This story was many many months in the making. It is dedicated to storyshark2005 and all others who left beautiful, thoughtful reviews on my previous works. I hope you enjoy it.
"Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I should break them, what would be their worth?" ― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
January 4th – 21 Days before Joey's Birthday
It was that gluttonous, calm period after the holidays where everything feels somehow empty and full all at once. Snow had settled sparingly, like a dusting of shimmering white icing on the tower blocks of Domino, softening all the edges and soaking the horizon in a creamy-yellow light. The milky blue shadows were stretched long by the twilight; a thousand tramping feet had pounded the snow on the ground to slush. Joey tucked his hands as far as he could into his thick, woollen gloves as he stepped from the warmth of the old school and into the bitter, cold air.
The years had been kind to Joey – he had filled out, lost the baby fat of his teen years (and unfortunately the six-pack of his early twenties) but trimmed his lean physique through a steady diet and a keen interest in kick-boxing. His bright eyes were now lined with crows feet and a brush of coarse stubble perpetually speckled his chin no matter how often or how closely he shaved. He still had all his hair - thankfully still much closer to blonde than grey - and often wore it long, tied back into a loose ponytail. Téa would nag at him to trim it now that he was older but he liked it. It had always been his look.
He shouldered his rucksack and braced himself for the icy wind that ripped around the corner, whistling past his ears and making them sting. He hurried to the car, waving farewell through the windows to the janitors scrubbing trampled snow off the hall floors.
When the engine came on in his car, a surge of warm air rushed up through the heat vents and lifted the hair about Joey's face. He reached up a thickly gloved hand and pulled his scarf down, finally feeling warmer.
"Right," he said, twisting in his seat to back the old car out of the parking spot. "Home."
During his younger years, Yugi had spent much of his time travelling to, competing in, and winning tournaments. He was pretty famous, made so by his extraordinary talent as a competitive gamer. He ran in all the big leagues. But running can tire a man. After his last tournament, he packed up his deck and duelling equipment, put his affairs in order and returned to Domino. Once there, he moved into his late grandfather's old game shop – long since out of business – and set about making it a home.
That was five years ago. During that time, he and Téa had managed to resurrect an old spark that had never really died between them and she soon moved in. The rooms were refurbished, the downstairs swept and restocked, and presently the old place was open for business. A photograph of Yugi's grandfather stood pride of place on the counter. Customers who had known him when they were younger would touch it for luck in their duels.
A store run by the Game King himself was bound to be popular, and soon business was booming. Yugi had purchased other properties throughout the city and Kame Games was rapidly turning into a chain.
Yugi was just as busy with giving advice as he was with making sales, and it puzzled so many why he would choose to leave his life of high-lane duelling to open up shop and stay here. Yugi would always smile and look at the photo of his grandfather, his fingers lingering on the hollow at his sternum where his old puzzle necklace used to hang.
"Many wise men taught me," he said, "it pays to be humble. It's very easy to lose yourself in power.
"Besides," he added, laughing, "I think if I have to lay down any more plays with that degree of flair I'm going to throw my back out!"
Yugi always made sure there was a special display for KaibaCorp products.
After closing was Joey's favourite time. It was so still; the evening only just beginning to settle its cool hands on the earth. The shop was silent and dark: the last shoppers having dragged themselves away from the neatly stacked cards in their display cases and the Capsule merchandise shimmering in the windows. There was a small golden light in the apartment above the shop. A living room light. Joey eased himself out of the car, almost slipping on the ice forming from the slush. Driving would be impossible in the morning, but he didn't mind the walk.
He made his way carefully around to the back of the store where there was a sturdy iron staircase leading to the door, soaked with a thin layer of slush. He planted each foot firmly as he climbed and made it to the top with no injuries. He rapped on the glass of the door, and called out.
"Yo, Yugi, Téa, I'm here!"
A shape appeared in the warm glow of the kitchen, a tall silhouette with unruly spikes of hair. Yugi pulled the door open, smiling widely.
"Evening, Joey," he said brightly, as if seeing Joey was the greatest joy in his life and he had known no other. Yugi was a give-it-your-all kind of fellow. "You don't have to knock, you know, you can just walk in."
Yugi was much taller now that he had been in school, although Joey still had at least a head on him. He was gangly, with thin, soft hands and a wise glint in his eye. His hair had begun to grey, like his grandfather's, but he kept it at bay with dye, and after one brief stint of experimentation, returned it to its familiar blonde bangs and red-brown spikes. He sported a thin, chestnut beard that he combed into a tidy point, also like his grandfather. His face was somewhat lined: laugh-lined, frown-lined, but not unattractively so. Most of his aging was intellectual, behind his eyes, like the world had matured him with five-thousand years of knowledge that could never show on his skin.
"Nah," said Joey, scuffing his sneakers on the welcome mat. "You guys gotta have the option, you know, like tell me to sod off if you're busy or just wanna be alone."
"We could never tell you that, Joey," Yugi said, taking his friend's coat and folding it over the back of a chair. Joey scraped the rest of the slush from his shoes and stepped quickly into the kitchen so that Yugi could shut the cold out.
"How's the missus?"
