AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hatsuharu pointed out that Kaiba is bit to passive in the fic so far. I agree with Hatsu personally, because Kaiba is more than willing to kill people. But in the first seven manga he still had his "evil" side. But he really didn't change after that…..^_^' Tis true, but I have taken note of what you have said Hatsu. A note to my other reviewers, if something bothers you about the fic please feel free to tell me. I love getting feedback from you guys! LOL And also I wouldn't update so soon, but I finished writing this chapter right after I was done with chapter six and due to a certain reviewer's health I had to update fast today.

"Do you regret anything in your formal life?"

"Nah, not really. I mean, my life pretty much sucked ever since I was born. At least this way if my old man takes a swing at me I don't have to worry about dying."

"No regrets?"

"Okay, you caught me, one."

"Which would be?"

"Revenge on Seto Kaiba."

Joey didn't take pride in the fact that he caused Kaiba pain. He enjoyed it despite himself, sure, but pride? No, being proud of his actions are all he felt. Besides, Kaiba needed someone to put him in his place before he crossed the wrong line and blew himself into smithereens. As a matter of fact he thought the other teen should be paying him for his services. Not all the arrogant bastards in the world got saved from themselves by a ruggedly handsome werewolf.

Right, and you're a multi-billionaire, Joey mocked himself, going up the steps to his apartment. He would have been more than welcomed to stay at Ryou's place, but Bakura usually woke up around this time and started cooking some elaborate dinner for Ryou when he got home. He would have been pissed off to find out that one of his pack had skipped out on "a free meal ticket" again. Honestly, the guy was raised up during a time when it was considered rare to read. What did it matter if he missed a few days of classes?

Pausing outside his apartment door, Joey listened for any signs of life. He heard his father burp and the drone of the TV in the background. A clink of beer bottles being moved caught his attention and he mentally groaned inside. He hated it when his dad decided to drink this time of day. He was stuck at home until he could escape into the bars at night. Taking a deep breath, Joey gripped the door knob pushed it open. To his relief the door didn't creak as he stepped into the apartment, quietly closing the door behind him.

In the living/dining room he heard his father burp again as he flipped the channels. Nothing on but soaps and infomercials this time of day. Shame they didn't have cable or a DVR, then his father would be occupied with watching more TV. Joey glanced down when he felt his sneaker slide on something and was surprised to see their welfare check had come in today. He shrugged, bending over to pick it up before sliding it into his jacket pocket. He kicked off his shoes at the entrance and walked into the kitchen.

"Joey?" His father said, turning beady eyes towards his son. The elder Wheeler and the younger Wheeler stared at each other for a moment, before the elder picked up an empty beer bottle and threw it at his son. Joey, without meaning to, automatically snatched it out of midair and gently placed it on the counter in front of him. For a moment his father just blinked in disbelief glancing at the half empty beer bottle in his other hand.

"Nice to see you too, Dad. Anything interesting on?" Joey asked, deciding to act like he had no clue he had just pulled wicked werewolf ninja reflexes in front of his old man.

"No, but why the hell aren't you in school? You ditch again?" The older Wheeler accused, glaring at his son. Three day stubble stood out on his chin and his beer belly protruded out from under a stained navy blue shirt. He still had on his work jeans from two days ago and his boots.

"Yeah, what about it? I ain't gettin nothing out of that hellhole. Just these well fed brats standing up in front of the class acting like they know what the hell they're teachin." Joey answered, opening the refrigerator door to see if they had any food. A loaf of moldy bread, jelly, some baloney he should really throw out, and a cucumber. Joey sighed, taking out the bread. He opened the bag and sniffed it, not to bad. He could just scrape the mold off, and it looked like only the top bread piece and started to rot. He'd just have to pop the bread into the freezer to make sure the rest didn't rot.

"Watch your mouth you piece of shit. I pay the bills around here!" His dad threatened, but Joey ignored his old man as he searched in the sink for a semi-clean plate. He really had to go on a cleaning exhibition this weekend, cockroaches were beginning to build a Metropolis under the sink again. If his dad had been halfway decent he would have asked Ryou to help him, he was better at these types of domestic chores then he was.

"Oh, yeah? Then I guess that's why the electricity went out last week." Joey snapped, pulling out a plate from the stack of dishes and a knife that just had a water stain. As he set about spreading the jelly on the piece of bread his father turned on the couch, causing the springs to screech in protest.

