1Starless Night

A Seto Kaiba and Joey Wheeler Production

Brought to you by: IET

(rated for vulgar language, sexuality, yaoi, and non-con. You've been warned. Don't like, don't read)

He didn't know how late it was. His focus was on the dance floor, watching the body move with elegance and such a prominent sexuality, it was entrancing. And so he stared. The bar he was in was specifically designated to his kind of people. Homosexuals, trans-genders, and the like. So, it was fairly uncertain who was dancing, but he kept watching, thinking about how sexily the person moved across the dance floor.

'Whomever they're dancing with is very lucky....' His thoughts were interrupted by a shout.

"Why you little bitch! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" It was the person who was dancing with the eloquent body. He'd apparently grabbed said person's ass. The guy was a bit bulkier then the other person, so any other sane person would have backed down. But not the dancer, they just squared their shoulders and said smugly, " I think that question should be directed towards yourself. I don't know how many times I have to tell you, I'm not some cheap whore that you can grope whenever you *WHAM!*"

The dancer's monologue was cut short by a sharp slap across their face that sent them sprawling across the dance floor. The dancer was no more then ten feet from Joey when they finished sliding across the cleared path. However, Joe didn't move to help the dancer up. That voice, with its tones of condescending and superiority, he knew all to well. 'Kaiba?'

That was the last person he expected to see in this type of place. As he debated whether or not he was imagining this whole scenario, the bulkier guy walked over and hauled Kaiba the rest of the way to his feet. The man was talking to Kaiba when Joe was finally convinced it wasn't a dream. But the tones were in such hushed whispers no one could hear. That is, until the bartender noticed the scene and cut the music immediately and grabbed a bat.

"Put the gentleman down, sir. Or…" The arrogant bulky man interrupted with a sneer.

"Or what?"

"Or I'll call the cops Mr. Keith. I'm sure they would be so very be pleased to know about your third abuse report." The bartender stood smugly as the newly dubbed "Keith" glared and slowly let Kaiba down from his clutches. "Now, please leave this property, or I'll be forced to remove you physically." As the bartender said this, the bigger and bulkier bouncers walked up and stood behind him. Keith visibly gulped, but shrugged it off with a "whatever" and walked away. Under the proper lighting, Joey could see the facial features of Keith.

"No... it can't be! Bandit Keith!?! Now that's just odd! Who'da thought he'd swing that way? Certainly not me, that's for sure!' As that thought passed through his head, he grinned with the utmost cockiness, his head swerving back to where the bartender was leading Kaiba straight towards him. Or, more specifically, straight towards the bar that he was sitting at.

It was at that point that Kaiba caught his eye. The width to which Kaiba's eyes spread was almost comical. And Joey's grin widened. 'Ha ha, blackmail! Finally I have something to hold over his head to leave me alone. HA!'

"Why are you looking so cheeky, mutt? If you think you can hold this as blackmail against me, nice try but I could have you dealt with before you could spell opossum." Kaiba said when he was close enough for Joey to hear. And sure enough the threat held its ground causing Joey's smile to be wiped clean from his face. He turned around in his seat muttering about that infinite power of money used with the rich and famous.

However, the threat got Kaiba a swat on the back of the head from the bartender. "That's no way to behave, threatening my customers like that. Now why is it I had to eject one of my most frequent customer from my property this time?" 'Obviously this has happened more than once.' Joey thought.

"He grabbed my ass, AGAIN. He'll never learn." Kaiba said accepting the ice pack the bartender had just pulled from the freezer underneath. The bartender sighed and shook his head cleaning out a few glasses after he turned back on the music their conversation could have at least a little bit of privacy.

"I honestly don't see why it's such a big deal. You let him touch you everywhere else." Kaiba glared fiercely, first at the bartender for the comment, then at Joe for snickering into his drink.

"I do NOT. I haven't slept with him or anything of the sort." The bartender raised a brow. "What?!" Kaiba exclaimed indignantly. "I have my priorities and it doesn't involve sleeping with every guy I see." The bartender snorted and huffed.

"Well I guess that's true. I just don't see how a virgin can't possibly dance like THAT." Now it was Kaiba's turn to smirk.

"I never said I was a virgin." Joey gagged and Kaiba looked at him with a raised brow. "Cat got your tongue dog, or did you just swallow it?"

