So this plot came about. Let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters

xx

Seto leaned over his desk. What had his father left him with? Nothing. Kaiba Corp was officially bankrupt. Some legacy this had turned out to be.

He buried his face in his hands. That stupid stupid man. How was he supposed to provide for Mokuba, for that stupid ferret he carried around and his current ongoing post secondary education? Simple answer was he couldn't.

He'd have to cut his business degree on hold, get a real job, and live on what little was left of his trust fund, seeing that his father had gambled that all away as well as his life on that Vegas trip, and somehow keep his brother alive. Perfect, just the amount of responsibility he needed in his early twenties.

It was probably awful that he felt no remorse for the death of his "father." Supposed father anyway. That man had only ever been a background character in his life. No blood relations, no real bond. Nothing. Emptiness, that's what he'd felt since leaving the orphanage and entered this man's house.

He stood abruptly flipping the bureau onto its side. He grabbed his briefcase and jacket, hurriedly rushing towards the stairs, avoiding all eye contact with any employee. He wasn't in the mood to break it to them that they had all just lost their jobs, all he wanted was a sandwich, and maybe a bottle of whisky.

He ran down flight, after flight of stairs until he reached the bottom floor. The valet, creepily, already had his car ready and running in the front. God, he wouldn't miss this pampering. People doing simple tasks for you, treating you like royalty even though you were no better than they were. He'd always treated everyone like trash, equally, wanting to maintain this aura of the "stepson who didn't give a shit," but somewhere along the line he'd stopped pretending being an asshole and had somehow become one. Whatever, the world was full of assholes, he was just adding to the statistic.

Speeding down the freeway, he somehow managed to get to his apartment unscathed and unticketed. How you may ask? He had no fucking clue. Dumb luck probably.

He made his way to the liquor cabinet and brought out a mickey of fireball whisky. He got some ice from the fridge and poured himself a glass, then two and eventually almost the whole bottle. How would he break this news to Mokuba? The only person who looked up to him. The only person who appreciated him. He didn't know, and he wasn't planning on having to deal with this at the present moment, he just leaned his head back as his whole world went as black as he felt his soul had always been.

The next few weeks were hectic, signing paperwork for the company, taking care of his fathers funeral, finding a new place to live, selling the apartment, trying to deal with a hysteric Mokuba, it was a bit too much, even for him.

He'd found a cheap little loft outside the city center, in a decently affordable neighbourhood. If Seto Kaiba was going to downgrade he was going to downgrade slowly, not all at once, he still had his reputation to uphold. After a man's lost everything, but also nothing, a reputation was all he had left.

The university had taken his financial situation into consideration, and had given him an extension on his examinations for the term. They'd however refused to down the tuition fee, that regardless of his scholarship was still high. He'd come to the conclusion in his drunken stupor that he had the grades to have a full ride scholarship at the local university as opposed to the private one his father had sent him to, and if he wanted to amount to anything and to help Mokuba to the best of his ability, an education was definitely a start.

He'd also picked up a part time job down at the mall in one of the coffee and tea shops. It was ridiculous, he, Seto Kaiba, would be a barista. If that wasn't low then he didn't know what was.

He sighed as he drove his now, honda civic (a serious downgrade from his previously owned porsche, and still smelt a little bit like the fish) with a sleeping Mokuba in the back packed in between what odds and ends he had managed to salvage from the bankruptcy of the corporation. The image of his brother in his mirror was so peaceful, so serene and yet heartbreaking.

Pulling up into the little designated space for his supposed "driveway" he stopped the car and stood outside of it casually taking in the growing dawn. He reached into his left pant pocket for a lighter as his other hand unearthed the pack of cigarettes in his coat. He took a deep breath in and let out a large puff of smoke in the warming air. This was it. A new life. He'd have to start it, no looking back, forget about who he was and just roll with the punches.

"Hey Kaiba, what the hell are you doing here?"

Seto turned around startled, the cigarette almost falling out of his mouth as he turned to face an annoying blond mop of hair with an equally annoying voice.

"Wheeler? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to greet the new tenants, now I'm going to say it again: what are you doing here?"

I gulped. No. This couldn't be happening.

Joey Wheeler couldn't be my landlord.