Hoof Prints
"—And to add to that, you need to take a break from work. You look older than I do and you're only nineteen."
Seto ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He wanted to snarl that he didn't have time to take a break from work, that he needed to be at the office, but the social workers had made an ultimatum: if he wanted to keep Mokuba, he had to follow his psychiatrist's orders. Besides, he was too tired to snarl. …Perhaps a break from work was in order, after all.
The older man eyed him over his glasses for a moment, taking in his reaction, before nodding to himself. "And I'd like to try to get you to care about something other than your brother or your work. You're a scientific man, Mr. Kaiba. Would you care for an experiment?"
"…Do I have a choice?" the brunet asked glumly.
The doctor smiled. "As a matter of fact, if I understand the social workers correctly, no!"
"…Then I would love to participate in an experiment," Seto deadpanned.
"I thought so! Well, you have summer break coming up—"
"Dr. Tsukino, I graduated last year."
"—Ah yes. I see. Well, your brother will be having summer break. You can spend time with him while also trying this experiment." Dr. Tsukino took off his glasses and began to clean the lenses. "I'd like to send you to a horse ranch, where you will learn to take care of one horse. I suggest staying with the Suzuki family; they rent out horses to only a certain, high-class clientele. In fact, I can even make the arrangements for you, if you like. You will leave your work here and go act like a normal teenager at the ranch."
Seto blinked at him for a moment before stating, "…Normal teenagers have laptops."
The raven-haired man stared at him skeptically, then gave a short nod. "You may take your laptop, but you are not allowed to use it for work. You may also have a prepaid cell phone—only for emergency contact. …Or your brother," he added as an afterthought. "Would you like me to make the arrangements?"
"…I'd like to speak to my brother about this first," Seto replied, rubbing his eyes. "Then I'll call you. …Or leave a message with your secretary. Mokuba's on a date and probably won't be back until after you leave."
Dr. Tsukino nodded. "Ah, yes, he is getting to be that age. So, Mr. Kaiba, have you been on any dates lately?"
The brunet groaned and buried his face in his hands.
.-.-.-.-.-.
"So what are your plans for the summer?" Mokuba asked, stirring his milkshake absently.
Serenity frowned thoughtfully and put a finger to her chin. "Well, my mom just told me that she had a business trip that would take a better part of the summer, so she would let me sign up for any summer camp I want. I've just finally decided this morning with a little help from Atsuko and Hoshi, because they're going too.
"It's called the Wild Orange Ranch. They have a summer program where people can either stable their horses there or can rent out some of their own, and that horse is the person's responsibility the entire stay. They have some two-week-long camps and some summer-long camps, and I've chosen the summer-long one so that Mom doesn't have to worry about me. Although… I've sort of got an ulterior motive," she added slyly. "My brother works there, so it'll be the only chance I have to see him! If my mother finds out, she can't really say no, because she promised and she's not going to be here anyway!"
"The Wild Orange Ranch," Mokuba repeated, frowning a little. "Sounds girly. …Not that there's anything wrong with it!"
"It's called the Wild Orange Ranch because the owner's last name is Tachibana, but she's American. And it's co-ed. Girls and boys just have different bunk houses," the red-head explained, smiling patiently. "I'm sorry I won't be able to see you for the entire summer."
"Actually, Seto said he'd sign me up for a camp, too, at least for a few weeks while he's in Europe for some business thing. Maybe I could stay there for a couple weeks, too. I've never actually ridden a horse before. It sounds fun," he murmured thoughtfully.
Serenity squeaked and clasped her hands together in excitement. "Oh, that would be awesome! I'd love to go riding with you! Now tell me," she added with a playful giggle. "Are you going to buy your own horse, or are you going to rent one from the ranch?"
"Aa, where would I put it after camp ended?" Mokuba replied, smiling a little, though on the inside he was panicking.
Seto wasn't going to Europe until November!
.-.-.-.-.-.
Seto sighed and stood up as he heard the front door open, ready to call a greeting to his little brother, but was interrupted by a frantic shout.
"Setooooooo!"
Rushing into the entryway, he was immediately tackled to the floor. "Oof! Mokuba-!"
"Seto, I need to sign up for a summer camp! Please don't be mad!"
Seto blinked for a moment, stunned, before frowning in confusion. "You've never been interested in summer camp before."
Mokuba sat up and let out a desperate sigh. "I know, but I promised a girl-! If I don't show up, she's gonna think I lied to her and then she'll never go out with me again! I don't even know if I like horses!"
"Why would you go make a stupid promise like that-? Wait, did you say horses?" This may have been easier to deal with than he thought.
The younger boy frowned. "…Yeah. The Wild Orange Ranch. She's staying the entire summer." He blushed in embarrassment. "And I told her I needed a camp for a few weeks because you were going to Europe."
"…I'm not going to Europe until November," Seto stated, then sighed and waved the thought away. "Oh, never mind. Well, you'll have to tell her my plans changed and you have to stay the whole summer."
Mokuba blinked in surprise. "Why do I have to stay the whole summer?"
The brunet sighed again and sat up, pushing his little brother off of his lap. "Because I have to stay at a ranch for the whole summer. I'm not allowed to work. My psychiatrist says so."
"Oh. …Well, if you sign us both up for the Wild Orange Ranch, we'll both be happy. …To an extent, anyway," the younger boy replied. He couldn't imagine Seto liking horses. …Or any animal, for that matter.
"Alright. I'll go call the psycho—I mean, psychiatrist—and he'll get back to us with the details. …I hate summer," Seto grumbled, getting up and moving toward the phone.
.-.-.-.-.-.
The Wild Orange Ranch actually wasn't a very bad place. They'd traveled through miles of farmland, but once they'd passed under the iron arched gates with the name fashioned in gothic letters, the landscape had changed immediately. There were different fenced off fields of green grass, some occupied by horses, the others empty. For every three fields, there seemed to be a small stable, and each stable had a small dirt path big enough for a golf cart leading to the main road, which seemed to be the only one that was paved.
The main house was a large, white Victorian thing, with a white picket fence and everything. To the left of it were two smaller houses, each painted a pastel pink with white trim, and the flower boxes on the windows contained some small pink flowers of some species. To the right were two small houses identical only in structure; they, instead, were painted a pastel blue, and the flower boxes were filled with violets.
Once the limo had pulled to a stop, Seto sighed and stepped out, leaving the door open for his brother to follow. He moved to go to the door of the main house, but hadn't even made it to the picket fence before a voice barked for him to stop. Turning, he found a man driving up in a golf cart.
As he stepped off the cart, he saw that the man was wearing jeans and a t-shirt that must have been the ranch's logo; it had a picture of a bucking bronco surrounded by a ring of oranges. He had short black hair and sharp brown eyes, and he didn't look exactly friendly as he strode toward them.
"You're Kaiba, right?"
Seto frowned uncertainly. "Yes…"
"Right. Just leave your bags in front of the house. Someone will take care of them," the man replied carelessly. "Kiki is waiting for you at stable four. She would have been here to meet you herself, but Shiro was having trouble getting one of the stallions out of paddock nine."
"But… we were told to meet with someone named Naomi," Mokuba stated after a few seconds of confusion.
