It has literally taken me a year to write this. I started last year thinking I could make this my 2011 christmas fic, but noooo! But here it is!
The class was furious. Christmas paper was everywhere and everyone was crying out with excitement at the gifts held tightly in their hands. Around him, the whole gang including Ryou, Bakura, Malik and Marik were excitedly showing each other the gifts they'd all gotten.
See, Joey's english teacher had decided to celebrate christmas, to assign each student in her class a certain amount of money before getting them to pick a name out of hat. Secret Santa's for all.
While everyone else was tearing open their gifts and watching others do the same, Joey sat watching as his own Secret Santa carefully opened his present, carefully peeling off the badly wrapped paper to revel what was inside.
"Joey! What did you get?" he heard an excited Yugi practically screamed in his ear, sounding to excited as he tried to raise his voice over the crowd. But Joey didn't even respond to the smaller boy, intensely watching as the brunet pulled out the box that contained his gift.
The small present wrapped in green paper with a gold ribbon tied around it, sat on Joey's desk, untouched.
Four Days Earlier
With a groan, Joey slammed the novelty snow globe back down on the shelf and stormed away down the aisle, a small headache beginning to grow right between his eyes.
What bloody gift could you ever get a CEO who has anything and everything he wants?
He turned into the next aisle and began staring at every novelty knick-knack in sight. Snow globes, jewelry, pillows, soft toys, cups and glasses, food, everything! But nothing that would be worthwhile for the great Seto Kaiba.
The blond glanced down at the piece of white paper clenched in his hand, his teachers elegant writing of Seto Kaiba written on it. When he'd first gotten it, his heart had jumped into his throat as multiple thoughts of what he could get flew through his mind… until he realized that not only did he have a small budget, but he also realized that anything Seto would actually want, he'd just get himself.
A frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he shoved the paper in his pocket and continued running his eye over everything in the store. Nothing. Nothing ever jumped out and hell! Why would some child billionaire even want some sort of knick-knack? Thats just ridiculous. He'd probably throw it out or something.
Not for the first time did Joey wish he'd gotten someone easy like Tristan, but Duke scored that and he had to admit it was hilarious for a while watching the black headed bimbo fret about what to get the other boy. But it was still unfair! All the rest of the group managed to get lucky and score someone from in their group. Like Ryou got Yugi, Bakura and Marik got each other which was enough to make anyone shudder, Tea got Duke, Yami got Malik, Yugi got Tea, Tristan managed to just get lucky by getting Ryou and Malik got Yami. So what was Joey to expect? He thought he'd get some random in the class he'd never met and he could just throw some lollies or chocolate at them.
But no.
He had to get Seto Kaiba. Expert pain in the ass, has everything, wants nothing and to top it all off Joey's little crush.
Okay, maybe not little.
But still!
To busy being deep in thought, Joey was unaware of another shopper, equally oblivious to Joey, that he was walking towards. It was only when he slammed into the person and ended up on the ground with a knee to the others stomach and his hands wrapped awkwardly around the persons throat, did he realise what had happened.
"Ah shit," Joey muttered, not looking at the guy as he peeled himself off him, reaching out to help him. "I'm sorry man! I didn't see you-"
"Mutt?"
"Kaiba?"
The two teens froze as they realized who the other was, their eyes widening comically with shock. Multiple things ran through Joey's mind. Was he alright? After the knee to the stomach and the almost attempt at strangulation? What was he doing here? Had he been here long? Why was he just staring at him? Why why why?
Joey blinked slowly before suddenly his mouth caught up with his brain. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you to much right? What are you doing here? Are you shopping? No you can't be shopping… you wouldn't shop in places like this. Would you? I don't know. Its not like I should know, I mean I don't stalk you or anything. Thats just making me sound like a stalker which I'm not! I mean seriously, can you ever see me stalking? That'd be weird… although there was this one time with Tristan when we were bored and-"
During his rambling Seto had also blinked slowly, copying the blond's action before realizing he was being bombarded with question after question, most having relevance to the previous question but none to the actual matter at hand.
"Mutt, shut up," he snapped, feeling a headache coming on. Like an obedient dog, Seto chuckled at the pun, Joey instantly shut up, staring at Seto with wide eyes hoping for a good response. But Seto only stayed quiet, watching him with a raised eyebrow.
Thats when it hit.
"I'M NOT A MUTT YOU STUCK UP ARROGANT BASTARD!" Joey screamed, almost tearing the place down with the sound that rivaled one of a banshee.
"Took you long enough," the brunet said while smirking arrogantly. "Was wondering if maybe I was wrong in believing you had a brain for a moment."
Joey was about to retort when he realized who it was that was standing in front of him, that Seto just so happened to be the Secret to his Santa. The one he didn't know what to buy for.
Although, why was he here? Clearly he was shopping but who for? It couldn't be Mokuba. Everyone knew that the kid loved games. Best present to get him would be the latest console, latest game for any console considering he has them all, or if you're really stuck, go for vintage. He always loved to get old Nintendo's and the games like Mario. Or if desperate, do a Seto and make a one of a kind game that has Mokuba as the main character.
Suck up.
But Joey also realized that Seto was probably also shopping for his Secret Santa, and if Joey was just able to word it right…
"Look Kaiba, I need your help you insufferable bastard. I have this asshole as my Secret Santa and considering you're a prime example, mind helping me find something? Hell if you like it, he sure as hell will."
Okay… maybe that wasn't the best way to go about it. But the look on Seto's face made Joey freeze.
He was… smiling? No. Not smiling. One corner of his lips was pulling up into a… a nice smirk?
"As long as you help me pick something out for the idiot I've been landed with. Considering you're one as well."
They stared at each other for a long moment before Joey stuck out his hand while saying "Deal", surprised when Seto did the same and shook his hand.
"-so Tristan and I trooped off to the principals office but we got away with no detention! It was down right hilarious, right?" Joey cackled as he stood patiently in line beside Seto as they waited to get some sort of produce to eat or drink.