"How I pay the bills around this house isn't none of your business! You wanna get a job and start paying the bills? Go right ahead, I ain't stopping you." His father snapped, but he glared at his son when the younger laughed.

"Yeah, I do! So, it should be you asking me for permission to do anything around here." Joey said, and ducked when another beer bottle came flying towards him. The bottle smashed against the cabinet behind him and Joey just rolled his eyes.

Before, when he had been a full human, that would have caught him right in the face. He probably would have had to go to the hospital too, come to think of it. How many times had his dad caught him off guard, beaten him in a drunken rage, and then in the mornings he woke up to stiff to move? Across the counter from his dad got up from the couch, glaring at his son as he came around to confront him.

"Ain't it illegal for a minor to have a job?" His father said, his voice hoarse and threatening. Joey rolled his eyes as he pulled the peanut butter out, spreading it on his other piece of bread.

"I have permission from the school to work. They don't know about my other job though, so you want to be kicked out on the streets be my guess. We're already behind three months on rent as it is." Joey explained, squishing both pieces together. A bit of jelly oozed out of one corner but otherwise it stuck together. He took a bite and almost choked on the sweetness of the sandwich. He had to remember to buy fresh baloney this weekend, too.

His father narrowed his eyes as his otherwise calm son. John didn't know the hell it was, but he was beginning to seriously consider maybe he had hit his one to many times with his beer bottles. Usually, Joey would go racing out of the apartment to get his cuts tended too. Then come slinking back two days later hungry and exhausted before disappearing again. Lately, however, Joey strolled in without any fear and didn't seem to bruise no matter how much he beat up the boy.

For once, John's foggy brain sobered up a bit. Something had definitely changed in his son, but what? Joey's stance was relaxed, his frame draped on the counter he was leaning on calmly eating. He watched the older man with dark brooding eyes, as if planning how to kill him. John narrowed his eyes in response, but neither of them said anything. Just Joey taking the occasional bite of his sandwich then chewing mechanically.

"You want something? I'm gonna take a nap in a few minutes." Joey said, swallowing the last of his meal before depositing the plate back into the sink.

"Where do you go when you're not here?" His father asked. Joey raised his eyebrows at the question, surprised his father hadn't immediately started ranting at him for talking back.

"A friends house. He hates being alone, so he lets me crash there whenever I want." Joey answered, a bit suspicious. He scented the air, trying to find a hint of what his father was getting at. All he got was that his father was partly concerned and curious. Odd, when had his dad cared about what happened to his unwanted son?

"Why does he hate being alone? You aren't a fag, are you?" His father said, his voice twisting into a snarl. Joey rolled his eyes as he pushed past his dad and headed towards his room.

"No, the guy just hates being alone. We hang out, have dinner, talk, and then he goes to bed. I just sleep on the couch or the guest bedroom." Joey explained, but his dad just narrowed his eyes at him.

"Fine, I'm gay. You happy? Seto Kaiba's my whore at night." Joey said, and this made his dad laugh.

"In your dreams! I've seen him on the news, that kid could kill you in an instant. All he has to do is put your name out and some cash, and boom! You're dead!" His father cackled, tears streaming out of his eyes as he went back to his couch.

Joey smiled to himself, closing the door on his bedroom. Then he thought about it for a minute. Was he gay? He thought about Ryou, sure he joked with him enough, but it didn't mean anything to him. Ryou was Bakura's, and Joey could care less if the other teen was gay. He screwed Kaiba, but he didn't like the guy beyond any sexual orientation with him. Joey shrugged, tossing his jacket over his chair and climbing into bed.

At this point, he didn't give a damn. He just wanted to get night to hit so he could become the wolf again.

…..

"Has Joey come home yet?" Bakura's head shot out of the kitchen when he heard his mate enter the house. Ryou was breathless, he must have ran all the way home. The albino was panting as he sat on the stair, wrenching off his shoes, and abandoning his bag at the front entrance to dash into the living room.

Their fifty inch plasma screen TV was on and playing a recorded show, but no Joey was present to enjoy it. A look of pain crossed Ryou's face that his friend hadn't come back to his house. Bakura noted to beat up the younger pack member for making his mate worry.

"Sorry, Ryou. He didn't drop by here. Why, he ditch again?" Bakura said, forcing his voice to sound sympathetic. He wrinkled his nose and gritted his teeth at Joey's impudence again. Ryou came into the kitchen to see what Bakura was cooking for dinner. He opened the lid of the huge pot simmering on the stove and peeked inside. He smiled before replacing the lid to glance up at Bakura.

