Seto Kaiba was not smitten.
Amused, perhaps and slightly intrigued, but not 'smitten'.
The accusation had come from his younger brother, Mokuba, over their lunch together earlier that day. The conversation had been rather one-sided as Kaiba listened to the now eighteen-year-old as he talked about last night's duelling competition.
It was a charity duel to raise money for a national charity which aimed at helping support young children and get them away from abusive homes. Kaiba himself had donated a rather large some to the charity itself but chose not to attend the 12-hour duel marathon.
Kaiba had claimed to have been 'busy' and thus unable to watch the live streaming of the duel, but Mokuba was glued to the screen all evening in their home.
Mokuba, when explaining the events of the duel, had claimed that Joey Wheeler has defeated his opponent using his 'Panther Warrior' and it was at that time that Kaiba had instinctively corrected Mokuba stating that it was Joey's 'Alligator's Sword' which dealt the final blow.
Kaiba only realised his mistake when it was too late.
"So, you did watch Joey's duel!" Mokuba excitedly exclaimed, grinning as he sat back in his seat.
He knew all along that it wasn't 'Panther Warrior' Kaiba thought, choosing not to respond.
"I knew you wouldn't miss Joey's duel! You've never missed any of them, you're so Smitten, Seto!" the younger Kaiba had laughed.
Seto never responded, he only gave an empty glare and continued his meal.
Now, three hours later, Kaiba was sitting in his office, still thinking about his brother's comment.
I'm not smitten he argued with himself, I just needed to make sure that Wheeler didn't lose and make a mockery of the KC name.
After Yami had returned to his own time, and then returned back to their world, duelling pros such as Yugi, Joey and Kaiba himself were offered contracts by agencies to sponsor them.
Not wanting to be controlled by any other company, Kaiba set up a new branch of KC which dealt with sponsoring professional duellists. Yugi had gone with another agency but Joey had chosen KC because he thought it would reveal some of Kaiba's own duelling secrets. Wheeler was unpleasantly surprised that this assumption was wrong.
Kaiba originally laughed when the sponsorship manager had recommended representing Wheeler, but despite what Kaiba said aloud, he knew Wheeler would be a valuable duellist to have under the KC name and had agreed to allow his company to represent him.
However, it did mean that the two duellists saw each other more often than Kaiba had planned.
Events such as fundraisers, competition promotions and general meeting brought the two duelests to the same venue regularly and interactions between the two were unavoidable.
Kaiba felt a smirk form as he remembered how those interactions used to be an annoyance to him, and now he seemed to enjoy them.
Things had all started to change about a year into Joey's sponsorship with KC. The company had thrown a small, publicised, event in a local hotel to celebrate the bond between KC and their 'second most talented duellist'.
Kaiba had of course been in attendance, as CEO it was expected. What wasn't expected was how dashing Joey had looked in his outfit that night, or how much his eyes had shone in that low lighting.
Kaiba was taken aback by his own realisations that night. His growing fascination with the blond up until that point had always been, what he assumed, to be idle curiosity and a budding respect. But he never expected it to be attraction, never in a million years.
But seeing Joey that night, laughing in a gentle manner and politely greeting guests, Kaiba realised that maybe he wasn't as 'switched off' to the idea of a relationship as he had originally thought.
Of course, nothing happened that night, he greeted Joey, had his picture taken with the blond and stayed until it was appropriate for him to leave.
But as the weeks went by, he seemed to be seeing Wheeler more often in the KC building.
Their regular banter of trading insults and smart remarks continued, but Kaiba was disappointed in the decreasing level of sarcasm in his own results.
Somehow, along the way their insults became almost flirting and their conversations included significantly less yelling (from Joey especially).
Kaiba's attraction to the blond only seemed to grow with the more time they spent together and after almost eight months of accepting that he did, in fact, have a crush on Joey Wheeler, Kaiba finally asked the blond to dinner.
It was masked under the disguise of a 'business dinner' to discuss future contracts and things alike, but Kaiba knew Joey knew that was a lie.
Kaiba, unsurprisingly, never made a move. But as Kaiba moved to open his car door that evening, planning to drive wheeler home, a strong arm stopped him.