"Don't call me that," Téa barked, stalking into the kitchen and throwing a fleeting kiss on Joey's cheek as if it were red hot. Years abroad had widened her horizons but done nothing to soften her up. She had pursued a fairly successful career as a young dancer, even making a few T.V. spots and music videos. After Yugi told her he was moving back to Domino, she came immediately. Joey joked that this was because she had always secretly wanted to be somebody's wife. Téa had hit him with a sneaker.
The reality was stability had become a rarity for Téa. She never knew when her next gig would be and although that had been fun for a long time, it was beginning to wear her down, and she was missing her old friends. Rushing through new acquaintances as quickly as revenues became old fast. Here was a home, and a man who loved her. Sickeningly conventional but very attractive, and she did love Yugi. They could make it work. So she came home.
She gave Yugi a much sweeter kiss as she moved past him, although it was still very chaste. Neither of them were big on publically displaying their affection, even among friends. Joey was grateful. Not that he had anything against them together, but seeing it in front of him made him uncomfortable. It also reminded him of how indisputably single he was.
Yugi offered him a drink, which he accepted, and they settled in the living room to play cards. It was a warm, large and familiar place. Being there felt like family.
Before they got started, Yugi placed the deck of cards carefully in the middle of the coffee table without dealing them. Joey propped himself up on the cushion pile he had assembled on the floor and looked at it.
"You want to deal, Yug? You know I'll just drop them everywhere. I ain't coordinated."
"Joey, actually there's something we want to tell you about," Yugi said, sinking onto the couch. Beside him, Téa twisted herself in close, her knees touching Yugi's. Not quite cuddling, but as close as they usually got. "We want you to know first."
"Uh-oh," Joey said, looking at Téa, "You knocked up?"
"For God's sake, Joe," she laughed, leaning across to smack his knee. "Don't ruin this, it's important."
"Okay, what?"
"We're getting married."
"What?"
Joey blinked, feeling his face begin to react before he could even take it in.
"We're engaged!"
He sat in the corner of the gardens, in the shade of some kind of fruit tree. It was a warm summer's evening and he could hear the sounds of music and laughter as if through a glass pane from far away. There was also the tinkling of a fountain nearby; a gentle plume of water could be seen pulsing skyward over the top of a hedge, streaming from the open maw of a marble Blue Eyes White Dragon.
In his hand was a sparkling glass of champagne, hardly touched. His head swam a little as he looked at it and his stomach shifted like a slug pulsing across the ground. He had accepted the refill half an hour ago from the champagne server in the fairy-lights-and-white/gold-balloon exhibition that was the ballroom. Outside was not much better: another live band in the gazebo, more fairy lights on the trees, glittering like spider's eyes in the twilight. He had cursed, hoping for a reprieve from the suits congratulating the happy couple. Outside, he had hoped, he could pretend the charade was happening elsewhere, and he, the uninvited, was none the wiser.
He had not wanted to come. It took a good deal of begging from Yugi to drag him out of the house in a tuxedo and his hair smarmed. Téa had fixed his tie, not quite meeting his eyes. Tristan and Serenity had also dressed up; Tristan tugging sheepishly at a tight collar, Serenity looking radiant in a shimmering silver dress. Duke ordered a limo. All his friends had been entreated with express invitation.
No smooth white letter had dropped through his letterbox. No gold cursive 'R.S.V.P.' or 'regards' had graced his front door.
"We get a plus-one!" Tristan had insisted. His friends agreed. "We're gonna show him that he can't just leave you out."
"Besides, maybe it was just lost in the mail," offered Yugi for the hundredth time. Joey had shaken his head.
"This is a personal thing, guys," he sighed. "I can tell."
They protested and he had let them. A nearly two-decade old, untouched rivalry was unshakeable, and impossible to explain.
Of the group, only Yugi and his spouse were invited to the ceremony but the reception was attended by all. Highly influential individuals were there, among them some business-heads, actors, performers ("I must go get a contact card," said Téa), and the city Mayor, looking impressive wearing a sash and a smile that spread into his moustache.
They stood in the ballroom, awaiting the arrival.
The lights dropped. Spotlights bloomed into life above them and swung across the anxious crowd to the staircase, illuminating their excitable faces. They came to rest at the head of the stairs and gasps spattered across the crowd in unison.
At the top of the grand staircase stood the bride and groom. Her in her full, elegant white gown, pinched in at her slender waist and a wide, perfect smile on her face. She had long, dark hair and full, sweet lips.
Next to her, the groom: tall, unsmiling, graceful without effort. He was as dignified as the marble statues in his home, as dominating as a thunderstorm. His suit matched her bouquet. Such a pair they made, atop the pedestal staircase of their marital home. Kaiba's eye swept over the crowd but Joey did not wait to see if he was spotted, turning himself away from the spectacle.
The crowd around him began to applaud and Joey found himself shoving through them to get outside, his back to the newlyweds.
The party started behind him as the band struck up. For a while, he made an effort to remain in order entertain his friends. This was mostly Tristan and Serenity as he found out, as the others all seemed to either know somebody or, in Yugi's case, was dragged away to discuss duelling with one or other up-and-coming individual on the scene. Even Tristan and Serenity seemed more content feeding each other hors d'oeuvres than keeping up a conversation with their morose friend.
So at last Joey moved away through the gardens. He had found a quiet spot in the shade of a tree; settled on the gilt iron bench with resignation of a night over, pleased that he at least had managed to avoid a confrontation with the groom.
