Seto Kaiba was frantically pacing around his home office. Tomorrow was the day he and Joey had to come out twice: once to their friends and then to the world. He really didn't care what people thought and was prepared to give them hell, but the act of revealing such information terrified him. The only people who knew were Serenity and Mokuba. He and Joey cared too much about their siblings to hide their love from them.
"Seto?" Joey had gotten out of bed to check up on him. "It's late; come to bed with me."
Kaiba nodded. "I'm sorry, I'm just thinking about tomorrow. I'm...scared."
Joey squeezed his hand, knowing this was a vulnerable moment for his boyfriend. "I know. I'm scared too. I can't figure out what's more terrifying: telling our friends or telling the press."
"The press, easy. I swear to god, if any reporters come after you I'll hit them with so many legal repercussions that they'll never work again."
"I love you, Seto."
"I love you too, pup. Let's go to bed.
Kaiba and Joey decided that the best way to tell their friends was to invite them over for brunch. Kaiba hated the word "brunch" and how it forced people to hold out on eating until late morning. Nevertheless, Tea, Yugi, Tristan, and Yami showed up at Kaiba's (and Joey's, though they didn't know it) house at eleven the next morning.
"Morning guys," Joey greeted his friends.
"How long have you been here, Joey?" Yugi asked. "You're usually twenty minutes late to everything, no offense." Shit. He couldn't tell them that he was living here, not yet, anyway.
"I've turned over a new leaf. Besides, that brunch buffet is calling my name."
They were seated in the elaborate dining room. It had once felt large and impersonal to Kaiba, but ever since Joey practically moved in, it felt homey. Maybe because he felt at home whenever he was with Joey, corny as that might have been.
Everyone got up for the buffet style meal. Of course, Joey really went to town. Kaiba sighed, knowing he'd be taking care of him later after he'd overeaten.
Kaiba and Joey let everyone begin their meals before making their announcement. About half an hour in, Kaiba stood up.
"I invited you all here this morning because I have some important news."
"Yeah." Joey stood up too. Now their friends were really lost.
Kaiba cleared his throat. "The thing is-"
"I'll say it, " Joey interrupted. "Seto and I are together and have been for almost a year now. We live here together and we really love each other. We're telling the press tonight."
Their friends exchanged knowing glances and continued to eat.
"That's it?" Kaiba asked.
Tea shrugged. "It was obvious. You guys stopped hating each other, Joey's never at his apartment anymore, and you actually started hanging out with us, Kaiba."
"You two didn't do a very good job of hiding your relationship," Tristan pointed out.
"As long as you're happy," Yugi said. "But if you hurt Joey, Kaiba, don't think I won't kick your ass."
"You're telling the whole world? Tonight?" Yami asked.
Kaiba nodded. "I can't even think about it right now."
"Know that we support you, even if no one else does. Do Mokuba and Serenity know?"
"Yes."
Their friends cleared out to go home, leaving Kaiba and Joey to prepare for the interview.
Joey kissed Kaiba, trying to reassure him. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"
"It went well. Though I am a hurt that we couldn't even hide our relationship well. I thought we were great actors."
"Soon we won't have to be, S."
An hour before the interview, Kaiba was having second thoughts.
"What if this is a bad idea? What if we're not ready? What if the media getting their slimy hands on this ruins our relationship? What if it ruins the company?"
Joey calmed him down with more kisses. "They won't break us, Seto. Between the two of us, we'd never let them."
"You're right Joe. I love you too much to let you go."
"Same here."
At seven, they had to face the music on live television. Both boys were equally terrified, but there was nothing they wanted more.
The reporter asked Kaiba a few questions to start, all about the company. After a couple of minutes, he cut her off.
"I'm here tonight to talk about something more important than KaibaCorp." He motioned for Joey to come on camera and sit next to him.
"This is Joey Wheeler."
"Hi," Joey said.
Kaiba rolled his eyes. "This is Joey Wheeler and he's my boyfriend. We're together. That's all." The cameras stopped rolling. They were out. They were free at last.
"Were you scared?" Joey asked him on the limo ride home. "You kept your cool pretty well."
"Scariest thing I've ever done," Kaiba admitted. "But it was worth it."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