"I wasn't even aware that had happened," the CEO replied smoothly, watching as the blond practically bent over laughing. Instantly though, Joey's head snapped up and he looked up at Seto with a frown.
"But weren't you…"
"No. Your group was there. I'm not part of your group."
He stepped forward as another person left the line and Joey quickly scuttled after him, the frown still on his face. He'd forgotten that Seto wasn't part of their group. It'd been so easy to think though. Through out the last two hours they'd gotten along with at least a thirty second time limit between each insult and without any fighting except a playful banter that led to a soft toy with its head ripped off and a extremely pissed off store keeper, they'd actually gotten along and Joey felt as if he was with someone he'd known forever, someone like Tristan or Yugi.
"You… you aren't are you?" he stuttered, glancing up at the brunet who gave him a disbelieving look.
"How could you even think I was? This is the first time we've ever had a conversation that didn't end up with you attempting, and I say attempting because you'll never succeed, to kill me before being held back by Yugi." Seto sounded slightly exasperated, but Joey suddenly saw a small twinkle in the brunet's eye as he looked down at him.
"What you laughing at?" The blond's voice was accusing as they stepped forward in the line. Seto shook his head but the corner of one lip twitched up into a crooked smile.
"I just can't believe that a midget who barely comes up past your armpit, can hold you down," he sniggered, watching as Joey instantly flared up.
"I'll have you know that most of the time I let him hold me down!" Joey snapped, ignoring half the people in the line as they turned and looked at him. "And have you ever seen how strong that runt is?"
"No. But I've seen how weak you are."
"I'm not weak! Yugi's just strong! I mean come on, whenever we have sleepovers at his house we always play this weird wrestling game! Play fighting! The goal is to get the person you're facing onto the ground and pin 'em down! Yugi's the current champion."
"So now you're saying all of your friends are weak?"
"Screw you Kaiba!" Joey cried, huffing and turning his back. His anger didn't last long though as he whipped back around within two seconds and grinned madly at Seto, causing the CEO to step back slightly.
"What?"
"You should come!"
"Come…?"
"To our next sleepover! Then you'll see just how strong Yugi is! He'll pin you down! And then you can go against me and I'll pin you down!"
Seto raised an eyebrow but stepped forward again in the line, only one more person to serve before them. With a sigh, he refocussed his attention back on Joey.
"I'm not part of your group."
"Only in your mind! Yugi's been hounding at you for ages to come join us, and everyones warmed up to the idea now! Come on! I'll ask Yug and he'll let you come! It'll be fun!" Joey practically begged, staring at Seto with huge puppy eyes. Luckily, Mokuba had been using puppy eyes on him for so long he'd begun to build up a resistance… then again he'd never seen Joey's puppy eyes. With large sigh, he stepped forward as the last customer disappeared and order two milkshakes, watching as the girl raced around after recognizing who he was and practically throwing them at him. He passed one to Joey before turning to face him, his ice blue eyes locking with honey brown.
"I'm not like you. I won't be much fun," Seto replied simply, surprised when Joey suddenly latched onto his arm.
"Pleaseeeee!" he cried, gaining even more attention. Not one to bow to the pressure of the public, Seto shook his head in defiance. Joey frowned before stepping back and placing his hands on his hips, his milkshake having disappeared somewhere. Seto should've known something was wrong as soon as he'd stepped back, but it wasn't until Joey opened his mouth that he realized that maybe… just maybe he did bow a little to public pressure.
"Fine! No sex for a week!" Joey declared, officially earning the attention of everyone in ear distance, including the people behind the counter. Seto's cheeks gained a polite dusting of pink as he stared at Joey.
"W-What?"
"You know what Mister! Don't play dumb with me or its a month!" Joey cried, playing the role of an extremely pissed off 'girlfriend' exceptionally well while Seto stood, gobsmacked.
"The hell, Mutt…" he started but was cut off by a gasp from a nearby woman. Soon everyone was whispering between themselves when they spotted Joey's hurt face.
"Now you're insulting me? I love you, Seto, but this… this can't go on! I-I can't take you hurting me anymore," he sobbed, fake tears welling up in his eyes. Seto frowned before a small smirk appeared on his face. So Joey thought he could manipulate him hmm? Well, two could play at that game.
"But Joey…" he whispered, stepping forward and cupping Joey's cheek, making sure it was the cold hand that'd been grasping his milkshake before staring deep into his eyes. "You know I love you-" more frantic whispering from the crowd. "-but I know… I know you slept with Duke Devlin. How can you expect me to be around him after he's… touched you?"
Joey's mouth feel open in absolute shock, his eyes growing wider as he saw the small twinkle in Seto's eye and the crowd was suddenly gasping, as if this was a soap opera. The blond's eyes narrowed before he grabbed Seto's hand and pushed it away.
"And you slept with Tristan Taylor!" he cried. "My best friend, Seto!"
Seto had to resist the urge to gag. He would never, ever think of Tristan like that, NEVER.
"Thats a lie," he said simply, raising his milkshake to his lips to draw some liquid out. Joey suddenly smirked at Seto, cocking his head to the side.
"Oh really now? So why was he giving me explicit details on how big your cock is and what 'magical wonders' he did with it."
The straw that Seto just so happened to have in his mouth as the time was almost sucked into the back of his throat as he heard this. Almost instantly he began choking and coughing, his eyes bugging out as he looked at the triumphant Joey. The crowd was basically in an up-roar, everyone exchanging ideas on who was the real victim.
Massaging his neck, Seto fixed Joey with a glare, and Joey knew that if looks could kill he'd be six feet under.
"I can assure you Joey, you're the only one who's seen my cock, or done anything with it lately." Seto seemed to ground out the sentence between his teeth, and Joey knew he was treading on thin ice now, but he was determined to get his way.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"I…" Joey took a deep breath and watched as the crowd held theirs, eyes wide for what he'd say next. Fixing his honey brown eyes on Seto's ice blue ones, he continued. "I just feel so betrayed…" he whispered while allowing the fake tears to spill down his cheeks.