"You know, we don't really know why her nickname is Kiki, but we stopped trying to understand her a long time ago. The only one that really understands her is Joey, and she calls him Puppy. …We really don't try to understand them anymore," he repeated. "So don't even try."
"Okay…"
Once they were in the golf cart, the man decided he needed to show some manners and added, "I'm Osamu. I'm one of the permanent employees here. Permanent employees stay in the Big House. We'll go over all of the other basics during orientation when the rest of the kids get here."
"Nice to meet you," Mokuba replied politely. "I'm Mokuba. This is Seto."
"Charmed."
Once they reached the second stable on the left, Osamu led them to the door, where the two city slickers experienced their first smells of horse. The man didn't even pause on the way in as he knocked on one of the doors. "Kiki?"
"Osamu, my love!"
Seto and Mokuba watched the man thump to the ground as a woman launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. They would have laughed, but Osamu gave off the impression of someone who would stab them in the night.
The woman was… innocently cute, for lack of a better term. She had big blue eyes and long blonde hair pulled up into pigtails, and was also wearing a pair of jeans and a Wild Orange t-shirt. The thing that made her look childlike, however… were the sneakers on her feet that had pictures of hearts on them. Did those hearts in the back light up?
"…If I say I love you too, will you please get off of me?"
"I see how it is!" she exclaimed, scowling, before she stood up. Spying the two boys standing in the doorway, she blinked, then waved at them slightly. "Hey. You must be the Kaibas."
"…Yeah," Seto nodded after a minute. He didn't know what to make of this… creature. She was supposed to be twenty-eight. …She acted like she was only eight.
"Great!" She smiled and clapped her hands together. "You can help me choose your horses! What are you looking for during your stay?" She began toward one row of stalls. "See, kids staying for two weeks usually follow a schedule, but we pretty much leave the kids here for the whole summer to themselves, as long as they take proper care of the horses. We'll coach you on how to take care of them, and someone's going to be on duty in the stables every day in case you need help, but once you know the basics, you'll be on your own."
"…So we take care of the horses ourselves?" Mokuba asked, brows furrowing together. "…What if it gets sick?"
"Don't let it get sick," Kiki replied, smiling, but there was a hardened glint in her eye that made it clear she wasn't joking. The glint faded, though, after another few moments. "Horses will get sick sometimes, no matter how well you take care of them. Osamu's one of the resident vets. He just earns his keep by being a stable hand when they're all healthy," she added playfully.
Seto turned his head as he caught a flash of gold, but dismissed it when he found nothing but stalls, bridles, and saddles in the direction he'd looked. "…How do we know which one we want?"
"Well, what do you want to do with it? Do you just want to ride, do you want to help us with the farmers? Are you planning on steeple chasing or other races? Performances? Oh, and Big Kaiba—your psychiatrist talked to me. You will have to ride your horse."
He let out a muffled curse, then sighed. "Mokuba, what do you want?"
"…Do you know what Serenity Wheeler is doing?" Mokuba asked after a moment.
Kiki turned to give him a skeptical look. "Do you think I have what everyone is doing memorized?"
Before the younger boy had time to get embarrassed, a soft, low voice cut in, "She's got a quarter horse, because she's a regular rider. She wants to camp out on the beach."
The two teens turned sharply to find a pair of dark brown eyes peering at them from one of the other stalls. The golden-haired boy smiled at them bashfully before turning back to the horse he was standing with and beginning to pet its long neck.
"…Ah, yes. That one. I remember that one." Kiki frowned. "Well, I suppose you'll want an Arabian. They're gentle, good for beginners; it'll be able to keep up with a quarter horse. You can have Pito. He's big, but he's a big baby. You'll like each other, if I have you pinned right. Big Kaiba, what do you want?" she asked, turning toward the older boy.
Seto stared at her for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "I have absolutely no idea."
"Ya gotta give me somethin' to work with!" she exclaimed, scowling at him.
"Kiki, if—" the blond began, then cut himself off and nibbled his bottom lip anxiously.
Kiki turned toward him and raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Joey?"
"…Well… I'm the only one around his age here this summer…" Joey began, beginning to wring his hands. "At least until mid-July… A-and his brother is probably gonna wanna spend time with people his age, so… If… if he wants t' work with me… I-I only switch between two horses, s-so if he wants t' pick a horse and hang out with me…"
"You escort kids to the farms on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, right? And the other days you take out Millie for a ride." She glanced at the brunet. "Is that okay with you?"
Seto frowned. "Two horses?"
"No, you fool, you only get one. Joey has two horses. Like hell I'm letting some city kid take care of two horses," she mumbled to herself, walking over to a wooden table near the entrance of the stables. She spelled Mokuba's name in large block letters before walking over to a stall and slapping the paper against the door. "This is your horse. Remember it. When it's time to ship out in the morning, you get on a golf cart labeled from sixteen to twenty. …Unless you want to walk all the way here. I wouldn't suggest it. It's about half a mile."
"…Sooo… what's Seto getting?" Mokuba asked after a moment.
Kiki frowned and began cracking her knuckles. "Hmm… Old Toby is okay. He's big enough for farm work, docile enough to let him ride. …Big Kaiba, you get Old Toby."
"…How old is he?" Seto asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Goin' on ten. So he's still got around ten years to go before he's actually old." She smiled. "We only call him Old Toby because Toby Junior was born about three years ago, and we couldn't well call them both Toby. So we have Old Toby and Young Toby."
"…I see."
Kiki repeated the name procedure with another stall, then turned to fix Joey with a stern stare. "Since you just pointed out that you're the only one close to Big Kaiba's age, I'm going to leave you to teach him the ropes. …I doubt he'd want to learn with a bunch of children anyway. So… You can bunk in with Joey, so you don't have to worry about teenagers bemoaning their fates of never being able to ask out the girls they like or freaking out about zits, or whatever it is teenage boys talk about," she added, turning toward the brunet.
Seto frowned. "…I'm still a teenager."
"And I swear to God, you rich bastard, that if you complain about not being confident enough to ask out a girl or complain about acne, so help me, I will boot you out to the boys' house faster than a carrot down a horse's gullet," she replied, scowling at him. "You have enough confidence that you practically leave a trail of confident ooze wherever you go and you've got the most flawless skin I've ever seen. Come on, Little Kaiba; the other youngsters will be arriving soon and you'll want to be there to meet them. Big Kaiba, you're staying with Joey; he'll help you get situated with Old Toby."
"…Bye, Seto!" Mokuba exclaimed, hugging his brother around the waist, before hurrying after her. "So, do all of the full time workers stay in the Big House?"
"Yeah, actually. Well, that's a lie, I guess. You see…"
Seto listened to their voices fade before turning his attention back to the blond. "So… Your name is Joey?"
Joey tilted his head a little before nodding slowly. "Yeah. Joey Wheeler. You're Seto Kaiba, right? The owner of that big gaming company?"
The brunet sighed. He didn't want anyone groveling to him here. Especially this attractive male that he'd have to work with for the rest of the summer. "Yes."
"Must be nice, getting away for the summer. I'm glad you decided t' come here. Wild Orange is a pretty cool place. …Especially if you're tryin' to relax." The younger boy petted the horse's neck a few more times before turning a smile back on the brunet. "This is Millie. She's a Tennessee Walking Horse. If… if you're uncomfortable riding Old Toby, I'll trade you on those days."
