A/N: This chapter is extremely long, but I didn't want to separate it into two parts. Sorry. I did enjoy writing it though, as I'm sure you all will enjoy reading. Hopefully :-)
Warning: This chapter contains a trigger. Please use discretion.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!
After his shift was over and he was beckoned to his boss's office after hours, Joey soon realized that it was certainly not worth it. Farfetched as it sounded, he actually believed he was going to get away with actually being an asshole to that prick of a customer and leaving work scotch free, but maybe that was expecting a bit too much. Joey didn't really count it as being an asshole – more like just being assertive and doing his job. He rarely got away with his childish shenanigans at work. There were too many surveillance cameras around the casino for obvious reasons, and though they were there to mainly catch cheaters, thieves and other low lives, but also to watch out for any employees who thought they were above being caught cheating the system – it had happened plenty of times before.
Joey sat in Pegasus' upscale décor of an office, right above everything so he could see all that was going on in the casino. The swanky 80's theme of the whole office gave off Pegasus' nostalgic medium, especially the ugly ass tie-dye curtains that everyone hated, except for Pegasus obviously. Sometimes it was unbearable to even be in the room, unless it was just you and he there, and God forbid someone else walk in and catch you in that embarrassing excuse of an office. But Pegasus said that this place was his "shrine", his home away from home, and the place that he could really have a clear and sound mind. Exactly what a hippie would say.
If only he could have a clear and understanding mind at that very moment, because right now, he was like a Spanish fighting bull who was about to charge at his Toro holding the red cape, with steam blowing out of his nose. Joey cringed every time he made eye contact with those dark almond eyes, because they seemed to bore a hole into him. An angry, frustrated, hole.
Pegasus paced back and forth on either side of Joey, making him grow antsier with each passing second, because he had no idea what his boss was going to spew out. And whenever he did appear to want to say something, he'd just freeze with his hands in a claw like pose, but then go right back to pacing. Joey could even swear that he could see a vein popping out of his forehead. Disgusting.
How the hell was Joey supposed to know that the asshole prick that threw the drink in his face was Seto Kaiba? The same Seto Kaiba who was the CEO of the biggest gaming corporation in the entire world? It's not like the guy had a name badge and even if he did, Joey never cared for those stuck up, holier-than-thou tightwad sons of bitches anyway. All they cared about was power, wealth and prestige and more wealth. Who gives a damn if someone was actually brave enough to stand up to them, the fucktard deserved it and it was about time someone put him in his place which made Joey's triumph all the more sweeter. CEO or not, nobody was going to step over Joey's shoes and anyone foolish enough got their asses handed to them. After all, isn't' that why Pegasus hired him? Because he took no bullshit from anyone? That including Kaiba. His job demanded it, because 98% of the time, if there was a tussle or fight, alcohol was involved and Joey had to be headstrong or else, he'd fold under pressure.
Maybe that was why Pegasus was hesitant to fire him. Joey was the best bartender he'd ever had, and replacing him would be damn near impossible. But that didn't mean that Joey could take his job for granted. Pegasus wasn't that desperate to keep him. Well, not too much. But Joey didn't need to know that.
"Did you know…that there's not enough aspirin in the world for a headache like you?" Pegasus finally asked through gritted teeth. His head was actually beginning to hurt from grinding them so much. He grabbed a headful of his ivory white hair and pulled it into a ponytail – something he rarely did unless he was unbelievably stressed out. Joey could easily figure out why. Kaiba could have this whole casino shut down with the snap of his fingers. He was that powerful. Not only did he have his main office here in Grand Domino, but he had other divisions and branches in other major cities and even outside of the country. He had so much pull everywhere and with everyone that he practically owned the city. Pegasus folded over in dread, thinking the inevitable was going to happen to him sooner or later. He was going out of business.
It didn't take long for Joey and the others to realize that Pegasus didn't bend too well under pressure. Made them wonder why he even took on such a vastly prodigious and highly responsible position. Money being the obvious choice, but Pegasus wasn't really good with people, especially those in the same social group as he was or heaven forbid, a higher group, such as Kaiba. They made him "nervous".
Joey couldn't really answer him. Part of him understood Pegasus' frustration and apprehension and the other part didn't get what the big fucking deal was. If anything, he was the victim here, not Kaiba. Kaiba wasn't the one who had a drink thrown in his face. The fact that he was some big shot CEO billionaire shouldn't have clouded Pegasus' thought process and common sense. After all, most of his best working employees were far from rich, comfortable, but not rich. Under all that prominence, Kaiba still had to eat, drink, sleep, piss and shit like everyone else in the world. Money didn't change that.
Joey sighed, looking down at his worn out white Reeboks, kicking them up somewhat, perhaps out of nervousness. He opened his mouth to speak but –
"I hope you know that you may have very well cost me my entire business, Mr. Wheeler. My whole life's work will be up in ruins, thanks to your adolescent jargon and pitiful etiquette and tact."
Joey squinted his face at Pegasus' alien choice of words. "I work as a bartender, sir," he said stating the obvious, as if to say duh. I'm not a fancy, shmancy CEO jerk unlike some people.
"Don't be a snippy bastard," Pegasus retorted, hiding his face in his palms and breathing deeply, remembering all of the yoga classes he'd been taking, staring from the diaphragm and straightening his shoulders. Maybe everything he learned from the classes he took would benefit him greatly, considering his biggest stress trigger was right in front of him. Why couldn't he be more relaxed and levelheaded like Yugi? At least the kid never gave Pegasus trouble if Joey wasn't involved, of course.
Joey waved defensively. "I didn't know who he was. I was just doing my job."
"Telling a customer that they're boring in bed is doing your job? Hah!" Pegasus scoffed and threw his head back in a sarcastic chortle, wondering if Joey was actually pulling his chain. He couldn't sometimes figure out if he was bullshitting or not. But he didn't give himself time to contemplate over it. He stepped closer to Joey, hovering over him like an angry schoolteacher, crossed arms and slanted eyes. He smirked a bit when he saw Joey cowering in his seat. He'd never challenge Joey in that way, he was too classy, but seeing how Joey reacted to his authority was always amusing.
"I…embellished?" was the only answer Joey could offer. It wasn't really a lie, since he had no idea how Kaiba was in bed. Nor did he care about such a trivial matter. It was too stupid a subject to dwell on. Rather sickening one too. He didn't give a damn what another man did in the privacy in his own bedroom. He was more concerned about the fairer, opposite sex. Nevertheless, he looked at his boss, hoping that would be the answer he'd accept.