Meanwhile, Seto inwardly groaned. The Mutt was smart, he had to admit. Of course he would now have to apologize and all that crap. Then again, he was an idiot for allowing this to go this far.
Stepping forward, Seto placed his milkshake in Joey's hands, wondering once again for a brief minute where Joey's had gone, before slipping one hand under Joey's chin and raising his head up, using the other hand to clasp Joey's own free one.
"How about this. You can have my milkshake, and I'll go to this dumb party, if we forget everything that just happened? And I get make-up sex." he said, adding in the last part for the enjoyment of seeing Joey's eyes bulge. Slowly though, a huge grin broke out on Joey's face and he nodded happily, flinging his arms around Seto's neck in a tight hug.
"Thank you Seto!" he cried, freezing though went he felt Seto hug him back… and kiss his forehead.
Almost instantly the whole crowd burst out in applause, all of them screaming, hollering, wolf-whistling and cat-calling. It was only when Seto saw a flash out of the corner of his eye did he fully realise what had just happened and quickly grabbed Joey's hand.
"We need to get out of here," he hissed, scaring Joey for a minute. Without waiting, Seto took off, forcing himself through the crowd and dragging Joey with him. It took over a minute for them to break free and as soon as they did, Seto forcefully pulled Joey towards the doors, out onto the street, down an alleyway before shoving him in an expensive looking car. Joey sat in the passengers seat for a moment confused, before Seto joined him on the drivers side, his eyes darting around.
"Kaiba..?"
"Put your seatbelt on. I'm taking you to Yugi's."
"Yugi's?"
"And call Devlin and Taylor, tell them what just happened."
"Why-"
"Seatbelt on!" Seto suddenly snapped, reaching over and grabbing the belt and roughly clicking it into place. Before he could start the engine though, Joey reached over and placed a hand over his.
"What. The hell. Is going on." The blond's voice was incredibly serious, even on Seto's scale and the CEO had to take a deep breath before turning to the blond, his eyes slightly narrow.
"Paparazzi."
And then it clicked.
Instantly Joey was spitting out apologies, his eyes wide as he began rambling, paying no heed to Seto's attempts to shut him up.
"Oh god! Kaiba I'm so so so sorry! I didn't think! I thought it'd be a bit of fun and then you started responding and the crowd gathered and it was just like a game and I'm so so so sorry and oh god you're not gay and now everyone thinks you are and thinks you slept with me and Tristan and what are Duke and Tris going to think! What if they freak out and never talk to me again! Oh GOD! What if your company fails and I'm to blame! I couldn't take that Seto! I'm so so so sorry! I'll go right out there right now and go tell them it was a big mistake but what if they don't listen to me! Oh no oh no oh no! I think I've screwed everything up! I'm so so so so-"
"SHUT UP!" Seto roared, his eyes wide with being overwhelmed. "Please. Just shut up.
"AND I DIDN'T GET A GIFT!" Joey practically screamed that last part, his eyes also wide. Finally, Seto reached over and slapped his hand over Joey's mouth.
"Its going to be fine alright. I don't care about my reputation, it was my fault entirely. I took the bait whereas I could've stopped you straight away. If anyone stops doing business with me because of my sexuality then thats their loss. KaibaCorp is the most powerful company in the world right now, they'll all be stupid to retract all contracts. Devlin and Taylor shouldn't care, who knows they might enjoy the attention. Just shut up, calm down and call your friends."
There was only one thing that Joey got from that whole speech.
"You're gay?" he hollered, his eyes wide as they locked with ice blue. Seto suddenly didn't say anything and turned around, switching on the ignition, placing the car into drive before speeding out of the alleyway. It took Joey a long time to calm down from the revelation, well the assumed revelation. Seto had neither denied nor confirmed it.
What surprised him even more those was that they were suddenly in front of Yugi's house, and Joey knew it was about a fifteen minute drive from the mall. Seto must've been speeding like no tomorrow.
"Go." Seto's voice sounded strained to Joey, and he bit his lip knowing it was his fault. But, not one to test a pissed off extremely powerful CEO, Joey undid himself and opened the door, only to see Yugi's front door burst open.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" he heard none other than Duke Devlin and Tristan Taylor roar, both being held back by Marik and Bakura who were cackling loudly. Quickly, a small Yugi sprinted out from behind them and approached the car Joey and Seto were still in.
"Seto," he instantly said, ignoring Joey completely. "Please tell me you can fix this."
The brunet gave a quick, sharp nod. "My people are already on it."
Joey could see Yugi release a breath before he smiled at Joey. "Someone videoed the whole thing, its currently playing on the TV. Everyone else is inside watching it," was all he said before motioning for the other two yami's to take Duke and Tristan inside as he followed after them, leaving Joey with Seto.
"When did you call your 'people'?" Joey asked, frowning. Seto raised an eyebrow at him before turning to look at the dashboard.
"During the last fifteen minutes that you were zoned out."
Joey blinked rapidly before frowning.
"I zoned out?" he asked, earning a nod from Seto. It was silent for a minute and Joey knew he should go but he didn't want to leave anything bad between him and Seto. They only just became friends… kinda…
"Look I'm sorry," Joey began. "I promise not to ever do that again."
"Don't."
"Don't?"
Seto looked at him and Joey was surprised to see a small smile appear on Seto's face. "Thats the first time I've ever run from the paparazzi from doing something fun. Don't be sorry, and don't say you won't do it again."
Joey sat still, his mind racing. Did… did Seto just…
"I still haven't gotten my gift," he automatically said, wondering how his brain suddenly leapt from a smiling Seto to his Secret Santa present. Seto rolled his eyes.
"Neither have I."
"So, tomorrow? Meet at the mall at ten?"
"Make it eleven. I have a meeting at eight."
"On a saturday?"
