Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh!
Kaiba's hand flew instinctively to the spot where he'd just been thwacked with the end of a pencil as he whirled around to meet his attacker. But the only people behind him were Yugi and Joey, whom he had decided to sit by in class that day. Yugi was frantically writing something in a notebook and Joey was thoroughly engrossed in his textbook, so it couldn't have been either of them.
As Kaiba watched the two boys confusedly, he could see Joey's shoulders shaking and a smile fighting it's way across his face. Turning haughtily back in his chair, Kaiba slunk further down to look as if he weren't paying attention.
But the next time he sensed something coming toward the back of his neck, he reached his hand back and firmly grasped his attacker's wrist. Turning to see the look of surprise in Joey's eyes, Kaiba took the pencil in his other hand and proceeded to break it with his thumb.
"What'd you do that for, Kaiba?" Joey asked in mock offense.
Shaking his head, Kaiba spoke softly so the teacher wouldn't notice him talking out in class. "I won't even justify that question with a response."
"Ha, you just did, so there!" Joey triumphantly crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back, realizing that although, in his mind, he'd won an argument with Kaiba, he was really bored now that he had nothing to torture Kaiba with.
'And I wanted to be friends with these lunatics why?' Kaiba thought to himself, stealing a glance over his shoulder in time to catch Joey pouting down cutely at his fingernails. 'Oh, yeah, that's why.'
It had been two months since Kaiba had begun hanging out with Joey and the others. He'd done a pretty good job of not letting his emotions get the better of him, but recently his dreams had become more graphic and he was starting to catch himself slipping now and then – staring for longer than necessary, relishing an accidental brush of the hand more than he should.
Kaiba smirked to himself, picturing the expressions on everyone's faces if they found out exactly what he thought of Joey. Their classmates were shocked to find that the two once enemies had become friends, just imagine how they would feel if they knew Kaiba had to change his sheets nearly every morning after dreaming about the mutt.
Kaiba's sneer faded as he realized that Joey's face would most likely hold a similar expression to those of the other students; that look being disgust.
At last the final bell rang, signaling the end of another school day. Standing and over exaggerating as he stretched, Joey looked over to Yugi, who was still sitting. "So you want to go get some pizza or something, Yug?" he asked.
"Huh?" Yugi asked, looking up. "Oh, no, thanks, Joey. Tea and I are going to stay after and study for that big history exam. You can join us, if you like," he offered.
"No, way. Studying is bad enough, but being alone in the same room as you and Tea is torture. I'll pass, buddy." Joey looked up to Kaiba who was just heading out the door. "How about you, moneybags? Doing anything after school?"
Kaiba stopped in the doorway and turned to look at Joey. "Not really," he said, mentally pushing back the meetings he had scheduled that afternoon.
"Well, you ready to spend some quality time with your old pal Joey?" Joey caught up to Kaiba at the door.
"Am I ever," Kaiba said, wondering if he'd slipped and said it out loud.
"Huh?" Joey asked, confusion clouding his brown eyes.
Caught, Kaiba worked hard not to panic. "It's called sarcasm, mutt. Let's go."
Hesitating only a moment before following Kaiba to their lockers, Joey tried to think of something for them to do.
As Joey went through his daily routine of throwing everything on the ground and sorting through it to locate what he needed for homework, Kaiba leaned against his own locker and pointedly didn't look at Joey. Outside, the rain was beginning to fall in sheets.
When Joey finished, he placed his backpack on top of his head and looked at Kaiba. "Ready?"
Kaiba raised one eyebrow and looked at the pack on Joey's head. "What, pray tell, are you doing?"
"I don't want to get my hair wet. When it gets wet it gets kind of frizzy." Joey headed toward the parking lot and Kaiba followed, shaking his head.
Once outside Joey bolted to the car. Kaiba just calmly walked to the car like usual, getting soaked in the process. He purposely did not disengage the alarm and unlock the doors until he was standing next to the car, and even then he waited a moment while Joey impatiently held the door handle.
As soon as Kaiba unlocked the doors, Joey scampered inside and tossed his backpack on the floor at his feet. Kaiba took his place at the wheel and started the car.
Joey ran his hands through his hair, which was damp despite his efforts. He let out a very sincere 'damn.' "I think I should just shave my head, it's such a pain in the ass."
"Don't do that," Kaiba said, a little too quickly. Great, now how would he explain this without admitting that he dreamed of one day running his hands through that untamable mane of hair that Joey had. Simple solution – insult him. "That would make you look even stupider than you already do."