Pegasus shot him a hard, incredulous glance, as if wondering if Joey was telling the truth. But the impending headache from thinking too hard deemed it not worth fretting about. For now. "Watch your fucking tone next time," he warned, backing off, giving Joey some free space. "This place is all I have. Without it, I'm nothing." Something that he didn't share amongst many employees, but Pegasus knew Joey was mature enough to keep that comment to himself.
Thankful that all he was getting was a slap on the wrist, Joey was still a bit sore that Pegasus never acknowledged the actual drink being thrown in his face fiasco. Wasn't his employees' well being just as important to him as making money? It figures. Pegasus probably assumed that Joey deserved it with his snarky ass comment. It was known since before even Joey started working here that he had a big mouth. It seemed to win over Pegasus at first, considering what the job description was, but now he could see that he had been blindsided with the fact that Joey had absolutely no discretion whatsoever when he lost his temper, and that wasn't good for business.
"Sure thing boss," Joey said nonchalantly before shuffling his feet forward, getting out of his seat. He still had to get home, shower, get dressed and meet his friends at the club tonight and quite frankly, Pegasus was holding him up, probably on purpose, though he wasn't conscious of Joey's plans after work.
"Don't sound so remiss about it," his boss said, rolling his eyes heavenward. "The next time the guy comes in, just call me. We don't need a repeat of tonight."
Joey felt a bit insulted. The incident, at least in his eyes, wasn't even worth that much effort behind it, and even if Seto Kaiba did return to the bar, Joey had enough balls to handle that rich snob again. He dealt with his types before, though always unpleasant, but Joey was old enough to hold his own. Again, that's why Pegasus hired him.
Instead of offering a rebuttal however, Joey simply got up from his seat, no longer wanting to hear about the idiot CEO anymore, and wanted to focus on much more important matters – like getting fucked up and fucked down. Way more excitement there.
He left Pegasus' office and walked down a long narrow hallway, with windows of other offices on either side until he reached a spiral staircase and descended on downward. Joey was hoping that maybe Yugi had found another way home instead of waiting on him, because he had to get ready too. And Pegasus held him up a little too long.
When Joey reached the bottom, he could see his workplace come into view. And unfortunately he saw something else – or someone else rather.
"Speak of the devil…"
There he was, sitting in the same spot again, as if he was waiting on Joey to serve him up or something. The nerve of this clown. This idiot. This…fucking idiot! Was he coming back for an actual fight because the casino was closed and he wouldn't get in trouble for it? What made him think that he could actually waltz up in there like he owned the fucking place and sit there like no one was going to say anything? Joey was seething. This punk ass was doing this on purpose just to get under his skin and Kaiba knew it. Joey honestly didn't want to fight, he thought the incident from earlier would burn, but obviously this guy wanted to go another round.
And where the hell was security? They were supposed to be the very last ones to leave, to make sure the whole place was secure and vacant when Pegasus was alone. And then when he left, then they could leave. But they seemed to have scattered like roaches. How fucking convenient that they all vanished when Seto Kaiba showed up.
Joey skirted towards the man, a little too briskly, ready for a showdown, and probably would've gotten to him, if it wasn't for another head that poked from around the corner before Joey passed the wall, a rather short figure that came for Joey and wrapped his arms around him to prevent him from going any further.
"Joey! There you are!"
Of course, Yugi would come and intervene at the worse possible moment. Right when Joey was about to kick Kaiba's ass out of the casino. Joey didn't look down at Yugi, his eyes still locked onto Kaiba's in a cold stare, and his eyes squinting and not even paying attention to the fact that his best friend was practically squeezing him by his waist. Though Yugi was no lightweight, that would be hard to ignore.
"Joey?" Yugi noticed right away that something was wrong. Usually, Joey would be ruffling his hair by now or doing something else that guys do when they greet each other. But it was as if Yugi wasn't even there. When Yugi saw Joey from around the corner, he didn't notice the tall, statuesque guy sitting at the bar. He didn't have time to. He wanted to ask Joey if they were still going out clubbing tonight. Yugi was actually a bit less tired than he thought he was, but he was still keeping his word about not hooking up with anyone that night. Or any night.
"Hey Yug," Joey finally said, not taking his eyes off Kaiba. They both stared gaping holes into each other, neither one not trusting the other to make the next move. "How bout a drink?"
Yugi, still with his arms wrapped around Joey's waist – though he was actually kind of surprised that Joey let him hold onto him this long, knowing his sexuality, though Joey had no problem with it – gave him a puzzled look, but figured since it was after hours, he saw no issue in drinking one shot. "Sure, why not?" he loosened his grip on Joey as he walked passed Yugi to the bar, still not taking his eyes away from Kaiba.
Yugi was unaware of all the tension in the room. He hadn't noticed Kaiba until he turned and walked around to the front of the bar to take a stool. He sat next to Kaiba, but Kaiba didn't react to his presence. He just sat there like a statue, eyes glued on Joey.
He wasn't wearing his white trench coat this time, only his black dress shirt and slacks. Yugi noticed that it was vaguely tight around the biceps where Kaiba's arms were crossed and rested on the table. He was obviously lean and in shape. Yugi wondered how much the guy worked out, but didn't have the guts to ask. His hair was a nice shade between chestnut and chocolate and Yugi could've even sworn he could smell a nice aloe scent from Kaiba's hair, probably shampoo. He had wrinkles around his eyes, from glaring so much at Joey, but other than that, they were a pretty cobalt color and they were probably a nice set of peepers when they were relaxed. Yugi wasn't sure. He also wasn't even sure why Kaiba and Joey were giving each other such dirty ass looks. What the hell happened tonight?
"What would you like, bud?" Joey asked Yugi, but he just refused to take his eyes off of Kaiba. It was like the guy would jump him behind the counter if he did, and Joey didn't wanna take any chances.
"Russian Diamond Premium Vodka."
Both Yugi and Joey glanced at Kaiba at the same time, after Joey took his eyes off him for literally two seconds. The bastard had actually cut in their conversation. Not surprisingly, it pissed Joey off even more, but for the sake of Yugi in their presence, he tried to keep his hot-blooded temper under control.
"I'm sorry sir, we're closed," Joey said with such satire in his voice. No way in hell was this creep going to get one up on him.
