Ok, so our war is over, what does even mean? What, does it give us permission to us to be decent to each other? Besides those random departures from reality, like what happened an hour ago. Maybe Seto will stop being a robot around me. That would be nice. And why could he not have just said yes yesterday, was what he did really that hard? To admit that we have spent enough pleasant time together that we could stop hating each other, that I'm not some annoying idiot scum of the earth. I mean, part of the question yesterday was Stockholm syndrome, I guess. I feel utterly trapped and I wanted, desperately enough to suggest it, to make the most of it. Why would Seto have Stockholm syndrome, he was the one that suggested it. It's not even that he has take anything I say, truthfully, the only reason that could have is that he doesn't find me repulsive. Our battles are over, that doesn't mean we're on good terms.

Seto doesn't come down to my required ballroom dance lesson or breakfast. The instructor and I agreed that I would more then likely take the female role. Most of me is glad that he didn't come down since I have no clue how I am supposed to treat him. Can I still sarcastically reply to everything he says or do I actually have to engage him in a conversation about the weather? Instead I eat with a Dpad for entertainment, since Mokuba is still asleep. I check my favourite tabloid, Yahoo homepage. The first recommended story is about the letter, Seto's "out burst" and our relationship in general. Everything is going smoothly, besides the fact that media thinks Seto is a teen pop star.

"Mr. Wheeler, you have mail from your other house." The butler says as he puts another red envelope next to my plate. That girl wasn't kidding, I wonder if I'm going to get a dead cat in my freezer when I get back. I open it and all I find is ashes in the envelope. I take a few of the bigger pieces out and I identity them as duel monsters cards. I really don't know what this was going for? This can't be my deck, that is back at my old apartment still and this girl can't know where my father lives. The crumbling of Seto Kaiba card game empire, or something like that. That is what I say and I'm sticking to it.

"Give this Seto, he'll know what to do with it." I tell the butler and hand him the letter.

My phone vibrates, Yugi. "Coming over?" I quickly text back, "Fine, one condition, no talking about Seto Kaiba." I don't think that they really need to know about our truce, as we have agreed to call it. They probably wouldn't believe me anyway. "I wasn't going to, that was it. Yami also says he won't, as did grandpa." I'll take it.

I get to the game shop right after it opens and there is already a few people in the game shop pre-ordering.

"Hey, Joey can you help restock the duel monster cards. Thanks again. Remind me at the end of the day that I own you for two days of work. " Yugi says from behind a shelf restocking capmon sets. He really doesn't need to. Grandpa is at the cash register, while Yami explains in too much detail the difference between dungeon dice monsters and duel monsters to an old woman.

I grab a box from the back room and restock the cards. I help a few customers and start to neaten up a few shelves, my back to the door. When the little bell above the door rings. "Welcome." I say over my shoulder. Then Grandpa gasps, and Yami stops talking happily about games. I turn around, just as Yugi is coming out from behind the shelf to see who just came in. Yami's mother and father stand in the door way with scowls on their face and looking like there is a horrible smell in this shop. Both thin, mid 50's and, dressed in the highest fashion suit and dress. His mother has bobbed dyed black hair and a purse as big as my backpack. His father has a salt and paper crew cut.

"Mom, Dad, I told you." Yami starts, not trying to hide the angry swelling up inside him, taking a few steps towards them before being cut off by his mom.

"Yami, honey, we're not here to take you away from this dump. All we want to do is take you, your adorable boyfriend, and anyone else if you want, out for lunch." She says like he's 4 and what they're doing isn't going to end well. I hear a small hm from Grandpa, and Yugi cringes. He isn't a big fan of Yami's parents, as much as Yugi can be not big fans of someone.

"No, it will end like every other time you're done this, badly. Why can't you understand I'm happy here?" He says bored. I know he has had this discussion four hundred times and he waits for the day he turns 18 and he can legally tell them to fuck off.

"That's not it in the least. We promise not to bring up moving back, we swear. All we want is to see you in the first time in two months. You're our only son. Its just lunch." Guilt tripping, check. Gas lighting, check. It gets sort old.

"No anyway. I told you yesterday that I couldn't today, I have to work." His already razor thin patience with his parents is getting towards the breaking point. So that is what the text was about.

"It will only be for an hour and half, we promise that we'll get you back here by 1." He bits the inside of his mouth as he thinks up a rebuttal. He can't just say that he doesn't want to see them, or talk to them, since his mother will burst in tears. I've seen it and it isn't pleasant.

