It was gray; it was always gray he thought. Kaiba stared outside his bedroom windows at the dark sky. He contemplated whether or not he'd move from his spot at the end of his bed; his bare feet cold against carpet the only thing he was certain of. It was seven-fifteen am and he would have to start getting ready for school or run the risk of being late. But he continued to sit there, staring out his enormous bedroom windows. All he could see was the gray, gray sky.

"Whaddya doin' up? Come back to bed." a muffled voice behind him grumbled. Kaiba laughs and lies back onto his bed, just missing the body still underneath the covers.

"Haven't you slept enough?"

"No. Now get over here, I'm cold." An arm reaches out from underneath the blankets and after several failed attempts, tangles their fingers with Kaiba's outstretched hand. "C'mere." The hand tugs and the body turns over, trying but failing miserably to make the CEO come closer.

Kaiba smiles as he pulls the blanket off to reveal a very grumpy Joey Wheeler.

"Seto fuckin' Kaiba, I said come back to bed." He whined, tugging at Kaiba harder. He refused to open his eyes, scrunching his face as much as possible despite the dim lighting of the room.

"If you insist." Kaiba slipped under the covers and lay next to Joey. He wrapped his arms around him, bringing him in towards his chest.

"Mmmfint!"

"What?"

"I said, watch da feathers."

"Sorry." Kaiba moved over a fraction, allowing Joey to unfurl the wing he had ended up on top of. It was shiny, almost metallic, and obsidian. Joey arched then tucked it comfortably behind himself.

" Dat's better."

"Joey?"

"Sleep Seto, I said sleep."

"Joey, look at me."

There's a soft curse and grunt from the blonde but he opens his eyes revealing two very tired blood irises.

"Whaddya want Kaiba?"

"Nothing just…."

" KAI-BAH!"

The slamming of Joey's lunch tray against the table Kaiba was sitting at was what woke him up. He wasn't in his room but at school, in the cafeteria, at a secluded table by the fire exit. His laptop was opened in front of him with a blank screen. I must have dozed off…

"Rise an' shine rich boy!" Joey sat opposite of Kaiba, staring intently at the brunette. There was nary a feather in sight. "Stayed up pass ya bedtime?"

"Something like that." Kaiba resisted the urge to rub his eyes knowing it would provide absolutely nothing.

"I'm sorry." Joey mumbled quietly, turning away. "I shouldn't have call ya so late."

"It's the dreams that keep me up." Kaiba surprised himself by saying that much. He could have responded a million different ways but he chose honesty. I might still be asleep.

"Yeah?" Joey looked up at the older boy and almost whispered. "Are they nightmares?"

"No, not nightmares…" Kaiba pauses to think how much he'd want to reveal to Joey. He'd been dreaming about the boy for a while now but this was the first time he'd actively daydreamed. " They're strange…to say the least."

"Hmm." Joey bit his lip. He noticed the dark circles under Kaiba's eyes and his paler-than-usual skin. He looked worn-out but not so much as he'd been in the past. This was more like he skipped out on a couple of hours of sleep than I've-been-up-working-a-whole-month-without-food-or-rest. "Stranger than dat time we was stuck in ya brain because of Noah?"

"Possibly."

"Am I in 'em?" Joey grins.

"Actually… " Kaiba leaves it at that.

"Yeah?" Joey's smile widen to comical proportions. Rising up from his seat, he leaned across the table so that he could directly whisper into Kaiba's ear. "Ya havin' wet dreams about me Seto Kaiba? "

There was nothing but pure mirth in those words so for just a second, Kaiba smiles too. Joey catches it from out the corner of his eye.

"Wait, really?" Joey backs away enough to sit back down but waits for Kaiba to call his bluff.

"I have yet to admit to anything Wheeler, you're making assumptions rather quickly." Kaiba clicks a random file open on his laptop to feign interest. It's a report from three months ago on the development of the duel disks into smaller sizes to maximize portability.

"But you are dreamin' about me? "

"I never said I was dreaming of you. "

"Yeah, but I'm in ya dreams."

"Yes." Kaiba meets Joey's eyes. " Is that not allowed? Should I have signed some sort of release form?"

