm definitely trying to improve my writing skills so that I can write a top-notch story, so you might see something crop up within the next year.

In the mean time, review this story please. I will be going back through the chapters and revising it and polishing it to some sory of coherent reading. I also have some one-shots and one unfinished fanfic series based from a top Namco video game, Soul Calibur. The one-shots are comedic and the series is another R-rated piece (minus the yaoi-nature of it). Just look under my name, thejade9!

Thank you, once again! Without you, this fanfic would not have happened! Ja ne!