Seto shrugged casually as he moved toward the stall labeled with his name. Peering inside, he found a large, chestnut horse about five and a half feet tall, broad in the shoulder and with small eyes and ears. Its legs were covered with a coat of white hair that seemed to feather out from the knee down. It eyed him back just as skeptically before letting out a snort, making the man jump in surprise.
"The first rule is to make sure that you never come up behind it," Joey stated, walking up beside him. "See, it can actually see two different pictures at once, on either side of its head, and it only has a few blind spots. One of those blind spots is directly behind it. If ya walk up behind it and startle it, it kicks. We don't want you t' get kicked."
"Okay. Now what?"
"Now, we go to the Big House so we can get ya settled into my room. Then, we'll go down and listen to the orientation. …Oh." Joey blushed. "I hope ya don't mind waking up early. On Mondays and Fridays, I go get bales of hay and straw for the horses. Our barn isn't very big, and the new barn isn't finished yet, so we have to go pick up our orders from the farm next door; the guy's nice enough to store our stuff until the new barn is finished." He grimaced a little. "I hope ya don't mind?"
"As long as it's not at some ungodly hour, I don't mind," Seto assured. "The earliest I'll wake up is four."
Joey looked appalled. "I only get up at five thirty! What sort of insomniac freak are you?"
.-.-.-.-.-.
"Breakfast is at seven-thirty sharp! Lunch is at noon! Dinner is at five-thirty! Meals are in the covered area behind the Big House! Kids here for just two weeks, go with Osamu! Kids here for the entire summer, stay with me!" Once the two groups had separated, Kiki turned to the smaller group of kids. "Normally, meals are followed strictly, but since you're here for the entire summer, you're given a little lee-way, and the people bunking with you get to reap the benefits. You have a small kitchenette in your houses; you get to keep snacks. And I would hope that you'd be kind enough to share them, if only with a 'fine, gimme a dollar and I'll let you eat half my cookies.' Okay?"
Seto smiled a little as the other teens giggled. He could understand why Kiki looked and acted so young now; the younger teens were finding it easier to relate to her.
Joey tugged lightly on his sleeve. "We get snack privileges too, and on Monday and Friday, the cooks make an extra breakfast for us, because we go get the hay and straw."
"Ah." He didn't get a chance to reply completely adequately, as Kiki began speaking again.
"We're giving you pretty much free reign of what you do. However, there are some conditions; there are two calendars on the back of the front doors to the houses. Kids on the west side of the house write their plans for their week on the left calendar, and kids on the east side write their plans on the right calendar. We will allow you to go on picnics. However, you must leave a list of what you want in your picnic baskets with the cooks three days ahead of when you would like to take your picnics.
"Also! If a problem arises, you know you can just ask any of the other employees. But, if you want to talk about something… personal… I'm always here, and I'll never tell another soul. …Unless you want me to, anyway," she added, taking the somber mood away. She waved toward Osamu, who was in the process of answering questions. "Just don't tell Osamu anything. He's not a very touchy feely person." After a pause, she waved a hand at the group. "Alright, boys, go see Osamu. GIRLS! OVER HERE!"
Joey tugged at the brunet's sleeve again. "We can go now. They're just gonna talk about personal hygiene stuff. You don't take too long in the shower, do ya?"
"…I don't think so," Seto replied, frowning.
"Good; we're sharin' the shower across from my room with Kiki and Osamu, and Osamu is sort of anal retentive and always needs his shower at seven o'clock on the dot. I don't really see why, but… So, ya wanna put your bags in my room and then we can go back t' the horses? Do you want the top bunk or the bottom bunk? Also, sometimes I snore. If I do, just go ahead and hit me or something. And don't worry about waking me up in the middle of the night—I could sleep through the apocalypse as long as I fall asleep first."
.-.-.-.-.-.
"Kaiba, come on; we gotta go get breakfast, and then we hafta escort the younger kids t' the farms."
Seto moaned in protest. "I don't think I have ever felt this badly, and I've been shot before."
"Don't worry; you'll get used to it after a while," Joey replied, then gave him a rough shake. "Up, up, up!"
"God, I'm up!" The brunet blinked as he sat up and found the blond holding his hand out to show a few pills. "…And what is that?"
"It's crystal meth," the blond stated, then rolled his eyes. "It's ibuprofen. It'll help with the pain. You can take more in about four hours."
Seto popped the pills into his mouth and took the glass of water he was offered. "So we picked up straw and hay yesterday; what do we do today, anyway?"
"Well, we take an empty cart with us when he drop off the kids at the farm to the left and help to transport the farmer's wife and daughter to the farmers' market, where they sell some of their crops. Then we take the cart back to the farm to pick up some vegetables that we pay for monthly, and bring those back here. While we're here, we pick up some coolers and put them in the cart and take them to the kids; we grab some oats for the horses, too. We eat lunch with the kids, then we come back for a break, and then we go pick them up again and take care of the horses, then go to dinner, and the rest of the evening is ours."
"…Do I have to sit on the horse?"
Joey laughed. "No, you can sit on the cart with me. Don't worry; you'll get used t' ridin', and ya won't get so sore."
"I can't wait for that," Seto sighed, then groaned and held his arms out helplessly. "I'm too stiff to get up." He couldn't help a small moan as the blond grasped his forearms and helped to tug him upward. "Thank you."
The blond smiled sweetly and patted him on the head. "We'll make a rider out of you yet, Kaiba."
"…Yeah, good luck with that," the older boy deadpanned, before groaning loudly as he forced himself to stand up. "Oh good God!"
.-.-.-.-.-.
Joey frowned and crossed his arms, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He hadn't seen Seto for a few hours. Granted, they didn't need to be together all of the time, but it was nice to hang out with someone his age. It was one of their free days, so he could be anywhere. And he knew he must be out somewhere, because Old Toby was gone and one of the other stable hands had informed him that Seto had saddled up and left.
But where would he go?
He felt like a little puppy, always following him around on their free days, but instead of being annoyed, Seto had found it endearing, and had taken to calling him 'puppy,' even going so far as to ruffle his hair; since he was kind like Kiki was and didn't mean it as an insult, he'd allowed it, although he made quips that he was not a puppy. He… he liked to say that he enjoyed the brunet's company, and he liked the guy, but if he was really being honest… He was really attracted to the older boy.
Talking to Kiki had convinced him that he needed to express his feelings, since the failure to do so had made him serve community service there anyway, so he needed to keep expressing himself, even if he did end up hurt. It would help him 'grow,' or some stupid thing like that.
Glancing up at Millie, he sighed. "So, where do you think Kaiba is?"
She snorted and tossed her head. She was going to be no help in the search.
"Hey, Joey, are you looking for someone?" one of the campers called, then giggled with her friends; apparently, he was quite good looking, and many of the girls had crushes on him.
Joey smiled sweetly. "Just lookin' for Kaiba! You guys wouldn't happen t' know where he is, would ya?"
"Are you looking for me, or Seto?"
The blond turned sharply, then smiled again when he found Mokuba coming up beside him with Serenity, horses in tow. "I'm lookin' for your brother. Know where he is?
"We just saw him on the beach," Serenity replied, stepping over and going on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "So what are you doing, big brother?"
