Disclaimers: Yu-Gi-Oh still does not belong to me. I only wish It did, but then I wouldn't be writing fanfics for it, now would I be?

Notes: Umm…more shounen ai, of course. SetoxJoey, don't read if you don't like. I think you would have figured that out by now, though

~*Beauty and the Beast*~

            Joey stretched as he got out of the car, shirt rising enough so that a small strip of his stomach was exposed. Not that he cared, no one bothered to pay that much attention to him anyway. He felt dead tired after that drive, especially since neither he nor
Seto had bothered to speak to one another the whole drive there. He really felt like he should apologize again. It had been his fault, after all. However, Seto could have told him that he was worrying about his little brother.

            However, as he turned to look over the roof of the car and apologize, Seto was nowhere to be found. He blinked as he realized Seto was already opening the front door, glancing back at him quickly in annoyance. Joey sighed as he followed Seto to the door. Really, though, did Seto have to be so cruel? Instead of just glaring at him he could have told him to follow him. He never told anyone anything, how were they supposed to know better?

            He shut the door behind him quietly and carefully, not wanting to piss Seto off anymore than he already was. He had a feeling that was all his fault, too. He was always getting on Seto's nerves. Not that getting on people's nerves was anything new to him, but he seemed to be doing it a lot more often now that he was staying with Seto. Then again, it didn't seem anything new for Seto to be pissed off, either.

            "So, how are we going to figure out who pays for the clothes?" Joey asked cautiously as he followed Seto around the halls. He still didn't know the house very well, so he needed to follow somebody around or else he'd get lost again. Although, he did feel sort of bad asking Seto about the money. He should have just shut up and offered to pay it back there. Then he wouldn't have bought so much, either. He was probably going to end up paying Seto back for most of his life.

            "We'll duel, of course. It's only fair." Joey sighed at that suggestion. Fair, huh? There was no way he was getting out of paying for his clothes now, it seemed. Seto surely wasn't going to go easy on him, and he couldn't beat Seto all by himself. Heck, he wasn't sure if he could even if his friends were helping him. "You do have your deck, right?"

            "Yeah, I have it. I wish we'd just flip a coin or something, then the odds would be a little more even," Joey muttered softly, hanging his head in defeat. He wasn't even sure how much money he had spent, but he knew it was more than he would probably ever see in one sitting. He'd promised his mother that she could use all the money he had won, whatever was left from the operation to be used in helping them both get back on their feet. He was sure there were a lot of side-appointments going along with the operation. He also hoped that it would be used towards letting her visit every once in a while…even once was enough for him. It had been a long time since last they had seen one another.

            The look Seto gave him promptly shut him up, however. He figured it wouldn't be in his best interest to be on Seto's bad side the entire time he was stuck there. Well, he wasn't really 'stuck there' for very long. Tristan was going to be coming back that evening, so he could always stay with him if Seto didn't want him there. He wasn't going to leave unless he had to, though. For some reason being allowed to stay with Seto made him feel…special. Like he wasn't so intolerable.

            Seto paused as his hand rested on the door handle to his brother's room. Straightening he kept his eyes fixed firmly on the door as he opened his mouth to speak. "I…I'm sorry I was such an ass to you back there. I'm just a little overprotective," he offered quietly, waiting a few seconds to hear Joey's response before realizing he probably wasn't going to get one and opening the door, shutting it silently behind him.

            "Seto! I was wondering how long you could spend shopping!" Mokuba offered happily, dropping his game controller and running over to hug his brother happily. Seto allowed himself a small smile, running fingers through his brother's hair. He should have figured Mokuba would have made it a point to find out where he was. Still, he couldn't help but be worried. Joey might think all the money and power was a blessing, but Seto knew better. They never knew when some asshole would come after them for their money. There were times he actually wished he was poor again, that way he wouldn't have to worry so much about his brother. Everyone else might think differently, but he really worried about him.

"So, why was Joey with you?" he asked after a while, pulling back to stare up at his brother. Wide, confused violet eyes stared up at him from underneath deep blue bangs, shining with the innocence of childhood that he still possessed, even though he wouldn't admit it. He was still a child—an intelligent child, but not yet wise—and didn't quite understand everything. Seto's cold, emotionless eyes were drained off all carefree happiness and innocence, and he was glad to see that the same thing hadn't happened to Mokuba over the years.

