Author's notes: Ok this story is pretty random, and pretty quickly written. Please read and review!!
Warning: some coarse language (not much) and yaoi content, which means boy loving boy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh
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"..." speech
italics thoughts
((...)) other person on end of phone
!#$% - change of scene
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Happy AnniversaryJoey glanced at the clock on the wall, feeling tears of disappointment gather in his honey brown eyes.
He didn't come. I guess work's more important than me. He stood up with a heavy sigh, shouldering his bag and making his way over to the reception.
"Can I help you, monsieur?" one of the waitresses asked.
"My -er- partner is busy, and can't make it." Joey lied. He caught the sympathetic glance the waitress shot him, and cringed inwardly. It was as if he had a big sign on him that read I GOT DITCHED ON MY FIRST ANNIVERSARY. Did everyone know?
"Of course, monsieur." the waitress nodded.
"Could you please cancel the dishes that I ordered? I'm really sorry.
"That's fine, monsieur, it is no problem." her accented english made it hard for Joey to understand her.
He sighed again. How could Seto stand him up in one of the most expensive restaurants in Paris, knowing that he couldn't speak a word of French other than the simple merci' and Ôbonjour?
I'll always come second to his work, Joey thought bitterly, as he walked along the road, snow falling into his face and clouding his vision.
It was a beautiful night- even as he wallowed in self pity and anger, Joey had to admit it. Snow covered the roads and buildings, the smell of food filling his senses, and late night lovers were scattered throughout the city, sneaking quick kisses and hushed words.
Why can't Seto and I be like that? Joey wondered. He's never ever said that he loves me. He just takes it for granted that I'll always be there for him, and me, being the good puppy that I am, obeys my master.
He reached the hotel, and entered the room that he and Seto shared. It was empty, of course- Seto was still at work, probably working on some high tech toy that, as Seto put it, cost more than Joey's life.
I know he was joking. He had to be- why would he value his measly toys over me? Joey thought, somewhat paranoid.
He kicked off his shoes and threw himself onto his bed. Happy one year anniversary, Seto.
!#$%
Seto sat back on his chair, a small smile of relief on his face. He had finished. It had taken him over 12 hours to complete the new program, but he had done it- the program was faultless, and was sure to be a success.
He glanced at the clock on the wall and flinched when he realised that it was later than he had expected- it was almost midnight!
Joey's probably worried, he thought fondly. He couldn't explain how he had fallen for the blond duellist, but it had happened. I wonder where he is?
His thoughts were interrupted suddenly by the phone. Seto groaned. All he wanted was to return home to Joey and have a nice, calming cup of tea. He picked up the phone reluctantly.
"Kaiba." he snapped.
"Seto?" Mokuba's surprised voice floated across the line. "What are you doing at work?
"Just finishing off a program. Nothing important.
"NOTHING IMPORTANT?!?" Mokuba shouted suddenly, making Seto wince. "Oniisan!! Aren't you forgetting something really, really important?
Set frowned, and checked his calendar. 10th of July... something nagged at the back of his mind. Something that was fairly important...
"I can't remember." Seto muttered, wondering what on earth had Mokuba so wound up. It couldn't be that important.
"SETO!! God, Joey's going to kill you!" Mokuba yelled. "I phoned to leave a message. I thought you would be having dinner with Joey by now.
Dinner with Joey...? Realisation crashed on him like a tonne of bricks.
"Shit! Shit shit shit!" Seto cursed madly and fumbled around for his jacket and keys. "I'll call you later Mokuba." he muttered hastily and hung up.
Seto climbed into his car and zoomed back to the hotel. His heart sunk slightly when he entered their hotel suite and saw that all the lights were off, which meant that Joey was asleep.
But then again, Seto thought, making his way to the kitchen, knowing Joey's temper it's better that he's asleep.
He switched on the lights, and felt his breath hitch in his throat when he saw a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates -his favourite kind- sitting on the kitchen bench. He read the card, guilt eating at him.
Dearest Seto,
Happy 1 year anniversary!!!
Love you heaps,
Joey xxx
Next to the card were two unused cinema tickets and a card reading ÔReserved for: Mr Kaiba, and Mr Wheeler
Seto buried his head in his hands, groaning softly. How could he have forgotten their anniversary? It was one of the most important dates of the year, and he had missed it!
He crept into their bedroom, and slowly climbed into their bed, gazing at Joey's sleeping face.
The blond's face was tearstreaked and slightly blotchy.
I made my puppy cry... Guilt wrenched at his heart, and Seto reached out and gently stroked his lover's face. The blond stirred, and his eyelids fluttered for a few seconds before fully opening.
"S- Seto?" he murmured groggily, holding back a yawn. "You're back...