Or so he thought.
"Wheeler? What the fuck are you doing here?"
Joey flinched, the familiar voice scraping through the peace like a hacksaw. He steeled himself, turning to face his new company in the twilight gloom.
"Hi, Kaiba. Long time, no see."
Kaiba was looking a little less in control than when Joey had seen him atop the staircase a couple hours before. His tie was crooked and his hair mussed, as if he had run a hand through it many times. A sliver of crisp, white shirt could be seen beneath the suit jacket: he was untucked. In his hand was an empty glass.
"For good reason," Kaiba huffed. He seemed to grapple internally for some moments before making his way over. Joey half expected him to change his mind and leave, but shifted up the iron bench nonetheless.
"Take a load off," he offered.
"Thanks, it's my bench," Kaiba grunted, slumping into the seat. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his head bowed. Joey tapped his feet and searched for something to say.
"Oh, right, uh, congratula-" he began but Kaiba's head whipped around and he glared hard at Joey, his eyes unfocused.
"No," he growled. "Not from you."
"Wow, jeez, okay. Sorry I'm such a blight on the rich canvas of your life, Kaiba," Joey spat, folding his arms. "Not like we've even seen each other for God knows how many years-"
"Seventeen."
"Really? Wow. Right. Seventeen." Joey raised a leg to kick a pebble crossly across the path. "Yeah, my point stands then. You got no beef with me, why pick a fight?"
"Your annoying presence will transgress the barrier of time," Kaiba grunted. He seemed pleased with himself for that, idly watching the dim glow from the fairy lights glitter on the edge of his glass.
"Whatever. You're still a dick, but I'm too drunk to fight you right now," Joey muttered, sinking back. "I'll pummel you some other time."
"Sad that you have to resort to inebriating yourself to the point of incapacitation to keep from punching people," Kaiba said mockingly, clearly hoping for a rise. All that happened was Joey raised a half-formed fist and landed a lazy punch on Kaiba's upper arm. "Watch the suit, mutt."
Joey did not bother to open his eyes. "Or what? Gonna bore me to death with more stupid parties?"
"You should not have even come to this one."
Joey looked up, straight at Kaiba, who was staring off into the distance. His soft brown hair moved with the warm summer breeze.
"Why not me?" Joey said.
Kaiba bowed his head as if blocking his ears with his shoulders could make the question go away.
"Come on, Kaiba," Joey said, attempting a laugh. "Man to man. It's been seventeen years. You said yourself. Why invite everyone else and not me, huh? I must have really pissed you off if you're holding a grudge for this long."
Kaiba stood suddenly, gripping the glass with white knuckled fingers.
"You know what?" he whispered. Joey watched, feeling his legs begin to curl against him defensively. "I wish…" he looked over the hedges, where the guests were laughing and singing in celebration of his wedding day. "I wish I didn't have to do this."
Joey stared. "Do what?" he said.
"Everything."
"Everything? You mean like the wedding or dancing or something?" Joey was genuinely perplexed. Kaiba had his back to him and his shoulders were shaking.
"Everything!" he bellowed. He took the glass in his hand and threw it hard at his feet. It shattered with a crash like a gunshot. Joey cried out and lifted his feet off the ground as glass flew in all directions.
"Dude, what the-"
He was cut off as Kaiba strode over to where he cowered, ferocity harrowing his countenance. His feet crunched glass. He reached down and gripped either side of Joey's head in a vice. It was firm, not painful, and although the sudden movement startled him, the probing way Kaiba's eyes searched his face held him as still as stone. Kaiba's mouth was tight as a seal, his brow furrowed, his shoulders tense. He was a man on the edge.
Before Joey could speak or react, pounding footsteps on the path spooked them. Kaiba's hands were whipped away as Tristan sprinted around a corner.
"Joey!" he cried, puffing. "Came looking for you and heard the smash. Thought something had happened and Kaiba was gonna have our throats for breaking something. Oh, hey, Kaiba." He straightened up, looking abashed. He shook Kaiba's hand, who was stock still as if shell-shocked. "Congratulations on the thing."
"Yes," Kaiba said, suddenly business. The air turned cold. "Thank you. Please enjoy the rest of the night."
He swept away.
"Good to see you, man," Tristan called after him. "Jeez, what a weird guy. You okay, Joe?"
Joey shook himself. He scratched his head. "Yeah," he said. Above them, fireworks began to crack and chatter over the roof of the house. Tristan's eyes went up, watching them dance, but Joey's were down, looking at the shattered remains of the glass, watching the colours glitter off the jagged edges.
"Weird guy."
Joey's face cracked into a huge smile. He scrambled over the coffee table with as much grace as a rhino in mud and smothered his friends with his entire body. They laughed and said things like, "Joe, get off!" and "Ow, my arm! My arm!".
Eventually Joey backed off, sitting on the floor between them and the coffee table, wiping his eyes on his sweater sleeve.
"Joey, there's no need to cry," hummed Yugi, shaking his friend's shoulder. "It's happy news."
"I know that," snuffled Joey. "It's happy tears, ain't it. You guys are gonna make me start blubbin'." He composed himself and shuffled back to his pile of cushions, resting his elbows on the table. Yugi began to deal the cards. "So you gonna have like a big wedding and everything?"
