Hi guys! Geez, I feel so guilty for taking so long with updating, but school just kept me quite busy... another reason for the delay was that I looked over the story again and found some (more or less) minor mistakes, and as usual, my desire for perfection made me reload any chapter that had flaws I noticed in them - most things should be alright now. Once an entire paragraph was missing, what a nightmare! I guess I have to be more careful when editing submitted documents... apologies to anyone who might have been confused...
As usual, I hope you'll like this chapter. It was sometimes difficult to write, though, 'cause I had the beginning and the end (but that part was just kinda like a mental image) and had to come up with something for in-between. I hope you'll tell me what you think just the way you've been doing so wonderfully so far - many many thanks to all you reviewers; you're simply great :-))))))))
darkgryphonmage: Yes... but you know, it's weird; because it took me so long to get to this point (for my standards), it's almost odd to write this "new" aspect... -lol-
Lareske: Yeah, they haven't yet... I'm going to start working on that part now, though ;) I still find it unbelievable that I managed to withstand that for so long... definitely a new record for me... :D
Lionessmon: Thanks :) I thought it was high time for something like that.
YaoiFan87: Tell ya what, your review had me smiling like crazy when I read it. Thank you sooooooo much for the review:) -big hug- I thought that that part might be... well, troublesome, because I feared it would be way too sappy or something. But that always happens with me when cuteness occurs in my stories, I then tend to insert some "sappy/cliché stuff"... -blush-
Mistress of the Shadow Heaven: Ooh, I'm glad you like it! ;)
Tommylover: Wow, I'm flattered each and every time someone says they love this story - it's always a sign that I achieved more than I aimed for... :-)
Warning: I'm almost positive that there are certain things in this chapter that sound "mushy gushy" or whatever you call such things! Just... be warned, I can't help but use such elements when I finally get to the romantic parts... BTW, please don't kill me because of their present ideas... I had to come up with something, and if I'm not inspired, things usually turn out the way they did in this chapter...
Sleeping in a proper bed again must have felt really, really good to his body, for Joey slept until late in the morning. If he were to have breakfast now, it would almost be like having lunch just a little earlier than usual. But he didn't care about that as he got up, though only awakening slowly. Dazedly fiddling with his hair, he ambled downstairs into the kitchen. It felt like he had come back after a horrible vacation, and for a short moment he almost believed never to have lived anywhere else but here. Yawning heartily, he entered the kitchen.
Mokuba was sitting in his usual spot with his traditional cereal bowl in front of him and was watching TV. When Joey came in, the latest news on business came to an end, and no sooner had that happened when the youngster changed to the cartoon channel.
Seto was at the coffee machine and looked a little reproachfully at his brother when he heard the (in his opinion) irritating theme song of some cartoon he guessed he wouldn't bother to watch at any age; but unlike he had done during the first weekend of Joey's stay, he didn't tell Mokuba off and let him proceed instead. Shaking his head just a little bit, he turned back to the coffee machine. Suddenly, a tangle of blond hair appeared at his side, and he turned to look into a still very sleepy face.
"Well, look who's finally up," he commented with a quiet laugh.
Joey just blinked as if in incomprehension before muttering: "Thanks a lot…"
Seto smiled at him. "Don't take that seriously. Slept well?"
The blond guessed that he could accept the smile as an apology and grinned – and because he still had that sleepy look on his face, Seto thought that that looked… well, what do you call it; cute?
"Better than I have in weeks."
"Good. Coffee?" Seto asked. Joey nodded, and then he carried on: "Your friends said that they would come over in the afternoon."
"Our friends." The words had escaped him before he even knew it. Feeling the pointed look the brunet was giving him, he allowed his cheeks to turn a little pink.
Meanwhile, Mokuba had turned his head just a bit so he could watch them from the corner of his eye. 'There's something in the way they look at each other,' he thought as he observed their behavior and guessed that it had been a good idea to let them have some time for themselves the other night. The next question was: how would it be when Yugi and his friends came?
For now, though, he settled for the way they acted in private: that smile on his brother's face that never quite vanished, the way his fingers lightly touched Joey's as he pushed the coffee cup right into the other teen's hand and the look on Joey's face all the while – a look of adoration and definite gratitude.