Seto thought about it for a long minute before smiling again at Joey. "You're right. I'll pick you up at nine."
"Deal!"
And with that Joey jumped out of the car, his heart pounding in his chest as a huge grin took over his face. He was going back out with Seto tomorrow! He heard the engine start up behind him and out of all the things he could say to Seto before he drove off, ranging from "Thanks for driving me home!" to "See you tomorrow" he had to turn around, stick his head through the window and virtually bellow,
"You're still coming to the sleepover!"
Three Days Eariler
It was dead quiet as he waited outside for Seto. He sat on top of the fence around the apartment complex he lived in with Serenity, Mai and in a week, Tea. Normally, most men would feel either very emasculated or they'd feel extremely lucky to be surrounded by attractive woman. But then again, not only was one of those woman Joey's sister, the other two were close friends of his.
Not to mention he was gay.
Joey's mind traveled to Seto as he thought that, his legs beginning to swing with a gentle rhythm. It was still stuck on his mind that Seto had neither confirmed nor denied Joey accusation of him being gay. With a small smile, the blond glanced up at the sky, feeling a small sense of hope build up in his chest. Maybe… just maybe he might have a chance.
The sound of a approaching car made Joey's head snap back to the road, grinning when he saw the same sleek, blue sports car he'd ridden in yesterday come speeding towards him. He hopped off the wall and waited patiently for it to stop, but was surprised when he saw a strange man dressed in a black suit slow down enough to shout out the window.
"HIDE!" he yelled before accelerating off, disappearing around the corner. Joey frowned for a minute before hearing the sound of what seemed like hundreds of cars speeding down the road. Without wasting another moment, he leapt behind the wall and peeked over it, watching as over ten cars took chase after Seto's sports car, leaving him to stand up and watch dumbfounded.
"You getting in?" he heard a familiar voice ask after a moment and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Glancing around he saw none other than Seto Kaiba leaning against an equally fancy sports car, this time black though. Joey raised an eyebrow.
"Mind explaining?" he asked.
"Paparazzi are still on my ass about yesterday. Thats why Roland told you to hide. I've already contacted Yugi and he's keeping Devlin and Taylor at his house." Seto raised his head and ice blue clashed with honey brown. "You sure know how to make a scene Mutt."
Joey blushed bright red and looked at the ground, mumbling out an apology, only to hear Seto chuckle.
"Get in the car," the CEO called, sliding in the front seat while Joey raced around to the passenger seat, jumping in and grinning at Seto.
"Sooo! Where are we going? To the mall?" he asked as he virtually moved the car with his excited bouncing. Reaching out, Seto placed a hand on Joey shoulder in an attempt to stop his continuous moving.
"I thought we could go out of town," he replied nonchalantly, watching as Joey's eyes widened. Without waiting for Joey's reply, he started up the ignition and began driving, turning around and going back the way he came.
"Where out of town? I don't know many places…" the blond asked after a moment of silence. Seto glanced at him, rolling his eyes at the confused look on his face before gazing back at the road, watching out for hazards.
"Theres a shopping centre just out of town on the hill. It's small, only with a few shops but it's all good merchandise."
"Can you stop that?"
Seto frowned and glimpsed at Joey before taking a rough turn and speeding out down along one of the many roads leading out of town, this one pointing towards the hills that towered behind Domino.
"Stop what?"
"Acting so stuck up. Using big words! I know you're not really like that. Why don't you just… I dunno be Seto for today?" Joey mumbled the last part, feeling a small blush tinge his cheeks. He didn't mean to sound so… so matter of fact. It was a good sign though when he heard Seto chuckled lightly.
"Whatever you say Wheeler."
"Joey."
The brunet gave Joey a confused look, causing the blond to blush once again.
"My name's Joey. Not Wheeler."
"Its part of your name," Seto pointed out, making Joey roll his eyes in response.
"Shut up Moneybags."
"Seto."
It was Joey's turn to give Seto the confused look, earning a smirk in return.
"If I'm calling you Joey, you're calling me Seto."
Well, fair was fair.
He was bored as they wandered through the bookstore, his eyes noting every detail of the roof. The occasional smudge of paint, the small yellow stains near the lights, the patches of built up paint where it was layered on too thick, the small bumpy texture.
Bored was an understatement.
Joey glanced down to look at Seto, watching as the CEO seemed to lose himself in just the back of the books synopsis, and he knew that if Seto ever read a book, you wouldn't see him for days. Rolling his eyes, Joey reached out and tipped the book up, smiling slightly when his fingers brushed against Seto's and the brunet raised the book so he could glance at the cover, surprised when he saw it was Shakespeare's book, Romeo and Juliet.
"You like Shakespeare?" he asked, removing his fingers and staring at the CEO, watching as Seto finished the last line before glancing up at Joey.
"Yes."
"Really? I can't see you as the type."
"Things aren't always as they seem Joey," Seto deadpanned before shoving the book back into its place on the shelf. The blond rolled his eyes again before trailing after Seto as he turned to the next isle, browsing the books. It was lame walking around the same shop over and over. Sure Joey liked the occasional good book, but he wasn't that much of a reader to be able to get, metaphorically speaking, lost in a store full of them.
"Do you have a library?"
Seto sighed as he placed another book back. "At the Mansion, yes."
"Is it yours or Mokuba's?"
"Mine. Mokuba doesn't like to read."
Joey feel silent as Seto began reading the back of another book, two more already clenched in his other hand to read after. He let his eyes loose again, allowing them to travel over every book until they landed on a specific section, reading over all the titles. Thats when his next question popped into his head.
"Seto, did you have to teach Mokuba about sex?"
All three books the young CEO had been holding crashed to the ground as his eyes widened. Turning around, Joey's honey eyes clashed with those ice ones, shocking him at how surprised Seto looked.
"WHAT?" Seto practically screeched, making Joey force back the laugh on the edge of his lips.