"Ah, just somethin' I wanted t' talk t' Kaiba about."
"Well, you might have to ride pretty far. He said he was going to try a gallop on the sand today, and Osamu said it should be okay, as long as he felt confident enough for it," Mokuba added, smiling. "I like that he's relaxed a little. Having you as a friend must be really helpful, Joey."
Joey blushed and scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "Oh, well, I dunno about that. I guess."
"Well, good luck with whatever you want to tell him," Serenity added, smiling, before turning back to Mokuba. "We were just going to collect our picnic basket and go for a ride on the beach, too. Maybe we'll see you guys!"
"Yeah. Maybe," the blond replied, smiling, before he swung up onto Millie's back and kicked her into a gallop as well.
Catching up with Seto took about forty-five minutes; he was almost on the other side of the lake. He'd worried at first that he may be pushing Old Toby too hard, but he found the brunet standing with his bare feet in the lapping waters, his pants rolled up to his knees as the horse grazed nearby. He looked completely at ease with the world at the moment.
Slowing Millie into a trot, Joey hesitated before calling out to him. "Kaiba!"
Seto turned, then smiled a little and stepped out of the water, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Hey. I thought it was such a nice day that going once around the lake would be okay."
"Yeah. How long have you let Old Toby chill?" the blond asked quietly.
"Oh, about fifteen minutes. It's quiet out here; I just wanted to take a while to enjoy it."
Joey nodded in understanding, then smiled. "So are ya ready t' keep goin'? I'll come with ya."
"Okay," Seto agreed, walking over to the Clydesdale so casually munching on some of the grass. "You came up as if you were on a mission. What had you riding so hard, anyway?"
The younger boy blushed, then closed his eyes tightly. "Um… I wanted t' tell ya somethin'."
The brunet turned toward him and raised an eyebrow, then tilted his head a little. "Well? I'm listening."
Joey opened his eyes and sighed, then hesitantly looked up at him. "…I just… wanted t' say… I like ya."
Seto smiled slightly. "Well, thanks. I like you too, puppy."
"No, I…" The blond bit his bottom lip helplessly. "…Kaiba…" Seeing that he'd missed the point, Joey brought Millie up beside him and leaned toward him.
The older boy blinked in surprise as the blond leaned in, and he was vaguely worried that he might fall, but then his attention was arrested by the fact that the smaller teen's lips were pressed against his own. He blinked again once, twice, and then suddenly the blond's face was gone.
Joey looked up at him, blushing, and bit his bottom lip anxiously, then sighed when the brunet didn't reply. "…I'm sorry," he whispered, then hurriedly yanked on his horse's reigns. The mare snorted and turned quickly, and was then kicked into a gallop.
Seto turned his head to watch him go, stunned. "…Joey. Joey! Wait a second! Joey!"
Old Toby was startled; he'd never heard the human on his back raise his voice, let alone shout at the top of his lungs. Obviously, something was wrong. Beginning to fear for his own safety, the horse neighed and reared back on his hind hooves. He felt the weight of the human fall, and he was minutely concerned for him, but he couldn't bring himself to care too much when his own safety was at risk, so he bolted.
Seto felt himself fall almost in slow motion; the past few minutes had just been too fast for him to catch up properly. Then he felt the pain as he fell the nearly six feet from the horse's back, and a sharp, massive pain as his head struck something hard and unyielding, that wasn't soft like the sand. As the edges of his vision began to go black, he decided he needed to punch the other boy. Punch him hard.
.-.-.-.-.-.
'How could I have been so stupid!'
Who would want to be with a delinquent anyway? Seto must have found out! And he was male to boot! Of course Seto wouldn't want anything to do with him! And he'd kissed him! He would be lucky if Seto ever talked to him again!
Joey buried his face in his pillow and couldn't help a sob. He damned himself for having such a horrible past with gangs and the law. No one would ever want him because of that. Especially not someone as affluent and sought after as Seto Kaiba!
Vaguely, he could hear the sounds of discord outside, and he knew he should go check and see what was wrong, but he couldn't bring himself to get up. He just wanted to wallow in his own self-pity until Seto came back and he was forced to live with the awkward situation. He turned his head a little as he heard feet pounding up the stairs, then hurriedly wiped his eyes so he wouldn't have to deal with anymore embarrassment.
Instead of a knock, the door was thrown open, alerting him to the fact that something big was up.
Kiki stepped in only for a moment. "Riderless horse! Get up!"
Joey was on his feet before she even began to order him up. A horse had come back without a rider. That meant the rider was still out there somewhere, possibly hurt. The ranch didn't need that kind of publicity. When he saw the anxious horse that was giving the other handlers so much trouble, though, he felt his heart plummet to his toes.
Seto.
.-.-.-.-.-.
Seto was first aware of a throbbing in the back of his skull. The second thing was of someone holding his hand in a death grip. Swallowing roughly to wet his scratchy dry throat, he cracked his eyes open slowly and couldn't help but sigh in relief when he realized the room he was in was dim. Glancing down at his hand, he couldn't help his lips quirking into a small smile. "…M'k'ba."
Mokuba jerked his head upward and gasped. "Seto! You're—I gotta—Stay right here!"
The brunet blinked as his brother rushed out of the room. '…Where would I go?'
Mokuba returned moments later with Kiki, who had latched onto Osamu's wrist and was dragging him inside. "He's awake!"
"So you said. Osamu! Heal him!" the girl ordered, thrusting the man toward the bed.
"I told you, you psycho! I'm a veterinarian! Not a physician!" Osamu spat, turning toward her. "I have no license to practice on humans and—"
"But Kaori's still forty-five minutes away!" Kiki exclaimed, frowning.
The vet glared at her for a moment, then sighed and turned the silent brunet. "How are you feeling?"
"…Like shit."
"I would expect so. There's some aspirin on the table by your glass of water. Take it and just lie here until Kaori gets here to make sure you don't have a concussion or internal bleeding or anything." The older man turned and waved a hand carelessly. "That's all I can tell you because your brain is not shaped like a horse's or a dog's."
Mokuba smiled brightly. "Don't worry! Seto's got a thick skull!"
Seto sighed. "…Yeah."
"…Oh! I meant physically! He's not stupid!"
Kiki chuckled and grabbed his arm to lead him back out. "Let's let your brother rest, Mokuba. He's had a long day."
Seto frowned. "Wait. Where am I?"
The blonde paused before turning toward him again. "You're in your room. Your bed is more comfortable than the ones in the med room."
He glanced around the room slowly, then nodded. After a moment, he quietly asked, "…Where's Joey?"
"Um… Taking care of Old Toby, I think. We just got him calmed down. You've been out for a few hours."
"…Will you send him up here when he's finished? I want to speak to him about something." When she nodded, the brunet closed his eyes and sighed, relaxing back into the pillow. He'd heard that most people didn't really know what happened when they were hit, but he knew—he would probably never be able to forget.
Seeing the hope glowing in amber eyes, only to see it immediately fade moments later to be replaced by forming tears, would be burned into his memory for the rest of his life. Accompanying the vision would be the whispered, broken, 'I'm sorry.' Joey would be stuck in his head forever.
