Title: I love you too.
Author: Blemery, Mrpointyhorns
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): S/J, B/R, YY/Y, MM/M/M, H/O
Beta: none
Spoilers: none
Warning: Mpreg, Yaoi
Summary: I decided to make a sequel. I know exactly what this is about even if it doesn't seem like it at times. And I'm sorry I mixed the Japanese version with the American one. Jou is Joey and Otogi is Otogi and so you see it's just all wrong. But it's AU anyway so ugh.
Dray hovered over the gaggle of boys. He was becoming good friend with some of them.
"My Dad brought me them this weekend they're called duel monsters and this lets you play them virtually anywhere." A boy from another class said. "My cousin says my deck is pretty good."
"Neat." The boys exclaimed. They began whispering as the boy showed off his monsters.
"I have a deck." Dray half bragged.
"Nuh uh!" the boy faced off with him.
"I do! My Dad created those wrist thingies! He helped me build a deck," Dray explained.
"He did not!" The boy yelled. He looked at his duel disc and glared at the Kaiba label. "Well my cards would beat yours any day!"
Dray shook his head. "My Dad and his friends are champion duelist don't be stupid." He turned away heading back to his class. Before the boy could do or say anything the recess whistle blew.
"Dray I need to talk to you," Dray's teacher, Mrs. Yagami, called when he entered the class.
He stepped aside as his classmates followed him inside. "Dray you're a smart kid so you may get bored in class but when I give you an assignment you have to do as you are told. I asked for you to make a book about your family. It needed one sentence on every page along with a drawing or picture. It's okay that you sometimes put two or three sentences but you need to tell the truth."
"I did!"
"Dray I know that both your Mom and Dad are boys, but your mom didn't have you and he is not going to have another baby." Mrs. Yagami opened his childish book.
"My Dad says that Mom had an operation that gave him a uterus created from cloning. Then they had some really smart guys create an embryo using their DNA. It's like a clone except they clone half of Dad and half of Mom. Then they put the embryo in Mom!" Dray explained as best he could.
"Dray that doesn't make sense. I've never heard of that," She scolded.
Dray heard some of the class giggle. "Mrs. Yagami my Dad does not lie to me." More laughter was heard. Dray clenched his fists. "Just because you haven't heard of something doesn't make it impossible! I will not change my book! My Mom did have me and he is pregnant!
"Dray stand outside," the teacher scolded.
Dray narrowed his eyes at her as he stormed out of the class. He folded his arms huffing loudly.
After a few minutes he glanced in the window. He watched his teacher as she showed his book to his peers, she was saying something but he couldn't hear it. Still he could see the way the other students were smiling. It made him feel hurt and betrayed, not only was his teacher denying his family tree she was also teasing him in front of the class!
Sighing Dray turned away. Looking down the hall he noticed that no one was watching him. He smirked slightly. He knew he didn't want to return to the classroom. This was his chance to escape.
Glancing back inside his classroom he noticed that the teacher was moving on to the next subject. Instead of coming out to talk to him she was leaving him out here! He didn't want to stick around to find out how long she would wait. Making sure that no one saw him he dodged out of school.
Joey had waited until he was the last parent in the pick-up before really getting worried. He pulled his truck over and found a place to park in the lot next to the school. He was felt fairly lucky when he arrived at Dray's class, Mrs. Yagami, Dray's teacher was almost finished packing up. If he had waited in the pick-up a few minutes later than she probably would have left.
"Mrs. Yagami, do you know where Dray is?" Joey tried not to flush. He remembered a few times where he had gone home with a friend and worried his own mother. He hoped it was a simple as that. Still it was embarrassing to admit that he didn't know where his own son was.
"Your son," she started. He could tell by the tone of her voice that she wasn't surprised to hear that his son was lost. She continued, "Made a scene in class today. I sent him outside to wait for me. It took me five minutes to start the class on the assignment and he was gone!"
"When was this?" Joey growled. He was of course upset that his son had left, but he still felt that she had some responsibility in this. It made him upset to here that she was more focused on making sure all but one of her students were being taken care of. "Didn't you think to tell someone when you realized?"
Mrs. Yagami glared defensively, "Your son bluntly called me an ignorant liar! Have you seen this story he wrote?"
Joey grabbed it. "I would love to discuss this with you but my son is out there by himself."
He was beginning to feel like she was stalling, however she could generally be upset about being called a liar. There was one way however for him to figure it out; "I'm calling Seto. I hope he's not in a meeting." He said this as he brought out his phone and pressed in the numbers.