Looking thoughtfully out the window, Joey made no reply.
"So where do you want to go?" Kaiba asked, desperate to break the silence.
"Your house," Joey said without pause. Kaiba was taken aback for a moment, but just shrugged it off and continued in the direction of his home.
* * * * *
Joey heaved a huge sigh as he flopped himself onto the overstuffed couch in Kaiba's living room.
"So, what do you want to do?" Kaiba asked him, standing near the doorway.
Joey looked around the room, trying to quickly come up with ideas. His eyes fell upon an ornately carved chessboard near the picture window. "How about we play a game of chess?"
"You play chess?" Kaiba asked, trying not to sound quite so stunned.
"Not well, but Yugi taught me a little," Joey said, standing and moving toward the board, which was already set up.
Kaiba joined him, pausing to look up at the now lightly falling rain before taking his place across from Joey.
A few moves into the game Joey began speaking. Kaiba didn't like to talk during chess because it broke his focus, but he didn't say anything to Joey about this.
"Have you ever liked one of your friends, Kaiba?" Joey asked, not looking up from the chessboard.
"How could they be considered friends if I didn't like them?" he retorted.
"I mean, really like them, as in more than a friend?"
Slightly stunned, Kaiba kept all emotion from his face when he replied. "I never had any friends before you guys," he said simply.
"Well, Mr. Smarty pants, don't you just have an answer for everything."
"No," Kaiba replied, his hand shaking as he took his turn. Where could Joey be going with this?
"It really sucks, you know," Joey continued after a long pause. "I mean, having a crush on someone is bad enough, not knowing if they like you, too, or if they'd laugh in your face if you told them." Joey leaned back and shut his eyes, making Kaiba aware that their game was on hold for the moment. "But when it's your friend, it's even worse, because you don't want to risk the friendship you already have to tell them you like them. Because then you might not get to see them every day, and that would be worse than the frustration you get from not telling."
Kaiba's heart was thumping so hard in his chest that he was sure Joey could hear it from where he was. Could he know about the crush Kaiba had been sure he was hiding so well?
Standing up, Joey sighed. "I shouldn't be bothering you with this," he said.
Kaiba stood to face Joey, not wanting the blond to leave yet. "No, I'm your friend, too, now. You should be able to talk to me as easily as you do Yugi. What's on your mind?"
Closing his eyes once again, Joey said softly, "I have a crush on one of my friends."
Kaiba's heart leaped into his throat. Could Joey be saying that he returned the feelings that Kaiba had been fighting all this time? Suddenly confident, Kaiba leaned toward Joey, whose eyes were still tightly shut. Just as Kaiba was about to capture Joey's lips with his own, Joey spoke again.
"I have a crush on Tristan," he said, opening his eyes to see a wide-eyed Kaiba millimeters from his face. Startled, Joey took a step backward.
Blushing furiously, Kaiba turned and flew out of the room and outside into the gloomy day.
* * * * *
Thoughts racing, Joey stood alone in Kaiba's living room for several seconds before following the escaped boy.
'Was Kaiba going to kiss me?' Joey thought as he headed outside, where he knew Kaiba had fled. 'I didn't know Kaiba liked me like that. I mean, I'd always hoped that he did, but I gave up on that long ago. Do I still like him? What about Tristan? But then again, Tristan would never accept that idea; he's way too hung up on my sister. But Kaiba? Of all people, why would Kaiba like a guy like me? He's way out of my class. And I didn't even know Kaiba liked guys! I always pictured him with some beautiful busty blonde with and IQ the same as her shoe size. Not someone like me. He's way too smart and handsome and sexy and gorgeous and mysterious and quiet and sophisticated and refined and classy and complicated and striking to like a guy like me.'
Joey stopped in his tracks as he came within feet of Kaiba. He was standing in the middle of the yard, his face turned up at the dark clouds. As he advanced closer, Joey laid a hand on his arm to keep him from running again. Kaiba put his head down, eyes closed and mouth slightly open. Joey licked his lips nervously, trying to decide what to do next.
As the clouds opened only a tiny crack overhead, throwing a splash of light across Kaiba's face, Joey made his decision and gently grasped Kaiba's chin with his fingers. Kaiba opened his eyes and drew in a breath just as he felt soft lips ascend upon his own.
And although the clouds showed no sign of the storm letting up soon, the two boys were oblivious to the spatters of rain that were still falling and the crash of thunder in the distance. They could only feel the warmth from the single ray of sunlight that now fell across them both, a beacon of promise in the surrounding obscurity.