'If only the others could see this…'
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Early in the afternoon, the promised visit took place. When the doorbell rang, Joey opened up to find his dearest friends – Yugi, Yami, Tea, Tristan and Ryou (and Bakura; the spirit had insisted on coming) – on the doorstep.
"Hi guys! C'mon in!" he invited them.
"It's good to see you again, Joey!" Yugi exclaimed and hugged him. Joey reached down to return the hug.
"It's great to see you guys, too."
"So, how was it?" Bakura asked.
"How was what?" Joey asked back.
"Jail."
"Bakura!" Ryou hissed and stepped on his dark side's foot, causing the other to draw in his breath sharply before growling:
"Hey, I'm just curious!"
"Still; it's so tactless of you to just waltz in here and ask that right away…!"
"Let's not get all upset. Why don't we go to the living room?" Joey suggested. His friends agreed, and so they went to sit there. Mokuba was already there and watching something on the TV.
"Hey Mokuba, how're you doing?" Tristan asked casually.
"Fine. You?"
"I can't complain."
The younger Kaiba refocused his attention on the early Christmas special as the others began to catch up on things with Joey. The blond told them everything – but minus certain details, like things that had happened between him and Seto. When the most important information had been exchanged, Bakura spoke up:
"How about if we go have a snowball fight?"
"What's gotten into him?" Joey asked, gaping at the thief.
"Bakura has decided that he likes snow – specifically: throwing it at people," Ryou explained.
"Three guesses who filled him in on that little trick," Tristan added with a meaningful glance at Ryou, who looked away.
"Sounds like fun, but I don't have a winter jacket…" Joey sighed.
"You're living with a filthy-rich guy and don't even have a winter jacket?!" Bakura almost yelled.
"This is surprising," Tea agreed with a rare frown on her face.
"But I haven't –" Joey started to explain when a new voice that came from the doorway joined the conversation:
"What are you all yelling about? It's quite irritating."
"Speaking of the devil! How come Blondie doesn't have a winter jacket?" Bakura asked.
"I wish you'd stop calling me that," Joey frowned.
"For your information: he has just spent roughly a month in prison, I don't go randomly buy things for people, and before that it wasn't cold enough for one. And besides: he hasn't asked me for one," Seto answered.
"That's what I was trying to tell you," Joey confirmed.
"I see that you're worried about him," Seto continued dryly, "but he'll get one soon."
"No fight, then…?" Bakura concluded disappointedly.
"I'd be grateful; you keep pelting us with snowballs whenever you get the chance to!" Tristan told him. He was trying to reason with the spirit, but he might as well have talked to a wall.
As they bickered, particularly Yami and Mokuba noticed how Seto went to Joey and supported himself on the chair lean. Their angle didn't allow them to see how Seto lightly fingered the blond's hair just above his neck, however… But they heard him suggest in a low voice:
"You could have my old jacket, if you like."
"That'd be great," Joey mumbled, enjoying the secret caresses he got from the brunet.
"And when we'll go do the Christmas shopping, you can pick a new one."
"Deal."
"…and just because you're afraid I might ruin that hairdo of yours!" a snarl from Bakura interrupted, making them look back at the others.
"You're just pissed because things aren't going your way!" Tristan retorted hotly.
"Guys, cut it out! We can go outside and have that fight!" Joey interjected.
"But didn't you just say…" Yugi began, who had been watching over the upcoming conflict.
Wordlessly, Seto left the living room, leaving the others to wonder whether they had driven him away. But judging by the still happy look on Joey's face, they hadn't.
"Let's just go out now so we can get it over with!" Tea sighed.
Agreeing mumbles were heard as they got up and headed for the door. When they got there and were putting on their coats, Seto came back with an old navy-blue, slightly tattered jacket draped over his arm. Joey gladly took it and put it on under the somewhat baffled stares of the others (except Yami).
"Everyone against Bakura!" Tristan yelled as they bounded out onto the snow-covered lawn.
"The other way around! Everyone against the whiner!" the spirit contradicted.
