Joey Wheeler steps into the automatic doors of Kaiba Corporation with a spring in his step and frost misting from his mouth. Snow collected on his spiky, yellow hair and his leather boots dropped puddles into the red carpets of the lobby. He un-tucks a decorated bag from beneath his arm and sets it on to the counter.
"Hey, Margret. Let me in to see Seto. I'm hea' on some important business." Joey leans over the counter with a big goofy grin on his face. His heavy Brooklyn accent gave him a certain cheery charm.
The secretary behind the desk remained impassive and just gave him a glance, "Mr. Kaiba said he is not accepting any visitors-"
"What?" Joey glared unhappily, his mood switching dramatically, "But he said he ain't workin' today! Wait till I get a hold of that guy-"
"And said that if you ever come asking for him to tell you that you are a mutt and that you came to the wrong building," The smug secretary tosses Joey a heavy envelope that bounces off his stunned forehead, "Have a nice day."
Jounouchi rubs his head and blankly examines the fancy print that was obviously written by Kaiba on the back of the envelope. It read: Do not open until 8:00.
What's up with that? Joey thought to himself and glanced at his watch and noted it was about 7:45, I came here at this time on purpose so I can have time to go meet up with Yugi later… And what building is Seto talking about…
Joey shrugs and collects the bag off the counter, "Thanks Margret, See ya!"
She waved him off and Joey steps out of Kaiba Corp and back out in the winter wonderland. Bright holiday lights hug in front of stores and happy couples walked along the streets arm-in arm. Cheery music jingled from open shop doors and sales were boldly advertised from shop windows. Joey tucked the knitted scarf Tea made for him closer around his cheeks and checked his watch again.
7:59.
"Damn it!" The blonde cursed out loud getting a few stares, "I don't care! I'm opening it!"
He shoved his fingers into the slits and tore open the seal. Joey then receives a letter and quickly unfolded it:
Nice try Wheeler. I hardly think 7:59 is 8:00. How about you go to the convenience store and get Mokuba some chocolate ice cream?
Joey's eyes bulged and tossed the paper on to the sidewalk. He glared at for a few long moments in disdain. What is up with that guy? He thought miserably. Why does he keep bossing me around like that?
Joey then sighs, picks up the cruel piece of paper and shoved it in to his pocket while turning the corner to the nearest convenience store. He got there and headed straight to the freezers at the back of the shop.
Chocolate… chocolate… aha! Wheeler triumphantly grabbed the bucket of ice cream and places it on the counter in record speed. He reaches in to his pocket for his wallet.
Heh, he thought to himself, Ya' see that? Piece a' cake! Wait till Seto-
Oh crap.
Joey frantically shakes his wallet and pulls lint from his jean pockets; but no matter where he looks he got the same results.
"Heh," Joey smiled uneasily at the stoic old man behind the counter, "It seems I don' have any cash on me. I-If I can-"
"You must be Mr. Wheeler." The old man interrupted gruffly, "I got a call about something like this. Here you go, and that ice cream seems to be paid for so you can just take it."
The shop owner waved him away and our stunned blond buddy received another envelope. This time on the back it read: Open before you leave.
Joey pouted and sliced the seal again to receive another message that read simply: Don't forget the whipped cream. Mokuba likes whipped cream on his ice cream too.
"Oh yeah," Joey muttered with heavy sarcasm and headed back through the aisles, "Wouldn' dream a' forgettin' that!"
He brought back a can of whipped cream which then led to another awkward pause and another letter received. Joey left the store while gloomily reading the back of the envelope once again: You can open this one now.
So he did and read inside: Someone special is waiting for you at the arcade till 8:45. Better make sure you get there before he leaves.
Joey checked his watch and freaked out, "It's already 8:40! Gotta hurry!"
He shoved the letter in to his jacket pocket and sped down the sidewalk. Couples hurried aside and nearly tripped a few times because the sidewalk was frosted over by the snow. By the time he got to the arcade he was sweating beneath the layers of sweaters and mist huffed heavily from his chapped lips. He really hoped the ice cream and whipped cream weren't spilled all over the place within the package. The paper bag was tucked neatly in his jacket pocket.
He checked his watch and breathed a sigh of relief, "Good! 8:45, now who am I lookin' fo'?"
"Hey Joey!" a voice called, "You were almost late!"
Joey blinked in surprise and grinned warmly at his old friend, "Yugi! How's it goin'? You doin' this fo' Seto?"