"Then give me a water and a lemon," Kaiba said, disregarding Joey's announcement.
"I don't think so. You're lucky I didn't get you kicked out of here the last time I gave it to you. You won't be so lucky next time."
"You just better be lucky it was water," Kaiba warned. "Next time it won't be."
"Fuck you!"
"Not in a million years."
Joey's mouth opened in shock at Kaiba's fast retort. "Son of a bitch – "
He attempted to lunge at Kaiba, before Yugi stepped in between the two men and threw himself at Joey, climbing over the tabletop and behind the counter. Joey's face was red with anger now. His breathing was deep and rapid and it took all of Yugi's grabbing and gentle slapping of Joey's face to get his attention. "Joey, please, let's just go. He's probably here to talk to Pegasus anyways. Remember you said you wanted to have fun? Joey look at me!"
Yugi almost sounded like a little child. Never mind the fact that he was vertically challenged, but even so, he finally got Joey to look at him.
Yugi gasped when he saw how red his face was. Joey was so fucking heated. He'd never let anyone get under his skin like that, and he'd dealt with much bigger guys who weren't as snide as Kaiba was. The fact that he was obscenely rich and well known didn't help with matters either. Joey hated those types. They always looked down on the hard working lesser class people. Like those fuckers knew what hard work even was. Fuck them. And fuck Seto Kaiba.
And fuck the fact that he never lost his temper once. Joey even thought that he saw a smirk creep on Kaiba's face. As if he was proud of himself. Smug bastard. Just like those Hollywood types to think they can just treat people like shit just because they had a little change in their pocket.
"I guess I won't be getting that water," Kaiba said so nonchalantly, he seemed to have ice in his blood. "Oh well, maybe next time."
Un-fucking-believable.
The way he was so calm and unemotional about the whole situation bothered Joey so much. Usually his adversaries came at him with such venom and valor, and Joey was at least ready for that. He wasn't well suited for an opponent that got under your skin by mind fucking you. God dammit, and he was sure that Kaiba knew about Joey's short temper, otherwise, why would he single him out? Son of a bitch probably knew everything about everyone in this place.
The best way to damage your opponent was psychologically, as Kaiba knew very well. And it had worked to a T. Yugi was right, he was here to see Pegasus, to talk business and partly to talk about his hyperactive and rogue employee named Joey Wheeler, but it was late and Kaiba had a sixteen year old brother and an international company to look after. This nonsensical bullshit can wait.
Kaiba finally stood up, straightening the wrinkles of his dress shirt, sort of using his hands as an iron, all the while with his nose in the air, at least that's what it looked like to Joey. Fucking dickweed was just throwing his wealth and good looks in everybody's faces.
"Will you just leave? I already said we're closed and I'm not making you any god damned drink. Come back tomorrow, preferably at a time that I'm not here," Joey scowled. Kaiba wasn't even doing anything remote at that moment and he was still getting on Joey's nerves. But why?
Unfortunately, security couldn't close the doors until after Pegasus left, and that could've been hours from now and Yugi didn't want to wait forever. He got behind Joey and convinced him to just ignore Kaiba as he pushed him towards the direction of the exit.
"I want my vodka next time too, pup," Kaiba called from behind.
Seriously?
Joey turned around again to charge at Kaiba but Yugi was a human roadblock and didn't even let him get the chance. He was starting to think that he should just go straight home and tell Joey to do the same so he could cool off. But Joey was insistent, the incident putting more fire under his ass than ever now and he needed to blow off some steam. Fucking Kaiba and his mind games.
Joey could only blame himself for falling for it though. He'd never been confronted like that; he was used to physical encounters, and not so much mental. As much as Joey hated to admit it, Kaiba had won that round. He'd never say it out loud, not in a million years. The asshole didn't need the satisfaction or the ammunition.
When the two boys finally made it outside, they immediately noticed a cherry red Ferrari in front of them. Joey grimaced, figuring that it was Kaiba's car and kept walking towards the parking lot.
"Joey, what was that about? You never get into a fight like that," Yugi said, concerned about his friend's mental welfare.
Thing is, Joey did, but he usually knew how to handle himself better than that.
"The guy's a dick," Joey replied gruffly, wiping his nose with the back of his sleeve. He didn't want to admit to Yugi that Kaiba was getting to him more than he lead on.
Joey was glummer when they got to his car, a 2005 Toyota Camry. The car actually belonged to Joey's father, but he barely left the house, so he had no use for it.
He didn't even want to think about Seto Kaiba anymore. He was totally rude, arrogant, and blatantly disrespectful and condescending. Typical rich bitch. It made Joey's teeth grind the more he thought about him. He didn't even realize that he was.
And why was he even reminiscing at all? Their would be brawl was over. It was time to move on to more important matters.
When they got inside the car, Yugi noticed that Joey didn't crank up right way. He just sat there, huffing and pouting as he gripped the steering wheel tightly.
"What's your malfunction tonight?" he demanded, breaking Joey out of his thoughts. "I'm almost not in the mood to even be around you."
Joey winced. He didn't mean to make Yugi feel ignored. But he just couldn't shake Kaiba from entering his mind. How the hell was this happening?
He forced a fake smile and looked down at his best friend. "I'm just a little tense is all, nothing that a few shots of tequila can't fix, right?" he ruffled Yugi's spiky hair to show that his mood was improving. It was somewhat of a pretense though, but it was his idea to go out clubbing tonight, so he owed Yugi that much.
When Joey finally cranked up and left the area, he drove downtown, taking the freeway so he didn't get held up by streetlights and he could get Yugi home quicker. Taking in account Yugi's height – or lack thereof – and location of his apartment, Joey didn't really like the fact that Yugi was living alone. Sure, they were adults now and grown a tremendous amount since high school, but that protective side of Joey never left and each time he dropped Yugi off, Joey made sure that he was safely inside with the door locked before he drove off; and living in a lower middle class neighborhood that wasn't the safest didn't help Yugi's case at all. Yugi found it juvenile, but Joey always insisted, so Yugi never spoke of it afterwards. He still found it superfluous though, even though Joey's intentions were there.
Yugi's apartment could barely house two people let alone himself. Whenever the gang got together, they usually met up at Anzu's or Honda's, seeing as their places were in more upscale suburban areas, part in thanks to their parents that were well off. Which made Joey ponder why they picked the casino to work of all places. But whatever, they probably wouldn't have met if that never happened.