He wanted to take the aspirin, he decided, but his stomach was roiling in a manner warning him of illness if he moved too much. He should just go back to sleep, hope the ache went away by the next time he woke up. Hopefully then he would be ready to face the world, try and see if Old Toby had just been startled or if he had a death wish against him.
He kept his eyes shut as he heard the door open but didn't move. When he felt fingertips sliding down his cheek, he suppressed a shiver, then waited until he blond was 'sure' he was asleep. Once he felt the younger teen's lips brush against his, though, he reached up, grabbed his hair, and dragged him onto the bed.
Joey yipped as he collapsed on top of him, then hurriedly tried to scramble up, but the grip on his hair was too tight. "Owie!" He mewed quietly as he stilled and closed his eyes tightly. "Kaiba…!"
Seto gripped his hair a little tighter and relished the whimper he gained in response; he knew it was sadistic, but the blond had run off without even getting a response, and he wanted to punish him for that at least a little. "…If I let go, will you promise not to run off?" he asked, still not opening his eyes.
The younger boy winced a little. "Yes. I promise." He sighed in relief as he felt his hair being released, then leaned back to sit on the edge of the bed, frowning.
"You didn't even let me answer you," the brunet commented, lifting a hand to cup one side of the suddenly-shivering boy's face. Running his thumb over the slightly pouted lower lip, he finally opened his eyes to look up at him. "And I stand but I what I said when I'd misunderstood you. I like you too."
Joey blinked, then frowned in confusion. "…But… ya didn't say anything when I first told ya…"
"I was trying to get over the fact that you'd just admitted you had feelings for me." Seto scowled. "How was I supposed to answer you immediately when you just admit out of nowhere that you like me, fool?"
The blond looked away. "…But Kaiba… I… I know ya can't really like me. I mean… you're so prominent, and I'm… If you're seen with me… a juvenile delinquent… It just wouldn't work."
"I should slap you silly. Really. Why should I give a damn whether you're a delinquent or not? Besides, what have you really done wrong? Fought in some gangs? Pissed off a cop or two? Do you really think I care?" The older boy shot him a glare. "Have I ever given you any indication that I care what people think about me? Because I do not. And I swear to God that if I have to embarrass you by announcing in a press conference that you're my boyfriend, I will. Alright? Just letting you know."
Joey blushed, stunned, then scowled. "You'd just announce it? Without even talkin' t' me?"
"Well you just ran off without even talking to me! I'd say it's a fair trade!" the brunet snapped. "God, Joey! Do you have to complicate everything?"
"So, I hear someone took a tumble off his horse!" The woman striding into the room paused in the doorway. "…Am I interrupting something, Joey?"
"No, I was just leavin'!" Joey snapped, sending the other boy a small glare, before he got up and stomped out.
Seto watched him go, then looked up at the brunette blinking at him. "Kaori, I assume?"
"…I'm here to check if you have a concussion or if you're dying from internal bleeding," Kaori stated after a moment. "…Is everything okay with Joey?"
"…I believe so." Seto paused. "…I can never really be sure."
.-.-.-.-.-.
Seto narrowed his eyes. "So, was that just a onetime thing, or will you be trying to buck me off again?"
The chestnut Clydesdale turned his head to the side and eyed him through one sharp brown eye. His ear twisted from front to back before he snorted.
"…I see we understand each other." He nodded in acceptance. "Then we shall try this again."
Mokuba raised an eyebrow, hands on his hips, as he observed his brother having his… conversation with a horse. Sometimes, he really doubted that Seto's psychiatrist did him any good. "…Really, Seto?"
Seto turned toward him and blinked. "Really what?"
"…You're talking to him like you talk to some of your more trusted employees," the younger boy deadpanned. "…You're holding a one-sided conversation with a horse."
"Of course I am. Old Toby is an extremely intelligent horse."
Old Toby lifted his head in a proud manner, as if he'd been listening.
Mokuba stared at them for a few moments, then sighed and rolled his eyes. "You deserve each other. Well, I'm gonna be gone for a few days. I've decided to go with Serenity and her friends on their little campout."
"You will come back with ribbons in your hair," Seto predicted, lifting a hand to gently brush the horse's cheek. "And your nails painted."
"…Thanks for the vote of confidence, Seto," the younger boy replied, glaring at him for a moment, before turning to stomp back out.
The brunet watched him go, then sighed and turned back to the horse looking at him expectantly. "I've been getting that a lot lately. …I've been told I'm not allowed to ride you for a few days." He pulled an apple from his pocket and offered it to the quiet equine, who gratefully took it, crunching loudly. "And Joey doesn't seem to want to talk to me. So I guess you'll just have to go out with him while I'm on bed rest."
Old Toby squinted at him.
Seto sighed. "I know, I should be in bed right now. I get tired of lying around without being able to do anything, though." He stiffened as he heard someone coming and looked around frantically for someplace to hide, then hurriedly clambered over the door of Old Toby's stall. "Pretend I'm not here!"
Old Toby snorted, startled, and stamped a hoof, but did nothing else as the brunet pressed up against the stall door.
"—Still can't believe him!"
Seto flinched and hoped that Joey hadn't come to get Old Toby.
Joey threw his bag on the ground and huffed. "Just goin' and sayin' he'd announce it whether I like it or not! I can't believe him! Stupid jerk!" He turned his head as he heard an outraged snort, then frowned. "Hey. Are ya still feelin' bad about tossin' Kaiba?"
Old Toby blinked at him slowly. Seto grimaced.
The blond sighed and trudged over to the Clydesdale's stall. "Don't feel bad. Ya hafta admit, sometimes that jerk deserved a punch in the face—" Seto scowled. "—And buckin' him was just your version, right?" Joey smiled as the horse snorted again. "See, so I'm not the only one mad at him."
The horse turned his head to gaze at him out of one eye, as if to say, 'Says who? I'm not angry.'
Joey sighed and leaned his arms on top of the door, frowning again. "…He says he likes me, Toby. But how can he?" He trailed his finger over the horse's snout. "…He's so rich, and I'm so poor… He's so sexy, and I'm so plain… What could he possibly see in me?"
Seto sighed as well and pinched the bridge of his nose. The younger boy was beginning to drive him insane with his self-esteem issues.
"…I'm not even allowed out of Kiki's custody until the beginning of next year. He'll probably forget all about me by the time I can come visit," Joey mumbled, closing his eyes to force some tears back. "With all the supermodels and other pretty women that must chase after him… He will, ya know. He'll choose one of them, and when I come t' visit him, he'll laugh in my face. I dunno why I even told him I liked him."
Old Toby blinked again. He had a bad feeling.
The blond scowled. "Why do I even like him, anyway? He's grumpy in the morning, when he gets mad at me he calls me mutt, and he doesn't even like dogs! He's dependent on technology! I mean, the first few weeks he was here, he actually had the shakes because he couldn't check his email! How pathetic is that?"
Seto flinched a little. 'I know I didn't exactly handle that the best, but I've been running a company for years! I couldn't just get used to—'
"And he's a real jerk when he doesn't like somethin' and someone else does! It's no wonder he hasn't made any friends!"
The brunet flinched again, then sank down even further in his hiding spot.
"I mean, he only gets phone calls from some guy named Roland, and it turns out, that's his head of security! How pathetic is it that his only friend outside of work is some old man—that still works for him! Isn't it against the rules for him to be gettin' calls from him? Because some of those calls weren't strictly about his health or anythin'!"