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In the end, it was almost a free-for-all. But only almost, for the usual small groups came to be: Ryou and Bakura, Yami and Yugi, and because Mokuba joined in shortly after the beginning and teamed up with Joey, Tristan sided with Tea so she wouldn't feel left out in any way. For over half an hour, the Kaiba mansion's lawn resembled a battlefield more than anything else.
The snowball fight ended in a draw, though Bakura assigned himself a private victory for smothering Tristan with an almost-avalanche of snowballs. After the fight, they went back inside to give their clothes a little bit of time to dry as they talked in front of a fire. Late in the afternoon, they finally said goodbye, and each of them wished a Merry Christmas on their way out. When it was his turn, Yugi mentioned something about a New Year's celebration and that they would be welcome to attend it as well. Joey was absolutely delighted with the thought, and for a change, Seto didn't even frown as he merely replied that they would keep it in mind. Joey caught Mokuba's eye, and in silent agreement they decided to pull a persuasion act on the CEO after Christmas.
Later, during dinner, Mokuba asked:
"Can we go do the Christmas shopping tomorrow, Seto?"
The brunet was silent for a moment, and that was all it took to indicate that he wasn't much of a "Christmas-shopper guy" and therefore not keen on going to the mall. But he also knew that he still needed to get presents as well, and no shops were open on December 24th.
"Good idea! You said we would go, anyway!" Joey reminded him.
"I know, I know… fine, we'll go tomorrow. Half past ten," he told them.
He was a bit surprised that he didn't hear any protests whatsoever from them as they nodded eagerly. There would be enough time to sleep in if they really wanted to – after all, that was one of the best things about vacation.
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At exactly half past ten the next day, Seto's black limousine took them to the mall. On the way there, Seto handed something to Joey.
"What's this?" the blond asked automatically.
"A credit card, puppy. I doubt that you'll want me around when you buy presents, and purchasing those requires money… just don't use up everything," Seto told him with a little smirk.
"Don't worry, I won't. Wow, I don't believe it… Rich Boy's credit card…" Joey muttered, fingering the plain white plastic card on which "Seto Kaiba" was imprinted in gold-colored letters.
Seto couldn't resist a smile as he watched the other teen's fascination. 'You'll get used to something like credit cards quite soon…' he thought.
As soon as they arrived at the mall, Mokuba announced that he'd go looking for presents. Seto was visibly uneasy about letting his brother run off on his own – he wasn't as good at concealing his worry for his younger brother as he was with other issues, and besides, the recent changes in his personality were another reason for that.
"Big brother, I'll be alright! You'll see!" Mokuba tried to convince him.
"Maybe it'd help if we make an agreement to meet somewhere in an hour or so," Joey suggested.
"But –" Seto started to protest.
In a gesture of comfort, Joey lightly touched the brunet's arm. "Relax, Seto. You've got to let him go do his own thing every once in a while. He's right, everything will be fine."
"But still… the risk… especially at this time of the year…"
Joey dropped his voice a bit. "You really should try and be calm. The more you make a fuss, the more likely certain people might realize their chance. I mean, unfortunately, they aren't too stupid. Just try and act casual…"
Seto made a face, but tried to take the advice he was given. He took a deep breath and hoped that he had a relaxed expression on his face as he said:
"All right, I agree. In an hour, we'll meet at that tree over there." He pointed to a very spectacularly decorated Christmas tree that was impossible to miss.
Mokuba smiled happily. "Okay! See you guys later!" Then he ran off, quickly disappearing in the dense crowd of shoppers.
Seto watched his younger brother until he couldn't see him anymore and finally turned to Joey with a small, worried sigh. The other teen gave him an encouraging smile that said 'It'll be fine'.
"I guess we should get going too… how about if we get Mokuba's present together?" Seto suggested, hoping that he'd be able to distract himself properly.
"I'm with you," Joey replied and let him lead the way.
Apparently, Seto had already had something in mind, for he decidedly went to an electronics shop – more specifically: the gaming section of the store.
"He saw this new console in a catalogue, so I think it would be a good choice," Seto explained as he examined one of the boxes.