It took Joey a while to reach his own place, which he was somewhat thankful for, but part of him was anxious to get there because he wanted to check up on his baby sister, Serenity. Other reason being, their father was probably there also, making Joey tense at the thought, because he didn't want his sister alone at his mercy. Their mother passed away when they were in middle school, and their father slipped slowly into a deep depression, which unfortunately he never recovered from. His depression transcended into alcoholism and unfortunately unrelenting abuse on both Joey and Serenity. Joey hated himself for having to leave the house to go to work for twelve hours a day, but he was the only source of income, since dad refused to get a job and Serenity was too young for one, but for some daunting and nagging reason, Joey couldn't put him out of the house. Albeit physically and mentally abusive, all Joey could do was try to shield his sister from their father's attacks as much as possible while he was there.
Getting his own place was out of the question. Joey couldn't afford it, and he was even lucky to have his own car and not have to rely on public transportation, but he wondered how long that would even last. It never seemed to for long.
He pulled up to the side of the house and saw in the window that a light was on in the kitchen. There wasn't anyone sitting at the table, which unnerved Joey a bit, but he tried to keep calm. His first thought was Serenity and if she locked herself in her room again, which was understandable. She never really left unless Joey was there.
He was just rounding the corner of the house to the front door and patting his pockets feeling for his house keys at the door when he felt a light tap on his right shoulder. Joey flinched hard and turned around sharply to confront whatever was behind him, even balling up his hands into fists just in case he had to kick this person's ass. Plus he or she could've had the upper hand since they were coming from behind.
The first thing Joey noticed was a head full of wild jet black hair that reached down to the boy's shoulder blades and even more wilder bangs in the front. He was maybe an inch or two shorter than Joey but his facial features made Joey guess that he was way younger than he was. His eyes were a shade of maybe dark grey and mauve but that was too trivial for Joey to think about. He had on a black and green striped t-shirt with faded black jeans and black reeboks to match. After close observation, Joey decided that this kid wasn't really much of a threat when he wasn't physically assaulted right away.
"Can I…help you?" Joey asked hesitantly. "Are you lost or something?"
Honestly, the kid looked like he had no business being there, and judging by his wardrobe, his parents could afford a better cost of living than where Joey was.
The kid reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a familiar looking badge. Joey suspected that he seen the badge somewhere, but couldn't put his finger on it.
"Are you…" the kid looked down at the badge to read it. "Joey Wheeler?"
Joey's eyebrow arched. "Y-yes," he replied, crossing his arms defensively. "And who might you be?"
"Mokuba Kaiba," the boy said cheerfully, extending his hand out.
Joey swallowed hard and scowled, as he slanted his eyes. Did he just say Kaiba? His stomach churned, and he tightened his jaw as familiar flashbacks from earlier that night entered his mind. One Kaiba was bad enough, but two? Even Joey knew he couldn't handle such a duo.
"You okay man?" Mokuba asked as he noticed Joey burying his hand in his face. His voice was considerably deep for a child, so it made Joey think that he was maybe sixteen or seventeen or maybe even legal age.
"Huh?" Joey peeked at Mokuba through his fingers and saw that the kid was smiling – something that Seto never did – and it calmed his nerves just a tad. At least this Kaiba seemed friendlier than his older counterpart. Maybe he wouldn't be so bad. But Joey still wasn't 100 percent sure. "Yeah, I'm fine. May I ask what you're doing here, and by yourself? Does your brother know that you're here?"
Mokuba's eyes widened. "How'd you know that I had a brother?"
Joey paused. Did Kaiba not tell him about Joey before they got to his house? Something was a little off here. "Uhh. We've met," he muttered, scowling again at the thought of their first encounter.
"Oh. Umm, well, my brother said he found this hanging on his coat pocket after we left. I told him that we should return it to you since you might need it for work," Mokuba said, his hand still extended. "Even though he didn't want to, but I begged."
Joey hadn't even noticed what was in the kid's hand right away. He was still recuperating from the simple fact that he may have had two Kaibas to deal with now.
And how the hell did they even find out where he lived? The only people who knew were his friends and Pegasus and he knew for a fact that none of his friends would tell such a snob like Kaiba, and Pegasus wasn't allowed to disclose information like that by law. So what the fuck?
Before Joey could answer, he heard the door handle jiggle behind him. He flinched, fearing that his father now knew that he was home, but he slowly turned around and to his relief, he saw the dainty face of his little sister peeking her head out of the corner. Her eyes went soft when she saw her brother and she seemed more relieved and relaxed. She walked out and stopped at the steps of the porch, crossing her arms.
She was wearing a cute hello kitty pajama set, along with the socks and hat to match. Serenity was almost out of high school, but there were some things that she didn't want to let go, no matter how childish they were.
"Hey big brother," she said in the softest voice, walking up to Joey and taking his arm. She rested her face against it and closed her eyes. It wasn't until she opened her eyes again that she noticed Mokuba standing there. She gasped a little and was taken aback on how cute he was. He had such pretty eyes and a round little face that she wouldn't have minded cupping into her hands and he was dressed so nicely. Serenity's heart fluttered when he smirked and blushed a little, averting his eyes towards the ground and shoving his hands in his pockets.
Joey twisted his face in a confused scowl. What the hell was wrong with these two? His sister was acting like she'd never seen a good-looking guy before. Hello, she was related to one.
Mokuba cleared his throat to get Joey's attention and indirectly, Serenity's too. She was gorgeous and he couldn't take his eyes off of her long straw colored hair that flowed in the wind down to her waist. Her face was so pretty and somewhat naturally tanned, and especially flawless.
He was blushing way more than he should've been. "Well umm," he began to say. What was he about to say, exactly? He had his thoughts together before this lovely young lady walked outside of the house, and now his brain was scrambled.
Joey began to catch on very quickly. Somehow in a matter of maybe two minutes, these two had fallen for each other. Just my luck, Joey thought. My sister falls for the brother of the biggest asshole in the universe. Just my fucking luck.
"Y-y-your nametag," Mokuba stuttered, barely able to get a coherent word out of his mouth. It began to feel dry like a desert, and he felt his face get even hotter.
Joey scoffed, crossing his arms. "Keep it. I can get another one on Monday." He wanted no part of Kaiba's DNA on his skin or clothes, as immature as that was.