"Well, I was just wondering, considering you're his guardian and all that, wouldn't you have to be the one to teach him all of it? Oh! How did you handle his first wet dream? First erection? What about the first spontaneous one? Oh! How about the first time he had a 'happy moment'?"
"Shut up Wheeler. Right now." His voice was like a snarl and his eyes were narrowing into dangerous slits.
"What about where did babies come from? Did you tell him all about the parts for both boys and girls?"
"Wheeler…"
"Did you explain with personal experience-"
He couldn't say much more as he was slammed to the ground, his front pressed against the carpet and a weight sitting on his hips, crushing his pelvis slightly as his hands were wrenched above his head.
"I said shut up."
"Clearly I didn't listen," Joey shot back, wincing when Seto rearranged himself on Joey's back and accidentally dug his knee into his side. Seto's response was lost on Joey though as he realized what type of position they were currently in, and he couldn't help but think that if Seto moved down just a smidgen, and thrusted…
OH MY GOD! Joey screamed in his head, his eyes widening and face turning a rather vicious red as his pants suddenly felt a little tighter. He automatically began wriggling in an attempt to get Seto off him, but only succeeded in basically forcing Seto to rub himself against Joey's ass.
Almost instantly, the CEO was off Joey's back, allowing the blond to get to his feet and try to not make eye contact. Although, his eyes just about fell out of his head when Seto bent over to pick up the books, his perfectly shaped ass basically being thrown in Joey's face and multiple dirty thoughts flew through his mind. Luckily, Seto's bend turned into a crouch as he appeared to spot a book on the bottom shelf.
Quickly, Joey spun around and sprinted down the aisle, turned to race past another two before disappearing down the third, his heart pounding frantically, almost as if it thought that if it pumped fast enough it could fly. With a sigh, Joey leaned against one of the book frames and sank to the ground, head in hands.
"Joey?"
Of course Seto followed him, why wouldn't he?
Looking up, honey brown clashed with ice blue and Joey felt his face heat up all over again at seeing the raised eyebrow and slightly worried look on Seto's face. Quietly he stood up, thankful that his problem wasn't too big… or too noticeable and grinned.
"I'm fine! Just bored," he managed to say, almost tripping over his words. Seto frowned but nodded his head, gesturing at the three books he was holding before he spoke.
"I'm almost finished. Just another one to go," he replied as he gave Joey that weird nice smirk again, making Joey laugh. Walking past the blond, Seto began to rummage through some of the books located down the aisle. Once again bored out of his mind, Joey decided to amuse himself with asking Seto another question.
"So, who do you like?"
He was stunned when suddenly Seto burst out laughing, his eyes lighting up with amusement as he gripped the bookcase to keep himself up right.
"What?" Joey asked, confused and with his eyes wide.
"You. I can't believe you're so bored as to be asking one of the most idiotic, typically cliche questions ever." Seto chuckled, shaking his head before going back to his browsing.
"Why? Are you asexual?" Joey asked, a frown on his face.
Seto on the other hand just turned to him, his arms crossed and eyebrow raised. "No."
"Well Duke and Tristan think you are. Tea, Serenity and Mai are convinced you're gay. All the Hikari's and their Yami's think you're just not interested in anyone," the blond listed each option, watching as Seto seemed to look amused. "But I think you like someone."
"Hmm," was the only sound that came out of Seto as he turned back to the shelves, allowing Joey to be confused… but only for a minute before he began talking again, a grin on his face.
"So. Is it Mai?"
"No."
"Tea?"
Seto just shook his head as he reached up to the top shelf to pull out a bright red, velvety looking book. Joey pursed his lips, thinking before his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Serenity?"
"No," Seto chuckled as he stretched his back by reaching up further, his fingers brushing against the spine of another desired book before latching on and dragging it down. Joey pressed his lips even harder together, making a thin line as he tried to desperately not think of the lean body being showed in front of him, and the pale skin showed. Shaking his head, he pushed away the images and thought hard about who it could be... just as an idea caught on.
"Are you actually going to say yes if I get it right?"
"No."
"So it could have been any of them?"
"Its possible."
So Joey fell silent, his heart racing as his brain came to the inevitable.
What if it was Serenity? Did he like Serenity? What if he did? What if she liked him back! She does say he is gorgeous whenever they seem him, no matter if its in public or from some form of media, and she does seem to get overly flustered when they see him around and Yugi runs up to talk to him... What if she fancied him! What if he asked her out and she said yes? She'd always be at his house or he'd always be at hers… right in front of Joey all the time! Smooching and… and canoodling! And he'd have to be the good brother and sit there listening to her sigh all day about what her "dragon" had done for her and… and what if they had sex!
Joey's face paled considerably as he thought of the idea of being an Uncle to Seto's kids! How could he ever explain that he didn't want to be around them because he was madly in love with their father?
Abruptly, the blond turned and stormed out of the shop, hearing the bell tinkle behind him. He couldn't stand it if Serenity loved Seto. He couldn't stand being near Seto if he was in love with Serenity. He couldn't stand the thought of them together. He couldn't stand it!
He was halfway out of the parking lot and onto the main road when he heard a door smash open and a bell start ringing loudly, the sounds of loud footsteps hitting the ground coming up behind him but he thought nothing of it. Although, it surprised him when he felt a hand slam onto his shoulder and whirl him around, forcing him to look into ice blue orbs.
"Wheeler."
"I can't stand it, Seto."
"Stand what?"
"The thought you might like them."
The brunet's eyebrow almost disappeared into his hairline at the last statement, but by the look on Joey's face he knew he shouldn't press any further.
"Come on. We'll go look for those Secret Santa's. And get some lunch, maybe some hot chocolate too?" Seto replied, trying to appeal to the childish, always hungry side of Joey. The blond stayed silent, tearing his eyes away and glancing down at the ground.
"Hot chocolate?" he choked out, trying to sound normal but his voice hitched on the last syllable and Seto's brow furrowed.
"Yeah, its christmas isn't it? Plus the weather is already taking a turn for the worst. Might as well get something to warm us up."