Yugi glanced at Téa who shrugged, leafing through a magazine on the table. "Well, we haven't really decided the details yet, Joe," he said. "We're going to work it out later. But there's going to be an engagement party for our close friends to start with."
"Aw, great, I love a get-together," Joey grinned, arranging his cards chronologically in his hand. "Who's coming?"
"Well, you, obviously. Your sister if she would like." Yugi began ticking the guests off on his fingers. "Duke, Tristan and anyone they want to bring. The Ishtars if they can make it over. Anyone you might want to bring along. Oh and er," he paused, glancing at Téa again. She sighed, dropping the magazine.
"Just tell him, Yugi, he can handle it."
"Right." Yugi shuffled his cards nervously. "We're inviting Kaiba too."
"What?"
"And Mokuba of course," Yugi added quickly.
"Oh, come on, really?" Joey sat back in a huff. "That mook? He won't even come, bet you anything."
"Well, he was kind enough to invite us to his wedding," Yugi offered.
"Invite you," Joey corrected angrily. "Well just invite him to the wedding, then, why bother with the engagement thing? I told you, he won't even come."
"Well, then what's the worry, Joe? If he won't come anyway you won't have to see him."
"The worry is that he will come."
"But you just said-"
"Well, I'm usually wrong about these things," Joey grunted, slapping his first card on the table. In his frustration he did not even notice how low of a play it was. "He'll come and he'll bring his woman."
"Joey, for God's sake," Téa reprimanded. She reached into Yugi's hand and grabbed the card he had been debating playing and defeated Joey's monster with it without a second glance. "Will you stop with that? She's nice and she's not a threat to you. She's just like Kaiba really."
"My point exactly."
"Oh, Joe, it'll be fine."
"Alright," Joey shrugged, dropping his monster into the graveyard pile. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."
Later, when Joey had curled up in what used to be Yugi's bedroom, which Téa and Yugi now used as a spare room (and was so often occupied by Joey that he had his own drawer with extra underwear and toiletries), Téa washed the dishes quietly in the kitchen as Yugi brought them in.
"Go to bed, Téa, I can take care of this," Yugi said, placing a hand on her arm. She shook him off.
"Don't be silly," she said. "You have to be up tomorrow to open the store." She flicked suds at him playfully and he chuckled. "I want to be able to look after you. You've always been there for us."
"That's not what this relationship is, Téa." Yugi rolled his sleeves tightly above his elbows and plunged both hands into the water. "We need to be together as a team."
"You're so cheesy, you know that?" she giggled. "We are a team, silly. I wouldn't have said 'yes' otherwise."
Yugi mused whilst he scrubbed. There was no room in the bowl for both their arms so presently Téa took to drying plates.
"Do you think Kaiba got married for the same reasons we are?" Yugi asked after a while. The question had hung on both their tongues for many years. Only their recent announcement had thrown it into light. Téa slipped a plate into a cupboard with a clatter and straightened up, twisting the tea towel between her fingers thoughtfully.
"For love? I don't know," she admitted. "It's Kaiba. When has anyone been able to tell what he's doing?"
"He cares very much about his brother," Yugi said, passing her a pan. Soap hit the floor with quiet snaps. "I think he does many things for Mokuba."
"Even get married?"
"Who knows?"
Yugi hefted the last pan onto the drying board and together they headed for bed. Téa twisted her hand through Yugi's as they mounted the stairs in the dark. Strange shapes emerged beside her along the wall as they climbed. Before her, Yugi's solemn silhouette was majestic as the Pharaoh on his golden throne.
She was disconcerted by the concept that Yugi so resembled the Pharaoh now that he was older. His voice as velvety as humming violin strings, his stature proud as a lion on a mountainside. She felt shame that her heart was pulled by his wise eyes and steady hand. She worried that she had held no love for the boy, but a great desire for the man he had become.
He was still Yugi. Still a nerd with a goofy smile and a brave heart. When he said something entirely bookish, or was picked on by Tristan or Joey, she still felt a surge of love and this reassured her. Her greatest fear was that the love she held for her husband-to-be stemmed only from the half of him that he never truly was.
But beside him in bed, his soft eyes gazing at her as if she was the sweetest thing he had ever had the true fortune of beholding, she counted her lucky stars as the warm dark pulled her under.
January 15th – Ten Days before Joey's Birthday
The news of the engagement spread quickly. Tristan had whooped for joy and high-fived Yugi at the announcement, earning a stern smack from Téa who warned him that is was not a conquest. Tristan reacted the same way as Joey to the news of the engagement do, advising Yugi to strike Kaiba off the guest-list as, in his words, he 'bothered Joey'.
Joey clapped him on the back, grateful for the support. It fell on deaf ears, of course.
The night of the party, Joey pulled up to the hotel entrance, feeling out of place in his banger of a car. The concierge did not laugh at his scruffy hair or untucked shirt, instead offered him a drink and seated him with his party at a modest table in the corner of the restaurant.
Yugi and Téa were there, looking smart, her in a long green dress and him in a plain burgundy shirt that matched his eyes. Duke and Tristan each gave Joey an easy wave and, next to them, Serenity bounced to her feet for a hug. Duke was still looking lean and had kept his thin waist, which was perplexing to all. His long, dark hair was thinning, and curled a lot more these days. Tristan, beside him, was pot-bellied and cheerful, with his strong shoulders and unkempt stubble. They seemed to have been midway through a fierce arm-wrestle.