            "He's going to be staying here for a week," he explained with a sigh. Mokuba smiled to himself happily, letting go of his brother and running to open the door. He knew Joey was there. He wasn't sure how, but he knew Joey wouldn't know his way around by this point, and Seto wouldn't walk him to his room before coming to visit him.

            "Hi!" He cheered happily, smiling up at Joey and dragging him inside his room, being careful to lead him away from the piled of things that had started to accumulate in his room. Seto was going to make him clean it up soon, he knew it. "I like your new outfit," he offered happily as he forced Joey to sit on his bed, running over to grab Seto and drag him over there as well, shoving them both to sit on the bed.

            "Play a game with me!" he cheered happily, handing them both controllers. "It's boring playing with only one person," he offered, sitting down in-between the two of them, starting the game. Seto sighed and brushed bangs back from his face. This was normal whenever he was late. He swore it was Mokuba's way of making him apologize for being home late.

            Joey stared at the controller in his hands blankly as the game loaded, and Mokuba leaned over to explain everything to him. He seemed so childish and cute at that moment; Joey somehow wanted to hug him. It was sort of strange; he'd never really liked little kids. They tended to annoy him, especially the ones he couldn't understand. They just confused him.

            Joey'd played this before in arcades, but never on a controller before, it was a little strange. Mokuba was practically running laps around both of them, giggling like a madman. After he actually bothered to lap both Joey and Seto he stopped, pouting and kicking his brother lightly on the leg.

            "Stop going easy on me!" he whined, turning to glare at his brother as he almost instinctively turned the corner. It was almost sad how video games grew on children now days. Seto blinked as his car bumped against another, glancing quickly over at his little brother.

            "I'm taking it easy on you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in interest. Joey couldn't help but find it absolutely adorable, he'd never seen Seto change expressions so drastically before. Even the raising of an eyebrow was something to wonder at.

            "Of course you are. Big brother's great at games and I'm totally kicking your butt," he offered happily, tongue hanging out of his mouth as he went against one of the sharper turns. Guess even he had to concentrate sometimes.

            "Games that require strategy, not driving. I have a driver for a reason," he offered calmly, eyes not moving from the screen this time. Without warning Seto jerked a hand to push Mokuba's controller off his lap, listening to it thud against the carpet softly. "There. How's that for not taking it easy on you?" he asked and Mokuba glared at him, running over to unplug his controller from the game, leaving just Joey racing with himself. He stopped almost at once, not finding any reason for him to continue without anyone to race against. "What'd you do that for?" he asked monotonously, setting his controller down.

            "It's only fair," Mokuba pouted, sitting down between Joey and Seto again. "Don't you agree with me, Joey?" Mokuba asked, looking up at him and waiting for Joey's opinion. Joey shrugged and Mokuba sighed, pouting quietly. "You're no fun. You're supposed to agree with me."

            "You're not the one offering him a place to stay," Seto offered, ruffling Mokuba's hair before standing up. Mokuba glared up at him, covering his poor hair. Seto knew that got on his nerves sometimes, so he managed to poke fun at him from time-to-time in such a manner. "Do you want to decide on the matter of payment now?" Seto asked as he walked past Joey, turning to look back at him. Joey nodded slowly and got up, following Seto to the door.

            "Bye Joey, big brother!" he cheered before going back to his video game, starting where Joey had left off. He would have gone with them, but he felt he should let Seto try and make a real friend. He was hoping if he left Joey and Seto alone that they'd get to know each other and be friends. However, he couldn't have resisted showing off his racing to Joey when the opportunity presented itself. Deep down inside, you could still tell he was Seto's brother.

            "You don't mind just using the cards, do you? I have a bit of a headache," Seto explained as they sat down, looking tired for the first time since Joey had seen him. It was sort of strange. He'd never seen Seto look tired before, it made him look a lot less threatening. More human, he guessed, like he could suffer from human flaws.

