Chapter 9: Butting Heads

Mokuba was happy when the food arrived because it gave him a break from answering Seto and Joey's questions. Mokuba was beginning to think the party wasn't nearly enough fun to be worth the interrogation he experienced. Joey and Seto sat silently as the waitress laid down the plates of food in front of all three of them but their eyes never left Mokuba.

"Enjoy!" The waitress said before turning away.

The moment she did, Mokuba grabbed his glass of water and began gulping it down, just as Seto and Joey geared up to start asking more questions.

"So you're telling me that Serenity didn't go to that party with any guys? There wasn't any male that was talking to her the whole night?" Joey asked, leaning forward.

"And, to be clear, you said there wasn't any alcohol either, right?" Seto followed up with.

Mokuba continued to drink his water and closed his eyes—he wished his glass was filled with infinite water so that he would never have to answer another question again. Seto and Joey rolled their eyes. Joey replied in defeat, "Alright, you can quit it with the water. We get it—you don't want to talk about it anymore."

He picked up his chopsticks and started eating the sushi that was in front of him. It wasn't until after his first bite that Joey realized how absolutely famished he was. The sushi started flying into his mouth more and more quickly.

Seto turned to Joey, annoyed, and Mokuba finally put down the glass of water, gasping for air.

"Could you not eat like a stray dog? This isn't some grungy 24-hour diner we're eating at," Seto said with disgust.

"Don't judge me—I worked a long and hard day! I'm starving."

Seto rolled his eyes; he didn't feel like fighting. He picked up the container of soy sauce and started pouring some on his sushi. Seto felt a low growling in his stomach; perhaps Joey wasn't the only one that was starving. Seto broke his chopsticks and also started to eat.

"Was it busy today at the car shop? Were there a lot of people? How many cars do you usually fix?" Mokuba asked, very happy to change topics.

"Oh, there are always lots of people at the shop, but not always lots of cars. I'd say today was probably an average day for us as far as work to be done but it can be exhausting," Joey said, shoving sushi into his mouth in between each word.

"Well, that's good. If Nii-sama had it his way, he would never have to see people on a regular basis—he'd work from home for the rest of his life. It's why I require that he get one social interaction a week."

Joey's chopsticks dropped to the table as he looked up, "Wait, you require your brother to get social interaction?"

"Yeah, you know, like homework."

Seto's eyes shot up from his plate, "That's enough, Mokuba. I hardly think this is the time or place to be discussing this."

Mokuba turned to Joey, ignoring Seto, and continued talking, "Why do you think you saw Seto in the city that day when he ran that guy over? He was at the grocery store for his social interaction… otherwise he would just buy his groceries online because my brother is weird and hates people."

Joey burst out laughing. Seto, on the other hand, slammed his fist on the table. Mokuba tried to bury his own urge to laugh when he saw how angry Seto was getting.

"I didn't come here to be mocked."

"Oh Nii-sama, don't be so sensitive," Mokuba said and then his phone vibrated. Mokuba took it out and looked at it, "Hey, uh, is there any way we'll be finishing up soon?"

Seto raised an eyebrow, "Don't tell me you're bored of making fun of me already… we haven't been here that long. Who did you get a text from?"

Mokuba quickly shoved the last couple bites of sushi into his mouth before prepping to leave. Meanwhile Joey's laughter was just starting to wind down. Seto ignored Joey—his eyes and attention were now glued to Mokuba's phone, overwhelmed with curiosity as to who it was that texted him.

"It was from one of my college friends. There's a dueling tournament happening on campus tonight and we wanted to go see it. I bought my return train ticket to go back to campus before I got to Domino City."

Seto looked down with disappointment. He had expected Mokuba to stay at least for the weekend but remembered that Mokuba didn't specify how long he would be staying in town when he came to visit. The elder Kaiba was unhappy, to say the least, but he didn't want to appear upset by his brother wanting to have fun with his friends. Seto had to remind himself that these were the experiences Mokuba was supposed to have in college before looking up.

"A dueling tournament you say? That's pretty cool! If that's the case, I can get you back to the train station in no time," Joey said before turning to Seto, "Then I can swing by your place and drop you off, Kaiba."