"Hai." Seto replied. His ice blue eyes widened in surprise when Joey pulled away, frowning.
"Why didn't you come? I was waiting for you for 4 hours!" his hurt honey brown eyes sought Seto's gaze.
"I was... busy." Seto replied vaguely.
"You're always busy!" Joey brust out. "I don't know what else I can do to make you love me, Seto." his voice had dropped to a whisper. "Am I nothing more than a toy to you? Does your work matter more to you than I do?
Seto remained silent, though inwardly he was buzzing with emotion. Tears dripped down Joey's cheeks, and he sat up, throwing off his blanket as he did so.
"You don't care about me, do you?" he asked softly.
Seto simply rolled over, so that his back was turned to Joey. He wanted to say that of course he loved him, that he had never wanted to hurt his puppy, but the words were clogged in his throat, unable to get past the icy barriers he had set up against the rest of the world.
The blond watched him sadly for a while, before slipping out of bed. Seto's heart skipped a beat as heard the bedroom door close.
He wouldn't leave... he's probably just gone to get a drink, Seto reassured himself. The sound of the main door slamming shut echoed throughout the suite. Seto rushed out of bed, but Joey was already gone.
He left me! He actually left me... Seto pulled on a jacket and ran out of the sutie, and after his lover. I didn't think that Joey would react this badly. I never meant to hurt him.
"Have you seen a blond man go past this way?" Seto asked a middle aged woman.
She nodded. "He went that way." she pointed towards the pond. "Good luck finding him, monsieur.
Merci beaucoup, Madame." Seto replied in fluent French. He ran to the water side, pulling his coat around him tightly.
Seto caught sight of a flash of gold, and walked over to the figure huddled on a bench, dressed only in drawstring pants and a thin t-shirt. He sat down next to Joey and laid a hand on Joey's shoulder. He was more than surprised to find that the blond was shaking.
"Pup, you're cold." he said, trying to keep the fear and worry he felt from his voice.
"And why would you care?" Joey shot back, turning his tearstreaked face to the brunette.
"I do care." Seto reached out and gently cupped Joey's face with one hand. The blond's expression softened slightly. "Why are you so worked up over nothing?" it was the wrong thing to say.
Immediately Joey's face took on a dangerous edge, and he pulled away sharply. "Over nothing?" Joey echoed, and more tears fell down his face. He couldn't believe that he was hearing this.
He thinks I'm upset over nothing? It's not him forgetting that's pissing me off, its' the fact that he's so bloody cold! Joey thought. He never shows emotion, and sometimes I feel like I'm in love with a goddamn robot!
"To you, Seto, perhaps it's nothing, but to me it's a lot, ok? Not once have you told me that you love me. You never go anywhere with me. It's as if I'm some sort of toy that gets thrown out after it's been used.
Seto frowned, and started to open his mouth to say something, but Joey didn't stop. His hands were curled into fists at his side, and his honey brown eyes were alight with anger.
"Maybe you don't love me. Maybe you're just using me. Maybe to you this is nothing more than a game." he broke off, shaking violently.
Seto said nothing, but took off his coat and draped it over Joey's lean frame. He swept a lock of golden hair out of his lover's face, and traced the outline of his jaw with a finger.
Joey's right, he thought, pulling the blond closer to him, allowing Joey to sob quietly into his shirt. I do treat him as if he doesn't matter sometimes. But he does matter to me. A lot.
Seto was pulled out of his reverie when his cell phone rang. Joey gave a small sigh- he was far too used to this by now.
Seto checked the caller ID and frowned. It was from the Kaiba Corp office in Paris.
"Kaiba." he said wearily, wondering what on earth they wanted. Couldn't they tell that it was almost 1 in the morning?
((Sorry to interrupt your sleep, Mr Kabia, this is Kaiba Corp, Paris, and I know it's late-)) the other man begun, but Seto cut across him.
"What the hell do you want?" he snapped. He could almost feel the man on the other end of the line cringe at his words.
((J- just a minor complication, sir, with the new program...))
Seto uttered several low curses. "What the hell do you mean there's a minor compication? I spent 14 goddamn hours on it!
((W- well s-sir there's something wrong. P- perhaps you could come and take a look at it?)) the man asked hopefully.
Weaklings. All of them, weaklings.
((But if there's something more important that you have to do, it's alright....))
"No, there's nothing else of importance that I have to do right now." Seto replied briskly. "I'll be there soon.
Joey extracted himself from Seto's arms, and handed the coat back to him, shivering slightly as the cold air blasted into him with a vengeance. "You'll be needing this." he said shortly, and started walking back to the hotel room.
Seto felt as if his heart was torn in two. He could go after his lover, and apologise- perhaps take Joey to a movie, or out to breakfast. On the other hand, his program was in trouble- the program that he had worked so hard on, that he had missed their anniversary for.
