Chapter 23

The screen glared at him while the speakers blasted the over dramatic music into his ears, and for the thousands time in that last hour Seto wondered how Joey and Mokuba had suckered him into this.

The three of them were watching a movie in the main living room (it had the biggest T.V) the CEO was sitting with his normal perfect, stiff posture on the couch, arms crossed and glowering at the screen. Joey beside him was curled up, knees against his chest and staring, entrapped, with wide amber eyes that flickered with the light from the telly. Mokuba was, much to Seto chagrin, on the floor and kneeling not a foot away from the screen.

Coming to a slow section in the action movie the brunette decided that he really couldn't allow his brother to be that close.

"Mokuba….Mokuba….MOKUBA!" The raven haired kid jumped and finally looked around.

"What is it Seto?" he asked, confusion evident on his face.

"Move back from the screen."

"Don't wa'na," the eleven year old pouted, turning back to the T.V.

"Mokuba!" Seto growled, angry at being ignored by his younger brother. The kid purposely ignored him. Beside the brunette, the blonde chuckled lightly.

Seto shot a glare at the smaller teen, but Joey let it roll off him, fully accustomed to the look by now.

"I suppose you think you could do better?" he snapped.

Joey smiled; taking up the challenge and slowly rose from the couch. Walking across the room quietly he stood behind the small kid. Bending down to grab Mokuba around the middle he lifted the child, who stayed in his curled up position, with only a whine of protest and moved backwards to deposit him further away from the screen. Mokuba turned around briefly to shoot a dirty look at the blonde but Joey just shrugged good naturedly.

Seto continued to watch in silence as his brother settled down in his now further away place and Joey folded himself up on the couch again, giving him a small victorious smile.

The brunette huffed. Stupid puppy.

Another half an hour latter and the movie ended with a dramatic explosion and even worse music than before. There was a moment of silence…then,

"That was awesome!" cried Mokuba from the floor. Jumping up and turning to face his brother, but Seto wasn't watching him or the movie. Instead the tall teen had his gaze firmly fixed on the smiling blonde next to him, who didn't seem to notice. Mokuba saw the small half smile of his brother's lips and the softening of his eyes as he continued to stare at Joey. Maybe he was interrupting something?

Grinning, he exclaimed quickly, "well I'm tired, I'm going to bed. You guys watch another movie." It was only then that his older brother turned to him but the ebony haired kid was already out of the door.

"But it's only…." The brunette trailed of as the last of his younger brother's foot disappeared from site. "…well that was odd. Normally he'd be begging me to stay up."

"Maybe he really is tired," the blonde said with a shrug. Joey slowly got up from the couch and started stretching out his sore muscles. Seto had to stop himself from staring, fixing his gaze firmly on the screen where the credits were still running.

"This is Mokuba remember, he's never tired…especially when he's had three bowls of ice-cream," Seto glared at the blonde.

Joey had the decency to look sheepish, "What? I couldn't resist him alright; he got all cute and innocent on me."

Seto huffed again and crossed his arms over his chest once more. He managed to get a few moments of decent glaring at the wall before the blonde interrupted.

"Want to do what he said?"

"Huh?"

"Watch another movie, I mean?"

The brunette sighed, but gave in "alright…as long as it's something decent this time."

Joey smiled again and made his way to the DVD cupboard. "When are you ever happy?" he teased over his shoulder.

Outwardly the other teen didn't say anything but his mind had already supplied him with the answer.

'When you smile.'

No! Stupid thoughts! Stop thinking such mushy things. It's not like it's true…ok, so it may be slightly true…but it's not like it means anything! I don't like Joey or anything. Do I?

As soon as the question had presented itself Seto felt his stomach droop with dread even while his heart constricted painfully.

Oh, God!

"Seto, Seto you there?" a hand waved in front of his face.

"Oh, huh? Sorry, what do you want?" the CEO said quickly, coming out of his daze.

Momentary madness, it's nothing more. He reassured himself.

"I said the movie is about to start," Joey continued speaking. The brunette nodded once and then turned back to the screen, refusing to look at the frowning blonde by his side. Eventually Joey seemed to give up trying to figure out what was wrong with him, and too turned back to the screen.

The movie, Seto admitted, could have been slightly interesting but unfortunately, it wasn't. Instead it was completely boring and the CEO was having trouble not falling asleep as the character on the screen continued to groan on and on. Something falling heavily on his shoulder woke him up.

Looking to his left Seto sighed and suppressed the urge to cry out as his heart once again constricted. His vision was confronted with a head of messy, but soft, blonde hair. The golden strands were falling onto the face of the teen beneath and tickling the tanned cheeks.

Joey looked extremely delicate in his sleep, vulnerable and week. Even though the brunette knew he was none of these things Seto couldn't suppress the urge to wrap his arms around the slim figure and protect him. The smaller teen was snoring softly, his chest rising and falling slowly with deep even breaths. The blond was still half curled up, his long limbs drawn to him and arms gripping himself gently.

Long, dark eyelashes rimmed the lids of closed amber eyes and soft, full lips drew the CEO's sight to them.

It would be so easy…

No! Shaking his head, Seto gently moved until he could get out from under the blonde without waking him. Placing one arm on the back of the teen and the other under his knees the brunette gently lifted Joey into his arms and away from the couch, bridal style.

The blonde shifted and for a moment Seto froze, afraid of waking the other and being found in such a position. However the small teen did not wake, but pressed himself closer into the strong chest of the CEO, his head resting on the broad shoulder as he resumed his quiet snoring.

Seto released the breath he had been holding and moved from the room. He was startled to find that Joey was not difficult to carry, despite all that he ate and was rather slim in his arms. Continuing to walk into the hallway and slowly up the stairs the CEO could not help think of how wrong the fan-girls were.

How could they ever call such a creature ugly? It was him that didn't deserve to be this close to something so beautiful, not the other way round. He was cold, rude and bitter, but Joey was different. The puppy was forgiving, funny, adorable, cheerful, protective, strong and infinitely loving. Seto didn't think he could ever hope to match up to the blonde but was grateful he was permitted to bask in the glow that the small teen produced.

How could someone like Joey be dirty and unclean? How could the puppy be ugly when the personified beauty in every form? A small smile crept across the brunettes face as he thought about how blind everyone had been, how blind he had been, to the true Joey.

Buried in his thoughts the CEO hadn't realised that he had already placed the blonde on the bed, tucked the covers around him and was now gently stroking the golden hair.

Staring fondly at the blonde while his thoughts began to wonder, the brunette's hand moved with a will of its own. Trailing a line from the sunshine hair to the smooth surface of Joey's tanned cheek and then further to brush his fingers along the other teens full lips.

It would be so easy…

Seto realised what he was doing with start.

Hastily moving his hand away as if it had been burned, the CEO looked at Joey to make sure the other teen hadn't awakened. The blonde shifted onto his side and drew the covers closer to himself, but did not wake. Eyes wide, Seto looked to his hand to see if it could give him the answers to what he had been doing? What he had been thinking?

The tingling along his fingers continued from where he had touched the blonde. Seto stood swiftly and turned to the door, all but flying through it and down the hall to his own room. Closing the door and locking it, the CEO leaned against the wood in the darkness. Bringing up his hand, he stared at it once again.

Oh, God! What was he doing?...