Seto winced at the suggestion that Joey would be providing him with yet another favor but Seto was too defeated to argue about taking a cab. He was still dejected about Mokuba leaving so soon after his arrival. The young CEO forced himself to exchange his sorrow with support for his brother's sake.

"Let me flag down the waitress first and pay our bill then we can go," Seto assured Mokuba, looking around the restaurant to try and spot their waitress.

Mokuba stared at his older brother, noticing something he hadn't before. Seto was sitting across the table from Joey and yet his guard wasn't up. Seto, for the most part, seemed very at ease. Mokuba turned his attention to Joey, whom was busy gobbling food down his throat. In Mokuba's experience, the only time he had seen Joey in the same room as Seto and not trying to pick a fight was when both of them were talking to other people or ignoring each other. Mokuba felt like he was seeing a whole new side of his brother and his brother's greatest annoyance.

"What's with the creepy look, kid? You see something you like?" Joey asked, breaking Mokuba's trance.

"Oh, uh, nothing! I was just remembering that the person dueling tonight runs Red-Eyes Black Dragon in their deck. I'll have to let you know who wins next time we talk," Mokuba said, getting up from the table when he saw that Seto was finishing signing the check. Joey got up as well and smiled.

"It sounds like a kid you outta become friends with. He's smart!"

"Really? You think two tributes for 2400 attack with no special effect is smart? Get real, Wheeler," Seto said with a laugh, following Mokuba and Joey out of the restaurant. Seto and Joey then launched into an argument that lasted the entire car ride over to the train station and Mokuba reconsidered his previous theory.

Maybe there was nothing different about Seto and Joey. Maybe they were both just too hungry to fight with each other over dinner. And maybe, just maybe, Mokuba would consider catching a ride with a cab next time he came home from college.

-YGO-

"He's a good kid… but I'm sure you know that."

Seto lifted up his head from leaning on the car window and turned to Joey. The two were alone now after having dropped off Mokuba at the train station and had spent the last 20 minutes in silence. Seto had welcomed the break in conversation and was very sad to see that break end. Seto sat up straight before speaking.

"He is, and he gets none of it from me. The older Mokuba gets, the more I wonder how he became the person that he is. Our intellect comes from the same branch, I guess you could say… but his personality and outlook on life is completely his own," Seto remarked, watching each streetlight as it passed overhead. Joey was driving in a part of Domino City that Seto was unfamiliar with but Joey assured Seto that he knew where he was going. Whichever route got Seto home sooner was definitely preferred.

"Yeah, funny how that works out, huh? Your brother or sister can have the same parents and be raised in the same place and yet siblings can grow up to be completely different people. It's like you wouldn't even know you were related to them had you not grown up with them—it's how I feel about Serenity sometimes too," Joey said, leaning back in his chair as he thought about his younger sister and the differences in the lives they both led.

Seto knowingly nodded in agreement. Then he froze and his eyes widened; was he actually relating to Joey? Seto had to take a step back and consider what was happening. The very thought scared him.

BOOM!

The car shook and smoke emanated from under the hood.

"Aw, dammit!" Joey said, slamming his hand against the steering wheel. He pulled off the road and parked near the sidewalk. They were surrounded by apartments and streetlights but there was no one around.

"What happened?" Seto asked as they both got out of the car. Joey went around the front and lifted the hood of the car. Seto considered taking a look himself but he didn't feel like even pretending he knew anything about cars. All Seto knew was how to do was drive them.

"Shoot, the motor blew out. I'm gonna have to call my manager and see if I can get someone to tow us back to the shop." Joey flipped out his phone, angrily plugging in the numbers to call his colleague.

"Back to the shop? What about taking me home?"

Joey held up his phone to his face before saying, "Don't worry, I'll get my coworker to drop you off first. I do need a tow truck though. Driving my car isn't safe right now."

Joey waited anxiously with each ring until he heard his manager's voice pick up.

"Wheeler, do you even know what time it is?" Fumiya asked.

"Hey, so… my car is busted. Do you know who's running the tow truck tonight? Do you think you could have them pick me up? I'm on the west side of the city and I don't think I'll be able to drive it back to the shop in the condition that it's in."