"Mr. Kaiba you don't need to do that. We should be discussing your son's habitual lying, his disturbance to the class, and his attitude towards authority." She continued, oblivious to the fact that she was being tested.
Joey narrowed his eyes at her. He quickly felt bad for putting the blame on his son in the beginning. Obviously something fishy was going on or his teacher wouldn't have needed to hide or make excuses like this. At this point it time he didn't see the need to be ashamed about not knowing where his son was. He had the upper hand here she was in the wrong. Being nice was no longer important.
"Perhaps we should, after I find him." He turned his attention back to Seto's secretary on the other end of the line. "I need to talk to Seto...I don't care if he's in a meeting his is important. Yay I'll hold." He sighed and rolled his eyes. If only Seto deemed in necessary to turn his cell phone on at work.
"Mr. Kaiba," Mrs. Yagami tried to interrupt him again.
Joey glared. He would have snapped at her but he was distracted. A loud beeping from his phone, indicating that had another call, rang out, "What!?" He snapped at the caller instead.
"Joey?"
"Yami, I can't talk right now. Dray is missing!" Joey explained. It probably would be necessary to tell his friends about Dray's missing anyway, so he did it now as quickly as he could.
"Dray's here," Yami spoke calmly. Relief spread threw Joey in an instant. He hadn't realized how scared he had actually been until after he knew that Dray was safe. Joey blamed it on how distracting Dray's teacher was.
"He showed up about an hour ago. I didn't notice it was him because he was browsing around the shelves. When I did notice him I asked him where you were but he didn't answer. When Yugi came down with Thoth just now he said that I should call you." Yami explained the delay. Joey could understand only because he knew Yami had trouble grasping many of the modern customs.
"He seems pretty upset Joe. Yugi and I couldn't get him to say two words," Yami finished. At least he was good at giving a full account of what he had witnessed. It nearly confirmed what he had come to understand as he stood in the classroom with Dray's teacher. Now all he had to do was hear it from his little boy to make it completely true.
"Thanks Yami. I'll be right over," Joey hung up without a proper good bye. He turned to the teacher. "You're lucky Dray is smart." He said without explanation. He waved the book at her, "You'll probably be hearing from me or Seto later."
"Mr. Kaiba!" Mrs. Yagami called after him. "That little shit." She said just as the door was closing.
Joey paused. He almost turned around to tell her off. He thought better of it however; he knew Seto would do a much better job than he.
Yugi waved to Joey when he entered the game shop. Yami was rocking Thoth in his arms. "Hey Joey. What happened?"
"He took off from school. The teacher didn't even try to get a hold of us and if I hadn't caught her after school she wouldn't have told me!" Joey ranted. He had been holding his anger and fear in at the school and it made him feel better that he could now release it.
He took a deep breath and gratefully smiled, "Thanks for taking care of him Yami. Uh...where is he?"
"He's looking at the dueling starter decks." Yami idly said. It made Joey believe that Dray had been doing so all day.
Yugi returned Joey's smile. "He was no problem. You know that."
Yami nodded in agreement. Although he understood where Joey's thanks came from, Dray wouldn't have been in good shape if he had spent his afternoon on the streets. "I would have contacted you sooner Joey. I thought you were with him," He smiled sheepishly. He didn't mean to make anyone worry.
Yugi giggled, "Yami isn't always the brightest."
Joey smiled at the pair. "Thanks again guys. I think I need to figure out what really happened." Joey turned to gather Dray and bring him home. He was surprised to find Dray standing behind him. He stood so close that Joey nearly tripped over him. "Dray."
"Mom, I'm sorry," Dray looked sincere. He knew it was wrong to leave school especially since it had caused Joey to worry. He did so anyway because he had been and still was angry at his teacher.
Joey carefully lifted Dray from the floor. Holding him, but remembering not to squeeze too tight. "We'll talk about it later Dray. I'm just glad you're safe. Why did you come to the game shop?"
"It's the closest to the school," Dray hugged Joey. He rested his head against Joey's shoulder. This made Joey frowned. He wasn't used to this behavior from Dray.
"Thanks again," he half waved.
He carried his son out to the truck. "Dray when we get home we'll get a snack and then you can tell me what happened." He hoped Dray understood this to mean that he didn't blame him but he did want some answers.
After getting home and making a snack the two boys retreated to Dray's room for their talk. Joey hoped that his son would feel more comfortable talking in his room among his things. He also hoped that the food would give Dray a distraction if he didn't feel like looking at Joey the whole time. He knew how intimating a parent could be it was especially so if Dray felt like he had done something wrong.