"Right." Mokuba mumbled and turned to walk away, but he tripped over his own feet. Figures, he'd embarrass himself in front of a cute girl. But being a Kaiba, he bounced back fairly quickly.
A stretch limo came into view as Mokuba got closer to the street. When he opened the door, he looked back at Joey and Serenity and gave a wave before lowering his shoulders and getting in. The two waved back as the limo took off.
"Wow," Serenity beamed. "He must be loaded, huh bro? Makes me wonder who he's related to."
"Seto Kaiba," Joey answered her with such disdain and contempt in his voice, it almost made him sick to utter his name.
Serenity beamed and her eyes widened. "The Seto Kaiba? The guy who owns Kaiba Corp and makes all those cool gadgets? Wow! No wonder his brother's so cute. I guess good looks run in the family."
Joey rolled his eyes. "Gimme a break," he groaned, face palming. He really wasn't in the mood to hear such bullshit, and he had to get back in the house to shower and get ready. "Is dad inside?"
Serenity's whole mood and demeanor changed when she heard those words. "Yeah," she said softly, lowering her eyes and gripping Joey's arm a little tighter.
"What's wrong baby sis?" Joey was on high alert and noticed his sister's change of behavior. He was hoping he wouldn't have to deal with any senseless beatings tonight, but unfortunately…
They both heard a loud crash from inside the house. The door was still open, but Joey couldn't see anyone inside. He winced as he put Serenity behind him from protection and he walked towards the door. But she was tugging at his shirt sleeve to make him stop.
"Joey, let's just go to the park or something. Or maybe we can go back to your job and you can teach me how to play poker," her voice was panicky, but she tried her best to hide it.
"The casino is closed and you're way too young to even try. What's your problem anyway?" he asked, looking back at her. "Don't worry about anything, I'm here now."
"Joey!" she hissed under her breath. "He's really mad. I just don't wanna make him madder."
"When isn't he mad?" Joey replied grimacing. He took his sister's arms and wrapped them around his waist. Truthfully, he was a little afraid as well, but he tried to stay strong and brave for her.
They tiptoed back into the house as quietly as they could. Joey peeked his head in, looking to the right in the living room. The tv was on but his dad wasn't on the couch watching it. He looked forward into the hallway, which was eerily dark, but the light from the kitchen on the left side of the hall was on. Joey and Serenity's room were on the hallway perpendicular to it.
It seemed like their rooms were miles away, but they wanted to get inside before their dad noticed them. Joey knew he wasn't away because he had no car or any money for bus fare, so he was somewhere in the house. Joey could hear his sister's heavy breaths behind him, and she had a death grip around his waist. "Shhhh," he said softly to coo her. He knew she was scared, but he wanted to get her into her room before she was noticed at least. Joey could handle his dad way better than she could.
Silently they tiptoed past the living room, down the hall towards the kitchen. The floorboards creaked painfully under them and they froze. Joey swallowed hard, waiting for a grunt or some type of other form of life from his father, but never got one. He inhaled and exhaled slowly and deeply before he continued.
Joey couldn't deny his pounding heart or his shaky knees, but that was mostly in part to worrying over his little sister's well being. He didn't care what happened to him as long as she was okay. After their mother died, she had no one to take care of her but Joey. Their father became a deadbeat, and even before she died, he wasn't much of a father, apathetic and emotionally distant for the most part. Her death just amplified his negative behavior. From all that he's done to Joey and Serenity, he wondered how long they'd be able to coexist under one roof without somebody losing their life.
They were once again interrupted by a forceful snort that made Serenity grip Joey's waist so tight, he could barely breathe. Joey held his breath and he heard heavy footsteps behind them, even more so from the creaking floor, and Serenity began to shake and shut her eyes tightly. She was frozen with fear.
Joey knew that any sudden movements would set his dad off, and on top of that, he didn't know if he was drunk or not. Seven days out of seven, he was, unfortunately and today was probably no different. Joey's thoughts were interrupted by Serenity's soft whimpers, not to mention the footsteps getting closer, so he had to think fast. He made a beeline for Serenity's room, and turned around so that she was against the door. The horrifyingly twisted up face that he was confronted with when he turned around almost made his skin jump.
Joey could smell the foul stench of alcohol on his dad's breath before he even opened his mouth. "Where the fuck have you been?" he said with a slurred speech.
"Serenity," Joey said lowering his voice, not really sure if she could hear him, but he continued. "Go inside your room and lock the door."
She gasped. "No, I'm not leaving you out here with him, Joey. Please – "
Their father interrupted and slammed his hands on either side of their heads. Serenity screamed, but clamped her mouth with her hands to try and stifle herself. "Was I talkin to you, cunt?" he growled, piercing her with menacing eyes that made her cringe so much, she looked down at the floor to break the intimidating gaze. He lifted his eyes towards Joey again who tried to put on a brave face, but his father could see right through his ruse. "You got any booze for me?"
"N-no," Joey said timidly.
Without warning, his father grabbed him by the collar and shoved him to the other side of the wall, slamming his back against it with a hard thud. The back of his head also hit the wall and it dazed Joey, his vision becoming blurry as he could just see nothing but stars in front of him. He felt a blow to his stomach that Joey swore knocked his entire soul away from his body. Serenity screamed, and tried to jump on her dad's back to distract him away from Joey, but he gripped her arm hard and brought her around in front of him and smacked her across the face. Joey was breathless and in pain from the blow to his stomach, but when he saw his father actually slap his baby sister in the face, it sent him into such a fiery rage.
He stumbled to his feet and tackled his dad, shoving him against the opposite wall, and then gripped his arms around his neck in a full nelson position. "Serenity!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "Get in your room, now!"
But she was still on the floor trying to nurse her wound. Her father's slap stung really bad and she was on her side, in a fetal position crying her eyes out. She was defeated already.
Joey's dad then, with all of his might, sprung backwards, causing them both to stumble and fall into the back wall, making Joey's head slam against it once again. He disoriented Joey to the point of not being able to stand up or see straight and the crippling pain took him over. He turned around and punched Joey in the jaw and in the face, and while he was limping towards the floor, took his elbow and jabbed him in the back of his neck. Serenity watched in horror, cupping her cheek as she watched her father beat her brother senseless. She mustered all of her strength to get up and run to the kitchen to grab the phone and call 911. But her father chased her and before she could dial a number, he wrapped his forearm around her neck and squeezed as hard as he could. Serenity gasped and choked and tried to break free, but she was far too weak. Her father's steel like grip rendered her useless. She began to fight less and less, as she slipped into unconsciousness, and her body fell limp. After she was gone, her father released his grip and let her body fall with a sickening thump on the floor. He then walked to the drawer near the sink and pulled out a pair of pliers, and cut the phone cord right in half.
