Title: All Work and No Play
Author: Tigergirl
Rated: M
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. I don't gain any benefits from writing about them.
Summary: The stresses of life were getting to him. He needed to learn how to find the balance. All he needed was someone to teach him.
CHAPTER ONE
He was finally free. The school thought he was home sick. His so called "guardian" thought he was at school. His cell phone was turned off. And he was miles and miles away from anyone who knew him.
"Mokuba?"
The young pre-teen froze in his tracks. His eyes darted around until they landed on the smiling blonde who had called his name. Mokuba's eyes lit up.
"Joey?"
The seventeen year old said a quick word to someone at the table he stood behind. Then he slipped out through the people to come stand next to him. He clapped the younger male on the shoulder and pulled him into a small hug. Mokuba squeezed him tight, more than happy to return the hug. When they parted, both had equally big smiles on their faces.
"Joey, what are you doing here?" Mokuba exclaimed.
Joey chuckled before wagging a teasing finger at him.
"Better question: What are you doing here?" Joey asked. "We're not anywhere near Domino and I know you got school."
Mokuba's shoulders sagged. He let out a big, exhausted sigh. Joey squeezed his shoulder.
"You wanna go for a walk?" Joey said.
The pre-teen flashed him a small smile. Joey held up his finger in a wait motion before returning to the table he was at. He spoke with an older woman wearing a golden name badge. She glanced over Joey's shoulder at Mokuba. He gave her a timid wave. She smiled before saying something to Joey.
When Joey returned, his smile was bigger than before.
"We're in luck, kid. They don't need me back for a while. How about we take a walk and get some lunch?"
Mokuba's grin spread from ear to ear.
"Cool!"
It was only a few minutes down the road that Mokuba broke the silence and blurted out, "You disappeared, Joey! Where have you been?"
Joey chuckled. It was true. Last year, he had turned seventeen and he disappeared from school after a birthday weekend with his friends. The only person he talked to was Yugi now.
"I guess we'll start with me, then. I'm sure you remember the piece of my work my dad is." Nod. "Well, my old man threw me out. Thing is he didn't know I've been working part-time jobs since I was fifteen."
Mokuba gasped.
"But Joey, you're not allowed to work when you're in school," Mokuba protested.
Joey shrugged. "I did like your brother and got a special work request in, thanks to the principal."
Mokuba listened in rapt attention. First, Joey only had a part-time job working as a dishwasher in a nice restaurant. Then they moved him to hosting half the time and learning about working the line in the back of the house. The owner, having taken a liking to Joey, gave him an apartment in a good neighborhood after his father threw him out.
"But Joey, if you were making enough money for the rent and food, why not go back and finish school?"
By this time, they were sitting down at an empty picnic table outside the food booths. Joey smiled.
"I did finish school, Mokuba," Joey said.
Mokuba frowned. "Huh?"
Joey chuckled.
"I took the GED test and passed. See, the owner's wife is a college professor. She helped me get ready for the exam," Joey explained.
Mokuba's eyes grew wide. The GED, or General Education Development, was a test used by students in the United States or Canada. He knew Joey had been able to take the test, due to his dual citizenship. Joey went on to explain about working a little bit in each area of the restaurant.
"To what purpose, Joey?" Mokuba asked.
Joey broke out in a huge grin before pulling his jacket aside. Mokuba's eyes shot to the gold badge bearing the title Assistant Manager.
"I just got promoted last week. That was the General Manager I was talking to."
Mokuba's whole face lit up.
"That's awesome, Joey! I'm so happy everything is working out with you."
Joey nodded slowly before quietly indicating it was now Mokuba's turn. The young pre-teen sighed, but silently agreed. It was only fair since Joey had shared.
"I'm skipping school."
"No kidding?!"
Mokuba shot Joey an annoyed look.
"The school thinks I'm home and Seto thinks I'm at school. I found this event online and took cash out of my account. I made Seto think it was for lunch and an after school club dues. I bought a bus ticket and rode out here alone," Mokuba explained.
Joey scrunched his face up.
"Doesn't your security drop you off at school?"
Mokuba grinned.
"I convinced them to drop me off early. They thought I had a club meeting before school. Dropped me off in front of the school right where I knew the cameras wouldn't see us. I walked right off the campus," Mokuba explained.
Joey leaned forward. Mokuba followed suit. Joey raised an eyebrow. Mokuba raised an eyebrow.
"Cell phone?"
"Turned off before I left the campus."
"Backpack locator chip?"
"Made it malfunction. Seto hasn't had it replaced yet."
"Card locket chip?"
"Reprogrammed. Chip says I'm still at school."
Joey leaned back with a low whistle. Mokuba leaned back with a familiar smirk across his face.