"Well, your case might be closed, but what about me? I mean, I really want to give him something he'll like… but I'm kinda short on ideas…" Joey sighed.
"If I could make a suggestion: I'll get him the console, and you can buy a few games. He's not too picky, by the way… just don't get anything… you know…"
"…girly," Joey guessed, to which Seto nodded. "Okay, that shouldn't be too hard." He ambled over to the racks that held the shop's game offers. Muttering to himself, he looked each one over, then picked out half a dozen games. At the cash-desk, Seto used his own credit card to pay for the things, then they left the store.
"So, I guess you want to run your own errands now?" Seto asked, checking his watch. They had 45 minutes left until they would meet at the tree.
"As you do too, probably," Joey replied. He saw the brunet look at his watch and added quietly: "He's fine, trust me."
"I just can't help it! You've seen what could happen! I remember how he said that you saved him from bullies…"
That seemed to have happened ages ago, Joey thought; back when they had still been enemies. Again, the blond was a bit amazed at how much had changed. Contrarily to his former indifference, Seto's face had become more readable, and in that moment, Joey just wished to rid him of the worry – be that by means of a hug or a kiss, he really didn't mind which. The thought of kissing the CEO undoubtedly excited him as he wondered what that would be like. But he strictly decided not to do it now – there was far too little privacy…
Instead, he gave him what looked like a playful nudge along with another smile. He was glad to see that Seto at least tried to smile back. Then there was nothing left to be said, so they turned away from each other as they pursued their own intentions.
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Seto frowned as he fought his way through the crowds of shoppers. He didn't go to places like the mall very often anyways (especially not during this specific season), and usually he could only stand it for a very limited amount of time until he felt as if he would crack unless he got some more space around him. Now that there were even more people than usual, though, he believed to have already reached that point. Two madly giggling teenage girls bumped into him as they scurried from one boutique to another. Not even bothering to apologize in any way, they regained their balance and carried on their way. Scowling, Seto fought the urge to glare after them and decided yet again that malls could be highly hazardous for one's welfare – in more than one way, of course. (1)
The sign of a bank up ahead caught his eye, and he quickened his pace, eager to get out of the crowd. It felt like utmost relief to step through the doors and out of the hustle outside.
"Good day, sir, can we help you?" a woman asked.
"Yes," Seto replied, stepping up to her desk, "I'd like to ask you to make a credit card."
She recognized who he was and couldn't help but look a bit surprised. "Oh… another one, Mr. Kaiba?"
"Not for me," he told her, "A present for… somebody." Of course, he was thinking of Joey as he said that, and he barely could keep himself from smiling at that thought.
"As you wish. Could you please fill out this form?" She passed him a sheet of paper and a pen. Quickly, yet always writing neatly, Seto filled out the required fields and passed the paper back just a few minutes later.
"It should be done within an hour," she informed him.
Seto considered this. Perhaps they could stay at the mall just long enough so he could pick it up before they would go home again… then it would be over with without needing to mail it or anything. God knew that the post office wasn't necessarily reliable throughout the holidays…
"I'll come back in an hour, then," he said. She nodded, then he turned and left the bank. Part one was done… now on to part two. And then he would need to go back to the tree. Thinking of that immediately reminded him of Mokuba, and Seto frowned as he tried to fight the worry that still hadn't left him. 'Remember what Joey said… he's fine… fine…'
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Joey was quite oblivious of the crowd as he wondered what to get Seto. He recalled how it had taken him quite a while to come up with something for his birthday; but this was Christmas they were talking about! To find something that would seem special enough… his only hope left was to get a sudden inspiration from what the shops offered. Taking a chance (and because he had to keep to a time schedule), Joey entered a department store. Perhaps he would get lucky in a place that sold so many different things…
He had entered in the fashion department of the store, for there were racks full of pants, sweaters and coats. Seeing those, Joey remembered something:
"And when we'll go do the Christmas shopping, you can pick a new one."
"Oh yeah, I could sort that out," Joey said to himself as he began looking at the offered coats. It would have to be a nice and warm one so he could go have snowball fights with Mokuba without second thoughts about getting wet and cold.