Seto regretted not getting caught out of bed; being yelled at would be much more preferable to being told all of his flaws—especially since, if Joey ever found out he'd heard him, he'd get even more angry with him!
"If I think about it, he really doesn't deserve me, anyway. I'm much nicer than he is, much friendlier, and I actually like t' get out once in a while! From what Mokuba says, Kaiba is always inside! How am I s'posed t' put up with that? We'd never be able t' get along!"
…Was he not outside now? Seto sighed. He knew that would probably change once he got home, but he'd at least make more of an effort to get outside.
"Oh, I dunno why I even bother." Joey sighed and sat up straight. "Whatever. I'm gonna go saddle up Millie. We're goin' on meet Serenity on her campin' trip until Kaiba can get outta bed." He grumbled to himself as he began saddling up the Tennessee Walking Horse and packed his saddle bags. "He's not even a very nice guy. I can't believe I told him I liked him!" His temper simmered down a little as he began leading her out of the stables. "…I can't believe I still like him," he added to himself quietly, frowning.
Seto winced, then bit his bottom lip. That was usually the way it went; people were interested in him because of his money, looks, and few good qualities, but when they found out that his bad qualities far outnumbered the good, they made themselves scarce. Even Mokuba avoided him for a few days when he was in a really bad mood. It was always only a matter of time before every one of his significant others left.
That was how he'd begun making rules. He would not let anyone move in until he was sure of their motives; he would not get a pet with anyone; he would not let that person into his bed until he was sure there were no materials of blackmail or ways to obtain it anywhere. When even that failed to keep him from getting hurt, he just didn't date anymore. He'd hoped… Well, he should have known better.
.-.-.-.-.-.
Kiki smiled brightly as she saw Seto come inside. "Hey, Big Kaiba! What a coincidence! Your psycho's here!"
Seto only paused to glance at the doctor before stating, "I'm going home."
Dr. Tsukino blinked, then turned toward him in confusion. "But Mr. Kaiba, why-?"
"Because I'm a jerk, because I'm pathetic, because I'm grumpy in the morning and I'm not even a nice guy," the brunet spat without turning to look at him. "I hate you. I hate this place. I hate horses. I HATE MY LIFE. Tell Mokuba I'll send the car back for him."
"…But… I thought you liked it here," Kiki asked quietly, frowning.
Seto paused at the stairs, honestly feeling remorse for perhaps hurting the innocent ranch owner's feelings. "…I don't think Joey would really appreciate me staying any longer, Kiki."
She looked down at her feet and sighed. "So… you didn't accept his feelings then."
"…It was more like he didn't accept mine," the brunet replied quietly, then continued upstairs. "And he changed his on his own."
.-.-.-.-.-.
Joey frowned as he saw a truck pulling out with a horse trailer on it, Osamu sitting in the passenger seat. After a moment, he continued to take Millie into the stalls. He immediately looked around to find which horse was missing, but it was midday, so there were lots of horses missing. Old Toby was gone, though; he figured Seto was out riding to get away from him.
Once Millie was squared away, though, he walked into the house and tossed his bag onto the couch. "I'm back from camping. Serenity and the others will be back in a couple of hours." He yelped as he suddenly found himself up against a wall, his shirt clenched in tight fists. "Ow! Kiki-!"
"What. Did Kaiba. Mean. When he said. You didn't. Accept. His. FEELINGS?" she ground out, glaring at him.
Joey frowned. "What are you—"
"I asked if he'd turned you down. He insinuated it was the other way around. Then he left. Old Toby hasn't eaten since then. Kaiba won't pick up his phone. And all of this started because of you."
The blond blinked in confusion. "…Wait, so Seto is—"
"GONE LIKE THE WIND!" Kiki shouted, throwing her hands up in disgust. "God damn it, I said confess your feelings, not make him storm off thinking—oh, what was it, what was it? That he's 'a jerk, pathetic, grumpy in the morning, and not even a nice guy!' I'd say he was pretty nice, not punching you in the face when you said you liked him!"
"…Wait, why would he think that?" Joey asked, frowning.
"It seemed like he got those ideas from someone else. HMM, I WONDER WHO IT COULD BE."
"…But I never said those things t' him. I only said them to Old To—" The blond cut himself off, then groaned and leaned his face in his hand. "…He musta snuck outta the house and hidden in the stables when he heard someone comin'. I can't believe—"
"Nice going, blondie," Kiki snapped, glaring at him. "Just traumatize the guy ya really like! Tsukino said—well, okay, he didn't actually say because of privacy issues, but he insinuated—that Kaiba has actually regressed emotionally! He's clammed up as much as he was when they first started therapy! Do you know when they started therapy? TWO YEARS AGO. You screwed up big, puppy."
Joey frowned. "But I couldn't have done that much—"
The ranch owner growled and lifted her hands, flexing them as if she wanted to wrap them around his neck. Luckily, she had the self-restraint to keep from killing him. She forced herself to calm down and took a deep breath, then glared at him again. "Joey, from what I gathered, he was even more emotionally fragile than you. And you came to us pretty messed up. Way to be, Joey." She sighed tiredly. "…Way to be."
The blond watched her go in confusion, then looked down at his feet, brows furrowing together as he tried to comprehend what was going on. So Seto had heard him say all of those not-so-kind things to him? And then… he must have heard him ask why he had ever liked him, as if he'd stopped liking him, and hadn't heard him say that he still liked him.
He'd… really hurt the other boy.
.-.-.-.-.-.
Seto sighed and tossed a few bills onto the desk, glancing through the rest of the envelopes. Finding one from Mokuba, he smiled a little, ready to toss the others away, but frowned when he saw that another envelope had the same return address on it. The name of the sender was missing; he supposed it was the bill for their stays at the ranch. He decided to open that first and get it out of the way.
I'M SORRY DON'T THROW ME AWAY YET.
Seto blinked, then slid his eyes to the bottom of the letter. His eyes narrowed at the signature.
Love, Joey—SERIOUSLY READ THE LETTER BEFORE YOU THROW IT AWAY!
The brunet crumpled the letter up and tossed it onto the table with the other bills in distaste, taking only Mokuba's letter with him to his office.
.-.-.-.-.-.
Joey bit his bottom lip as he watched Kiki sort the mail, tapping his hands anxiously on the table. "Maybe it's gonna come today?"
"It's been three weeks. I highly doubt he'd write you back no—Well, speak of the devil. Here," she replied, handing him the envelope with his name on it.
The blond opened it quickly, fumbling to pull out the letter, but was immediately disappointed at what he found.
Stop writing me, mutt. I have no interest in even reading something you've written to me. I do not want to ever see you, hear you, read from you, or hear about you again.
Kiki frowned as she saw the blond's eyes fill with tears. "Not good?"
"…He… he didn't even sign it," Joey whispered, then hurriedly turned his head and scrubbed his fist over his eyes. "M-must be some pollen in the air or somethin'."
"It's okay to cry, you know. I'm the only one here, and I cry all the time, so I can't really talk." She looked back down at the letters she was sorting again. "It's his loss, puppy."
"But I really hurt him," the blond replied quietly. "I said all of those things about him. I was just mad. I didn't mean them."