            "That's alright," he offered, shuffling his deck while Seto took some painkillers, leaning back into the cushiony back of the chair he was sitting in. He really liked it here; it was nice and…comfortable, in many ways. Despite being way too large for Joey's tastes he loved it. Everything was designed to be comfortable, and Seto was proving nicer than Joey would have ever imagined. Not to say he was incredibly nice, but just plain nice was an improvement in Seto's case.

            "Take a guess at how much you spent," Seto ordered as he sat down, shuffling his own deck. Joey blinked and though of everything he had bought. It was sure to be a lot of money, but he hadn't checked the prices on almost anything that he bought. He just knew that he wanted it.

            "Um…$90?" Seto shook his head and set his deck down, raising a finger. "Higher? 110?" Still raised. Joey's eyes widened slightly at that. "130?"

            "$127. You'd better hope that you win," Seto offered, leaning back in his chair. "I'll give you a small handicap. I'll let you pick whether you want to go first or second." Joey sighed and agreed to go first. He figured that would make things easier for him.

            The battle dragged for what seemed like hours. Seto was playing sloppier than normal, and Joey was trying his hardest not to loose. He didn't want to be in debt to Seto for the rest of his life. Like Seto, he didn't like owing people things. It was a part of his personality. He also didn't like to depend on other people, so this sort of worked for him, fighting a duel instead of doing something like flipping a coin. Then it took him no brains at all to loose or win.

            Seto sighed as he drew his new card, not feeling completely tuned into the battle. Everything was registering slower than normal, and he was fairly sure that Joey had picked up on that a long time ago. Why else would this battle last so long? He normally could have beaten him in half this time. Now they were fairly well matched, and Seto hated it.

            He smiled as he looked at the card he'd drawn. Another of his Blue Eyes White Dragons. He already had one on the field and the other in his hand. Along with the Polymerization card he had on the field this could finally end the stupid battle. His hand gripped the card tightly before he looked across the table at his opponent.

            Joey sighed as Seto's face lit up. He was sure this was the end of it for him. His Magician of Faith wasn't going to do him any good even IF he grabbed his Monster Reborn. He was going to end up paying Seto back forever. He rubbed at his eyes harshly as he realized he was about to start crying. There was no way he was going to be such a baby in front of Seto. It was just a game…and $127.

            Not changing his expression Seto let go of his Blue Eyes, playing card destruction instead. He'd give Joey a CHANCE to win. That wasn't saying he was going to let him win…it was only a little chance. A handicap…right, a handicap. He attacked Joey's facedown monster as soon as that was done, watching the blonde's eyes light up happily.

            "Alright! I'll just grab this…" he offered to himself as he placed his Magician of Faith in the graveyard, grabbing the magic card of his choice and placing it back in his hand. He'd been lucky to listen to Tea on that card. "My turn now, right?" he asked, even as he drew a card. He knew damn well it was his turn, but it was almost habit for him to ask things like that over table duels.

            "Of course it is," Seto offered, sounding rather bored. Joey smiled and played the card he'd just drawn…a dark hole. Seto sighed and discarded his Blue Eyes into his graveyard. No big problem, really. He had other strong cards he could use.

            "Alright! Now I play this," he offered, playing his Monster Reborn to grab Seto's Blue Eyes, eyes widening as he searched through Seto's graveyard. He'd… "And I'll set this in defense mode alongside it," he offered finally, leaning back in his chair. After a while he sighed and tapped on the table. "Seto, you're turn."

            Seto sighed and drew a card, setting it down in defense mode on his side of the table. Of COURSE, he'd just have to get a weak monster when he needed it. Hopefully he'd get some sort of worthwhile magic card in his next draw. If not he'd be stuck playing defense for a while now that his other two Blue Eyes were in his graveyard along with his Monster Reborn. He didn't bother keeping a card like Magician of Faith in his deck. Why would he?

            Joey couldn't help the smile as he picked up his next card. Block Defense. That would surely work to his advantage at the moment. "I'll play this, then," he offered, setting down his Block Defense and reaching over the table to change Seto's card for him. He was so out of this game it was sort of scary, especially since he was supposed to be the best duelist…aside from Yugi, of course. He smiled happily as he noticed what it was. This could be his chance to win the game!