Dray shoved one of the pizza bites in his mouth before lie down on top of Joey. "This doesn't hurt the baby?" He asked. Even though it seemed like an innocence question for the brother-to-be, Dray was actually asking, are you really pregnant.
"Not yet," Joey messed with Dray's hair. Even though he didn't know it, he had answered Dray's silent question as yes. "The baby is so small right now that your finger is longer than he or she is."
Dray looked surprised. That was more than a yes. He knew his parents wouldn't lie to him. "That's so small!"
"Yup, so you can't squish him or her because he or she still has lots of room to grow in," Joey explained.
"Mrs. Yagami says she's never heard of boys having babies. I saw Ryou when he was pregnant and I know Dad wouldn't lie about where I came from. She wanted me to change my family book because she though I was a liar." Dray explained some of the day to Joey. "Then when I refused she sent me outside. I saw her making fun of me and my family book. The other kids were laughing. She always does that. She's always saying that you and Dad are fags and that it's not natural to be so. Why does she do that?"
Joey was frowning. He didn't want his son to have to deal with that hatred. He and Seto did not hang around people with those kinds of beliefs. Seto wouldn't even promote a person to his floor if they believed that.
Once Joey was sure that Dray was finished talking he knew he could begin. "Dray before you boys didn't' have babies. After you there have not been more than a few other babies born from boys. It's not easy and it's not how it is usually done. Some people think that it's not right to mess with things like this. So everyone involved hasn't made a big deal about it. We don't want people getting angry. We just want to have families."
"But you said it was okay for me to write it! I didn't write about how you were dead!" Dray was confused. If they didn't want to make a deal than why had he said it was okay.
"I did. It's not a secret Dray. We just didn't make a big deal that's why she has never heard of it," Joey explained. "Seto and I think it's okay if you let people know where you came from."
"So I don't have to change my book?" Dray asked shoving another pizza bite in his mouth.
"No. Seto and I will talk to her. She shouldn't tell you that Dad and I shouldn't be together either. She doesn't know what is right for our family." Joey explained.
Dray didn't get to reply. He was interrupted by the worried voice of his father calling for them.
"Joey? Dray?" Seto entered the room only seconds after. He visibly relaxed, which was a sight, Seto didn't usually wear his emotions so closely to his sleeve. "I was worried. My secretary said that you called but you weren't on the line. What happened?"
"I left school. I went to Yugi's," Dray confessed. He knew Joey wasn't mad at him and he didn't think his Dad would be either. "Mom didn't know where I was. I'm sorry you worried."
"What happened?" Seto asked again. He now knew why Joey had called and insisted on talking to him, but he didn't know why. Judging by the blonds' expressions Dray wasn't at fault.
Dray and Joey quickly filled Seto in on what happened earlier that day. It made Seto feel upset in much of the same way Joey had felt. He didn't want his son to think he was upset at him however so he spoke calmly to him. "Oh Dray. Joey's right you don't have to keep where you come from a secret. Not everyone will be able to accept it, but those who can't are not worthy of you. Since she is your teacher however you're going to have to deal with her, but never lose your ground. You did nothing wrong by refusing to change your book. Sometimes it's easier to admit that you are wrong than it is to prove you are right. Dray you have to prove that you are right."
"How?" Dray felt reassured that both of his parents were on the same ground about him not changing his book or where he came from. Standing up for him sounded much easier than it had felt. He shifted away from Joey scooting into Seto's lap.
"This time telling us was just how." Seto hugged his young son. He believed that people needed to fight their own battles, but he also thought this situation was too big for his son. It was also important to reassure that Dray could always come to them if he had any problems.
Dray smiled brightly. Even after this long talk with both of his parents he still felt like he had been wrong for leaving. Now he knew that his parents understood why he had left. Still he knew what he had done was still wrong. He had crossed at least four big streets to get to Yugi's and he wasn't supposed to cross streets by himself. Still it made it easier to admitting and apologizing for his mistake when his parents understood the cause of his action. "I know I shouldn't have left school though. I'm sorry."
"Dray it wasn't wrong for you to leave," Joey confirmed that he really did understand his actions. He shifted when Seto slid in next to him. Once they rested against comfortably against the head board Joey confirmed that it hadn't been the best decision he could have made. "Going to Yugi's alone was very dangerous. Nothing happened which is lucky, but next time I want you to go to the front office and call for me or Dad. We'll come get you."
"Okay. I don't want something bad to happen," Dray realized in hindsight that he probably should have gone to the office. But what was done was done and he had remained safe. He hugged both of his parents in apology. "Can I play video games before dinner?"