" No, just…" Joey became quiet. He was incredibly curious as to why Seto Kaiba dreamt with him. He wanted to know why or what he'd be doing in them? Were they good dreams? They can't be if he ain't sleepin'. But he said they were strange, why are they strange? We talkin' shadow realm strange or I'm in a tutu singin' the macrena strange?

"Sometimes I dream about you."

That was not something Joey had meant to say; to anyone. Not even Yugi who was about as judgmental as a blind puppy. He felt blood rushing to his face and chose at that exact moment to become enthralled by his lunch. Oh God, did dat just move again? They really need ta check the expiration dates on these!

"Is that so?" Kaiba did little to hide the grin forming on his lips. At least I'm not the only one. "Am I Red-Eyes Black Dragon, leather-clad and wings spread wide or just naked in these dreams?"

"What? No! Shuddup Kaiba!" Joey threw a half-hearted punch at Kaiba catching the CEO in his arm. "They're normal, non-leather, fully-clothed dreams!" He looks back at his food, not really wanting this conversation to continue. " You got any food on ya Kaiba, this shit might try an' eat me."

" They're only dreams Wheeler." Kaiba was not phased by Joey's infamous change the subject tactic. " There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Yeah?" It's almost surreal to him, that just a couple of months ago this was a guy Joey hated with every single fiber in his being. " What do I do in your dreams?"

"You…" Fuck. This is what happens when I sympathize. "What am I doing in yours?"

"Nu-uh Kaiba, I asked first."

Kaiba glared at Joey while he racked through his brain for anything that wouldn't sound too incriminating. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Like…."

"Like you enter my office uninvited."

"And?"

"Also my bedroom."

"Oh." Joey blushes as Kaiba continues.

"You just walk in, demanding my attention. And your hair is always a horrible mess."

"Really Kaiba? Even in your dreams you got a problem wit my hair?"

"You should just cut it. Trim it and tame it like the wild animal it is."

"Fuck you Kaiba, I don't need a haircut!" To prove his point, Joey stuck a hand in his hair and ran it through, effectively messing it up further. "Anythin' else?"

"You always have red eyes."

"Like I'm wasted?"

"No, like your irises are actually red."

"So…I'm a vampire?"

"Not necessarily, no."

"Oh." Joey broke eye contact. He wrung his hands together thinking over everything Kaiba had just shared. "But what's so strange about them dat ya can't sleep?"

This, Kaiba had no response to. What could he tell Joey without making the situation more uncomfortable than it already was? You always end up in my bed, whether it began that way or not. "Things you say or do I suppose. Sometimes you're violent while others you're almost docile."

"Could you be anymore vague?

Kaiba shrugged, " Dreams tend to be. Now you tell me, what am I doing in yours?"

Joey still hadn't looked at Kaiba, still mauling over what he could possibly mean by violent. Yes, there was a time in Joey's life where he could beat any and everyone with his fists but that was almost a lifetime ago. Is that what he thinks of me?

"Wheeler?"

Looking up but away from Kaiba, Joey rushed to give him an answer. "Oh, umm…I have ones where we just hang out; play duel monsters without da fancy tech. But then I have some where we're back at Duelist Kingdom only dis time you're not such a prick an' we're friends an' I win dat duel in Pegasus' Castle."

"I doubt even if I was amiable with you then, it would have changed your skill level."

" How would you know dat if it ain't never happen?"

"Point…anything else?"

" Sometimes we fight dragons like in ye old times." Joey smiles. " We're knights an' have to protect da kingdom from evil an' invaders. They're pretty badass."

"I can imagine."

"Yeah an' sometimes we kis…" Joey stopped talking; his eyes bulging to the size of Devonshire plates. Of all the things he could have let slip this was probably the worst. He turned slowly to meet Kaiba's gaze who was waiting patiently for him to continue. The brunette was smiling, letting him know that he heard enough to know what that last word was.

"That so?"

"Ya got anythin' ta eat Kaiba? I'm really hungry."

"Is it more than once? Is there tongue?"

"Oh hey, that's Ryou over there. Hey Ryou! Over here!" Joey shouts at the general direction of the platinum blonde who turns to smile at him. Kaiba bites back a retort at how lame of Joey for not only ignoring him but also inviting someone over to their table. Classic.

"Hello Joey, Hello Kaiba." Ryou greeted when he approached the table. He held a brown paper bag in one hand and a sketchpad in the other.