            Seto blinked as Joey's eyes widened slightly. Joey looked so happily as he attacked Seto's Sagi, that he just didn't have the heart to flip his card destruction. "You win," he offered, setting his hand down on the table with a sigh. His reputation might have just gone down the drain, but Joey's eyes were shining so happily and he looked so happy. It was almost worth it.

            "Thanks," Joey offered happily, reaching his hand across the table.

            "Nothing to thank me for. I'm tired, that's all," he offered coldly as he took Joey's hand, standing up. He didn't want thanks; he hadn't done any of it for thanks. He'd done it because he'd wanted to, for some strange reason he'd wanted to loose.

            His hand tightened on Joey's slightly as he stood up, feeling dizzy. Joey blinked and let go of Seto's hand, watching as he collapsed back into his chair, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling. Running around the table he pressed his hand to Seto's forehead, surprised he felt so warm.

            "What are you doing?" Seto snapped as he brushed Joey's hand away, turning away from him. "I'm fine, leave it be." Joey blinked before reaching back over to feel his forehead again. Seto didn't protest this time; just shut his eyes with a sigh. If Joey insisted on acting like his mother he could, it was his choice. He wasn't going to thank him, though. There was nothing to thank him for; he was perfectly fine…just a little tired.

            "You're burning up, asshole. How in the world are you fine!" Joey demanded, picking up Seto's cards and pressing them against his hand gently. "Come on, we both know you weren't playing your hardest because you're sick. We can try again later," he offered quietly, finally letting go of Seto's deck.

            "I don't want to try again," he offered harshly, pushing Joey away with his free hand and standing up once again. "If that duel wasn't going to count I wouldn't have bothered finishing it," he snapped again, glaring at Joey. He really looked sick, now that Joey thought about it.

            "You didn't. You let me win. Did you let me win because you were getting sick of fighting?" he snapped back, grabbing his own deck from the table and shoving it in his pocket. Seto's eyes widened slightly before narrowing again, trying to look threatening again. It was sort of hard when he looked so tired, but he didn't care. Before he could say anything, however, he fell forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Joey as he collapsed against him. "I told you you were sick," Joey teased as he held Seto upright, aware of Seto's arms wrapped tightly around him as well.

            "I let you win because I wanted you to win, leave it alone," Seto offered between deep breaths, cheek pressed firmly against Joey's chest. He was well aware of how wrong this looked, but he didn't want to fall and look even worse. He didn't want Joey to think little of him that was why he'd strived so hard to be the best player in the first place, so people wouldn't think low of him.

            "Can you stand up by yourself?" Joey asked after a long while standing there. He knew he was blushing, but who wouldn't be? Anyone who saw him would immediately think wrong of the situation. Seto wasn't letting go of him for anything at the moment, and he couldn't let go of Seto for fear that he'd fall, so they were stuck like that.

            "Of course I can," he offered stubbornly, pushing himself away from Joey. He wavered slightly for a moment, and Joey kept his arm by his elbow just in case. Seto might be acting like a general stubborn asshole at the moment, but that didn't mean he should be a jerk. "Thanks for your help," Seto offered as he balanced himself, blushing slightly. He couldn't believe he'd let Joey hold him for so long. That was…

            "No problem," Joey offered with a smile, still keeping his hand by Seto's elbow. Just because he could stand up straight didn't mean he could walk. He was right. As soon as he took a step forward he wavered and fell back against, free hand grasping for something to balance himself with. "You're sicker than you'll let yourself admit," Joey offered as he caught Seto again, setting him upright and taking his hand gently. "Come on."

            "What are you doing!" Seto demanded as Joey held onto his hand, feeling his blush deepen. This situation was getting worse as time progressed. Joey laughed and raised a hand to prove his innocence.

            "I'm just trying to help. It'll be easier for you to walk if you have something to use for balance, right?" Seto nodded slowly, his grip on Joey's hand tightening as he moved, head spinning like crazy. "You know, you shouldn't work yourself so hard sometimes. Were you sick yesterday, too?" he asked as they walked down the halls slowly, getting sort of bored.