Joey slowly nodded, surprised more now at the the fact Seto actually wanted to go get hot chocolate before he grinned at the other.
"As long as I get extra marshmallows!"
Seto laughed and allowed himself to be tugged along.
Two Days Earlier
He didn't know why he was doing this.
In fact, he would vaguely call himself insane.
Joey sighed, placing his elbows on his knees and resting his chin on his fists as he sat outside the Kaiba Mansion, waiting impatiently for Seto to turn up.
He knew he should really be at Yugi's at the moment, considering he had been invited to the sleepover he and the others were having, that and his stuff was already there. Thankfully school wasn't until Tuesday, giving him tomorrow to hang out with the others and have a mini meltdown over his lack of christmas gifts.
Joey had only left when Mokuba had turned up with a grin, but without his brother, saying that Seto hadn't been able to come because of work reasons, meaning he was probably going to be home soon and just spend the night in his study mulling things over. Instantly, Joey had stood up and claimed he was going to be back in a hour before rushing out the door, heading straight to the mansion.
His fingers began tapping mercilessly against his chin as he thought about the brunet he so happily loved. It was odd that just after two days of hanging out together, they'd become such good friends, And it surprised him to realise it was so easy to get along with the CEO, how easy it was to be friends after so many years of hate. Then again, in all reality they'd never given each other a chance to prove they could be friends.
A smile appear on Joey's face as he thought about it, right before the sound of a car coming to a halt beside him sounded through the hair. He jerked his head up in surprise, seeing the sleek black vehicle's door open, followed by a tall gorgeous brunet stepping out.
Joey's face lit up with a sheepish grin as he offered Seto a small wave to which the brunet copied, before turning around and bending over to begin to fish out the objects in his car, giving Joey a very satisfying view of his ass.
"What are you doing here Wheeler?" the other boy called out, his voice muffled slightly by the huge hunk of metal he was currently crawling around in.
At the question, Joey's face paled and his head instantly went into overdrive. He hadn't thought of an excuse! It wasn't like he was just going to say he was there to force the CEO to go to Yugi's, that'd earn him an instant no.
"I was just wondering if you'd got your Secret Santa present."
Joey mentally punched himself. That was probably the most stupidest question ever.
"You were with me when I got it yesterday," Seto deadpanned as he casually strolled towards the forlorn blond. Joey blushed but instead of answering, he was distracted by how good the CEO looked.
Chestnut hair in a rumpled mess, collared shirt untucked, tie hanging half undone, briefcase held in one hand while the other was shoved in his pocket, his blazer jacket hanging through the loop his arm created. Completely out of character, and completely gorgeous.
Unfortunately for Joey, Seto noticed the dazed look the blond was giving him as honey brown eyes ran over his body. A smirk appeared on his lips as he came to a stop in front of other boy.
"Like what you see?"
"Yes…" Joey mumbled, still slightly out of it until he saw the smirk on Seto's face widen, "I mean no!"
"Sure."
"You're so full of yourself Kaiba," Joey snapped, glaring at the brunet as he rose to his feet, "Arrogant bastard."
"Says the one checking me out," Seto replied, his voice portraying the exact same smugness that was written all over his face.
With a huff, Joey turned his back on the CEO and said no more, trying to give the guy the silent treatment. It worked though, except it left them in a extremely uncomfortable silence.
"I'm just about to have lunch. Did you want to come in?" Seto suddenly asked, albeit awkwardly as Joey looked at him, a shocked expression on his face.
"As in… come in to your house?"
"No. I meant dog kennel," Seto deadpanned, walking past Joey and unlocking the house, leaving the blond standing there stupidly. "You coming?" he asked, holding open the door. Joey took a few seconds to think it over before dashing through the door, a huge grin on his face.
Which just grew bigger as he saw the house. He was in the front entrance, which was part of a hall. At the end was a staircase, much like those from disney movies where its wide at the bottom and top, and has huge white banisters lining it that he had the urge to slide down. To his left was a huge open door which showed a cosy living room, decorated with leather chairs, tables, rugs, a fireplace, everything except a TV.
"Where's-"
"Its in the wall," Seto said, walking past Joey again, briefcase still in hand. As soon as he got to the couch though, he threw the silver object onto a cushion and grabbed a remote, hitting a button and surprising Joey as a good bit of the wall seemed to split in two and disappear, revealing a huge TV and multiple consoles, not to mention the huge shelves of DVDs, games and other assorted objects.
"Wow…" he managed to say, rooted to the spot in awe. Seto chuckled lightly before clicking the button again and soon everything disappeared, leaving a disappointed Joey. With a roll of his eyes, Seto grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the other side of the hallway, through a door and into the kitchen, so huge that Joey swore he could almost get lost. Sitting the shocked blond down, Seto began to cook, pulling objects out of every cupboard, draw and fridge in sight.
It took a few moments, but Joey managed to snap out of his daze to watch Seto cook, only just realising what the brunet was doing.
"You cook?"
"How else is Mokuba going to eat? I'm not going to feed that kid up on any more junk food than he already has." Seto muttered in reply, throwing everything he'd pulled out together.
"I thought you had a chef for that…"
"I do. But I rarely use him. Only for big events that there's too many people to cook for or that its inappropriate for me to cook," the CEO replied smartly, his voice sounding almost business like.
"Like Mokuba's parties?"
"No, I cook for those."
Joey's eyes widened when Seto said that, and he suddenly wanted whatever it was he was cooking. He'd been to many of Mokuba's parties, and had practically died with everyone else at the scrumptious food prepared every time. He was surprised that it'd come from the CEO. He shook himself out of his thoughts though when he saw that Seto was dishing up two plates.
"Mokuba's not coming back you realise. He's still at Yug's for the movie thing."
"I know."
"Then who-" Joey was cut off as Seto pushed the plate over the counter in front of him, surprising Joey immensely as he stared down at the plate of food. He glanced up briefly, seeing the raised eyebrow perfectly arched on Seto's face before he grinned and dug in, shoveling food down his throat with as much gusto he could.