"Potato soup? You're getting boring, we had homemade chicken soup last night." Ryou accused, moving away to make himself a cup of tea. Bakura rolled his eyes, continuing his chopping at the counter.

"You were sick. I thought it fitting you should have something nutritious to eat. Those canned soups give you high cholesterol." Bakura argued, but Ryou rolled his eyes.

"Kura, I sneezed once. All that indicates I have allergies, not that I'm going to wake up dead the next morning. Get with the times, old man." Ryou teased the thief, who glared at him response. Ryou filled a glass measuring cup with water before sticking it into the microwave.

"Don't mock me, Ryou. I was raised in a different time. Sneezing would spur people to banish you and burn down your house. Not a polite 'bless you'." Bakura snapped, but only got a kiss on the cheek as an apology. He snorted as he withdrew from the younger.

"Aren't you hungry? You usually eat something when you come home." Bakura said, but Ryou just shrugged in response as he prepared his cup of tea.

"No, I'm leaving in a minute to go to Joey's house. I wish he would just live with us permanently. I already told him he doesn't have to pay me rent." Ryou said with an annoyed sigh, sipping at his green tea. Bakura narrowed his eyes, stopping his chopping to glare down at his small mate.

"There is no way in hell you are going to that death trap. Joey himself told you to never go there! Sides Ryou, Joey hates charity. He'd much rather commit suicide rather than take up on such a kind offer." Bakura explained, but Ryou just gave him an icy glare. Bakura bit the inside of his cheek, he hated it when he accidentally made his younger half angry.

"I'm going, and that's final. And no, you are not coming with me. Last time you went out with me Yami went kamikaze on your ass. Which wasn't very pretty considering you were trying to protect me from Pegasus at the time." Ryou said, trying to sound commanding. Bakura just narrowed his eyes more as the white haired teen deposited his cup in the sink. Ryou left the kitchen to change into his street clothes, but Bakura began seriously just locking Ryou in his own room to prevent him from leaving. He had no personal qualms against Joey, it was just the blond lived in a seedy part of town. If someone like Ryou came around they would strip him in a second. When Ryou came back wearing a burgundy T-shirt with a logo on it, jeans, black boots, and his navy blue jacket Bakura caught him under the arm.

"You're not going." Bakura stated clearly, his grip tightening on the younger's arm. Ryou sighed, reaching up and gently resting his hand against Bakura's cheek.

"I'll be fine love, promise." Ryou said, standing on tiptoe to kiss him on the mouth. With that, Bakura wrapped his arms around his mate's waist, lifted him clear of the ground and carried him protesting into the bedroom.

"Like I said, you're not leaving." Bakura said wickedly, kicking the door behind him shut. At the very least, Ryou had stopped struggling.

…..

He didn't know what it was, but there was something definitely wrong with Seto. Mokuba watched as his brother talked to someone on the phone, pacing back and forth in his office. On the couch Mokuba was calmly skimming through results of their latest games ready to be released. So far, they had to be sent back to work out the bugs. These were normal problems, though, such as a certain button not activating the power in the game and vice-versa.

After a moment Kaiba snapped his cell phone shut, stopping to gaze out of his window at the ocean. Mokuba loved it in his brother's office. One day, he would be the one standing there on top of the hugest corporation in the world. Seto stood there, completely tense as if he waiting for something. But what?

"Seto?" Mokuba said, taking off his headphones. He let them rest on the keyboard of the laptop in front of him, but his older brother didn't turn around.

"Yes, Mokuba?" Seto replied, still staring out at the water. His eyes seemed to be tracking the sun which was beginning to sink down.

"What's up with you today? You cancelled all your meetings and refused to take any calls. Something up?" Mokuba asked, trying to sound nonchalant. Quite honestly, he knew his brother was acting odd. He wasn't as guarded as before, but his expression hid his thoughts. It was his eyes that betrayed him, they were swimming with emotion as the young CEO took up his pacing.

"I have a personal meeting with a certain person today. I have to confirm a few suspicions of mine before I take them out." Seto said, not realizing how this sounded to the younger Kaiba. After a moment he looked up to see Mokuba smirking knowingly at him.

"What?"

"So, whose the lucky lady?"