            "No. I just don't feel good today," he offered, hand gripping tighter to Joey's again as he felt like he was going to faint. He'd never had this happen before, why was it now? Right when he needed it the least. As they finally reached Seto's room Joey opened the door and helped Seto inside, taking his deck and setting it on the table, leaving him behind, trusting that he could stand up on his own.

            Seto sighed and dragged himself carefully to his chair. He had more work to get done; he could live with his illness for now.

            "What kind of an idiot ARE you?" Joey demanded, wrapping arms around Seto's waist to keep him from pulling the chair out so he could sit down. He'd never met anyone so stubborn in his life! He was really sick, he shouldn't be working.

            "Mind your own business!" Seto snapped, not even bothering to free himself from Joey's grasp. He knew he wouldn't be able to get free in his weakened state, anyway. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded as Joey dragged him to his bed, pushing him onto it gently. It was enough to make Seto trip, however. "Stop meddling and go do whatever the hell it is you do!" he snapped, trying to stand up again.

            "I'm not stupid," Joey demanded, pushing Seto back onto the bed. "You're not going to get any work done like this. If you rest you'll be able to work faster and you'll get more done in the long run. Do you understand?" Seto glared at him and sat up from where he'd been lying down, feeling himself grow weaker as he lay there.

            "What would you know about it?" he demanded and Joey moved to sit on the bed as well, pressing Seto's shoulders to the bed and holding him there. He was blushing a deep red by now but he didn't care, so was Seto.

            "I know more than you do, obviously." Seto fought to get away. He had to work; Joey had no idea what he was going through. He didn't have to live all by himself like he and Mokuba did. He didn't have a little brother looking up to him and relying on him to make money for the both of them. He stopped as he realized his eyes were starting to tear up, turning away from Joey. If anyone were to see this he might as well forget ever leaving the house again. It would be the story of a lifetime.

            "Let me go," he offered in his normal demanding tone, although inside he was begging. He couldn't let Mokuba down.

            "Do you have any idea how worried Mokuba will be if you work today and don't get better?" Joey demanded harshly, fingers digging into Seto's shoulders as he lay there. "You're always thinking about doing the best for your little brother. I'm sure he'd agree with me that you should rest today." Seto blinked as a tears splashed against his face, turning his eyes to stare at the boy hovering above him.

            "When I was about his age my sister got really sick, and she wouldn't let anyone help her. She didn't want to fall behind in school so she went anyway, and made everyone think she was okay. She got worse, and I remember how scared I was. I used to cry all the time because I was afraid my sister was going to die if she kept on pushing herself so hard. You want Mokuba to worry to death because you won't take a day off?" he finished, eyes narrowing slightly as he talked. Seto's eyes widened and he relaxed, sighing.

            "Fine," he offered and Joey smiled slightly, sitting up and letting go of him.

            "Alright then." Seto watched as Joey dried his tears harshly, still smiling. His face was a deep red by now, and Seto was pretty sure he was blushing the same shade. What was WRONG with that boy that he could do something so embarrassing and…well, do it? He'd never lower himself to doing something he was embarrassed of doing. "I'll go tell Mokuba you're taking a day off so he doesn't bother you, alright?" Seto sighed and nodded, closing his eyes and allowing himself to sleep.

            When next Seto opened his eyes he felt slightly better, although his head was still spinning. Joey'd been right, he shouldn't work himself so hard. All it did was make him fall behind in the long run. Who would have known that idiot knew anything about business. Blinking he looked over to the blonde head resting on his bead, face buried in his arms. Sitting up he rubbed at his eyes, taking in the picture before him.

            "You're such a moron," he offered, clenching blankets in his hands as he turned to stare at the ceiling, then down to stare at the wall as if it were something interesting. He wasn't sure whether he was talking to himself or to Joey, but whomever it was he was talking to he meant it. Maybe he was talking to the both of them, they both deserved it after all.

            "I know," Joey offered, glancing up at him from the fold of his arms, smiling slightly. His brown eyes shimmered even in the dim light coming from the hallway. Joey sat up and rubbed at his own eyes, yawning. "Mokuba wanted to stay and look after you, but when he fell asleep I made him go to bed. He made me promise I'd look after you, though," he offered with a smile, and Seto nodded detachedly. Joey'd stayed up to watch after him. He could feel his cheeks grow hot at the thought, glad there was so little light in the room.

