Notes: For Flufftober - PoV Outsider

Part of the "Joey Mutou" series, which also includes the fics "Good Luck Charm", "The (Not So) Secret Family Recipe", "Going Home", and "Accessibility Review"

The premise of the series is that Joey was at the orphanage with Seto and Mokuba. Some time after Seto and Mokuba left, Joey was adopted by Grandpa Mutou and became Yugi's brother. Seto and Joey have been reconnecting as friends, but this fic moves their relationship into pre-slash territory.

Outside (Looking In)

Duke had it all planned out. He'd finalize his deal with Pegasus, get Dungeon Dice Monsters to start production, and start promoting the game over the summer. Which would hopefully mean lots of travel and cute girls. And cute guys... maybe? Duke was still figuring where his interest was in that arena.

It all comes to a grinding halt, of course, when Pegasus doesn't send him any emails about meeting him to complete the contract. There is, for a brief moment, a spike of doubt and fear that Pegasus never intended to help Duke make his dice game dreams come true. Maybe he'd actually hated the game. Or maybe he'd intended to steal it.

He pushes down his doubt, though, and soldiers on. Except it's hard to keep going when it feels like all his dreams are going up in smoke. Then it turns out his new school happens to be where the Mutou brothers attend class too. Duke knew Kaiba went there - his parents had been hoping Duke could schmooze the guy on behalf of their growing chain of game shops, maybe get them an in on some exclusive deal with the Kaiba Land Arcades. But the Mutou brothers were an unexpected, and unwelcome, surprise.

It becomes pretty clear that Joey Mutou is the more social, and hotheaded, of the two brothers. They've got a pretty small friend group too - the brothers, some guy named Tristan, and the fiery Tea Gardner. Duke was having a bit of fun charming the ladies in his year which apparently annoyed Tea - she's a challenge which Duke has to admit makes her interesting in her own right - and when Tea was annoyed, her boys were too. Possibly out of fear for their lives, that girl definitely had a scary streak going for her.

She was hot when she was scary, but Duke was self aware enough to realize telling her that would probably get him choked to death on his lucky dice.

Anyway, Duke get's a terrible, no good, bad idea. Later, at least, he'll recognize that's what it was. He'll realize that it's not who he is - not who he wants to be, anyway - and that he lucked out in getting too distracted to actually implement the plan.

He thinks of how easy it would be to reveal Yugi Mutou as a fraud who somehow tricked Pegasus and that is somehow entirely that kid's fault that Pegasus hasn't reached out, that Duke's concerned emails have got zero responses. Stupid conclusion to jump to? Yes. The sort of overreaction that proves Duke's still a hotheaded teen himself with growing to do? Also yes.

The starting point of this plan would have been to lure Joey Mutou into a duel and trash newbie duelist number one. Duke's participated in enough dueling tournaments to know an amateur when he sees one and it would be easy enough to tank the guy's confidence. Maybe stick him in that dog costume left over from his parents less than stellar PR marketing idea from last year. Put Joey in a position where his brother has to bail him out and he can force Yugi into a game of Dungeon Dice Monsters, prove that kid is no King of Games. Not like Pegasus.

Of course, the whole thing falls apart at step one. Which was rile Joey Mutou up enough to get the guy to duel. Because, right as Duke was about to approach the guy, Seto Kaiba starts talking to him.

"Your sister's appointment with the surgeon is this afternoon isn't it?" Kaiba asked.

Duke stilled because... there was a Mutou sister? Since when?

"That's right," Joey said. "Mom's actually gonna let me be there, which I wasn't sure she would. Yugi and Gramps are coming along too, for solidarity. You know... you and Mokuba could come too," he offered and Duke no longer had any idea what to think about what was going on.

"I don't think me meeting your mother again would be a good idea," Kaiba replied dryly.

Duke was going to have a heart attack. Why the hell would Seto Kaiba have met Joey Mutou's mother?

This was the Twilight Zone. Surely.

"Eh, like she even realizes the eight-year-old who chewed her out back then is actually you. Serenity really wants to meet you two at some point and Gramps is trying to talk Mom into letting Serenity stay with us for a few days after the operation finally happens. Which should be a few weeks from now. Today she's getting her final assessment done and a list of pre-op things to take care of. Some of it will get checked off the list today, but... anyway, we're going to dinner afterwards and it'll be pretty awkward. I guess I'm hoping for more buffers against the awkwardness."

"I have a meeting I can't miss. The design for my duel disk system is being finalized to go into production."

"Not that circular..."

"No. It's been updated since the one you saw at Duelist Kingdom." Kaiba hesitated. "When your sister's operation is over, Mokuba and I could meet her then. If your Grandfather isn't still barring me from the shop, that is."

Joey laughed. "You deserved that and you know it."

Kaiba hmphed and crossed his arms and...

Duke blinked hard because he could have sworn the CEO of Kaiba Corp had pouted. For just a second. But Duke was only seeing this reflected in the glass as he eavesdropped around a corner, so maybe it wasn't what happened at all.

"I'll work on him. But if you aren't going to apologize, you could at least offer to repair the card you damaged. I know it's possible."

There was another hmph noise. "I'll think about it."