"No, I've already told you that I can't today. The shop could get very busy, and I don't want Yugi's grandpa to be here alone." He says, desperately trying to come up with an indisputable fact.

"Yami, you should go have lunch with your parents. I'll close up shop until you, Yugi and Joey get back." Always the optimist or he knew that Yami would never win. I guess I'd better try to make this hour and half bearable for Yami. I already feel vaguely guilty about having to cut out tomorrow and go have a date with Seto Kaiba.

"1, I'm giving you until 1. The restaurant has to close to here, within 1 mile of here."

"Oh, thats fine honey." His mother says in slightly shrill voice. I put the box back into the back room, and climb into the Yami's parent's limo. Yami agrees to a small italian restaurant a little under 1 mile from the game shop. A very high end place, and the place that his parents take him to almost every time they do this. No one speaks a word on the car ride there. Instead Yami takes to glaring either at his parents or out the window. While Yugi quietly interlaces their fingers, and give his hand a light squeeze. I think the Treaty of Versailles had less tension then this car.

On the way out of the car my phone vibrates and picture of the kuriboh from monday on a bunch of papers in Seto's office with the caption. "He makes a great paper weight, since you forgot him on Monday." There is an implied dumb ass in there, but it is implied not explicit. Also, seriously, like really seriously Seto? He texts me cute pictures, but he doesn't eat breakfast with me. I don't know about most people, but that doesn't make a lot sense to me. Familiar, and relaxed, but avoids me.

"Is that a kuriboh?!" Yugi exclaims looking over my shoulder, the desire in his eyes he doesn't even try to hide.

"Ya, they're in testing right now. I forgot him in Seto's employee's lounge on monday, and his batteries died. And his fur is as soft as you think." I cheerful reply. Yami looks over my shoulder also at the picture.

"When do they go on sale? Since our anniversary is coming up and I don't know what to get Yugi. A new duel disk isn't really an option." Translation, he really wants one, and knows that even the first edition is worth buying.

"Not for a while, don't count on it for your anniversary."

We take a seat at a round table with a white table cloth, three forks each and cloth napkins. All around us are large oil paintings of dead dudes on an ornately decorated wall. This restaurant always seems like a stuffy old grandmother's parlour to me. The chairs have hard cushions on them that are just as ornate as the walls and dumb tassels all around the seat. The chandeliers and domed ceiling increase the feeling. Everything is a little too prim and proper. I'll take Burger World any day compared to this. Even the customers are old grandmothers, Yugi, Yami and I are the youngest people here by at least 30 years. I get the same thing every time I come here, so there is no point at looking at the menu. Instead I grab a piece of bread, and butter from the basket in the centre.

Yami sticks his menu up and refuses to look at his parents. While Yugi shifts his gaze between Yami and Yami's parents every second or two, or playing with his silverware. His parents I can't read at all. His father is texting, and his mother has already taken out a mirror so that she can check her face. I don't know what they hope to accomplish at this lunch. Yami is not going to leave Yugi, exceptionally since Kaiba Corp just came out with a new product. The game shop is going to be busy. Mostly, his life is now here and no sane person is going uproot someone's life. Then again, I might be assuming something that I shouldn't.

I take out my phone again and reply to Seto. 'Missed you at dance this morning. =( I couldn't intentionally step on your toes.' I hit send, and Yugi is vaguely staring at me. The astonishment that I just replied, by my own agency, to a text from Seto is plastered all over Yugi's face. The waiter come and everyone orders both food and drink.

"Hows school? Are you doing well?" His mother asks while taking a slice of bread.

"Its going about as well as it ever has. My life hasn't really changed that much. I go to school, I play soccer and work in the game shop. Not really discussion worthy stuff." He says in disdain while buttering his bread.

"Before you ask, the game shop is doing well." he continues right before taking a bite.

"Well that's good." This may be an hour and half filled with mostly dead space, so about like usual. I'm fine with that.

"Joseph, you're dating Seto Kaiba?" His father asks. My stomach drops into my lower intestine, and processes to kill my entire appetite. This won't be a normal, be it boring, lunch with his parents. This will poker finals, but this time, we don't get sunglasses to cover our eyes. I, not only, have to worry about keeping to the story, but I also have to worry about Yami, or more likely, Yugi reacting inappropriately.