"I gotta admit, kid. You covered all the bases. But I gotta ask, why? Why you skipping school?"
Then it was Mokuba's turn to talk. For a few months now, his brother had become a nightmare. He worked even more hours and when he was home, he was always checking Mokuba's work. If it wasn't up to his standards, he would make him do it again. Mokuba saw more of the security and house staff than he did his brother.
Now that he worked full-time and barely got to see his own sibling, Joey wanted desperately to defend Kaiba. Except he knew he had to watch what he said. So instead he said the first thing that came to mind.
"You hungry?"
Mokuba shot him a confused look. Joey shrugged. Mokuba chuckled.
"I'm starving."
Joey winked.
"Then let me introduce you the finest food around."
Joey led him back to his restaurant's booth. He loaded them up some plates of pasta, a small salad, and some breadsticks. They sat down at a table behind the booth. Mokuba was at awe with the workers and how they interacted with Joey. They treated him respectfully, but at the same time acted like he was one of their own. The manager even came over and chatted briefly with him.
If any of them wondered why a minor was there unescorted, they didn't say anything to him or Joey. The food was beyond delicious! Mokuba enjoyed pasta and thought he had a favorite recipe, but this restaurant's meal topped everything now. Joey contemplated how he was going to handle the situation while they ate.
It wasn't until later, while they were walking, that Joey spoke.
"Have you tried talking to your brother?" Joey asked.
Mokuba breathed out a big puff of air.
"Even when Seto's with me, he's on his phone half the time. He thinks because he runs Kaiba Corp that he has to fix every problem. I mean, why hire anyone if you're going to fix the damn problem yourself!"
Mokuba suddenly slapped a hand over his mouth. He jerked his head at Joey. The tall blonde waved it off.
"Sometimes, a little cursing helps get the frustration out," Joey replied.
Mokuba shot him an appreciative smile.
"You know, I kinda get it," Joey commented.
A confused look met him. Joey chuckled.
"It's kinda like being an Assistant Manager. When a server brings out the wrong dish or makes a mistake, I wanna just jump on in and fix it myself. But the thing is I gotta let them at least try. Helping is okay, but micromanaging isn't. It's not fair to the people who work with me and it puts too much stress on me," Joey explained.
Mokuba listened in silence. He slowly processed everything Joey was saying.
"Now your brother? You gotta remember all the stuff you guys have gone through with your parents and Gozaburo and the courts. Kaiba had to grow up quick so he could take care of you and make sure you had a childhood. He's so busy taking care of everyone else that sometimes he forgets to take care of himself," Joey added.
"But Joey," Mokuba asked. "How do I get Seto to stop and listen to me?"
Joey stopped and turned to face Mokuba. He flashed him one of his famous goofy grins.
"Well, if he won't listen, you make him listen. Take out that beeper, confiscate that phone, and tell Roland to lock the door. You and your brother clearly need to have a talk and the longer you wait, the worse it's going to be."
Mokuba chuckled, but he knew deep down in his heart that Joey was right. His temper had been flaring more as of late and he had snapped more than once at his brother. Seto didn't get it. Despite him being in middle school and no longer a child, his brother still saw him as such.
"Do you think it would work?" Mokuba asked.
Joey shrugged. "You won't know if you never try."
Joey nearly fell backwards off his feet when Mokuba leaped into him, throwing his arms around him in a tight hug. Joey gladly returned the hug and squeezed just as tight. He felt Mokuba give a full body shake. For a second, Joey thought the young man was going to start crying. However, when they parted, the young man's eyes were clear and his face dry.
"How do you always know the right thing to say, Joey?" Mokuba asked.
"Just lucky, I guess," Joey replied.
Even though he should have put him on a bus, Joey walked around the fair with Mokuba. There were times he went back to work at the booth in which Mokuba joined him there, too. The young raven got to learn about the different jobs at the restaurant and even help the group out when they got busy.
By early afternoon, it was time for Mokuba to leave if he planned to get home before his brother. Joey stopped before he could leave.
"I'll take you home, kid. If you don't mind. I don't want you being on the bus all alone," Joey offered.
Mokuba gladly accepted the offer. He excused him to run off and tell the bus to go on without him. He waited until the bus shifted and turned onto the road to begin crossing the road. So engrossed in his thoughts he didn't hear the squeal of tires. He looked up when he heard the shout of his name.
"Mokuba, watch out!"
He looked up at Joey who was sprinting towards him. His head slowly turned and he froze as his eyes caught sight of a speeding car heading straight for him. The last thing he remembered was a hard shove of his body and his head taking a hard crack before blacking out.
END OF CHAPTER ONE
Author's Note: Let's see how this will be received. I got the idea one day and figured I'd give it a try and see the kind of reading and reviews I get for it.