"Homework," Seto ordered. He felt that Dray understood why what he did was wrong. He knew Dray had learned his lesson. He didn't feel the need to punish him. "Then yes video games before dinner."
"Thanks!" Dray dashed out of the room to finish his homework.
"I record all my calls even when I have the person on hold. Especially if I am," Seto turned to Joey. He knew he needed to clear things up with him now that Dray was gone. It gave Seto a little thrill actually to be sharing this responsibility and the situation with his partner. "Mrs. Yagami was rude while you were trying to get a hold of me."
Joey nodded. He scooted closer to Seto until he took Dray's place in his lap. He had been really scared when he Dray had been missing and he felt like he deserved to be comforted. "She didn't want me to call and tell you that your son was missing. Dray was gone for two hours before school ended and she didn't bother telling either of us until I confronted her! She was too worried about being fired or something to care about our son!"
Joey leaned forward and kissed Seto. Seto could tell that Joey was pissed about that. Joey had taken up that habit before Dray had been born. Whenever he was in a sour mood (and it wasn't Seto's fault) he liked to spend his pent up feelings on kissing and loving Seto. Seto was happy to let Joey defuse his frustrations. After all that's why they were partners, together they would bare hardships and good fortunes. At least for Seto, Joey's sharing was enjoyable both for the hard times and the good ones.
Seto pulled back however when he tasted warm salty tears. Joey's tears. "Joey?"
"Why does he have to pay for what we do?" Joey wiped at his eyes. He hated being so angry but Dray had been hurt simply because he and Seto had wanted a family. "She told him that we, you and me, are unnatural. She told him that he is unnatural. He's a little boy. He shouldn't have to deal with that. He should not be taught to hate his parents. It's not like she's a peer. That's another thing; if the other kids are teasing him then I agree he should learn to defend himself against them. He shouldn't have to deal with that behavior from a teacher!"
Seto narrowed his eyes. He hadn't thought about it like that. Joey was right. The idea upset him, and it doubly upset him because Joey was so distraught over it. Still he didn't want to throw his weight around and get her sacked for the behavior just yet.
"Joey shh calm down. We will talk to her tomorrow." He rubbed Joey's back trying to relax him. Joey took to the comfort immediately and buried his face in his neck.
Joey was still crying but Seto knew that now he was relieved and relaxed. Joey only had to carry half the anger now that he had told Seto all of what he had felt happen. Joey easily calmed down and sat sniffling only two minutes later.
"How's our little baby?" Seto slid his hand under Joey's shirt. He rubbed Joey's flat stomach. He hoped that today's events didn't disturb his little ones growth.
Joey moaned appreciate of the fact that Seto worried over them. "Good. If you keep that up I'm sure the answer will be great."
"Mom!" Dray's presences at the door stopped the actions from proceeding. "Can you check me homework?" He said this without qualm. He didn't care if his parents cuddled or kissed in front of him. In fact he knew it was better when they did. He had known his Dad at a time when he couldn't kiss his Mom and he knew that he was happier now that he could.
"Done already?" Joey slipped off the bed. It was probably better that they were interrupted. Messing around in Dray's bed just didn't sit well with him now that he thought about it.
"Yeah we just learned carrying in addition and how to do subtraction with big numbers." Dray handed Joey the worksheet. "It's easy."
"You're smart. It's not easy for everyone." Joey said as he carefully checked the answers. He like Seto acknowledged the fact that Dray was very smart but he didn't dwell on it. It was who Dray was and it didn't make Joey love him anymore than he already did.
"Not for me. It's easy for me. I watch the accountants in room 720 every other Thursday." Dray explained.
Joey raised a questioning brow. "That's the day before pay day." Seto said. He knew Joey hadn't caught on to that.
"I know that," Joey confirmed although it just dawned on him. "These are all right." Joey confirmed. He handed the worksheet back.
"Thanks," Dray ran to the game room.
"He's too smart," Joey gave Seto a look; it was his fault.
"He's just smart enough. He wouldn't be him if he wasn't." Seto smiled. Even though he just disclaimed having anything to do with Dray's intelligence he still felt proud that Joey thought his son, their son was smart. Seto imagined that it was a silent thank you from Joey for taking care of him so well.
Joey smiled in agreement. "You're right like always." Joey leaned down to kiss Seto. Pulling away he gave Seto one of his cute looks. "Can I play video games before dinner?"
"Yes, but tonight you finishing playing with me." Seto shifted off the bed following Joey out of the room. He didn't hear any complaints from Joey about their after dinner plans.