Duke hurried off back to class, feeling a little guilty about hearing what he had.

That evening - late that evening - Duke finally gets his email from Pegasus. There's an apology for the delay - Pegasus had apparently been unwell since the end of the Tournament and needed a few weeks to recover. So aside from being considered a minor nuisance at school, Duke doesn't really get formally introduced to the Mutou brother's friend group until he's puttering around Battle City, debating finding out if he's eligible to enter and get a free Duel Disk system, and gets run into by Tristan and Serenity while they're running for their lives.

Serenity's cute. And it turns out Tristan's kinda hot when he's riled up. So Duke plays the hero, or tries to anyway. Mai Valentine - how the hell did the Mutou-gang wind up friends with a duelist of her caliber? - does a much better job at that than Duke. But then she's got a car. Much easier to drive away from bad guys than it is to run away from them. And it turns out that once a guy is friends with the Mutou-gang, they're friends for life. Though the cost of that friendship is apparently all the weird shit that comes part and parcel with Yugi Mutou being possessed by the spirit of an ancient Pharaoh. Which Duke'd be more skeptical about if not for all the blatant magic usage. And the shit that went down later with Freaking Atlantis. (Well deserving of the capital F.)

So Duke's kind of glad not to have the baggage of his supremely stupid revenge plot weighing him down with those guys. Though he's not ever totally sure the Joey and Seto thing makes sense. But he's pretty certain he's missing a lot of context there.


Serenity was not actually supposed to take the bandages off her eyes until that evening. But what her doctor's didn't know wouldn't get her yelled at.

And it's not like she dived into the water, though she would have if Seto hadn't beaten her to it. While Mokuba saved Tea, which was super brave of him, Seto threw off that long coat of his and dove into the water after Joey. So clearly Mokuba learned to be brave, and kinda cool, from his big brother.

No wonder these two were so important to Joey.

And so the first things Serenity saw with her newly repaired eye sight was Joey saving Yugi from drowning. And then Seto saving Joey.

When they get out of the water, Joey looks exhausted and a little overwhelmed. But he still exclaims excitedly to see Serenity there and formally introduces her to Seto and Mokuba. "I'd hug ya, sis, but I think maybe that should wait until I've dried off." Joey leaned against Seto, getting a startled and... pleased look from Seto over it.

It's afterwards, when everyone's cleaned up and dry that Serenity learns how gruff Seto Kaiba can be. She'd pictured someone... a bit different, perhaps. But gruffness aside, he's every bit as protective as Joey as she'd guessed. Serenity is glad to have gotten that much right about him.


"So was I in your dream?" Mai asked teasingly, trying not to let on how much the question really meant to her.

"Well, yeah. I mean, we're friends now," Joey replied easily. Like it was just that simple. And maybe it was, for him. "It was one of those lucy dreams? Er. No. That's not the right word."

"Lucid," Kaiba filled in.

Mai nearly jumped. She'd forgotten, somehow, that Kaiba was there with the rest of them. Despite refusing to stop the duel the moment Joey was struck by lightning, he'd summoned a medical team to the dueling platform and announced that if one of the two duelists - Joey or Marik... or whoever that guy really was - got up before the med team arrived then that duelist would be the winner. And, somehow, just before the elevator doors opened, Joey had gotten to his feet.

And then Seto Kaiba had, barely, beaten Yugi up onto the dueling platform to help hold Joey up while the medics checked him out.

She did not know what to think about the closeness there. But clearly Joey meant something to Seto Kaiba.

Then again, that much had been obvious when Kaiba had voluntarily jumped off the docks to rescue Joey earlier that day. And it was as odd to think of now as it was then.

"Oh, yeah, that's it. Thanks, Seto." Joey sighed tiredly but still put on a smile. "Like, I knew I was dreaming, but it still felt kinda like everyone was there helping me find my missing cards. And maybe it was just all in my head, but I'm really glad you were all there. So glad I don't have to duel anymore tonight, though. I'm exhausted." He slung an arm around his sister and looked over at Seto. "I don't suppose there are any chairs we can drag up to the dueling area, 'cause if I could not spend the next two duels standing, that'd be awesome."

"I'll see what I can find," Kaiba promised at the same time Mokuba said, "gotta make sure they don't blow away up there, but sure." The brothers scurried out of the room and a few moments later someone announced on the intercom that the next two duelists would be selected shortly.

Everyone else slowly filed out of the room and Joey sent Serenity along with Tea before giving Mai a sidelong look. "Everything okay, Mai?"

"Yeah. I just... I'm not used to having friends rooting for me during duels." Mai admitted. "And a little weirded out to see Seto Kaiba actually act friendly to someone not his brother."

Joey snorted. "Yeah, I've actually known those two longer than anyone here except my sister. Seto's always been a little odd, but I think maybe that's what I like about him. And if we get annoying or distracting or whatever during your duel, you can always tell us to shut up. I can't promise Tea won't be super offended if you do, but..."

Mai laughed. "Let's find out who duels next. Maybe I'll be up against Kaiba and you'll have to change who you're rooting for every turn."

Joey chuckled. "I'd do it too."