"Take a seat man." Joey scooted over, patting the space next to him. His face was still flushed and he was still avoiding Kaiba completely.

" Thank you Joey." Ryou smiled and sat down, setting his sketchpad down to his left. "What are you two gentlemen discussing?"

"Dreams."

"Nothing."

Ryou looked between Kaiba and Joey at their simultaneous answers, thinking he may have walked into something he maybe should have kept out of.

"Well, which is it?"

"Wheeler and I were discussing dreams and how…nonsensical they can be." Kaiba threw Joey an all-knowing look before switching focus back to his laptop. It'd gone asleep and he needed to make himself busy to avoid further conversation with the newcomer.

"Oh, that's a good topic." Ryou's expression softened. " I myself have had a dream or two where I find myself swimming in a pool of jell-o, attempting to get away from silver frogs."

Joey looks at Ryou quizzically then at Kaiba to see if the boy had anything to say. He spared a what-the-fuck glance at him before coughing and going back to typing. Joey fidgeted in his seat, searching for something to say and only coming up with "Jell-o sounds real good right about now."

"There was some still left when I entered, perhaps you still have a chance?"

"Alright!" Joey happily stood from the table and jogged away to the other side of the cafeteria where the dessert tray would be; happy to get away from the awkward atmosphere. When he was just out of earshot, Ryou spoke directly at Kaiba.

"Do not think, for one second, I don't know what you are doing Seto Kaiba."

If anything got his attention, it was when someone addressed him by his full name. Kaiba looked at the boy sitting across from him to find Ryou leering at him. His lip in a frown, his shoulders straight, hands folded neatly on top the table.

"And what would that be?"

"Joey. Joey, who is my friend and has been for several years now and not just some fly by night…"

" If you are seriously going to sit here and force feed me a friendship speech then I'll have to ask you to stop. My relationship with Wheeler is of no concern to you or anyone for that matter. And if it was, wouldn't he be the one needed to enlighten me of the intricacies of friendship?"

"Bollocks Kaiba. This is how you work. You find a way in, build up all the confidence in your opponent and destroy them. It is how you duel as well as how you run your business. Although," Ryou paused to look behind Kaiba, keeping track of where Joey was in relation to the table. " I do not know why you would be after Joey of all people. What has he got that you want?"

"If my answer were companionship?"

"I'd vomit from the stench of shit that comes out of your mouth." Ryou practically spat the words. Kaiba was more so intrigued by this sudden venomous behavior than offended. He'd expect this from someone like Bakura, Yami, perhaps even Tea who seemed to have an ill-overbearing need to tell people of their wrong-doings but not Ryou.

"I suspect this is not so much about friendship as it is about your own jealousy towards me."

"It's not jealousy if it isn't real. You're playing a part Kaiba and when the curtains fall, it'll be Joey left on that stage, alone and betrayed and I will not stand for that! He deserves better."

"And by better, I'm sure you mean yourself? "

"In fact I do. I am better suited for Joey. I know how to be compassionate, and caring, and loving. I know what it is to be a teenager and have fun. You on the other hand are just a sad little boy-king trapped in an aging body."

"So I managed ta get us all a cup o' jell-o. You're welcome."

Joey appeared just in time to stop Kaiba from responding, sitting next to Ryou. He handed him a cup of green jell-o then slid Kaiba a blue one. He himself held a red one by the edge of its lid with his teeth. He was completely oblivious to the electrified looks Ryou and Kaiba were sending one another.

" Thank you Joey." Ryou replied sweetly, never looking away from Kaiba and opening up his Jell-o cup.

"Yes, Wheeler. I appreciate the gelatin." Kaiba only poked a hole in the lid of his and did not bother to even taste it.

"No problem guys." Joey looked up to catch Ryou and Kaiba's intense staring contest for the first time.

"Did I miss somethin'?"

"Oh, nothing Joey." Ryou stops glaring to smile at Joey again and inches just enough so that their thighs touch. "Is that all you're eating? I'm sure you must be starved."

"Mokuba made you a pasta salad. It's in my briefcase."

"Thanks!" Joey inhales what little is left of his gelatin and reaches across the table to grab Kaiba's briefcase. Opening it, he finds two tupper ware containers; one labeled with his name. "Awww, Kaiba, ya didn't hafta."