Whilst being polite of course.
Seto laughed when Joey was finished, looking at the plate forlornly as if wondering where all the food had gone. With one last bite of his own lunch, he pushed the remains over to Joey, smiling at the stunned look on the others face. Joey didn't question it though and instead dug in, grinning when he'd finished and Seto was throwing a bar of chocolate at him, his own in hand.
"So Joey, what brings you here?" Seto asked, making sure his voice was civil and questioning instead of downright confused. Joey looked up with a frown before his face drew back into a huge grin, making Seto raise his eyebrow when he saw the chocolate spread all over his lips.
"You weren't at the sleepover!" he declared, almost childishly, "You promised you would last time."
"Hmph."
The fell into another silence and ate their chocolate, Seto handing his over to Joey when the blond was begging for more. A matter of minutes later, Seto was back to leaning against the counter watching with amusement as Joey leisurely drunk a glass coke through a straw, his eyes roaming around the room and taking it all in.
"Like what you see?" Seto asked again, although this time there was no hidden innuendo. Joey flashed him a grin and nodded, saying nothing else and leaving them to fall into a slightly awkward silence.
Unfortunately Joey hated awkward silences.
And would say anything to break them.
And made a right ass out of himself in the process.
"Why do you wear all those buckles on your jackets?" he asked, cocking his head to the side and speaking around his straw. "I mean, they must be a real pain to get out of when you want to… you know… do it…"
Seto was stunned in to silence as the blond looked at him with genuine curiosity, clearly not having clicked as to what he had said.
"J-Joey..?"
"Yeah?"
"You…"
"Oh my god!"
The way Joey fell flat on his back, taking the chair with him made Seto think he'd realized just what had come out of this mouth.
"Ugh… I can't believe I said that," he muttered twenty minutes later as he sat down beside a barely recovering from a laughing Seto. The brunet shook his head but reached out and ruffled Joey's hair affectionately.
"You're an oddball."
"Shuddup!"
Seto snorted at Joey's choice of words and rolled his eyes, keeping his hand in the blond mop. They lapsed once again into a silence, although this time it was more comfortable. Especially when Seto's fingers began moving of their own accord and begun to stroke Joey's hair, playing with it and rolling ti between his fingers. Joey knew that if he mentioned it, or even acknowledged it past leaning his head into the touch, then Seto would be gone sooner than he could blink. Sure, if he wasn't aware of what he was doing, Seto was affectionate, Joey'd noticed that over the few touches he'd received from the other over the past couple of days, but otherwise this boy was colder than a turkey stuck in the freezer for a few months.
Damn, those things could be solid as well.
To break the awkward silence, Joey decided to actually think through what he was going to say before he spoke, not wanting another embarrassing moment like before. "Ya know, you never told me you had a sweet tooth."
It stunned him when Seto suddenly blushed.
"W-What?"
"Well, I didn't think you were the guy to eat chocolate."
When he saw the blush intensify, Joey could help but smile at how overly adorable the brunet appeared to be. It wasn't often one could see Seto like this, and it was even more rarer for Joey Wheeler of all people to be the one to have caused this reaction from said brunet.
"I got it from my Dad."
Joey was even more surprised that he'd attempted to explain. "Oh? I thought it was normally mothers that had the sweet tooth… or is that a stereotype?"
"Definitely a stereotype," Seto chuckled as he gave Joey a small smile. "Dad was the real sweet tooth, and Mum just baked for him all the time. Cakes, biscuits, anything that had sugar in it, and I got to help her sometimes."
Joey thought that, despite it being sad, it was a nice smile on Seto's face and he wore a matching grin as he nervously leant against the brunet. He wasn't usually this forward, especially towards someone like Seto, in fact he never liked anyone like Seto, but the breath he held was quickly released when Seto seemed to subconsciously readjust to make them more comfortable, Joey's shoulder resting against his chest and Seto's pulled up knees were pressed against Joey's knee.
"Seto?"
"Hmm?"
"Tell me something about yourself."
There was silence for a long moment, Joey wondering if the other would actually reply at all considering he could feel him bristling beside him at the question. He was tempted to speak up again, to tell him not to worry and that he didn't mind not knowing, but soon Seto was speaking.
"I used to own a teddy bear."
Joey wasn't expecting that of all things. "My company is my life" yes, that? No.
"Really?" he asked, wriggling around until his shoulder was behind Seto and the brunets head was on his shoulder. His arm wriggled around behind Seto and he tried not to let the hot flush take over too much of his body as Seto all but wriggled into his lap.
"Yeah, I named him Gandalf," he replied, tilting his head to look up at Joey and flashed him a small smile. "Gandalf the Grey."
"… why?" He didn't mean it in a harsh way, but he was genuinely confused at the name.
"Because…" Seto seemed to struggle with words before sighing and looking down at their laps. "Because when I got him was the afternoon my parents died. My father had been spending the earlier weeks reading the Lord of the Rings books to me and he'd bought me the toy when I'd found it, saying it was something I could cuddle when he would read to me." Seto laughed, making Joey smile at the genuine sound. "I can't believe he let me do that, although I wasn't a very… needy child. I very rarely asked for things." The smile was wiped from his face quickly though, and Joey was surprised at the sudden pain there. "On the way back from the shops, the same ones we went to yesterday actually, we crashed. My parents were killed, Mum instantly but Dad… he was alive and able to talk to me for a bit, made me promise to look after Mokuba."
"Seto…"
"Our relatives took everything and sent us to the orphanage where I… promised Mokuba I'd be his new father. He was only three at the time." Joey wanted to stop him, knowing it was causing him pain but he knew that Seto wouldn't hear him either, wouldn't stop.
He tried though, turning the other to look at him, his hands on Seto's cheeks.