He was out of breath and shaky, but he looked down at Serenity, feeling no emotion or sympathy and walked back towards the hall where Joey was. He too was limp on the floor on his stomach, barely conscious. That blow to the back of his neck was probably what did him in, his dad wasn't sure. Nor did he give a shit. All he wanted was some fucking booze and he couldn't even get that. Such a no good, pathetic, worthless scumbag he called a "son". No good kid would disobey his father, and that was the end of it.
Shaking the cobwebs, he made his way towards the living room, and plopped down on the couch, watching television as if absolutely nothing had happened.
Yugi was sitting on his couch, constantly glancing down on his phone to check the time. Joey was supposed to call him two hours ago to make plans with Anzu and Honda and how and when they would meet up at the Pyramid, but he heard nothing.
He was already dressed and ready to go. Yugi had on a simple black long sleeved shirt with a white cardigan, black pants, and black dress shoes. He was hoping he wasn't overdoing it, but he was told that the Pyramid was pretty upscale and lots of high ranked individuals would be there. Not to mention rich and uppity businessmen and women who wanted to drink their stress away. Yugi chuckled at the thought. He also wondered how in the hell Joey would be able to pay his and everyone else's way in such an expensive club. He knew that he won money from the tables earlier that night, but was two grand enough? Yugi pondered…
He checked his phone once again, noticing that it was only two minutes that passed since the last time he checked. But he was getting worried. Joey was usually very reliable and punctual but right now he was being neither. He didn't answer any of Yugi's phone calls or texts earlier. Yugi then wondered if it was the perfect time to panic or not. He also wondered if Joey's lack of response had anything to do with his father. God forbid.
He was shaken out of his thoughts by a loud thump at the door. Thank goodness. Joey finally showed up. Yugi stood up a little too quickly, his vision becoming white and getting dizzy from the sudden rush of oxygen decreasing from his brain. He took a few more seconds to shake the cobwebs before there was another bang on the door, this one more harsh and thick. Yugi swiftly made his way to the front door and opened it. He gasped at what he saw.
Joey was leaning on the sidewall on his forearm wearing the same clothes that he had on earlier that night. Not only that, but his shirt was torn at the shoulder and his necktie was gone. He hadn't showered or changed at all. Yugi searched his face for answers and gasped as he discovered a dark purple bruise on Joey's cheek and his jawline. His neck seemed really red too and his hair was mangled up and uncombed. His eyes were bloodshot and he was clutching his stomach as if he had just finished throwing up. Joey looked a complete disaster.
Yugi couldn't even find his voice. He was horrified. "J-Joey what – "
Joey held out his hand to cut him off. "Are you ready buddy?"
Yugi's mouth was agape. "How could you stand there and say that? You look like you just got hit by a truck! What the hell happened to you Joe?"
"Nothing that some tequila can't fix, now let's go." Joey grabbed for Yugi's arm, but he jerked away.
"Not until you tell me what happened to you!"
Joey face palmed and sighed. It was bad enough that he had just gotten the shit beat out of him by his own father two hours ago, but he had to watch his sister get beat on top of it. All he wanted to do now was party and get shit faced enough to forget everything that happened tonight.
When his dad finished beating the both of them, Joey eventually woke up and immediately looked for Serenity, finding her in the kitchen, unconscious. It took everything in Joey not to grab a knife and stab that son of a bitch until he was dead, but he couldn't afford jail time, not if it meant leaving Serenity alone with that sick bastard.
Fortunately, Joey was able to wake her up, and of course she was disoriented and at first couldn't even recognize her own brother, but that no longer mattered. He had to get her out of there.
Their dad was passed out on the couch and a porno was on tv. Joey grabbed whatever of his and Serenity's belongings that he could, and left the house. Then he drove to Anzu's house and begged her to let Serenity stay with her for the night, and while Anzu never had a problem with helping her friends, she was curious as to what was going on. Joey said he couldn't discuss it right now and that he would later and Anzu agreed. Anzu promised Serenity that she would be safe there and to help herself to anything she wanted, as Anzu's parents were away on business. Then she and Joey left for the night to head to Yugi's.
And now Joey was standing at Yugi's front door trying to beckon him, but Yugi wouldn't move until he got some answers. Anzu was waiting in the car, and she really wasn't in the mood to be up so late, but she was stressing from work and a night out on the town would probably do her some good. Maybe she could even meet some hot girls, who knew. The possibilities were endless.
It wasn't getting her anywhere just sitting in this car though. She rolled the window down, and called for those two numbskulls to get in the car and do what they all left the house to do.
"Yugi…" Joey said in a strained voice. "I just got in a little fight with my dad, ya happy? Now let's go." He once again went to grab Yugi's wrist, but failed.
"I can walk by myself, thank you," Yugi said with a sneer, snatching his arm back. He knew Joey wasn't being completely honest with him and he it was pissing him off. However he wasn't going to stand at his doorstep and argue about it all night. Anzu was waiting.
He walked past Joey before he could say another word, and got inside the car. He greeted Anzu before locking his seatbelt, crossing his arms and looking outside the window. When Joey got in the driver's seat, Anzu looked back and forth between the two.
"Well are we going or not? I didn't dress this good just to stare at you two all night."
She was half serious, half joking. But Joey knew that they had wasted enough time already. It was time to go crash this party. He'd deal with his dilemma afterwards.
Not surprisingly enough, the line leading into the entrance of the Pyramid was ridiculously long. It took Joey about fifteen minutes to find a parking spot, not to mention the fact that it seemed to be a million blocks away from the actual club. Yugi didn't know what Joey was thinking wanting to go out on a Friday night, probably the liveliest night of the week for club owners. He would know since he worked at a casino and the atmosphere wasn't all that different.
They were standing in line when Yugi noticed that Honda wasn't with them.
"He's already inside," Joey said. "He said it's a madhouse in there, and people are already throwing up and shit from too much alchy."