"I didn't." Kaiba shrugged. "I explained to Mokuba that you were the one stealing my lunches lately and he decided he'd make enough for you so that I no longer have an excuse for not eating."

"Dat's an awesome little brother right there. I love 'im an' if it wasn't for the fact dat he's only thirteen, I'd marry him."

"But then you'd be Joey Kaiba and honestly, that doesn't have a good ring to it." Ryou chimed in, opening his brown paper bag and retrieving the turkey on rye within.

"I suppose Ryou Wheeler would sound much more eloquent?" Kaiba countered, watching Ryou's face turn cherry pink. He took a large bite of his sandwich and refused to speak any further.

"Nah," Joey shoved a spoonful of noodles into his mouth, chewing loudly, "if I get hitched, they can keep their name. I'm too used ta signin' Wheeler."

"We've talked about this. Chew. Swallow. Then speak. Good boy." Joey responded with a one-finger salute at Kaiba and continued eating.

With only three bites into his sandwich, Ryou felt sick. "I think I shall take my leave. I have some homework to finish up." He stood up, snatching his sketchpad off the table. "Joey, I shall see you later for our art session and Kaiba," he spared Kaiba one last glare, "I bid you farewell."

Ryou sauntered off.

Kaiba was inwardly ecstatic and went back to his computer, tuning out the sounds of Joey's loud chewing. What the fuck was that idiot's problem. He was squawking louder than a jealous ex. As if I even want Wheeler. Almost to prove his point, Kaiba looked over at Joey, watching as the boy ate the food in front of him like a ferocious animal. Disgusting.

"All I want you to know

Is that I won't be here for long

And my heart

Oh! my heart is getting sore."

"Dat's me!" Joey blurted out, realizing that the music was coming from his back pocket. He reached inside and produced a pink razr phone. Putting it to his ear, he answered. "Hello?"

"Good, you have it on you."

"I said I would, even if it's a lil embrassin'" Joey shifted in his seat, looking at Kaiba who was doing his best impersonation of a statue.

"Well, until you get your own, you'll just have to deal with it."

"Yeah," Joey nodded, a habit he never really learned was pointless over the phone. "Anyway, why ya callin', ain't you in school right now? Are you playin' hookey Rini?"

"No, I'm in the bathroom. I needed to know where you are staying tonight."

"Home?"

"Wrong answer."

"Uhhh…" Joey fidgeted in his seat. He didn't want to lie to his sister and knew where he stood on his end of the bargain with her.

"Ask your boyfriend."

"Who?"

"You know, tall, pale, and broody. Owns a multi-billion dollar corporation and still sleeps in matching jammies."

"He really does but he's ya'know, he's not my…"

"Just ask him Joey. Okay? His house is probably the safest place right now. I'm sure Martin knows where Yugi and Tristan live."

"Shit Rini," Joey's chest tightened.

So as to not draw any more attention, he turned in his seat, placing his back to Kaiba. Whispering into the phone, " I never thought about it like that."

" Think Joey, dad and Martin share a brain, whatever dad knows, Martin must know. But even if he knows your chums with Seto Kaiba, he'd know he couldn't just come through guns blazing.

"Yeah, I think Kaiba's actually got snipers hiding somewhere."

" Exactly, now go ask him. I'm sure he won't say no."

"Why's that?"

"You're his only friend…duh."

"Oh…yeah."

"Listen, I gotta go but do it."

"Okay."

"Okay? Joey I'll be calling you back later today and so help me Ra, I'll kick your ass if I find out you went home."

"Relax, I'll ask, I'll ask. Just…don't worry Rini. An' thanks again for da phone. It's nice knowin' I can talk to you whenever."

"Yeah, same here…." Joey heard a shuffling noise then a door closing. "I love you Joey."

"I love you too."

"I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah, later."

When Joey heard the click, he closed the phone shoving it back into his pocket. He turned around to face Kaiba who had remained silent the entire time, pretending not to be listening. He'd been typing furiously at his keyboard but really he was writing gibberish on an empty word document.

"Hey Kaiba, is it cool if I….uh…" Kaiba looked up and this stopped Joey in mid-sentence.

"Yes?"