Ishizu had thought that seeing glimpses into Seto Kaiba's previous life, entwined as it was with Ishizu's own previous life as a Priestess to the Pharaoh, had meant she'd gained an understanding of the man he was today.

Certainly she'd known him well enough to be able to manipulate him into running the Battle City tournament. He'd already been considering a tournament to announce the new line of personal duel disk systems he'd created. So pushing him into moving up the date to suit Ishizu's needs hadn't required too much prodding. Even if the man's ego and stubbornness were as frustrating as Ishizu's foggy memories of her previous life, restored by the Millennium Necklace, had warned her.

And, sure, she'd known that Priest Seto was capable of sentimentality and even kindness when it suited him. His strange relationship with the girl who became the Blue Eyes White Dragon demonstrated that well enough. Though Ishizu had only caught glimpses of Kaiba's past self so there was likely much context she was missing. Without the Millennium Item around her neck, it was easier to admit the necklace had not made her all knowing.

Still, it was another thing entirely to find Seto Kaiba in the halls of his airship, holding Joey Mutou in his arms and murmuring soft reassurances to the blond. Quietly soothing away Joey's continued distress of Mai Valentine's unfortunate fate.

If only Odion...

The two men didn't notice Ishizu as Kaiba led Joey into his rooms. And then she was alone in the hallway, as if the scene she'd viewed never happened.

That wasn't just sentimentality or kindness on Kaiba's part. It was something far deeper. It makes her wonder if, perhaps, her past self had misjudged Priest Seto. Or if Isis had known better and that mistake was hers alone.

She hoped Marik didn't realize that Joey Mutou was as much Kaiba's weakness as he was the Pharaoh's. Or tomorrows duels could easily get... messy. And Ishizu no longer had the means to foresee the future or reassure herself that both her brothers would be saved before the day was done.

The future was a mystery. One Ishizu waited anxiously to unravel.


"This is the day we came to the orphanage," Mokuba said, voice tinny sounding over the virtual television screen Noa was observing his 'brothers' on. "It was one of the worst days of my life. But... one of the best too. 'Cause that was the day we met Joey."

Seto was watching quietly as the virtual version of his eight-year-old self and four-year-old Mokuba stepped out of the car. And a blond boy about Seto's age was watching from the orphanage's porch.

Joey Wheeler. Or Mutou, as he'd later be known.

Noa had considered including him in the little trip down memory lane once he'd uploaded Seto and Mokuba's memories and seen how important Seto's little friend was to Noa's so-called brothers. But handing Mutou's body over to the Big Five to fight over would hurt Seto far more in the long run. And Noa wanted nothing more than to take from the pretender every thing he loved.

His brother's love, the Kaiba Corporation, and Joey's very existence now too. Noa would leave Seto alone with his failure, trapped in this virtual existence for the rest of eternity.

The usurper deserved no less.

"Hey!" Joey shouted. "Leave him alone!" On screen that little blond haired boy went rushing to the virtual Mokuba's aid when the small boy was accosted by bullies after wandering off. The younger Seto would find them both a few minutes later out by the swings and there would start the most important friendship of Seto Kaiba's life.

But what good was the friendship those children formed when Seto and Mokuba had abandoned Joey the first chance they got?

Noa just didn't understand.


Joey Mutou was frustrating and confusing and thoroughly obnoxious... and he knows Seto better than Seto is entirely comfortable with.

The last of Seto's frantic energy from the duel with Yugi bleeds off during his duel with Joey and, loathe as Seto is to admit it... the duel was fun. Seto could forget that, all too easily. He's playing a game. If it isn't fun... what's the point?

He remembers exploiting the fact that the game of chess wasn't fun for Gozaburo; it was the man's brand, not a way to enjoy himself. And Seto isn't exactly comfortable with what that says about himself these days. How much of Gozaburo's teachings had he internalized that, perhaps, he shouldn't have?

While Seto may have won the duel with Joey, it's clear Joey thinks he's won something too. And maybe he has.

Seto's heart is thudding as, finally, he lets himself reach out and run his hands over Joey's shoulders. Reassuring himself that his friend - his Joey - really is standing here in one piece. A little too tired for Seto's liking. In the last forty-eight hours, Joey has been hypnotized into dueling to the death with Yugi, nearly drowned, struck by lightning in the middle of a duel, forced to duel repeatedly for his life in a VR simulation instead of getting much needed sleep, and then nearly murdered by Marik in a Shadow Duel, if all that magic mumbo jumbo Yugi likes to spout is true. Which Seto is a lot closer to believing than he's willing to admit.

"You're okay?" Seto asked, a bit hoarsely.

Joey nodded and smiled. He stepped just a bit closer and Seto felt the heat of him from their proximity. Or maybe it was just his mind suddenly feeling hyper aware of every square inch of distance between them. "I'm fine. We just dueled and I'm okay, Seto."

For a moment, Seto thought Joey might kiss him. Or he might kiss Joey. And the thought of it made Seto dizzy.

The moment passed and Joey stepped back instead. But there's a brightness to his eyes and a flush to his cheeks that makes Seto certain Joey felt that moment too.

Maybe Joey really did win something in that duel, after all.