The Daily News

(Kiss #2 News or letter; #7 Superstar )

“I warned you this was going to happen sooner or later,” Kaiba said as he handed the paper back.

His blond lover flopped down in the chair across the desk from him. “Yeah, I just wished they’d gotten a better picture. Must have been one hell of a slow news day.” Looking back at the front page of the local rag that passed for a newspaper, Jounouchi shook his head. It actually was not a bad picture of the two of them. It was just that it was a picture of the two of them, along with the blazing headline that proclaimed the kiss between Kaiba Corp. CEO Seto Kaiba and unknown blond male.

Right, thought Jounouchi, unknown except to anyone who knew him. Even with Kaiba taking up most of the image, his friends would immediately know who he was. As usual, Kaiba seemed rather adapt at reading his thoughts. “So, is it the fact that they’ll know you’re gay that’s bothering you? Or is it that they’ll know it’s me?”

Amber eyes looked up from the paper, “They won’t care either way. Shocked on both points for a little while, naturally, but they are my friends. They’ll accept it--and you. Just disappointed I didn’t tell them.” Thinking for a moment, a confused look crossed Jounouchi’s face, “What about you? How’s this going to affect Kaiba Corp.?”

“It won’t. Oh, stocks will dip for a day or two, we will lose some investors, but I am still Seto Kaiba after all. If stuff like this bothered us every time they pried into my life, I would have lost it years ago.” He watched as the blond went to crumble up the newspaper to toss into the trash. “Save the article though--Mokuba has a scrapbook filled with all the shit they’ve published since I took over the company.”

Standing up, Kaiba moved over to stand next to the chair Jounouchi occupied. Running his fingers through the tussled blond locks of hair, he told the other very seriously, “You do realize though, that if anyone else figures out it’s you in that picture there’s going to be hell to pay.”

Jounouchi stood up looking at Kaiba confused, “Why?”

Amusement lit up the seemingly stoic CEO’s eyes as he wrapped his arms around the other, “Before I was extremely uninterested but available. Now I am even more uninterested and unavailable. Women will blame you for turning me gay; guys will swear that you are not good enough for me. All part of being with a figure in the public eye.”

“Well,” Jounouchi said sighing. “If you promise to kiss me like you did in that picture once more, I might be able to resign myself to dealing with it.”

Smiling, Kaiba tipped his head down, lips held a mere fraction of an inch away from his lover’s, “I think that can be arranged.”