"Choki is on tow truck duty tonight but he's on the outskirts of Domino so you'll probably have to sit tight for a bit. Text me your location and I'll give him a call but it could be an hour or two. Maybe next time you'll get your car inspected when I tell you to! And don't call me again after hours."

The call ended before Joey could respond. Joey turned to see Seto, his arms crossed, looking pissed. Joey shrugged and texted Fumiya his location before sitting down on the curb. It was clear that Seto was passing judgment but Joey had no excuse to give. He sighed.

"You should probably take a seat. It's going to be a while."

Seto rolled his eyes and then took out his phone.

"As if… I'm calling a cab and getting out of here. Thanks for giving my brother a ride to the train station." Seto pulled out his phone only to find that it was dead. Seto shook his head and muttered to himself, "This can't possibly be happening…" Seto, defeated, sat himself down on the curb as well. Seto tried not to think about the fact that they were in a weird part of town that was lit with streetlights and yet totally vacant. He closed his eyes, wishing he was anywhere else.

The next half hour of silence was painful for Seto as he was seething with each passing minute. Seto could've been home by now but instead he was stuck on the side of the road with Joey—the guy who supposedly fixed cars for a living. The more Seto thought about it, the more enraged he became. Seto turned his head to Joey and stood up.

"Can you seriously not fix this car? Do we really have to wait for a tow truck?" Joey raised his eyebrows when his eyes met with Seto's. Joey didn't like Seto's tone, but he took a deep breath instead. He wanted to remain calm.

"Believe me; I wouldn't be calling a tow truck if I didn't think we needed one. You're lucky my buddy, Choki, is the one who's towing us. Getting towed is expensive." Seto laughed.

"Oh yes, I'm the lucky one… stuck out in the middle of nowhere Domino City with Joey freaking Wheeler, the only guy who literally fixes cars for a living but can't fix his own car." Joey rose to his feet. The hostility was beginning to rise within his chest but he took another deep breath. He needed to remain calm.

"Look man, I'm just as annoyed as you are, but let's not lose our cool. Choki is on his way and we'll be getting towed in no time."

"Great! I'd rather lose another soul-crushing duel to Yugi than have to be stuck here with you until your tow truck friend comes."

Joey walked over and stood opposite to Seto. Joey couldn't remain calm anymore. Instead, Joey let his temper fuel him as he yelled, "At least I have friends! Who the hell would be picking you up from this end of town if I wasn't here?"

"Oh, you mean if my phone wasn't dead right now? Tons of people could be picking me up right now and I wouldn't need a single one of them to be my friend. There's this thing called money and other things called cabs…" Seto replied, taking out his phone and waving it in Joey's face for emphasis.

"Sure, and that's coming from the guy who's never had a single friend in his entire life. Don't they say that money doesn't buy you happiness?"

"They do, but at least it would buy me a mechanic that knows how to fix cars."

The two men were standing only a couple inches apart from one another. Seto firmly stood still with his eyes locked on Joey. The air was thick with tension.

"You know, I can see why you've been acting weird ever since we ran into each other. You're embarrassed about your life, aren't you? You hate the idea that everyone left you behind and that you're just as stuck in Domino City as I am."

"Stuck in Domino City? Are you even listening to yourself? Wheeler, I'm the CEO of a billion-dollar company and you work at a gas station. The only one that's stuck is you."

"At least I know how to have a good time!"

"Oh, you mean getting drunk every weekend? I'm incredibly jealous! Tell me more about how your life is better than mine."

"There's nothing wrong with unwinding with a beer. I'm sure it must be hard for you to be walking around with a stick so far up your ass, it's practically coming out of your mouth."

"You know what I imagine is even harder than that? Working at a gas station… especially when you don't even know how to fix cars."

"Yeah… well… you lost to Yugi in a tournament you put together just so you could beat him but you ended up losing anyway on national television!"

Seto tilted his head down and smirked.

"And you work at a gas station. Wheeler, I don't think you understand. Even the fact that you're a third rate duelist doesn't compare to the fact that you work at a gas station. You don't even have business cards because who would want anyone to know that they work at a gas station?"

Joey balled his hands into fists.

"Your parents are dead!"

"And your dad is an alcoholic, if my recollection is correct. Just to clarify, are we having an argument now or are we just stating facts?" Seto stated, stroking his chin, "Oh, and did I mention you work at a gas station?"