Joey's words crept in to his mind. "Does your work matter more to you than I do?
Seto quickly dialled Kaiba Corp.
"Kaiba Corp." Luckily, it was the same man he had been talking to before who answered.
"It's Kaiba Seto here." Seto snapped. "I can't make it. A complication has arisen, and I have to deal with it now.
His tone of voice brooked no arguments. The man stammered a reply, and hastily hung up.
Now that that was taken care of... Where was Joey?
!#$%
Joey kicked at a pile of snow disheartedly. He couldn't believe that Seto had chosen work over him again. He had thought that he had made it clear what was wrong in their relationship.
I guess Seto will always be Seto, no matter what happens, he thought, a faint smile gracing his features.
He glanced at the clock and decided that it was high time he went back to bed.
It's too early to be angry, Joey thought, yawning softly as he climbed back into the four poster bed. I suppose Seto will be back by tomorrow morning. If not tomorrow morning, tomorrow night. As always.
He rolled over onto his side and stared out the window at the night sky. Snow drifted down to the ground, the perfect image of winter and- and romance. When Joey had first heard that they were going to Paris for a month, he had thought that it was a romantic body.
Ha. As if Seto has a single romantic bone in his body, Joey thought bitterly. He fell asleep after a few minutes of watching the snow fall, hugging himself whether to warm or comfort himself in his loneliness he didn't know.
Joey woke up when he felt a hand run through his golden strands of hair. He twisted around, and came face to face with Seto.
"Seto? You're back early." he whispered, trying to see the time. Surely he hadn't been asleep for long?
"I didn't go." Seto hesitated, then whispered "Joey?
Joey turned surprised eyes to his lover. "You called me by my first name." he said in surprise. "You never call me Joey. It's always puppy. Or mutt, when you're angry at me.
"I've been... thinking." Seto said slowly.
Joey's heart skipped a beat. He's breaking up with me- I know it. He's going to leave me all alone in Paris.
"Seto-
"Shh. Don't say anything.." Seto interrupted. "Please- just let me continue.
Joey nodded, pulling the blankets are him more tightly, gathering all the warmth he could.
"Joey... I realise that I don't treat you the way I should." he began. "And I- I'm sorry.
Joey realised how hard it was for Seto- the all powerful, almighty Seto Kaiba- to say that.
"I'll try my hardest from now on... to treat you the way I should." he swallowed. "P-please forgive me. I love you.
"Seto." Joey threw himself at the older boy, and wrapped his arms around him, pressing his lips against his lover's. His hands clutched Seto's shirt almost desperately, enjoying the feel of Seto's body pressed against his.
"I love you too." Joey mumbled, before his lips were captured by Seto's again, and he was pushed back onto the bed.
!#$%&
Joey woke up feeling a deep sense of contentment. He shifted slightly, feeling Seto's arm wrapped tightly around his waist.
He snuggled closer to his lover behind him, a wide smile on his face as Seto gently stroked his back, dragging his fingers up and down his spine.
Suddenly Joey caught sight of the time and he tensed. Seto frowned and tightened his grip on him slightly.
"Pup? What's the matter?
"It's almost noon! You're late for work!" Joey knew how angry Seto got when he was even a minute late for work.
A crafty smile spread across Seto's usually stern face. "But I'm not going to work today.
"Yes you are." Joey replied, confused. "It's Friday. It's almost noon, Seto." Joey repeated himself, wondering if the brunette hadn't heard him the first time.
"I know it's Friday. And I know it's almost noon." Seto replied calmly.
"And you're not... I don't know- angry? Upset?" Joey asked slowly. He had twisted around so that he was facing his lover.
"No.
"Okaaaayy..." Joey backed off slightly. "Who are you and what did you do to my boyfriend?" he asked suspiciously.
Seto laughed- actually laughed, a genuine carefree sound. Amusement shone in his ice blue eyes, and he edged closer to Joey, who was now convinced that some madman had kidnapped the real Seto Kaiba and was dressing up as him. He stood up, using one of the blankets to wrap around his waist.
"Oh come on, Joey, it's me. Seto." he said, exasperated.
"But... But..." he broke off, still not sure what to make of his lover. "Seto, did you eat something funny last night?
"No." Seto rolled his eyes, and pulled Joey back down onto the bed and into his arms. "I'm taking the day off today.
"You are?" Joey's eyes lit up with excitement. He gave a cry of delight, and hugged the older boy happily. "Thank you Seto! What are we going to do?
"I don't know- it's all up to you." Seto said, placing a kiss on Joey's forehead. "Because nothing matters now, as long as I'm with you.
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Author's notes: Ok. Well, that's it. Please please please read and review!!! And no flames please!!!