Yugi sighed. He didn't like the idea of being around a bunch of drunks. And he damn sure was going to make sure that Joey didn't go overboard and get so shit faced that he wouldn't remember a thing the next day. Anzu he didn't have to worry so much about. She didn't drink that often.
As the trio stood in line, a long black stretch Cadillac escalade limo pulled up beside them at the curb. It sat there for maybe two minutes and the driver of the limo made his way towards the back and opened the door. It got everyone's attention and for some reason, they got their cameras and phones out to take pictures.
Yugi rolled his eyes. It was probably a big shot CEO or other business executive wanting to blow thousands of dollars on booze and women.
Joey must have been reading Yugi's thoughts. "Can you believe this shit?" he griped. "We have to stand here in line while these stuck up assclowns get to skip ahead of everybody. Fucking idiots think they own the place."
Joey's mood was already sour before they even got there but this just made it worse. But for Yugi and Anzu's sake, he tried to keep calm.
This person whoever it was, reminded him too much of Seto Kaiba. Flashy, arrogant, thinks their all that, thinks that their shit doesn't stink –
Wait. Why was he thinking about Kaiba again? Joey bit down on his already swollen lip, forgetting that it was swollen just to punish himself for allowing that douchebag to enter his mind again. Ugh. Fuck him.
Yugi would've answered Joey back, but his eyes got locked on the individual that exited the limo. The first thing he noticed was that his hair was dangerously similar to his, except that this guy had extra bangs sticking up to meet the other parts of his hair. The rest of the hair – tri colored, shaped like a starfish – was completely identical to Yugi's. He wore a sleeveless black leather shirt that hugged his incredibly lean and firm looking muscles. His skin was also tanned, either naturally or artificially, and Yugi could even see the shape of his ass around his leather pants. They seemed tight enough.
When he turned around, Yugi couldn't even believe his eyes. The two locked gazes and the guy seemed just as incredulous as Yugi did. His eye color was a deep crimson that could stop your heart cold if he stared hard enough. They were sharp, clear and laser like and Yugi was so taken aback by the similarities in hair and facial structure that he looked away. The man kept staring however, and noticed that Yugi looked like the short, younger, more petite version of himself. His face was a little rounder than his own – his was more v-shaped, and he had the most beautiful cream-colored skin he'd seen in a long time. A lot of the men and women he'd been with in the past had all been good or fair looking, but besides the obvious resemblance, there was something about this little one that sparked something different inside the man. Only he couldn't put his finger on it.
He walked up closer to get a better view of Yugi, but he was grabbed by a female companion and roughly dragged by his arm towards the entrance – a girlfriend, Yugi assumed. Well, so much for that.
"Atem, we're already late, quit trying to feed your sex crazed appetite so soon," the woman scorned him.
Atem scoffed. "Mana, I was just trying to check something out. Or someone rather."
"There's plenty of other people inside to check out, now come on! Your brother is upstairs and you know how he gets when your ass is late to one of these things."
"You would know, he's your husband."
Mana chuckled. "No shit, now come on."
When they disappeared beyond the canopy top entrance, Yugi blinked to make sure that what he just saw was real. Was he just staring at a replica of himself? It was hella creepy and odd, but he couldn't deny how handsome the man looked. His poise and posture and definitely his limo showed that he had a lot of money and prestige, and it also showed Yugi that he had absolutely no shot with him. It made him feel a little down, but it was nothing he didn't expect.
"Was that guy checking you out?" Joey said, breaking Yugi's thoughts. He couldn't help but chuckle at the way Yugi was gawking at the stranger.
Yugi felt his face getting hot. "Of course not," he said trying to play it off. "And besides, he's here to find some ass and I'm not. It wouldn't even work."
"With the way you were undressing him with your eyes, I'd say otherwise," Joey snickered, looking at Anzu, who couldn't hold back a smile either.
Yugi shot both of them a sharp look. "Excuse you!" he snapped. He pouted and crossed his arms.
Both Joey and Anzu burst out in laughter at Yugi's adorable tantrum. Though he denied it, Yugi deep down knew that he was slightly attracted to the stranger. He was sex personified. It wasn't like anything was going to happen when they got inside, so why not dream in the meantime? This club was huge, three stories tall, and there was a very slim chance that he would run into him again, amidst all the people.
But, still. Yugi had a glimmer of hope.
Twenty more minutes passed before the trio could get inside. It didn't cost nearly as much as Joey thought, thankfully, but he wouldn't be able to buy his friends that many drinks. Anzu said she wasn't going to drink, because Joey was going to need a designated driver when they left – meaning he was going to be too fucked up to drive, so someone had to stay sober.
The club was swollen. The music was so loud that you could actually feel the vibrations on you. There were three floors, each with a huge dance floor in the middle and two bars each at the opposite ends towards the back walls. Neon lights were strewn around the club, and each floor also had a VIP section with a privacy curtain, and another bar within that. Disco balls, ribbons, chandeliers, balloons, servers who walked throughout the club on all three levels with trays holding glasses of champagne, not to mention the restaurant on the first floor that served foods from all cultures and countries. All this club needed were angels playing harps from the ceiling and then it would be perfect.
It didn't take long for Yugi, Joey and Anzu to lose track of each other among the sea of people. It would've been a miracle if they were able to stick together. Yugi had the short end of the stick before he literally was that – short and he felt like an ant in a forest full of palm trees. Sighing in frustration, he managed to find a bathroom and decided to just hide there to text Joey and Anzu and ask where they were.
As expected, Joey headed straight for the bar. He wanted to forget about all the crap that happened earlier that night; the bullshit drama with Kaiba, meeting his kid brother – though he didn't seem as vindictive and patronizing as Kaiba - getting his ass kicked by his dad, seeing his sister get slapped, having to hide his sister at Anzu's house…everything. Joey knew he would need a shit load of alcohol in his system to forget everything. It was too much of a weight on his shoulders.
He was about ten steps away when he bumped into someone, which wasn't a surprise since the club was so full of people. What was a surprise however was that the person Joey bumped into was Mokuba Kaiba.
"What the – " Joey said as he helped the kid get up from the floor, holding his arms. "The hell are you doing here? You can't be old enough to get into this place."
Mokuba dusted himself off and laughed. "Nope, I'm not."
"Then how'd you get in?!" Joey demanded.
"When you're related to Seto Kaiba, you can pretty much get away with damn near anything," Mokuba said crossing his arms and shrugging his shoulders, laughing.