"Here's a fact for you; you think that running your stupid company makes you this big and powerful person but you know what it really makes you? It makes you a weak, little boy that runs an empire to mask the fact that he has more insecurities than he does friends."

Seto grinned and placed his hand on Joey's shoulder.

"You know what, Wheeler? I'm gonna buy you a drink after we get your car towed because I'm sure you're going to need it considering the waste of a life that's waiting for you back at your apartment," Seto said with a laugh, "And if I were you, I'd keep track of those drinks. They say alcoholism is hereditary, though it seems like you're halfway there."

Joey wacked away Seto's hand on his shoulder and his fist collided with Seto's face, knocking Seto back a couple steps. Seto seemed void of emotion, as if he didn't know how to react. The redness on Seto's cheek bone was already quite visible—Joey determined a very nasty bruise would appear the next day and he instantly felt bad.

"Hey man, I'm sor—" But Joey's apology was cut short as Seto lunged at him, slamming a fist into his stomach. Joey was rendered useless for a few moments, trying to catch his breath, as Seto grabbed Joey's shoulders and forced his head down, kneeing Joey in the face. Joey was thrown back, cupping his nose as blood spluttered out and a yelp escaped from his mouth.

"You can keep the apology, Wheeler," Seto said, a little surprised but also absurdly impressed with the fact that he was able to land a blow on Joey. It had been years since Seto had been a physical brawl with anyone… he wasn't sure he still knew how to do it. Landing those hits on Joey boosted his ego immensely.

Joey wiped the blood from his face grabbed a hold of Seto's arm, swinging the CEO's body into the car.

SNAP!

Seto groaned with pain. Joey was hopeful the snap was Seto's arm but when Seto keeled forward, he saw that it was actually his rearview mirror that had broken off. Joey was a confusing mixture of sorrow over his car and rage at Seto for what happened.

"Shit, are you serious!? Kaiba, you're paying for that."

"I would pay to have this piece of junk trashed before I would pay to fix the mirror," Seto remarked, running forward and tackling Joey to the ground. An onslaught of fists fell down upon Joey's face and stopped only when something sharp dug into his knuckle. Seto's hand retreated when he saw that he had deeply cut himself on what must've been Joey's tooth. Joey threw a fist right into Seto's eye while Seto was distracted and then flipped Seto onto the ground.

"If you broke my tooth, you are definitely paying for that!" Joey yelled before straddle-punching Seto in the face. Each blow knocked Seto's head against the pavement and his vision was starting to get blurry from the blood; he wasn't sure if it was his own blood or Joey's because blood was dripping from Joey's face. Seto's hand felt around for any kind of sharp object and landed on a rock he slammed against the side of Joey's face. When the punches stopped, Seto leaned forward and forced Joey to his feet before slamming Joey's body against the car.

"I'm not paying for a damn thing!" Seto lunged at him while Joey grabbed a hold of Seto's shoulders and slammed their skulls against one another. The disoriented Seto fell to the ground and Joey threw his body on top of Seto's, stabbing his elbow into Seto's stomach. Seto gasped and spurted blood from his mouth. Joey rolled off of Seto, and for a moment, the two men laid side by side, backs against the pavement, gasping for air and covered in blood and sweat.

The moon was shone brightly overhead and the streets became quiet as the night continued. The neighborhood was desolate and all Seto and Joey could hear was their panting and slight groaning. The two had beaten themselves into oblivion and neither of them had the strength to keep hitting each other. The fight was over.

-YGO-

A/N: That's a wrap on chapter 9! This is probably one of my most favorite chapters I've written for this story so far (there are more to come, don't worry) and I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. There's just something about having Seto and Joey beat the ever-loving crap out of each other that's absurdly entertaining to me. Does anyone else feel that way when they make their characters beat each other up or is that just me? Either way, thank you for reading this chapter! Just a quick update for you guys: there will not be an update next month so chapter 10 will be coming out in June rather than May. The reason for that is because I'm getting married next month! How crazy is that? I'd say it was crazy but then again, I've been planning a wedding for nearly 17 months so at this point, it seems pretty natural to me. All personal thoughts aside, you can expect the next chapter in June and until then, I hope you're having a great day.