A/N: Another one shot for les scribbles. Again, my first time writing Seto/Joey…so just tell me what you all think.
It was a secret obsession. The kind you keep behind dead-bolted doors in underground dungeons surrounded by starved dragons and polar bears, really mad polar bears at that. He loved it, couldn't stop playing it and no matter what, he would only play it with Joey around. It was a ritual, a secret one, but it was theirs and theirs alone. Neither spoke of it outside those nights, they would argue and yell and fight during the day but at night they met in silence, popped in the shimmering disc and talked in quiet awe of the game.
Kaiba Seto and Joey Wheeler loved Kingdom Hearts. It was number one on both their lists and nothing gave them more pleasure than to sing 'Simple and Clean' as the game loaded. They competed of course, that was something that lasted through the days and nights. Who got to what level first, who could beat Sephiroth faster, who could beat the game on Expert mode before the other. This wasn't the same though, it wasn't like duel monsters. Duel Monsters was aggressive, serious and cruel for a game, one that they both took to heart as a lifetime matter. Kingdom Hearts though, that was their true obsession. They would sit in Seto's room, one playing Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and the other playing the original, trading theories, wondering if Sora and Riku would ever hook up. Neither of them liked Kairi. Joey didn't mind Namine though. Even though that was a sin in Seto's book, he still understood Joey's opinion and valued it. It was the only time they connected, the only time they bonded and neither of them truly wanted the nights of endless gaming to end.
That's why Kingdom Hearts 2 was such a big deal. They were standing in line with hundreds more gamers at five a.m., waiting for the doors to Gamers to open. This was the first time their obsession had left Seto's bedroom and both were nervous. As much as they enjoyed each other's company, no one else would understand if they saw them together like this. They would think they were obsessed, crazy, dorky even. They had already seen someone they knew, Isis actually with a strange friend who was blabbing on and on about how Riku was actually a famous painter and Sora was his star-crossed lover. It sounded like he wrote fanfiction, another thing Seto and Joey did together. Another thing only they shared, only they understood.
"Geez what's with this line!" Joey groaned, kicking the snow. His teeth were chatting and he was pulling his green jacket around him tight. Seto rolled his eyes but his eager smile was plastered on his face. He had offered to use his powerful ties to get them copies first, before anyone else in Japan but Joey had wanted to stand in line with the other gamers. It sort of mad Seto sad though, not that he would admit that but…he liked keeping his relationship with Joey separate from all these other wannabe gamers. Only he and Joey were truly serious about Kingdom Hearts. Only they understood the complexities and the subtle hints that the developers dropped. Only they did, just the two of them and their obsession. "My nuts are blue by now, damn it's cold." Joey muttered.
"Heh well the heat is on in my mansion. I'll have one of the butlers warm some blankets for us when we get back." Seto smiled at him and Joey nodded in appreciation. Until then, Seto gave him his trench coat until then. It was the type of sharing they did, a kind only they understood. Seto gave Joey a part of himself that no one else knew about and Joey returned the favor. It was really a friendship, they weren't friends. But on some deeper level, they clicked. It wasn't special but in a way, it really was. He would understand what it was but he didn't realize it then in the snow. It was much later, as they tore into their new game's wrappings together with the heated blankets over them. It was as the game started up, as they sang the theme song and laughed and joked under the moonlight that he understood. He was himself around Joey, he felt comfortable and happy around him and wasn't at all afraid of what Joey might think of his rendition of 'Simple and Clean'. It was thanks to Kingdom Hearts 2 that he knew this…and while they really wanted Sora and Riku together, that night they found a much nicer pairing. And a new obsession.