"MOKUBA!" Kaiba snarled, glaring at the younger Kaiba. Mokuba actually had the nerve to laugh at his reaction, picking up his headphones before he closed his laptop.

"Hey, I'm happy for you, bro. It's about time you started dating. I actually was worried for a few years there." Mokuba confessed, packing up his equipment. Kaiba stopped his pacing to stare at his younger brother.

"What do you mean?" Kaiba asked, and Mokuba stopped to narrow his eyes at him. Oh, so it was a date? He decided not to tease until later, however, since Seto had a tendency to not talk.

"Seto, I love you, but I'm not staying with you forever. Eventually I'm going to meet a hot celebrity, marry her, get a divorce, and then end up finding my true love in some rural village south of here. Then we're going to have beautiful children who get to call Seto Kaiba their uncle." Mokuba joked, but his brother gave him such and icy glare that he laughed again.

"Come on, haven't you ever thought of having children? At least this way you'll have someone else to be with. You won't be alone anymore." Mokuba said, surprised at his own words. Suddenly the situation felt awkward, they weren't supposed to talk about this. This was a forbidden subject for the both of them. He felt Seto eyeing him, and Mokuba harden his features. His eyes rose to lock gazes with his brother, both siblings silently challenging the other.

"What makes you think I'm alone?" Kaiba asked, his voice quiet. Mokuba sighed, looking behind Seto to gaze out at the setting sun.

"Because you are alone, it's a fact, Seto. I know we've had our….problems. We've changed, though. Now you're building theme parks around the world where orphans can go for free. A place where they're just like everyone else, not have to think about for a while they don't have parents. How many businessmen do you know would do that, Seto? Really, who would waste all those profits for a couple of unwanted kids?" Mokuba challenged, his voice cracking a bit on the last part. Kaiba's face remained unchanged except for his lips turning into a frown. Mokuba was surprised he felt the urge to start crying. He usually didn't open up like this with his brother, but it was true.

"Not many." Kaiba answered, his own voice low now. He walked over his brother and sat down on the black leather couch next to him. He wasn't sure how to comfort him, they never confessed anything to each other. A bit awkwardly he rubbed the younger Kaiba's back which seemed to calm Mokuba down.

Mokuba turned around to face his brother. Now eye level, Kaiba was shocked to see that Mokuba had grown a taller. He had shot up two inches in the last six months, and in a few more years he would probably be as tall as himself. He wasn't going to be able to call him his little brother anymore.

"Seto," Mokuba said, putting his hands on his older brother's shoulders, "I swear, I'll never abandon you. But you have to understand I want to change. I have to change. When I grow up I want a family, a true, real family. I want kids who come home every day from school, I want kids who adore you for you and always want to go to 'Uncle Seto's Castle' because you always spoil them. Then one day sit back and enjoy having my grandchildren around me."

"Haven't you ever wanted that? To have a family again?" Mokuba asked, and Kaiba was even more shocked by the wisdom in his younger brother's eyes. Mokuba was completely serious, beyond his thirteen years of age. They were like that for a moment before Kaiba reached up to his younger brother's hands in his. They were small compared to his, delicate.

"To be honest with you Mokuba, I never felt the urge. My only concern and focus has ever been you. Your happiness." Kaiba said, the words foreign on his tongue. A part of him demanded he stop acting so sentimental and get back to work. Concentrate on the problem at hand. Instead, Seto leaned over and embraced his younger brother for the first time in years.

"Think about it, Seto. You're getting older, they isn't much time left." Mokuba chided him, pulling away after a moment so he could finish packing his laptop.

Kaiba wanted to ask him where he had learned this. Who had put such ideas into his head? If this were a work of fiction, surely the author would be accused of putting them out of character? But this wasn't the case, he and Mokuba were changed. They had humanity. They were human.

"See you later, Seto. Good luck with your meeting." Mokuba said, leaving through the office doors. The doors swung shut behind as Kaiba stood up, watching as the final rays washed his office in red light. Then finally sinking beneath the ocean to the other side of the world.

"Come get me, Wheeler." Kaiba whispered under his breath, feeling the cold metal of the silver cross press against his chest.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Originally, this was supposed to be a short 3-4 chapter fic. How did it get so big? Well, not that I'm making any promises, but I have been considering writing another fic with Joey playing seme again but different circumstances. Not releasing any data at the moment on it as I'm still considering it, but I'm surprised how much I love my new shipping that I created. XD