The short champion duelist laughed and tucked his jacket around his shoulders. His nose was red from the chill but his innocent eyes remained jolly and bright, "So that's where I that letter was from this morning! I knew the handwriting was familiar. I got instructions to give you this at 8:45 and to leave if you come a second late! Must be really important."
Joey received yet another envelope, this one saying to open immediately so he did just that: So you made it further then I thought. Nice job for a puppy. As a reward, I'll be waiting for you at the fountain in the park till 9:00. Better get going.
Joey groaned and checked his watch. He only had 10 minutes to get to the other side of town!
"Hey, Yug'. You know the fastest way to the park?"
Yugi Moto shook his head, "Not really, but you should go on foot. I doubt you'll be able to get a cab at this hour."
Joey nodded, "Thanks Yug'! I'll see ya' later!"
Yugi nodded, "Goodbye Joey! It's nice being loved isn't it?"
Joey blushed, "Y-Yeah… I guess it is…" And he ran off down the street, the packages in his hand swinging heavily.
By the time he made it to the park he could tell he was probably too late for the meeting. He hurried on anyways and was surprised to see a tall, dark figure silhouetted in the lamplight. His heart skipped a beat and he ran even faster, a smile forming on his face, his hand reaching out to grip the figure's shoulder.
"Seto you're still here- TRISTAN? Why are you here?"
"Oh there you are Joey!" Tristan turned around and breathed a sigh of relief while seemingly oblivious to Joey's bewildered expression, "I thought I had to wait forever! I'm supposed to pick up Serenity soon but I got a letter this morning to give you this."
Another letter was put into his hand. On the back it read: Read after your idiot friend leaves.
Tristan patted the blond on the back, "Why so glum, Joey? It's Christmas in a few days! Everyone's happy when there's Christmas so cheer up."
Joey shrugged, "Thanks Tristan tha' means a lot."
"Well, gotta get to Serenity. Don't worry; I'll take care of her for you. See ya'!"
Joey waved and opens the envelope with violent fingers. A hotel card key fell out along with another note: Nice out isn't it? Aren't you cold? How about you join me at the Marriott hotel across the street from where you're standing. Come when you're ready.
Jounouchi looked over the dark treetops and glared at the towering Marriott lighting up the city's night sky. He better be there, he thought grudgingly and started towards the hotel.
When he finally got to the golden door, a doorman opened it for him while giving him a disapproving stare at his rugged, casual attire of blue jeans and a dark leather jacket. The cheep groceries in his hand were less then exceptional. Joey ignored him and headed straight for the front desk.
Before he could even say anything though, the receptionist gave him the same look and once over as the doorman and pursed her lips, "You must be Mr. Wheeler. Mr. Kaiba said to direct you to the top floor of the hotel and told me to warn you of the ghost sightings in this hotel. Try not to be in a dark room alone. Have a nice day." And she continued with her work.
Joey stared at her suspiciously, "What do ya' mean?"
She ignored him.
Joey shrugged and headed towards the back of the lobby to the elevators; he tried his best to hide his awe of the place, but it was just so high class and shiny that he almost forgot he was mad at Seto at all. He stepped into the elevator and placed the room key into the slot above the buttons. Numbers streaked across the screen until it said "Top Floor" and the elevator was on its way.
A bell dinged and he arrived faster then anyone would have thought. He stepped out in to a hallway that led only to the left where a single door was waiting for him. Red roses were placed in a vase which was in turn set atop a table next to the door. A letter was lying beside it which read in Kaiba's flawless script: To Joey
Joey tore it open eagerly and blushed heavily at what he read: I'm waiting for you.
"Heh, why am I so nervous?" he muttered to himself shakily, his heart racing and his lungs crushing his chest, "What am I so afraid of? It's only Seto…"
But that's just it. It's Seto who's waiting for him behind that door. It was Seto who called him here. It is Seto Kaiba, the man who is behind the legendary Kaiba Corp and the man who will stop at nothing to prove he is the strongest, that is waiting for him and him alone.
Joey grit his teeth and balled his shaking hands into fists, "I am Joey Wheeler. Yeah, I am Joey Wheeler! I can handle anything! I am Joey Wheeler!"
He brandished the card key and in one stroke he placed it in to the slot and unlocked the door. He swung it open and stepped inside before he can change his mind.
The first thing he saw were the roses. They were everywhere, on the couch, the walls, the ceiling; splashes of pink rose petals contrasted against the black carpet. The curtains across the room were pulled shut to the outside world.
Then the door closed.
Everything went black.