Next to Yugi, on the other side of the table against the wall, sat Marik and Ishizu, looking as demure as a couple of church pastors.
"Hey, guys," said Joey, shaking Marik's hand and receiving a small peck from his sister. "Long time, no see."
"So it has been," said Ishizu, reseating herself. She had adorned her hair in the usual golden trinkets and was wearing a delicate cream dress with fluttering sleeves. She did not look out of place against the white-panelled wall with its golden sconces and gilded fringe. The bangles on her arms tinkled like piano keys as Marik helped her tuck in her chair. Her dark hair was lined with sliver strands – the only sign of her aging. Ishizu was a timeless being. "How do you find yourself?"
"Alright," Joey said. "Can't complain. How's Egypt?"
"Hot," Marik grunted. "I missed it here."
Ishizu's light-haired brother was still short and gangly with skin the colour of wet sand. His eyes were like a grey sky, dark and cold as winter. Joey chalked it down to being possessed by an evil entity. His dark half had been vanquished, but the memories stung.
"Yes, the weather requires quite a degree of climatisation," Ishizu sighed, patting her brother's hand. Joey switched his gaze to her as Marik twisted his napkin fretfully, his eyes ever downcast. "But we shall be here a while."
A waiter appeared with bottles of champagne. They watched as he poured it swiftly into eleven glittering glasses around the table.
"How long you planning on staying?" Joey asked.
"A month, perhaps longer." She glanced momentarily at her brother who gazed into his glass with unreadable silence. "We have some research we would like to continue at the museum. So this event proved fortuitous for many involved." She raised her glass in a delicate toast to Yugi and Téa, who smiled in return.
"Ah, right," said Joey. "It's you guys' night! Anyone done a speech yet?"
"Still waiting for someone, aren't we?" Tristan pointed out, raising an eyebrow at Joey.
"Of course," muttered Joey. "Any word from the elusive rich boy?"
"He said he'd come," offered Yugi. "Perhaps he's held up at work."
"Yeah or just rude," Joey grunted.
"Or walking through the door," said Duke who had twisted in his seat to people-watch.
Across the heads of the other patrons and floral centrepieces stood Kaiba, sending a civil nod toward the concierge as he was directed to his seat. His long midnight-blue jacket clung tightly to his shoulders and brushed the back of his knees as he walked.
Beside him, and about a foot shorter, strode Mokuba with an easy grin on his face. His long black hair was slicked back into a tight, couture ponytail and his suit crinkled at the elbow as he crammed his hands into his pockets nonchalantly.
On Kaiba's other side stepped his wife. She was tall, almost as tall as he, with long dark lashes and full, red lips. Her dress was as dark as his coat, falling elegantly to the floor and floating like ocean waves across the carpet as she walked. She was steady and delicate as a willow, her smile bright and kindly. The manicured hand that gripped Seto's arm was white as marble.
Quite a party they looked. Kaiba brought them to stand austere as autumn by Yugi's side, curtly gripping his hand in a brief congratulatory shake.
"I'm sure you all remember Isamu," he said. She released her grip on Kaiba's arm to kiss Téa.
"How good to see you all again." Her fluttering eyes fell on each of them. Could it have been his imagination? They lingered for the briefest fraction of a second longer on Joey. They were as dark brass as his own. Then the moment popped like a soap bubble as she squeezed herself in to sit beside Téa.
Kaiba took a chair on her other side and Mokuba plopped down next to Joey.
"Heya, squirt," he grinned. "How you been?"
"Not bad, thank you, Joey." Mokuba had grown into a fine young man. A few inches taller than Joey, he had a warm, intelligent aura complimented by a bright smile and sparkling eyes. His chest was broad and he filled out his suit nicely. He was no longer by any means, Kaiba's 'little' brother. "Yourself?"
"The usual, you know."
"Are you still working at the school?"
"Ey, he remembers," Joey joked. "Yeah, the kids keep me busy. Not nearly as exciting as what you guys have been up to so I've heard."
Mokuba flashed his brother a cautious glance. It was at this point Joey realised Kaiba had been following their conversation steadily. Beside him, Isamu was engaging Yugi and Téa in glittering conversation and both seemed transfixed by her wind-chime voice.
"It's coming along," said Mokuba, tugging his eyes back to Joey. Behind him, Kaiba frowned. "Although the prototype won't be ready until next week."
"So what is it exactly?"
"Well, it's-"
Just then Kaiba cleared his throat, loudly cutting his brother off. Mokuba spun in his chair to shoot him evils.
"Come on, Seto, it's not that big of a deal," he grunted. "It's just Joey."
"Precisely." Kaiba's voice was sharp as a penknife. Yugi, Téa and Isamu all turned to watch their conversation. "It's just Joey."
"Back, off, would you, Kaiba?" Joey said, calmer than he felt.
"Don't know what the dog would do with the information," Kaiba continued, his eyes on the glass he held to his lips. "Not like he could afford one."
"Look, pal," Joey shot. "The only reason I'm not grumblin' is because it's Yugi and Téa's night and they wanted you here for some reason. Back off, or I'll make ya."
