Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.

"My old man can get mean when he's drunk. I'm not kidding, either."

Seto dared a come hither smile. "I'm all ears, Jonouchi."

"He's come after me—chased me all around apartment in fact. It's a mercy when he blacks out."

Seto snorts. "Mine would never lose his temper that much to dignify me with that. He's a sneaky bastard. He always comes and gets me later when I'm not looking." How many times did Seto turn a corner in the hall or return to his bedroom and there was Gozaburo's fist.

Bastard. He hoped that Satan was flaying him alive right now in hell.

"Does he drink?"

The older blue-eyed boy shrugged. Jonouchi subconsciously licked his lips as he watched Seto cross his legs in those skin-tight leather pants.

"Sometimes. Scotch. Gin. Fine liquor."

"Mine will drink anything. Even stale beer."

"Just like his son." Seto gestured to the slightly rank bottle of cheap whiskey on the table to which Jonouchi rolls his eyes.

"I forget. Because your father gets drunk on the high-class stuff that makes him a high-class abuser."

Earlier, Seto and Jonouchi had met at the arcade. One thing had led to another and now they were at Jonouchi's place. The blond teen had opened the liquor cabinet and was now making himself more than comfortable with Seto Kaiba. The topic tonight was soul-crushing fathers.

Seto swiftly changed topics. "Ever lose a tooth?"

"Uh-uh. Probably couldn't afford to fix it."

"I did. Had to get it capped."

"Cost a lot?"

"It cost enough," Seto replied tersely. "Asshole blamed it all on me right in front of the dentist and the sycophantic money-grabbing idiot chewed me out along with my old man. Typical. Do I look like the type to play baseball?"

"You're tall enough for it. You have an athletic body."

Seto gave him the eye. It was entertaining watching the CEO work himself up into a slow-moving glacial rage. Jonouchi didn't think of fire when Seto got angry, instead he thought of ice. Skin-burning, bone-cracking ice.

"You check out my body often, Jonouchi?"

"Only when I'm near drunk."

Jonouchi could have sworn slivers of pain broke behind those arctic eyes, but when Jonouchi looked again; Seto's gaze was cool and level once more. He must have imagined it.

"And, your worst injury?" Seto was back to business once more.

Jonouchi tipped the dirty glass down his throat before replying. God, it tasted terrible. "A broken bottle thrown at my face. Could have blinded me if he wanted to."

Seto and Jonouchi considered each other for a moment. The room was still as a clock ticked somewhere in the distance.

"Do you think we're messed up for life now?" Jonouchi ventured. "That we'll turn into abusers ourselves?"

"Possibly."

Jonouchi didn't like that answer. "What if we hurt someone we love?"

"Don't love." Seto's tone was deadly serious.

Jonouchi stared down into his glass. "I can't help but love. I'm not a piece of stone like you."

"Who do you love?" For once, Seto sounded amused. He let the insult slide by.

"My sister of course. My friends too."

"I meant the other kind of love."

Jonouchi glared at Seto and suddenly wanted him off of his couch. "Depends if they were an abuser too."

"But…don't abusers deserve abusers? Maybe we attract each other. Maybe it's a never ending cycle like…an ouroboros."

"Ouroborus?" Seto smirked at the image of a serpent eating its own tail. "My, aren't we learning fancy words. I guess dogs can read."

Jonouchi drained what was left in the glass right down. He was so flustered that he actually was more willing to deliver some bodily harm to Seto Kaiba. Or shove his tongue down his throat. He wasn't sure anymore. It was too close for comfort how violence and love could mirror one another. It also struck him how stupidly ironic that they were discussing their drunk unstable fathers over whiskey.

It was also stupid when he poured himself another glass.

'Going to tie one on, huh Jonouchi?" This time Seto sounded bitter and reproachful.

"Maybe. Maybe I'll forget this night ever happened."

Seto seemed to consider this too before pouring himself another drink too. "Maybe."