"Get any access keys or codes you need from Mokuba to get inside the house and get Osamu to drive you to Domino and make him listen to you, then," Kiki exclaimed in frustration. "Just stop bothering me!"
Joey frowned. "…Isn't that illegal?"
"WELL, GEE, ISN'T THAT WHAT GOT YOU HERE?" she roared, glaring at him. "NOW GET OUTTA HERE, YOU PAIN IN THE ASS!"
Joey scampered out of the room as quickly as he could. Kiki was very kind, but when she lost her temper, she was a force to behold.
.-.-.-.-.-.
Seto raised an eyebrow and paused in his steps, frowning in thought. Something hadn't been right about the living room when he'd walked in. Taking a few steps backward, he turned his head, then scowled. "How the hell did you get in here?"
Joey held his hands up quickly. "At least hear me out before ya have your goons throw me on the street!"
"I'd rather have the pleasure of doing that myself," the brunet growled, stalking toward him.
"Wait-wait-wait! S-stop! Hear me out!" the smaller teen exclaimed, whimpering as the brunet grabbed his shirt with one hand and the hem of his jeans with the other. "Ah-! K-Kaiba!"
Seto growled and began dragging him out. "You have seven seconds before we reach the door—ten, if you struggle hard enough."
"I didn't know ya were there—If I'd known, I never woulda—"
"The fact is everything you said was true; obviously, there are other people more like you that you can date." Seto paused to open the door. "Say goodbye, mutt."
"Meep!" Joey flailed wildly as the brunet grabbed the hem of his jeans again and actually lifted him off the ground. "But I still really like yooo—Oomph!" He grunted quietly as he hit the ground outside, then winced as he heard the door slam shut behind him. Sitting up slowly, he sighed, then went to go sit on the top step, placing his chin on his hands.
Osamu wouldn't be back until the next day, but Joey didn't have enough money for a hotel, even a capsule one. Even if he had, he would have to come back, because Osamu was picking him up from the Kaiba estate, not some unknown hotel. After a moment, he sighed and stood up, dusting the seat of his pants off. It would be best if he actually got off of Seto's property to wait; he didn't want to get thrown again.
He'd really messed up; how could he have been so cruel? Why wasn't Seto even hearing him out?
.-.-.-.-.-.
Seto grabbed the phone before it could ring a second time, refusing to look away from him. "Kaiba."
"Sir, there's a boy here that's been loitering on the sidewalk for hours and shows no signs of leaving. Should we call the police?"
The brunet frowned and minimized a few windows in favor of bringing up the security system. When he saw the younger boy sitting on the curb, rocking back and forth idly as he stared at the ground, he leaned his head in his hand and sighed. "…No. Just… let him sit there. If he's still there at eight, give me another call."
"Yes, sir."
Seto hung up the phone slowly, then sighed. After a few moments, he glanced over at the crumpled letter he still hadn't brought himself to throw away. He debated throwing it away now, just to spite the blond, but thought better of it and slowly reached for the abused wad of paper.
He unfolded it gently, then set it on the desk so he could smooth it down further. Then, he began to read, and he felt his heart sink a little.
I'M SORRY DON'T THROW ME AWAY YET.
In case you are still reading, Dear Seto,
I'm sorry. I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. I'm sorry I made you feel badly and I'm sorry I drove you away. But I guess, this is too late to say I'm sorry. So I'll just explain.
I meant everything I said, but I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I do think you're a jerk, pathetic, grumpy in the morning, and not even a nice guy. But I meant it in the most loving way possible. DON'T STOP READING AND DON'T LAUGH I'M SERIOUS.
You are a jerk, but I figure you need to be that way. I'm actually sort of impressed by your jerkiness. I'd never be able to be so quick in decision making, especially if other people were involved. I'm sure you're just trying to protect yourself and Mokuba. After all, people must try to hurt you, and being a jerk must be a defense mechanism to keep those people away, right?
…And you're really sexy when you're being a jerk, even if you're being a jerk to me.
You have to admit, you are pretty pathetic, too. You were lost without your laptop and cell phone, huh? But… it was really cute. I liked that you were so helpless without any idea what to do. It made you seem more human, and… and that was attractive to me. Because even though you didn't know what to do with yourself, you still kept up a strong front, and that was comforting.
I felt that if I was afraid, if I was in your arms, we could face the world, no matter what the consequences.
You being grumpy in the morning is really cute, too. You were so helpless, so fuzzy-brained that I could suggest just about anything and you'd say yes. It was nice to see a more human, less CEO side of you. All the times you'd blink up at me in the morning, looking so cute and confused, was really sweet. You were even cuter when you were disgruntled; like a bird that had just had his feathers ruffled.
It's nice to see a more human side of you.
And I don't care if you're not a nice guy, as long as you're nice to me. Just looking at me, seeing a smile, it makes me the happiest person on earth, especially when I'm the one that's made you smile.
I guess… I can't make you smile anymore.
I just needed you to know. I wonder a lot how it would have been if we really had gotten together, but I realize I don't deserve that anymore with the way I hurt you. I just didn't want you to think that I thought you were a bad person. I think you're a very good person. I just couldn't let you think that I didn't like you, because I really, really do.
I'm sorry.
Love, Joey SERIOUSLY READ THE LETTER BEFORE YOU THROW IT AWAY!
He couldn't believe he'd thought so little of the other boy. Sighing, Seto leaned his face in his hand. "…I'm such an insensitive jerk." He jumped a little as the phone rang again but hurriedly answered it. "Kaiba."
"Sir, he's still down here. Is there anything you'd like us to do now?"
"No, I'll… I'll handle it."
"Yes, sir."
Seto set the phone back in its cradle and sighed again, then glanced back at the computer screen at the blond's trembling form. "…How do I fix this?"
.-.-.-.-.-.
Joey yipped in surprise as something fell over his back and turned his head sharply, blinking in confusion when soft, thick fabric brushed against his cheek. He frowned when he realized it was a blanket. "Wha…?"
"You looked cold," Seto commented, sliding his hands into his pockets.
"…Oh," the blond replied quietly, looking back down at the street. "…Thanks."
The older boy glanced both ways down the street before looking back down at him. "What are you waiting for?"
"Osamu said he'd come pick me up again in the morning. I dunno where there are any hotels, and I don't have enough money for one anyway. I figured I'd just wait here."
Seto sighed and lifted a hand to rub his temple gently. "…You can come inside and stay in a guest room if you want."
Joey flinched at the memory of being thrown out and shook his head quickly. "Nah, I'll be fine out here. 's not as if I haven't slept in worse weather."
The brunet scowled, then sighed again. "Let me rephrase that. You are going to come inside and stay in a guest room."
The younger boy squealed in surprise as he was heaved upward and squirmed frantically. "W-w-what are ya doin' hey stop that!" He growled as the blanket was wrapped awkwardly around his torso and wiggled, only to whimper as the brunet gave him a swift slap to his ass. "Owie!"
"Stop squirming or I'll drop you," Seto stated coolly, waving off the guards that had come to meet him in case he needed help. Giving the blond another spank when he wiggled again, he smirked when he heard a soft mewl of complaint. "You don't want to be dropped, do you, puppy?"
"No! That hurt!" Despite his want not to, Joey's bottom lip jutted out into a pout. "Can't believe you're actually forcin' me t' stay in your house."