"Ought to keep him on a leash, Yugi," Kaiba said, still glaring at Joey. "He still hasn't learned a single manner. Should have known you'd bring out the entire freak show, of cou-"
"Seto!"
To the party's surprise, this came from Isamu. She gripped his upper arm furiously and looked as if she was ready to commit him. "What has gotten into you?"
Kaiba flicked his eyes to his wife before shunting them around the table. All gazes were on him. Tristan fidgeted nervously in his seat.
"Excuse me," said Kaiba eventually. He stood, shaking Isamu's arm off like it was dirtying him, and stalked around the table and out the restaurant, his hands digging in his pockets.
"What…" Isamu looked mortified. Her red fingernails shone like glass as she held an astonished hand to her mouth. "I have never seen him like that."
"What, really?" Joey grunted, leaning back in his chair. "He's always been like that. Selfish, arrogant pri-"
"Joey!"
"Sorry, Yug, but the guy's a tool." Joey hung his head. "Has been for years. Won't change."
"He did change a lot, Joey," Yugi insisted. "After what we went through, he must have."
"What you went through?" said Isamu suddenly. "What was that?"
The entire table fell silent. Glances were shared, quick and abashed, like a bunch of foxes caught in headlights.
"You don't know?" said Téa, her voice low. "He never told you? About Egypt? And the Spirits?"
"I'm sorry, I have no idea," Isamu said. "He told me Egypt was a business trip." She looked genuinely confused. And hurt. Joey felt himself bristle.
"Seriously? You been married, what? Five years? He never told you what happened?"
Isamu shook her head.
"Jesus," Joey growled, kicking back his chair. "You lot fill her in. I'm gonna give that guy a piece of my mind."
"Joey-" Yugi began, almost to his feet, but Joey was halfway across the room, and Isamu's wide, hurt eyes held him prisoner.
As Joey shouldered his way through the spinning glass doors, the cold hit him like a truck. Tiny white snowflakes were beginning to swirl down from above, scattering about him like glitter. Above him, the hotel lights glowed with a warm yellow hue in the black night and the snowflakes twinkled in the headlights of passing cars. He shivered, digging his hands hard into his trouser pockets and hunching against the chill. People in thick coats with large bat-like umbrellas pushed passed him as he stomped around the building on the hunt for Kaiba.
He spotted him leaning against a wall in a tight, shadowy alleyway down the side of the hotel. He had his back pressed against the stone, taking long drags on a skinny cigarette. He had only his thin coat to bare up against the cold night and the steamy plume of his breath mingled with the silver smoke as he blew.
Joey's anger faded with the billowing smoke as he caught sight of the dark circles under Kaiba's world-weary eyes.
"Bad for you, that," he murmured, stepping closer. Kaiba turned slowly to face him. Joey noticed the strokes forming around his mouth, the pencil-thin lines that deepened his scowl. "Gonna get yourself killed."
At this Kaiba twisted the cigarette out of his frozen lips and let forth a dry laugh. "Lasted a lot longer than anyone thought I would, mutt," he said. "Gonna take more than a few sticks of tar."
"Maybe but life's funny like that," said Joey, scrunching up his arms against the cold and leaning on the wall next to Kaiba. "One minute you think you're invincible. The next, well, you're in hospital with tubes jammed up your wotsit and horrendous liver failure."
Kaiba was silent for a moment. He took another slow drag.
"I heard about your father," he said simply. There was no sympathy, but then Joey never really wanted any.
"My old man never saw it coming," Joey grunted. "Everyone else did, but there you go. Just watch yourself. We're not young anymore."
"I don't believe I even asked for your opinion," Kaiba said, squashing the burnt-out butt against the snow-speckled stone. He rocked back onto his feet and squared up, ever on the offense. Joey straightened, not to be outdone. "Why did you follow me?"
"To give you shit," Joey taunted. "About why you never told your wife a damn thing about yourself. About us. Your friends."
Kaiba snorted - "Friends." - and made to push past, but Joey was quicker. He stepped to one side like a security guard, blocking Kaiba's path.
"Come on, moneybags," he growled. "It's a big deal. She's your wife. In sickness and in health and all that. You gotta have told her something."
"Not that it's any of your business," Kaiba ground out, "but I felt that it was unnecessary for her to know." He tried to push past again but once again, Joey blocked him.
"You still got a real attitude problem, you know that?" he said angrily. "You act like you don't even wanna be married to her. You're a lucky guy, Kaiba and she don't deserve you."
"Are you quite done," Kaiba hissed. His arm whipped out of nowhere and Joey found himself almost ripped off his feet. Kaiba had his collar in a tight grip.
"Whoah, hey-!"
"Stay out of my business," Kaiba scolded, shaking him. Joey's head rattled. "Or I'll make you."
Joey scrambled until he found a solid purchase on the slippery path with his feet. Using all his weight, he gathered both of Kaiba's wrists in a tight grip and forced him back against the wall. Kaiba grunted as his back slapped against the stone but peered down defiantly as Joey accosted him with a fierce snarl.
"Look," Joey said, his voice low. "We're not kids anymore. We're adults. We're men. We grew up, didn't we? We got our differences, everybody knows that. But I'm sick of this same shit every time we hang out, Kaiba. Seventeen years, last time you said."
"Twenty-two," Kaiba corrected quietly. "Now."