Joey had placed one had gently, but firmly on Kaiba shoulder and carefully spun him so that his back was to the car and his chest just inches away from Joey's.
"What is this, Kaiba?" Joey had asked "Was this really just a 'business dinner'? or was it something else? 'Cause man, I'm struggling here!"
Wheelers eyes never left his. Brown met blue and neither blinked.
Kaiba swallowed and cleared his throat.
"Listen, Wheeler . . ."
"Joey, we've known each other since highs school man, it' Y."
"Wheeler, I don't know what you thought this was, but it is what I said, a business dinner, nothing else."
"Hmm? What's with the flirting then, and the looks?"
Kaiba was shocked.
He had always just assumed that Joey didn't catch on to his weak attempts at flirting. He was especially taken aback by the fact that Joey noticed him staring.
"I don't know what . . ."
"Cut the crap Kaiba! I know what I saw! Listen if this is just some new way of messing me around, then that's a new level of cruel!" Joey said, taking his hand away from Kaiba and taking a step back. "I thought you might have felt something too, but I guess I was wrong. You were obviously just playing on my feelings. You're such a goddamn jerk!"
His feelings? Joey had feelings for Kaiba?
"What feelings?" he asked, pushing off the car.
He needed to know.
"Oh, come on, Kaiba! Like you didn't know how I feel! You think I joined your stupid company just to keep an eye on you? I joined to be close to you!" Joey huffed, running a hand through his think golden hair, turning away and avoiding those startled blue eyes.
"Just forget it, ok! I was obviously wrong! I hope you had a good laugh, Kaiba be . . ."
"Shut up!"
"Wha . . .? Don't tell me to shut up! You arrogant son of a . . ."
"Joey," Kaiba said, low and calm "for once in your life, just shut up."
Joey finally allowed his eyes to rise and meet Seto's.
He didn't see mockery in them. He didn't see mischief or arrogance.
What he saw was warm. Those blue eyes that Joey had fallen for were finally looking back at him with a gentle, but serious stare.
"You're not imagining anything. You may be dim, but not about this." Kaiba took a step forward, once again sanding close to the other man.
"I was flirting" Kaiba swallowed, blinking slowly "I was looking at you. You're not wrong. There is something, I just . . ."
Kaiba was pulled into an embrace, slightly awkward due to Joey being the shorter of the two, but not uncomfortable.
Joey's eyes looked up and his hand gently crept up to Kaiba's cheek.
"Is this ok?" Joey asked, his own soft eyes once again glimmering.
"I... yes." Kaiba replied leaning down.
Their lips finally met.
It was tender and soft. Two pairs of lips meeting after months of longing.
Joey leaned into the kiss and his hands moved towards Seto's hair.
Kaiba's own hand gently settled on Joey's waist, tentative but firm.
It was a short kiss. Quick and soft, but still a kiss.
Joey's face was flushed as he looked back at Kaiba. A goofy grin spread across his cheeks.
A grin Kaiba had grown all too fond of.
A rapid, loud knock disturbed him from his memory.
Kaiba cleared his throat and called for the person to enter.
The door swung open and in walked the man of his thoughts.
A blue duffle bag thrown over his shoulder and a huge grin on his face.
"Did ya' see me last night?" the blond asked, kicking the door shut and throwing his bag on the floor, "I completely wiped the floor with the Tyson guy!"
"I saw," Kaiba said, standing and moving towards his partner "well done, although you did seem to struggle a bit."
He smirked at Joey's obvious anger.
"Yeah, well I couldn't just win! I had t' make it interesting, for the fans!"
They finally met in an embrace, arms wrapping around their bodies.
"I'm sure that was it." Kaiba quickly inhaled the scent from the golden mop where he rested his face.
They stood like that for a few moments. Brief kisses were exchanged but the closeness between them was the most comforting.
"Did ya' miss me?" Joey grinned, looking up into those deep blue eyes that he had fallen so deeply for.
Kaiba grunted and pulled Joey closer.
Ok, so Seto Kaiba may be smitten.