"You don't have to-"
"I want to," the other reassured, his hands coming up to curl around Joey's and he offered the blond a small smile. "It was too much stress for me. Having to deal with my parents death, raising Mokuba, my relatives fleecing us for all we were worth, not to mention the nightmares I had about the crash… too much. So when they gave us the stuff they'd recovered from the crash, the few tokens we had left, the teddy bear was there, looking battered but there." He smiled at Joey, a true smile, the corners of his lips tickling Joey's palms. "I was convinced Dad had sent him to look after me, to help me with my problems. So I named him Gandalf, after the protector of the Fellowship… and Dads favourite character."
Joey was a bit speechless, surprised at the amount of sentiment behind a teddy.
"And he was Gandalf the Grey because of his colouring, he was a lovely shade of grey."
Seto grinned as he said that, making Joey laugh at the adorableness of the brunet.
"Never knew you to be so sentimental," the blond chuckled, "where is he now?"
"Gandalf? Destroyed. Gozaburo didn't believe in spoiling children, so when he found out I'd been keeping Gandalf hidden from him for two years he set him on fire in front of me."
Joey was stunned speechless, and Seto's hands squeezed his, the blue eyes still not having left his own.
"Seto… I-"
"Realise its all in the past? Seriously Joey, it doesn't matter anymore."
He went to move away, releasing Joey's hands and beginning to twist out of them. He was stopped by the blond tugging him back though with a quick twitch.
"Do you miss him?"
Seto's smile was sad.
"I think everyone misses their light in the dark sometimes," Seto whispered, his voice quiet and hard to hear. "And I think some miss their guide to find the light even more."
Joey didn't stop the other as he got up and left the room, his head buzzing with many thoughts as he heard the other shout an affirmative for the sleep over.
Instead he just let his hands flop into his lap and a frown appear on his face.
One Day Earlier
Joey was often a late sleeper, always going to be late and sleeping in late, it drove his father absolutely insane and sometimes it even annoyed him. It was a habit now though, a bad one at that, but still a habit. And habits were hard to break.
So thats why he was surprised that his body make him wake up just before lunch, at a sleepover of all places because he never woke up early at sleepovers, and forced him to get up. No lying around or relaxing, no he was up and about and trying not to have a conversation with a confused Yugi and Yami as they stared at him over their breakfast on the couch.
"You're up early," Yami commented though, and Joey sighed before he nodded, looking at them as if to say more. Yami just looked at him for a long moment before shrugging and continued eating his toast, grinning as he brushed the crumbs off his lap over a sleeping Tristan and Duke. Yugi on the other hand looked at him in confusion before patting the spare cushion, frowning when Joey all but threw himself beside him.
"Whats up?"
"I need to get my secret santa."
"You haven't got it yet?"
"He's hard to buy for," Joey muttered, ending the conversation as he went back to looking out over the participants of the sleepover. There were Yugi and Yami, both perched beside him, Malik was sitting up and platting Marik's hair, grinning every time the psychotic yami twitched in his sleep. Ryou and Bakura could be heard fighting in the kitchen and the smell of pancakes hit Joey's nose, Tristan and Duke were still sleeping, both sprawled out over each other. Tea was sleeping peacefully with Mokuba under one arm and Serenity under the other, the motherlike figure obviously. And, looking back to where Joey had been, the blond saw Seto curled up in a fetal position, one hand reaching out and tugging a pillow close to his chest to cuddle.
Joey felt his heart jump when he realised it was his pillow that Seto was burying his face in and inhaling the smell of.
"He was like your cat," Yami mumbled, making Joey jump and glance at him. "When you guys passed out he just seemed to automatically curl into you."
"Really?"
"Yeah." Yami laughed, shaking his head. "It was like you were his oversized teddy bear."
Something clicked in Joey's head.
"I've got to go!" he cried as he jumped up, tripping over Tristan who woke with a start and punched Duke, who kicked Mokuba, who squealed and woke up Seto, who accidentally pulled Tea's hair as he grabbed hold of his brother, who elbowed Serenity and then the devil was woken as she stood up and began to scream like a banshee.
Joey was out of there faster than he could blink, throwing a quick "secret santa!" over his shoulder for Yugi's benefit.
Now
If he could, Joey would be over there right beside Seto as he opened his present, but it would be suicide to travel across the classroom in the chaos it was in now. So instead he settled for watching Seto open the box, missing the fond smile Yugi sent him before turning the others away as they approached to ask the blond what he'd received.
He couldn't help but smile as he saw Seto laugh quietly to himself as the brunet pulled out the white teddy bear, smiling at it fondly before he reached out to look at the handmade tag Joey had looped around its neck as a necklace.
The one Joey knew read as Gandalf the White.
The way those blue eyes shone as they looked up at him, clashing with his own and sending shivers down his spine made him grin at the other, loving the smile he received in return.
Unwillingly he tore his eyes away though and looked down at the rectangular parcel sitting in front of him. It was kind of the shape of a wine bottle, he thought as he tore it open to reveal a box, making him frown as he opened it.
He burst out laughing as he pulled out a milkshake, the sweet strawberry substance sloshing around making him grin madly as he looked up in time to see Seto appear right in front of him, the new teddy pressed against his chest as he held it in an embrace.
"Really?"
"I told you I'd give you my milkshake, as well as go to the sleepover," Seto replied, smiling down at him with a rare affection Joey only ever saw him give to Mokuba. It didn't bother him to feel the gazes of all his friends on them as they smiled at each other, knowing just how curious they were.
"What about the tickets to the basketball game on friday? I thought they were for your secret santa?" Joey asked, confused, but that was quickly washed away as Seto reached into his pocket and drew out the two tickets, smiling at the blond as he reached over to slip one into Joey's front pocket of his shirt.
"I'll pick you up at seven."
He began to walk away, a small smile on his face and Joey didn't miss the way he squeezed the teddy in his arms. Without thinking really he rushed around his table and grabbed Seto's shoulder.
"On a friday?"
Seto turned and smiled.
"Make that six."
Joey grinned.
Merry Christmas guys!