Seto glanced back at him, smirk widening. "How could I just leave a puppy out in the cold? Besides, you look so cute wrapped up in that blanket; like a pink puppy taco."
"Pink puppy taco?" the blond sputtered, turning his head to glare. "You're evil! Ya know that?"
"Calm down, puppy. Don't get your panties in a twist."
"I don't wear panties—eep!" Joey squealed as he was dropped, only to sigh in relief as he landed on the couch. "…Ya tryin' t' give me a heart attack, you bast—Nyee! …Don't do that!" he snarled, glaring at the brunet whose face was much too close to his.
Seto offered him one last smirk before schooling his face into a serious mask. "I finally read your letter."
Joey frowned, then turned onto his side, facing away from him. "…Oh. I see."
"…I was too angry to read it when I first got it." Seto frowned as well when the blond carefully pulled the blanket so that it hid his face, then leaned a little further over the back of the couch. "I kept it this long. Doesn't that mean anything?"
"It means ya tossed it somewhere and forgot about it until I came t' bother ya," the blond mumbled, burrowing further into the blanket and couch. "I gotta admit, I'm surprised ya didn't just throw it away as soon as ya saw it was from me." He flinched as he felt a hand on his side and bit his bottom lip. "J-just stop, okay? I know I blew it; ya don't gotta rub it in my fa—ah?" He whimpered as the older boy grabbed his hair, much like he had after he'd gotten injured.
The brunet gave the golden hair in his fingers a small squeeze, then dipped his head a little so his lips caught the corner of the younger boy's mouth. When he pulled back, he caught the blond's eyes and gently released his hair to gently massage his scalp. "…I would never rub it in your face; despite how little you may think of me, I would never do something so deliberately cruel to you."
Joey blinked up at him slowly, then offered him a bashful smile. "…Ya really like me back, then?"
"Yes, puppy. I like you so much that it hurts." Seto let his eyes slide shut as the blond leaned in and brushed their lips together in a soft, chaste kiss.
The younger boy sent him the same sweet smile before he ducked back under the blanket, blushing lightly. "Okay. T-then I'll make sure to visit as often as I can, a-and I'll call, and email ya, and—"
"Why not stay with me?" the brunet asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We don't know each other well enough yet. And I'm not outta Kiki's custody until January. And honestly, you'd probably come int' my room in the middle of the night and molest me."
Seto smirked. "You can't molest the willing, puppy."
"Hmm. –Kaiba!" Joey gasped, sitting up quickly. "Ya didn't say goodbye t' Old Toby! He ain't eatin'! Osamu had t' take him t' the emergency animal hospital!"
"…And… all of this is because of me leaving," the brunet stated in disbelief. He sighed and quickly held up his hand. "No, never mind. Let me go pack a bag and we'll go see Old Toby."
The younger boy grabbed his hand quickly before he could leave and peered up at him through his lashes. "…Ya really like me, Kaiba?" He gasped as he was pulled upward into another kiss, much less chaste and sweet than the first. "Mm!" He groaned loudly as the brunet reached down to grab his ass and jerked his hips forward in embarrassment.
Seto sucked on his bottom lip roughly, then released it, stroking his hair. "I really like you, puppy. Call Osamu and tell him I'll take you back to the ranch myself."
"Oh, but—where's your phone then-?"
The brunet paused, then sighed. "I'll buy a cell phone for you later. I'll be right back."
Joey frowned. "Ya don't hafta—"
"Don't think I'm doing it for you. I'm a greedy bastard; I want access to you at all times."
The blond blinked, then giggled quietly. "So I'm adding 'greedy bastard' to the list then?"
"Yes. Along with 'ice prince,' and I believe I was once called 'horniest man alive.'"
Joey blushed. "Eep!"
.-.-.-.-.-.
Osamu scowled. "…I have decided I hate you," he stated, glaring at the brunet so innocently feeding the weakened horse some oats.
"It's not my fault he likes me better than you," Seto retorted. "Turns out, it wasn't my fault at all; he had an ulcer that made digesting things hurt."
"…I'll kill you," the veterinarian hissed, shaking a fist at him.
Joey frowned. "Osamu, I know that Kiki has rules against the kids havin' cell phones and stuff, but if Kaiba bought one for me, do ya think that would be okay?"
"…Are you a child, or an employee, Joey?" When he received a sheepish smile, he sighed and pulled out his own cell phone. "Once you get it, expect to have Kiki's phone number magically appear on your contacts' list and become number one on your speed dial. Also, expect text messages at even the ungodliest hours of the night."
"Okay. …Not as if she doesn't toss water on me at random intervals anyway," the blond mumbled, rolling his eyes.
Osamu rolled his eyes as well, clicking his tongue, then raised an eyebrow at him. "So? Are you moving in with Kaiba then?"
Joey blushed. "N-no! We don't know each other that well, and—"
"He's too afraid I'll sneak into his room and molest him in the middle of the night," Seto replied, turning toward him. "And something about Kiki having custody until January."
"…Yeah. Whatever. Well, if that's all, I'm gonna go back; you'll still bring him back to the ranch, right?"
"Sure. Gives me a little more time to wine and dine my puppy before I take him home."
Joey blushed even more. "…Tell Kiki that everything's okay, will ya?"
"I'll tell her as soon as she's finished jumping my bones."
"AUGH! MY MIND! YOU'VE RAPED MY MIND!"
Seto raised an eyebrow as he watched the blond freak out. "…Well I could tell they were in a relationship."
"I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO SLEEP AGAIN!"
"…You know, I could help with that."
"MY EYES WILL BLEED!"
"Well, that sounds horrible."
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TOLD ME THAT!"
"He's gone, you know."
"I WILL HATE YOU UNTIL THE DAY I DIE!"
"Let's get married."
Joey blinked, pausing in his screams, before turning back to the brunet in confusion. "What?"
"I suggested that we get something to eat," Seto replied, rolling his eyes. "Since we know Old Toby's okay now. Then we can go back to my place and watch a movie, and tomorrow I can buy you that cell phone and take you back to the ranch."
The blond blushed a little and nibbled his bottom lip. "…Well… C-could I just stay a few more days? It's been a long time since I've been here, and I'd like to spend some time havin' a little fun."
"Puppy, that sounds fantastic. How does Chinese food sound?"
Joey smiled. "Delicious! Ya must know that a way to a guy's heart is through his stomach!"
"…Personally, the way to my heart is coffee, but okay," Seto replied, leaning down to press a quick kiss to his lips before he grabbed the younger boy's hand and led him out to the car. "Coffee and sex."
The blond blushed again, gasping in affront. "Kaiba!"
"I believe you're allowed to call me Seto now. Just be aware that eventually, I will have you writhing beneath me on the bed, crying and screaming my name."
"KAIBA!"
"I never said it had to be soon; I just wanted you to know that eventually, it will happen."
"Pervert! Lemme go! I don't wanna go t' dinner with ya anymore! Leggo, I said!"
"I thought you said you wanted Chinese food."
"…Bastard."
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Whoa. Can you believe I've never even ridden a horse? But I love them; they're so elegant. I'll ride a horse one day! I am determined! Anyway, tell me what you think about it. I was hesitant to post it. :/