This little punk is almost as cocky and obnoxious as his brother is, Joey grimaced internally. But he decided to keep quiet about how Mokuba was coming across. He didn't know the kid long enough to pass any judgment.
The two of them stood, while a server walked past them holding a tray of glasses of champagne, with diamonds inside. Mokuba beamed and grabbed one, but Joey snatched it out of his hands before he could get a taste. "You're barely tall enough to see over the steering wheel kiddo. I'm certain that you're not old enough to drink."
Mokuba huffed. "Joey, right?"
"The one and only," Joey replied, gulping down the alcohol, feeling the burn in his chest. He would probably need about twenty more to feel any type of buzz, or maybe hit up the bar for something more potent. He wouldn't be able to do that with Mokuba hanging around him though.
But something stuck Joey as odd. Why would Kaiba let his baby brother attend an adult club, knowing that he was way too young, with no supervision whatsoever? Unless Kaiba didn't even know that he was there.
"Umm, question. Who are you here with?" Joey asked curiously.
Mokuba managed to steal the olive on a stick from Joey's glass when he wasn't looking. "I'm actually here with some cool people that work for my brother, Atem, Mahad and his wife Mana. I've seem to have lost them though…" Mokuba's voice trailed off.
Joey snickered. "Obviously." This Kaiba was definitely more appealing than the other. Joey was relieved of that. He didn't know what he would do if he had to deal with the terrible two.
Mokuba followed Joey to the bar stools, figuring that he would catch up with Atem and the others later, but he wanted to get to know Joey more. He especially wanted to find out details of the cute girl he encountered at his house.
"Soooo ummm," Mokuba said nervously, twiddling his thumbs. "That girl that was with you earlier today, was she your sister?"
Joey stopped midway when he was taking out his ID from his wallet to show the bartender. He slanted his eyes and glared down at the kid. He knew what he was up to. He was once his age. "Yes, she is. And before you ask, no she's not available."
"Oh," Mokuba said, disappointed. "So that means she has a boyfriend?"
"Nope."
Mokuba arched an eyebrow. "Then why can't she talk to anyone?"
"I didn't say she couldn't. I'm just saying that I'm the only man she needs in her life right now. Maybe forever."
"That doesn't sound very fair," Mokuba griped, crossing his arms on the table. He didn't really plan on doing much, maybe just being friends with Serenity, or maybe even finding out what school she went to, her favorite hobbies, foods, music…simple thing. She probably didn't even like him like that.
Joey took a shot of his Tequila Sunrise, scrunching his face up at the sting, but loving the sensation. "Life ain't fair, kid," he said with a wink.
Truth be told, he didn't trust any guy around his sister, no matter how nice and polite they were. He knew how guys operated and it would be a cold day in hell before any one of them hurt Serenity. And it didn't help matters much that their dad was an abusive lowlife manipulative son of a bitch bastard. That would've just given Serenity an even more negative connotation about men, which Joey could understand completely. Even though he didn't know how Serenity felt about dating boys, Joey knew she was somewhat apprehensive, thanks in part to their father.
He was taking his third shot when he noticed Mokuba staring at his bruised cheek. The club was relatively dark, but from where they were sitting, the counter had a lavender light coming from inside of it and it shone in the right angle, on Joey's face. "Something wrong?" he asked.
"What happened to your face?" Mokuba asked outright. "Did someone hit you?"
Dammit. Joey had completely forgotten that it was there. "Uhh," he said. "I ran into a door."
Complete bullshit.
Joey hated lying to people, but he hated getting people involved with his family quarrels even more. If his dad found out Joey and Serenity were telling people about the abuse, the results would be catastrophic.
"If it makes you feel any better," Mokuba said, moving his seat closer to Joey, probably so he wouldn't have to talk over the music. "Seto used to get hit with doors too when we were younger. Even when he tried to avoid it, the door was always there. It would taunt him, pressure him to be perfect all the time, make perfect grades, have perfect manners, perfect at sports, perfect clothes, shoes….everything. And if he wasn't 'perfect' at the time, the door would beat him senseless. I think that's why he's such a perfectionist now. Because of that stupid door. Before we met that door, we had such a hard life, with no parents to take care of us; they dumped us off at an orphanage. That's when we met the door. To be honest, we would've been better off staying at that orphanage. Seto used to actually be….nice. But now it's so hard to get him to smile, much less talk. All he does is work, work, work, like he's a robot or something. The only way he spends any time with me is if I literally beg him and he has no work to do, which is rare. Even then, all he does is sit and sulk while I'm trying to enjoy myself and him. It's such a let down. I know why he acts the way he does but…"
Mokuba's voice trailed off. He'd almost forgotten that Joey was sitting there. He zoned out and just began to spill his heart out. He had never really told anyone that before. It had been building up for so many years that he was even contemplating just telling anyone who would listen. Joey just happened to be around.
Joey couldn't find his voice, nor could he find the words to say to comfort this kid. Mokuba had obviously seen right through his lie, as if he'd heard it a million times before or something. Nobody had ever been able to see through anything that Joey said before like that. It scared him.
It gave Joey insight into why Kaiba was such a giant douchebag, but it still didn't excuse his behavior. And it still didn't endear Joey to him at all. Mokuba however, he had sympathy for, though. At least he didn't let his past fuck up his personality and outlook on life, which was good.
Mokuba sighed deeply, deciding that he had shared way too much information with someone who was still somewhat of a stranger, but a potential friend. He didn't know yet. It was too soon to tell. But Kaiba would murder him if he ever found out what he just told Joey.
"Well," he said, spinning on the bar stool and turning his back towards the table. "I better go find Atem and the others. It was nice talking to you though, Joey. I just wish you'd change your mind about letting me see your sister. I don't mean any harm."
Joey nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. "We'll see."
He nodded and patted Joey on the shoulder. "See you later." And within seconds, Mokuba was lost in the crowd.
Joey face palmed and ordered another shot. Great. That was exactly what he needed. More to clutter his mind. He had come here to have a good time with his best friends, but instead, he'd been driven into a more depressive state.
He stood up, deciding to go look for Yugi, Honda and Anzu because frankly, he didn't come to this club to mope around. He almost stumbled trying to find the floor, but Joey didn't knock into anymore. Strange. Four shots shouldn't have even gotten him tipsy.
Nevertheless, he straightened his collar, took a deep breath and dove into the sea of humanity.