A coat that had a creamy brown color caught his eye, and he took it off the rack for a better look. It looked really nice, and he liked the color and the design. Quite simple, just like he preferred it. And the combination of creamy brown with the dark brown seams looked good. (2) Joey put it on for good measure and immediately decided that he liked it enough to buy it. A mirror stood nearby, and he regarded himself.
"This is great!" he said to nobody in particular. His fingers explored the coat's insides and found the price tag. Reading the price that was named, Joey's eyes widened remarkably.
'God, I can't afford that!' was the first thought that entered his mind, 'I'd need a lot of bucks for this or –'
"A credit card, puppy."
'Of course!' Joey thought as he looked into his wallet, where he found the credit card he had been given earlier. He didn't dare make a guess how much money was on it – in any case, it was certainly more than enough to pay for the coat. Grinning happily, Joey hung the coat over his arm as he ventured deeper into the store. When he was passing the scarf section, he saw one that he thought would be perfect for Seto: the colors were a rich blue and pure black, and while the scarf was totally blue on one end, it faded to become black at the other end.
Without any hesitations whatsoever, Joey grabbed it and draped it over his coat. He hoped to find something more, but at least he would have something for sure. As he went on, he noticed that it was weird to know that he himself had quite a lot of money at hand and didn't need to count every cent like he saw that some people around him were doing. He grimaced a bit when he suddenly found himself comparing his present situation with what he would be going through if he were still living with his father. He shook his head a bit. Now was not the right time to be thinking about things like that – he now lived with people that really cared for him…
Perhaps he was on some kind of lucky streak today, he thought as he stopped short in front of a display of exclusive diamond creations. The things people could make out of stones nowadays… What had caught his attention was a dainty sculpture of a dog – heck, probably even a puppy! It had beady little eyes and was holding a flower (which looked quite like a rose) in its mouth. Joey bet that it would be wagging its tail if it were real. What's more, the dog was obviously being sold with a short poem written on the little wall behind it:
"You are special; you stand out in a crowd:
A special friend of whom I'm proud." (3)
Perhaps it sounded sappy, but Joey didn't care. To him, it was just perfect. By now, he was sure that he didn't just like Seto; he loved him, and this was a subtle way of expressing that. Maybe he'd even say those three little words…!
"May I help you?" asked one of the cashiers who noticed him.
"Yeah… I'll have that," Joey said and pointed to the dog.
"Yes… and how do you intend to pay, sir?" the man asked.
It was apparent that he didn't believe that the blond teen had enough money to pay for it. Joey fought hard to keep his voice from acquiring a mocking tone as he replied: "By credit card." Then he extracted the card from his wallet and pushed it towards the man.
The cashier looked at it, and his eyes widened as he read the name. He looked at Joey for one second before saying: "Sir, you're not Seto Kaiba…"
"I know. He lent it to me." As he spoke, his eyes added with a pointed look: 'You got a problem with that?'
For a short moment, the teen and the man just stared at each other, but then the latter gave up and started wrapping foam rubber around the sculpture so it would be a bit protected when it was transported. Joey put the coat and the scarf on the counter as well, and by pulling the card once through a scanning device, the cashier confirmed the purchases. He looked a bit unsurely at his customer as he passed him the plastic bag that contained all the things and said with what was almost only a mutter:
"Good day to you, and Happy Holidays."
"Thank you," Joey replied plainly and stuffed the credit card back into his wallet. He looked at a clock overhead and saw that it was time to get back to the meeting point. "Happy Holidays to you too, by the way," he added before he left.
The cashier only stared after him, wondering how that boy had managed to get Seto Kaiba – Seto Kaiba, of all people! – to lend him a credit card. One of those "holiday miracles", maybe? That was his best guess, for all he knew.
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As soon as the tree came into view, he saw Seto standing there, waiting. At first glance, the brunet seemed to be calm, but one closer look revealed that his lips were slightly pursed, and there was an alert look in his eyes. Simply everything about him, especially the way he stood there, carried a simple message: 'Don't you dare come near me.' As he thought this, Joey grinned to himself. He was sure that certain exceptions could be made – after all, rules and guidelines were always confirmed by their exceptions. Putting on his most cheerful face, he approached the CEO.