"Wh-What?" Joey tried to blink through the darkness but was blind to it all. He tried to step forward but only succeeded in becoming more lost within the vast expanse of the room.
"S-Seto? Hello? A-Anyone?" He started to panic. Anyone would panic really, but poor Joey could only picture the bloodsucking, spine-numbing ghosts that were creeping up on him now.
"Th-This isn't funny." Joey's voice wavered, "Good one Seto, you win. I'm scared now. Can ya' turn on the lights please? Seto?"
Nothing.
It was starting to get cold; Joey was shivering from the fear. He heard noises where he wasn't exactly sure were real or not. He dropped the groceries long ago when the lights first turned out and didn't really care about them at the moment.
There's no such thing as ghosts. There's no such thing as ghosts. Who said anythin' about ghosts? I sure didn't.
He could practically hear his heart jumping out of his chest. His voice not as confident as it once was, "Seto? C'mon…"
There was a crushing silence… a creak…
"Boo."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Yes, Joey Wheeler screamed. He literally screamed and jumped in to the air like those little girls you see in horror movies.
But he clung on to the first thing that came into reach and sturdy arms held him around his chest and off the ground. Soft light blinded him for a second and it took him a moment to realize that he was in the arms of the person he was searching for all day. His chocolate-brown hair glowed dully and his face snuggled comfortingly into Joey's chest. He listened to the blond duelist's wild and bold heartbeat.
"Seto! What are ya' doin'?"
"I'm hugging you." Seto Kaiba replied in a matter-of-fact way. His deep voice resonated familiarly and Joey fought the butterflies.
"Okay thanks, ya' can let me go now." Joey replied irritably.
"Aw don't be like that," Seto muttered smugly, "You didn't have any fun?"
Joey wriggled and only succeeded in having his feet touching the ground, "Fun? Ya' sent me all over town!"
"Mm… did you bring the ice cream and the whipped cream?" Seto adjusted himself closer and buried his face into Joey's fluff of hair.
Joey nodded and tried to lift his head away so he could look up at Seto's face, "Yeah, but that's not the point! I thought today we s'pposed to… spend mo' time together…"
"We are." Kaiba finally pulled back but didn't exactly let Joey escape just yet. He softly brushed a strand of blond hair away from Joey's face and cradled his cheeks between his palms. Seto's blue eyes glimmered softly; the usual iciness within them just seemed to melt away. "Why else do you think I rented this place for the entire weekend?"
Joey gaped, "The entire weekend? We're stayin' here that long?"
"Or longer," Seto smirked, "As long as I want to keep you just to myself perhaps. Maybe I'll never let you go at all."
Joey blushed, "H-Hey, tha's kidnapping ya' know. And people will miss me!"
Kaiba just shrugged, "Why do you think I let you gallivant all over town? You got to say goodbye to your friends did you not? Forget them; you belong only to me now." Kaiba's lips trailed across Joey's forehead.
Joey sighed and closed his eyes. He gave up. Seto can't be argued with when he's like this and it wasn't like Joey was totally against the idea in the first place. Maybe it really was worth running around town. The blond tippy-toed and hesitantly met his lover's lips. Seto responded enthusiastically and continued to kiss him even as Joey was gasping for air. Seto trailed kisses down his lover's cheek and lifted him up off his feet again to carry Joey to the bedroom.
Seto was already lifting his shirt off his head and his lips were tracing down Joey's bare chest when Joey suddenly stopped. Seto raised his eyebrows expectantly though uncertainty played in his mind, "What's the matter? Did you not what to?..."
"No!" Seto allowed Joey to sit up and reach in to his discarded jacket. He pulled out the brown package, "I just wanted to grab this fo' ya. Uhmm… Happy Anniversary."
Joey shyly held out the package. Seto's face remained impassive though you can tell he was really happy by the way he took the present with care. He pulled out a velvet box which he then opened.
A silver bracelet with an etched nameplate on a chain hung from Seto's fingers. Seto read the name Mokuba, but the magical thing is when he angled the plate away from himself, the name that would appear as Jounouchi.
"I-I know it mus' be cheap for ya' an' all but I thought you would want to… hold on to something you love and I knew you love your brother and all-"
The rest of his sentence disappeared when Seto's arms were suddenly wrapped around him again and his face buried in to Joey's chest, "Thank you." He whispered, "Thank you."
Joey hesitantly reached around Seto's shoulders and hugged him back. He closed his eyes and smiled, "Yeah, no problem."
"I love you."
"Yeah… I love ya' too."