"Right, yeah, twenty-two years we known each other. You can't possibly tell me you still want to keep goin' with this. Isn't it just easier to drop it? Let bygones be bygones and all that? I'm willing to let a lot of it go." To illustrate, he took his hands from Kaiba's wrists and took a step back. "I'm tired," he added. "Aren't you?"
Kaiba grunted, not meeting Joey's eyes. Joey took another step back and stuffed his arms into his armpits, fighting the chill that made him shiver uncontrollably. Judging by the crease in Kaiba's stern brow, he seemed to be mulling something over. For a moment there was only the sound of the wind as it murmured through the alleyway, and of the cars trundling past the hotel entrance.
Then,
"I didn't tell Isamu a lot of the things that happened because I still don't quite believe them myself," he said quietly. "Looking back, it seems like nonsense. Children with overactive imaginations. Stories in virtual reality. The magnitude of the risk was…" He seemed to see something haunting for a moment: a monster in the street. "It was inconceivable."
"We could have lost a lot," Joey agreed. Kaiba looked at him. "We could have died. But we didn't."
"Life's funny like that."
Joey could not help cracking a small smile that was almost returned.
"So a truce?" Joey said, scuffing his shoes against the frosty paving stones. "For this evening?"
Kaiba's sigh was visible in the shimmer of grey that wafted between them. It was enough.
"Well," Joey said, nudging him with a toe. "I guess we go back in and… I dunno. Act civil?"
"I'll lead," said Kaiba, already striding back to the entrance. "You'll fuck it up."
"You wanna bet?" Joey huffed, scrambling after him. "I'll be the most damn civil polite person there ever was! I'm gonna cream you, Kaiba."
If Joey had been in front of Kaiba as he walked, instead of hurling challenges at the back of his head, he would have seen the ghost of a smile cross Kaiba's face.
Isamu was no less pleasant once Kaiba and Joey returned, and merely threw her husband a 'we-will-talk-about-this-later' look before striking up a charming conversation with Duke about his new game in development. It turns out she was highly knowledgeable about many subjects, including the gaming industry. Well-respected, well-connected and dazzling as a rose in sunrise, it was hardly surprising that she had all the boys blushing. Kaiba did not seem to notice. He spent most of the evening staring absently into sequential glasses of champagne.
Joey and Kaiba had managed the evening, as promised. They even spoke to each other, albeit briefly and with an air of forced civility. Yugi shot Joey a few puzzled looks when this happened, and Joey responded to each of them with a cursory shrug. Téa watched it all shrewdly, expecting it to be a joke. Upon realising it was not a trick (and chiefly for the benefit of herself and Yugi) became cheerful and full of unspoken gratitude. Joey revelled in the accomplishment of at least making his friends happy for the evening.
When it was time to leave, all sorrows were genuine. Téa promised to stay in contact with Isamu and Yugi had his hand heartily shaken by each male guest in turn. Ishizu lifted his hand in a reserved way and wished him well with her genial smile. Hugs were exchanged, and in due course Joey found himself face-to-face with Kaiba.
They held a steady gaze, hearing the sounds of goodbyes ringing behind them as the rest of the gang gathered their coats.
"So," said Joey, extending a hand. "Until another five years?"
The corners of Kaiba's mouth twitched. He reached out and gripped Joey's hand firmly. His fingers were as warm as if he had heated them on a radiator all evening. There was no literal shake, only an increase in pressure from them both, but then, before they were pulled apart by their friends ushering them out of the door, Joey felt himself be yanked forward by the merest fraction of an inch. It could almost be passed off as a nervous twitch if it was not for the steady assurance in Kaiba's eyes, the way they flicked down the length of Joey's body so quickly that the only reason he noticed was because his eyes were bearing just as heavily up on Kaiba's face.
In that moment, Joey felt a spark.
"I-"
But before he could even start a sentence, he was tugged away by Téa, who began forcing his coat sleeves up his arm. His hand tingled, the feeling zipping up and down his body, dizzying and warm. Ears reddening, he wrestled his coat on – batting Téa away – and charged for the door, his friends laughing and buzzing around him. He could sense Kaiba's eyes burning into his back and he felt himself go redder.
They called a taxi in the cold, their babble mingling with the sounds from the street. Their breath misted before them and the snow still fell steadily all around. Joey fought the urge to watch the door, drilling his hands harder into his pockets, burying the sensation of Kaiba's warm grip.
He lost the battle, twisting his head in what he hoped was an unnoticeable way.
Kaiba had already left. There was no sign of him.
Disappointment and relief struck Joey in overpowering waves. He felt sick and guilty and horrified all at once. He shook himself, desperately forcing his attention back into the conversation. It was a mess of words, as hard to untangle as a drawer full of string. He caved to his instincts again, this time turning fully to face the door.
Kaiba's eyes met his across the garden.
He was stood in the doorway, his hands working a crimson scarf about his neck. He must have forgotten it, and returned to collect it. In the road, his car awaited, quietly rumbling, with what must be Isamu and Mokuba inside. Kaiba twisted the scarf into a neat array and tucked it beneath his coat. Joey realised he was staring and pulled his gaze away, hoping the frigid air would hide the real reason for his stinging cheeks, now as red as the colour of Kaiba's scarf.