"Hey there, Seto! Already done?"
"Hmm?" The other teen gave up his hobby-of-the-moment to face the blond. "You actually are back on time! Quite unlike when you go to school, isn't it?"
This was only a friendly-meant tease, as Joey correctly deciphered the tone of voice. In response, his grin widened as he replied happily: "I know. I can always be on time when it comes to things I like. And it looks like you're early, as always."
"I've been here for fifteen minutes."
"You were done that quickly?!"
"Surely you've noticed that I'm not too fond of this place, so I tend to get shopping errands done as quickly as possible…" He glanced down at his watch. The hour was over. Joey noticed that and started looking around as well – after all, he knew that there was no way he would be able to calm Seto down now that the time limit had been reached.
A few tense minutes later, a familiar face appeared in the horde of shoppers.
"Hey, look!" Joey exclaimed and pointed as he nudged Seto's arm.
The brunet did as he was told to and gave a small sigh of relief when he saw his brother elbowing his way through the crowd, then breaking into a run.
"Hi guys!" Mokuba greeted them cheerfully as he hugged his brother.
Seto hugged him back with a muttered: "Thank goodness!"
"You've been worried about me all this time, big brother?" Mokuba asked quietly.
The elder Kaiba nodded, and Joey added: "Yeah. I kept trying to tell him that you're fine…"
"Yet you know that I just can't help it," Seto reminded him.
"Hey, I didn't say that I have a problem with that!" Joey laughed.
"Um… I guess it's time to go now, right?" Mokuba piped up. He was all too familiar with Seto's dislikes for malls…
"Actually, no," his brother replied. When Mokuba and Joey both gawked at him, he explained: "There's a little matter I need to attend in an hour, so we might as well wait here. I'll leave it up to you on what we'll do now, however."
Mokuba's eyes lit up. "Really?! Oh, I know what we could do! Can we go to Häägen-Dazs, Seto? We haven't been there in ages…!" (4)
Joey looked happy at the suggestion, and Seto couldn't suppress his amazement. "What?! It's winter, how could you want ice cream in the coldest season of the year?"
"It's never too cold for ice cream!" Mokuba beamed.
"I totally agree," Joey added.
Seto sighed. This was unbelievable… but because he had promised to let them choose and Mokuba had returned safely, he agreed. "Fine. Lead the way."
Mokuba cheered and started to take them to the place. Joey and Seto followed, walking side by side, and they found it a bit hard to resist doing something simple like linking their arms as they had done when returning home from the final court visit…
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They spent an hour sitting in the little ice cream parlor and enjoying some quality time together. Later, Seto excused himself so he could quickly go back to the bank to pick up the credit card he had ordered, and then they could finally go home. As they were driven home in the limousine, Mokuba happily took notice of how Joey leaned against Seto whilst the brunet made no attempts whatsoever to conceal his happiness; so far, he had still tried to act out that emotion when he was alone with Joey or at least convinced that they weren't being watched. When he returned the trusting gesture, he caught his brother's eye. The youngster smiled widely, to which Seto gave a short chuckle. He could imagine that his sibling was quite pleased with himself – after all, what he had been aiming at had come to be, save two little things that still needed to be done.
(1) I've decided that often enough when I go to the mall to look at Christmas exhibitions... I kinda have a phobia for really big crowds, and I almost panicked in a "disco" once... -shudders-
(2) I once found a lovely picture on which he was wearing a coat like that, so I made use of that delayed inspiration.
(3) We used to have a figurine like that (though it wasn't made of diamonds), and I always thought it was way cute. I like that little poem, even if many think that it's sappy - I wouldn't mind getting a present like that... :)
(4) I think you can write that name with "ä" or just "a", but I like "ä" better (probably because German is my mother tongue). And hell, I like Häägen-Dazs, especially that great Oreo-biscuit flavor they have... and the Baileys flavor... mmmmmh... :))))
Next chapter will be Xmas, I promise - actually, that's almost convenient timing, 'cause I'm already starting to get into the Christmas spirit XD
Oh yeah, and I didn't hesitate for a single second to have pity on Mokuba - he can't get kidnapped all the time...