"Umm…my dad…" Joey strained on the last word to get it out. There was a whole mess of things revolved around that man and now Serenity was too. "Is gonna be gone for a while, for some sort of…family emergency thing. Dat means I…I'm gonna be by myself all week an' I kinda don't want to sleep alone an' was wonderin'…"

"If you could sleep with me?"

"Yes…I mean…" Joey felt all the blood in his body go cold. This was the second time in the span of only half an hour that he verbally humiliated himself in front of Kaiba.

"Could I sleep over?"

Despite wanting to make several colorful comments to Joey about sleeping arrangements and sex, Kaiba simply answered. "I don't see why not."

"Yeah?"

" Mokuba does enjoy your lack of limitations when it comes to eating and I did agree to help you with that math assignment."

"Thanks Kaiba, you're da best."

"Finally, something we both can agree on." Kaiba stated rather smug.

Joey said nothing, only nodding. He was biting his lip again with a far off look in his eye that Kaiba was very familiar with. Although, he still had no clue what it meant.

"That's quite the lovely phone you've got."

"Serenity?"

"Hey Einstein."

Serenity hadn't bothered to even make sure it was Mokuba waiting outside the girl's bathroom. She knew ever since their little pow-wow in the library he'd been keeping a close eye on her. Not that she couldn't appreciate the concern but it was very difficult to think about everything that was happening when she couldn't tell him a thing.

"I was thinkin' maybe you'd want play some Halo with me tonight? Maybe score a couple more achievements?"

"Yeah, sounds good…"

"And then we could go ice skating with polar bears after."

"That's nice too."

"You're doing it again." Mokuba sighed, walking closer to the girl to grab her by the shoulders, forcing her to look up at him. "You're not all there Serenity. What's wrong?"

"This year's Christmas is going to suck." She answered. She knew he wouldn't understand why and would probably guess all the wrong reasons but at least she could share that much. "It's going to suck and I don't want it to."

"We could have a party?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, we could have a party. Nothing major, just a couple friends, some good food, eggnog, mistletoe…" Mokuba searched the girl's face for any sort of reaction. "C'mon, we'll plan it tonight over a team slayer!" He smiled as hard as he possibly could, hoping to pull his best friend out of her stupor.

It worked because Serenity returned the smile by kissing him on the lips for the first time in months. "Let's get crackin'! I want motifs and party games and none of that charades crap." She wiggled free of his hold but slipped her hand into one of his. He took her tugging as his cue to follow her down the hallway.

Domino High's art room was well used. It was originally a large classroom that doubled as a meeting hall for parents when the school was first built. It was later transformed into a small gym then dance studio, a music room, and finally what it was today. A longer than it was wider space equipped with a few large desks covered in paint and clay splatters, ten canvases and five pottery wheels in strategic locations, and a giant furnace at the back. And very, very large windows that looked out onto the school's field.

"Joey?"

"Hmmm?"

"Look this way for me please."

"Sure."

Joey sat on a pedestal with a white sheet draped over his right shoulder that wound around his waist. He wore only his boxers underneath and silently thanked the furnace, as it was the only thing keeping him warm.

"Like dis?"

Joey's hands were on either side of his hip, extended so that the muscles and tendons along his arms were as visible as possible. His right leg was tucked around the pedestal while the left was perched in front of him so that his knee was leveled with his hip. It wasn't the most comfortable position but Ryou explained in the first modeling session that the overall goal of this portfolio was the replication of the human anatomy at its most delicate.

In Joey's opinion, this position was no where near as bad as the week before when he had to hold a fruit basket high above his head with one hand, stretch out his other arm, and have a leg out and up behind him. His saving grace was that Ryou never took too long to get the first sketch done and would allow him to rest in between the different stages of the piece.

"Thank you."

Ryou watched as Joey carefully turned his head afraid he'd mess up the entire pose.

For two to three hours a week, Ryou drew, sketched, painted and stared at Joey Wheeler's partially naked body. He would spend the days before each session daydreaming about what pose he could think of next and the days after dreaming of how he should have ask for just a little more skin. Ryou smiled to himself, focusing back onto the canvas, blending in two yellows and an orange for accents. He was almost finished with this piece and could feel the despair in his chest of not wanting to say goodbye just yet.

"You have a text message from Wanker." Ryou forgot to switch his phone to vibrate. It was Yami texting him for the twenty-sixth time today.