There was a crunching of shoes on slush, and, to Joey's disquiet, Kaiba approached, his eyes on Yugi.
"Congratulations again, Game King," he said, gripping Yugi's mitten in his own leather gloved hand. If Yugi was surprised at Kaiba's reappearance, he didn't show it. "It's not as easy as it looks. Don't fuck it up."
This was as close to heartfelt as Kaiba ever got. Yugi was so touched he was beaming.
"Thank you, Kaiba," he said. "We've already got you as a great example."
The merest flash of a grimace seemed to darken Kaiba's countenance for a moment, but before any of them could decide it was really there, he was turning to Joey, his demeanour all business.
"A word?" he said. Without waiting for an answer, he whipped about and strode about ten paces away.
"Right…" Joey turned to his friends, who could only offer puzzled looks and shrugs. He returned the best of both of his own and sauntered after Kaiba.
They came to rest half-concealed by an ornate hedge.
"Take your time," Kaiba grunted when Joey joined him.
"What's up, moneybags?" Joey cut across. He was cold, tired and confused. The feeling of Kaiba's warm hand still pressed into his palm. He tried to scrunch the sensation away.
Kaiba took a deep breath through his nose. Joey wondered if he was going to start another fight. He simply said,
"Did alright tonight, didn't we."
Joey glanced up, surprised, and Kaiba met his gaze with relaxed brows for once.
"Yeah, I s'pose," Joey agreed, shrugging. "Could have been worse. Could have punched your lights out in the alley."
"Pft, please, as if you could-"
"But," Joey interrupted, wagging a finger. "We got through."
Kaiba shook his head, twisting his collars up against the cold. "I can't imagine we'll be seeing each other until the wedding then. Yugi says it'll be in summer." He tightened his gloves. Joey realised he was fidgeting. "So in the interest of bygones, take care of yourself, Wheeler."
Joey blanched. "Nah, come on, we'll see each other before then. Come over and play cards with us some time."
"I really don't have the t-"
"Actually I just realised I didn't even give you a wedding gift," Joey interrupted musingly. He ducked his head. "Was feeling pretty shit about the no-invitation thing so I kinda didn't think about it. I'll bring you something. Stop by the ol' office sometime."
"I would rather you didn't," Kaiba said bluntly.
"Naw, come on. Least I could do. You turned up for Yugi tonight." Joey grinned in the direction of his friends, who were watching them from a distance. "He's buzzin' about that, you know."
Kaiba brought gloved fingers to the bridge of his nose. "Wheeler, I don't want a wedding gift from you."
"It's alright, I'd be happy to-"
"No," Kaiba snapped. "Not from you!"
Joey bristled, the hairs on his arms standing up beneath his sleeves. He felt anger and humiliation bubbling in his blood. He reacted in the only way he could think of. Retaliation.
"Well, tough," he bawled. "You're getting one! And it's gonna be the best one you got 'cause I got just the thing. Asshole."
With that he turned on his heel, red-faced again, and stomped to the taxi.
Unbeknownst to the rest of them, Ishizu and Marik lingered, watching Kaiba tremulously rearrange his scarf as the taxi rumbled away into the falling snow. The wind had begun to pick up, sending the flakes dancing about the sky in torrential clouds of white. Marik marvelled at his sister's bare arms and unprotected face, clinging his cloak tighter about his body.
Before them, Kaiba twisted his scarf irritably where it refused to sit right. Eventually he ripped it off and started over.
"I'll wait for you over there," said Marik quietly, slipping away from his sister. "Try not to confuse him too much."
Kaiba watched Ishizu approach with wary eyes.
"What do you want?" he said, thrusting the scarf into the aperture of his heavy coat.
"A word," she said directly.
"Unnerving," grumbled Kaiba, brushing snow from his hair. It settled again immediately. "I've had quite enough of your words for one lifetime, Ishtar."
"I was watching you over drinks," Ishizu continued coolly. "I may not have the Necklace anymore, but some things are always clear. Perhaps your destiny cannot be avoided after all."
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Kaiba snapped.
"There's been a shift," she said, ignoring him.
"Tectonic, perhaps."
"Spiritual," she countered and Kaiba wrinkled his nose. "The Rod is going to call to you again, and you will heed it. You're drawn to power, Kaiba, which explains a lot about this evening."
"What are you talking about?"
Ishizu stepped forward and looked for a long time into Kaiba's eyes. He met her gaze steadily, as if she were a test he must somehow pass. Snowflakes caught on her thick eyelashes. Eventually, she said,
"I know what is in your heart, Kaiba. I see how your eyes linger on him. I'm not surprised at all, because you and I are similar beings, Kaiba. We are but splintered halves, and he is one glorious, glowing whole. How could you not be drawn to it?"
Kaiba scowled. "I am not a half."
"You misunderstand me," Ishizu sighed. "The things we had to separate ourselves from, he has found a way to embrace. He is powerful and strong, and when the time comes, you'll be grateful for it. You might think you can write your own future, Kaiba, but our true destiny lies in here." She pointed to his heart, over his heavy coat. "I think the truth we despise is more powerful than the fiction we create, and in the end, worth so much more. Heed my call when it comes."
With that, she turned gracefully on her heels, sweeping her flowing hood up to hide her face, and, taking her brother's arm, disappeared into the growing blizzard.
