Author note: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.
Chapter 2
The final bell was both a blessing and a curse. While it was nice to finally get away from Ms. Lancer's leering eye, the last thing Joey wanted to do was be anywhere near Seto Kaiba.
"Hey Joey! Want to go to arcade?" Joey's best friend, Yugi, ran up beside him. Pushing a long blond bang away from his face, Yugi walked a little ways with Joey to allow the others in their group to catch up.
"Nah, man. I can't. I have to bring up my math grade or I can't graduate." Joey scuffed his sneaker against the concrete, already not looking forward to the rest of his afternoon.
"That's rough, man." said Tristan as he wrapped an arm around Joey's neck from behind.
"Yeah, do you need a tutor?" Tea smoothed out her uniform skirt as she joined the group.
"Already got one…it's Kaiba." The name sounded almost vulgar in his mouth, causing Joey to make a face to accentuate his feeling.
He thought briefly of ditching the rich bastard as he continued walking with his friends, but spending even one more year with his deadbeat of a father was enough to make him eventually stride up to the young CEO, trying not to look enviously at the sleek black limo he was standing next to.
"Well now, I always knew you'd come back to your master, mutt." Seto couldn't hide the smirk forming on his lips. Seeing the disgruntled blond shuffling toward him with such an expression of wounded pride on his face was enough to brighten up his day.
"Shut up, Kaiba! If you're so smart, you should be able to tell the difference between dogs and people 'cuz I am a person!" Joey glared hard at the brunet.
"I believe I can tell the difference mutt. You're snarling, therefore I must conclude that you possess the qualities of a canine."
"I am not snarling!!"
"Mutt, shut up and get in the car." Joey continued to glare at the taller man as he carefully stepped into the limo. Quickly waving to his friends, Joey plopped down on the seat furthest from the open door in order to be as far away from Kaiba as possible. Following suit and closing the door behind him, Kaiba smirked as Joey glared at the floor of the limo, enjoying the helplessness of the blond's situation.
They both sat in silence throughout the drive, looking out their respective windows. The ride was a quick one, which Kaiba was grateful for. Stepping out of the car smoothly when they arrived at their destination, Kaiba turned around slightly to make sure the mutt was following him. The look of utter awe on the shorter man's face was amusing to say the least, but he continued swiftly toward the door leaving Joey behind.
Joey stood awestruck outside the front of the Kaiba Mansion. Two enormous columns stood in front of the entrance with miles it seemed of windows extending on either side of the house. Joey didn't think he could even count the number of rooms and was doubtful he'd ever find his way back out if he took one wrong turn while inside.
'Good God, why the hell would someone need all this room!?' Despite living in a rat hole-sized apartment, Joey knew even he would never need that much space. Shifting his backpack to his shoulder, he heard a distant 'Slam!' a ways in front of him.
"Hey!" Running up to the door and rattling the doorknob, Joey couldn't believe it. 'That goddamn bastard locked me out!!' "Open the door you jackass!"
"There was a quick 'Click!' as the door was unlocked on the other side, and Joey revved himself up to punch the son of a bitch in the face when he opened the door. Looking straight ahead where Seto's head would have been, Joey was surprised to see no one there…until he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat below him.
"Hey Joey! I'm so glad you're here! I apologize for my brother locking you out. He didn't mean it."
"No worries Mokuba." Joey quickly put his fist down, not wanting to frighten the younger boy. He liked Mokuba. The kid's older brother could learn a few lessons from him when it came to socializing with other people. And just being normal.
"Seto is upstairs in his room. I'll take you there so you don't get lost." Mokuba grinned happily as he grabbed Joey's hand and practically dragged him up the stairs. Guests were rare in the Kaiba house, and despite his older brother's frosty exterior and personality, Mokuba always strived to be accommodating and friendly.
After walking down endless hallways and taking way too many turns for Joey to remember, the two found themselves standing outside a closed door. Mokuba paused before turning the doorknob.
"Hey Joey?"
"Yeah?"
"I've been getting worried about my brother. He spends all his time working and hardly ever talks to anyone, even me. I know you guys don't get along real well, but could you at least try to like him? Seto's never been all that friendly…"
"I picked up on that a long time ago, kid." Joey interrupted with a grin.
"I know," Mokuba stuck out his tongue, "but if Seto had a friend, he wouldn't spend all his time wasting away in front of his laptop. He might actually live a little. I know I'm probably asking a lot, but could you at least try?"
Turning over the proposition in his mind, Joey ruffled the boy's dark hair, much to the dismay of the younger Kaiba who pushed the hand away playfully. As much as Joey could attest to the elder Kaiba having a ten-foot iron pole shoved up his ass, Mokuba's happy nature had to mean there was some level of kindness inside the blue-eyed prick. The only problem is what he could get out of this. Joey supposed the challenge of making Kaiba more sociable might be interesting enough. This time, Joey would be the master and Kaiba the mutt. Grinning at the mental image and pleased by the thought, Joey turned to look at Mokuba.
"The keyword here is 'try', but I'll do my best. Besides, it'll give me an excuse to bug the hell outta him." Joey flashed a grin as Mokuba smiled appreciatively and turned to open the door.
Seto didn't look up from his desk, which was situated across from his four poster bed with matching blue sheets and comforter. A bookshelf stood behind the desk, next to what Joey assumed was a closet or bathroom door. The one small lamp lit on the side table next to the bed provided little light with the thick curtains drawn over the sole, yet rather large, window, leaving Seto's laptop as the only other source of light in the room. Typing was the only sound, causing it to permeate the room, until Joey took a step forward.
"About time. Do I need to have a leash on you from now on so you won't get lost?" At this, Seto looked up. Cool sapphire eyes met intense amber ones as Joey struggled to keep his temper under control.
"I would've been here sooner if you hadn't locked the goddamned door on me! Let's start on this stupid thing now so I can leave already!"
"I suppose we should." Seto stretched his fingers, trying to regain some movement after typing for so long. "You did bring your books with you didn't you?"
"Of course I did! I'm not stupid!"
Seto raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Now that, I'm afraid, is a questionable subject, but off-topics aside, let's get started."
Reviews always appreciated! Lady Raconteur