Joey had to clear his throat because of the alcohol getting stuck and burning his throat a bit. "I always new you had a stick stuck up that ass of yours." At this Kaiba turned about ten different shades of red before he went back to his original shade.

He huffed indignantly and decided to ignore Joey. "So, how's the wife and kids, Mike?"

"Oh you know S.S.D.D. The wife still can't understand how I can be completely straight and run a gay bar. She just doesn't get that it isn't my choice to discriminate against homosexuals. I have nothing against them, and in all actuality I have the utmost respect for you guys." He said looking between Kaiba and Joey. They both shot him a confused look, though Kaiba's was less so then Joey's. "The courage you guys have to stand up against society and say 'Hey I'm different. Don't judge me if you don't know me. If you don't like it then you can kiss my ass.' The courage it takes to do that slips past so many people that it's ridiculous. Ah, but I'm rambling. We were talking about my wife and kids. Well, Tawny just learned how to ride a two wheeler without her training wheels." He looked very proud to announce that. However, at that moment, he seen a customer at the other end of the bar approach, and he had to pause in talking to go do his job.

While the bartender was away, Joey decided to have a one-on-one conversation with Kaiba. "So, uh, how long have you been 'dating' Bandit Keith?" he asked using air-quotes.

Kaiba sighed, exasperated.

"We weren't dating as you so eloquently put it. He was just here and I needed someone to dance with."

" From the looks of it you didn't need him very much. You could have been out there by yourself dancing and no one would know the difference with how many people are here."

"He's right you know." Mike inserted his two cents as he came back to them carrying two glasses; one had a clear concoction while the other one was a deep bronze color. The vodka (the clear glass) was for Kaiba and the other was for Joey. Kaiba chuckled while accepting the glass. Joey accepted his glass as he stared in awe at the sight of Kaiba laughing. It was such a light hearted sound; Joey could hardly believe it had actually come from his three year long rival.

"Pick up your jaw Joey. You're starting to drool." With that, Kaiba lift his hand and pushed the bottom of Joey's jaw up to meet the top. His teeth clicked shut, not enough to be painful, but enough for him to snap out of it with a shake of his head.

And for a second he paused, before he realized what Kaiba just said. "You..... You...."

"Yes me?" Kaiba said with a smirk.

"You just.....called me Joey. You NEVER call me Joey. It's always either 'Wheeler' or some form of a dog insult." Joey just stared in bewilderment and Kaiba's smirk grew wider.

"And? It's late, maybe I'm delusional. I don't care. Come up with some excuse that you can wrap your brain around." And with that Kaiba stood, only to be yanked back down by a sudden wave of dizziness. 'Damn. Keith sure can pack one hell-of-a punch when he's drunk.' At this Kaiba's thoughts turned gloomy as the rink started to kick in and make him remember that which was better off being buried. Joey looked at Mike, and Mike at Joey. The bartender just shook his head at the questions left unasked rolling around in Joe's eyes.

Joey looked at Kaiba and said thoughtfully, "You know, it's odd that I've been sitting here all this time and haven't had a fight with you yet."

"What so you want a fight?" Kaiba asked snapping out of his reverie.

"What? Huh? Uh, no, it's just odd that's all. I mean normally you're a self-centered prick, who only cares about benefitting himself. I always wondered how Mokuba could stand being around you for so long without getting sick of your...."

"Oh so that's how you see me?! Then why bother talking to me in the first place." Kaiba exclaimed. He was so incredibly angry, and furious. And deep down he felt a knife stick into his heart. Maybe it was the alcohol doing most of the talking, but it was Joey's fault for bringing something as stupid as his past up at a time like this." You of all people have NO idea what I've been through, so just, just stay put of MY life!" And with that, Kaiba reached over the bar and grabbed his coat where he knew it'd be and rushed out the door in a hurry to get away from Joe.

After a few seconds, the tension was broken with Mike stating, "You'll live to regret ever judging him before you got to see past his mask."

"What mask...." Joey's question had to be put on hold as the squealing of hard, braking tires tried to stop on a dime. Joey had the forethought to look to Mike first, then to the doors of the club. "Kaiba." They both thought aloud as, not letting any more time pass, they both rushed out of the door. Not a block down the road and they could still see the body lying in the middle of the street and a car crashed into a telephone pole. They both took off at a dead sprint. After all, more than one life was one the line.