            "Mokuba's a really good little brother, you shouldn't worry about protecting him so much. It worries him. He said he'd rather you stop protecting him every once in a while and just play with him like a big brother. I think he can take care of himself for the most part," Joey offered softly. It was quiet and still, and he didn't feel the need to do much more than whisper. It was around 3 in the morning, no one else was out wandering at this time, so not a sound reached either of them.

            "I can't. It's just…a part of me," Seto offered just as quietly, turning to look at Joey again. "He'd the only person that's ever stayed with me since the beginning. I don't want anything to happen to him. He's everything to me." Joey smiled and slowly reached a hand out to cover Seto's, smiling slightly in reassurance.

            "You don't have to protect him for him to like you. You're a nice person, it's your outer personality that causes you all these problems." Seto sighed and nodded, not bothering to push Joey's hand off. "My head hurts. Can you get me some painkillers or something?" Joey nodded slowly and let go, standing up. He smiled to himself as he walked through the hallways. While Mokuba was watching over Seto he'd had somebody teach him his way around and drill it into his head until he could walk around as if he'd lived there for years. He was glad Seto hadn't screamed at him, maybe he had a chance after all.

            Mokuba'd told him a lot about Seto's past. About when the kids would make fun of him, about the way he let himself get put down so people would leave Mokuba alone, the way he let people beat him up when he was younger so they didn't drag Mokuba into it. Joey had to admit, he was a lot more observant than most kids his age. Then again, he'd probably gone through more.

            Quietly he sat back down next to Seto's bed, handing him the painkillers and water he'd grabbed. Seto nodded thankfully and took them, setting the glass on the dresser next to his bed gently.

            "Question," Seto stated emotionlessly, staring straight ahead at the wall as he spoke. It created an air of indifference, an air that Seto craved at the moment. Things were too confusing. Joey blinked, sitting up straighter as he waited for Seto's question. After a long silence Seto took that as a sign to continue so he did. "Why do you care so much?" Joey blinked before leaning back to rest on the palms of his hands and smiling.

            "Because you were nice enough to let me stay here, so you can't be that bad of a person. I don't think you deserve to be so lonely. I think you deserve at least one good friend…other than your brother, of course. Do you think I'm good enough for that spot?" he offered, eyes sparkling with a sort of mischief.

            "I can't think of anyone else who'd even try." Joey smiled and set up, leaning onto Seto's bed and reaching over to take his hand again, tugging on it gently so Seto would look at him.

            "Go back to sleep, it's early and you'll want to go to school, right?" he asked and Seto nodded, sighing and lying back down. He turned over and pulled his hand away from Joey's, hiding the blush that rose on his cheeks. What in the world was wrong with HIM? To let someone get to him so…it was unnerving. "Night, then," Joey offered with a sigh, standing up.

            "Night."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

YIP!!! Okay, so I know I said I wasn't going to update this until Bible of Kumagoro is done, but I found writing this chapter a lot easier than writing the lemon for that story (which I will DEFFINITELY be finishing before chapter 4) so I finished it.

I'm SO sorry Seto ended up so OOC near the end. Then again, he was sick. I can't manage being pissy very well when I'm sick, either.

Now for THE MANDITORY MOKUBA KIDNAPPING: Part 3 (it now has nothing to do with kidnapping Mokuba, but oh well)

Yugi: Seto is sick?!?!?!?!?!

Joey: Yup.

Seto: I'm fine…

Mokuba: I thought you were sick…

Seto: Nope.

Joey: Yes, he is.

Tea: What's up guys?

Joey: Seto's sick.

Seto: I'm fine…

Tea: SOMEONE'S SICK!?!?!?!?!? I CAN SAVE THEM!!!!!! *proceeds to help *cough*torture*cough* Seto*

Seto: I will KILL the person who started this...

Yugi: *snickers*

Joey: Hey, I just realized that you spell Tea's name like a drink. Hehe. Can we call her bag, then?

Tea: I'll kill you if you do!

Yugi: SURE!

*Gets on knees and begs* Reviews for the poor demented fanfic writers with no lives. Reviews for the poor demented fanfic writers with no lives.