Ryou had officially broken up with him a week after Halloween but never made it known to anyone. It was a topic neither party involved wished to discuss at lengths, especially amongst mutual friends. They were however never in the same room together, be it at school, home, or even at group outings. One always made an excuse to not join or leave before the other could arrive. Ryou prayed everyone would just get the hint and not ask questions. And while he was in absolute bliss fawning over Joey, Yami was still calling him at all hours of the day and night, sending him text message after text message begging forgiveness and pleading for a second chance.

There was a very big part of him that was still in love with Yami. That missed him and needed to be held by him and hear his voice again. But three years ago, when Ryou first encountered the dark spirit that was Bakura, he let himself succumb to someone else's will. He let himself become a prisoner in his own mind. Now that everything was better, he refused to let anyone, ancient spirit or otherwise take control of him. So Yami had better cross that bloody bridge because I'm certainly not turning back.

He dug into his pocket, pushing the off button of his phone. "I'll text them back later." He offered Joey, now looking at him curiously. The blonde nodded and turned his head back to its previous position.

"So after dis, you'll be done for da quarter?"

Ryou nodded, "Indeed and I really must thank you Joey, you've been quite the awe-inspiring muse." He peeked out the corner of the canvas to watch as Joey blushed.

"No…no problem man." Joey chanced a look over at Ryou and caught the pale boy smiling brightly at him. He was tiny compared to the canvas so Joey could only make out half his face and long white hair trailing behind.

Lately, he'd been seeing a lot of that; Ryou smiling at him with his pearly whites in a row and beaming. It wasn't unnerving so much as, after a while, Joey didn't know how to respond. Ryou had always been a friendly person but never had he seem so over the moon. He must really be into dis art stuff. Can't blame him though, he's pretty freakin' good at it.

"So where am I dropping you off?"

"You can leave me at downtown, I'm suppose ta meet Kaiba at work."

"Oh." Ryou clenched his jaw shut wanting to avoid any further dialogue that might lead to verbal repulse of the aforementioned teen. He kept his eyes on the road, making a left at the intersection a block away from school. Joey sat in his passenger seat, fully clothed and texting on his pink phone.

"Yeah, I know it's weird but he ain't dat bad of a guy once ya…" Joey stopped when he noticed Ryou white-knuckling the steering wheel. "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I got a little stressed thinking about something."

"Ah, okay." Joey chose the moving sidewalk as his focus over the boy beside him. They rode in silence for the five miles it took to reach the main street that would lead to Kaiba Corp.

"Joey, can I ask you a rather personal question?"

"Uh…sure…why not?"

"Are you and Kaiba….involved?"

"Involved in what? A drug triangle?" Joey chuckled but when he saw that Ryou remained deadpan stopped. "Whaddya mean?"

"Joey, I am asking if you and Kaiba are dating." Ryou spared Joey a glance before turning his eyes back onto the road. No need to get into a car accident.

"Oh…" It struck Joey like a soft slap to the head, the pain slowly resonating. "Oh…OH! No, no, no, we're just friends."

Ryou shrugged. "I figured I asked seeing how chummy you two have been lately, I just thought maybe there was something there. Wouldn't want to intrude now would I?" But I would If need be Joey, I would.

"Intrude? Ha, nah, you're good. I'm as free as a bird an' actually, I think Kaiba's asexual."

"That would not, in anyway, be surprising." Ryou stated, his mood having picked up considerably. Unfortunately, they were now in front of the immense tower that was Kaiba Corporation Headquarters and his time with Joey was up.

"Guess dis is my stop."

"That it is."

Joey unbuckled his seatbelt but Ryou placed a hand over his own, stopping him from removing the belt completely. "Wednesday. My place. A bit of Chinese? You'll have the first look at all the finished pieces that will be submitted."

Joey found himself staring at Ryous hand. It was so much paler than his own, and soft. The nails were neat and filed down to avoid getting dirt caught underneath. "Sounds good ta me."

"Excellent." Ryou let his hand go of Joey's, watching as the blonde opened the car door. When he stepped out, he closed the door but reached in through the open window for his duffle bag.

"Thanks man. I appreciate it."

"Any time Joey."

Joey stepped back and watched as Ryou drove away looking as pleased with himself.