Disclaimers: Yu-Gi-Oh still doesn't belong to me; I have only the faint remnants of it around my room, but not a single right dons my walls.
Warnings: Shounen ai (as if you didn't already know), and PROBABLY an OOC Duke
~*Beauty and the Beast*~
"Kaiba, wait up!" Seto sighed as he stopped, waiting for the blonde to catch up with him. What the hell could he possibly want? They weren't even on speaking terms as far as most of the student body was concerned, why in the world did he think it would be alright for him to scream his name in the middle of the halls? "Sorry," He offered as he finally caught up to him, covering his mouth even as he gasped for air.
"What do you want?" Seto asked coldly, not even turning around. Instead he waited for Joey to speak, knowing how strange it would look if they actually engaged in what could be called a normal conversation…as normal as could be with Seto involved. "Well, I don't have all day, I'm hungry too, you know," he bitched after a short while, still waiting.
"You know, you could try being polite and look at me while I'm talking to you. I guess that's too much for you though so I might as well just get it over with. I'm heading out with a couple of my friends after school so don't wait for me."
"That was all? I already knew that, after making a fool out of yourself this morning I expected it." Joey sighed and walked beside Seto down the hallway, glaring at him. The entire hall was empty (all the students already eating lunch and generally enjoying the break from school) so it was all right for them to act semi-decently towards one-another…or at least Joey thought so.
"Sorry for being polite. I guess you saw it, then. That was WAY embarrassing!" Joey whined, turning a light shade of red.
"Well, you did it to yourself so don't complain. Almost the entire class saw it, not to mention that other kid's class." Joey sighed and nodded, staring at the ground as he walked. "I think you're the only person dumb enough to fall for it," Seto offered with a tiny smile and Joey turned to glare at him, anger disappearing at the look on Seto's face. He…was teasing him? That just wasn't…Seto-ish.
"Maybe. I guess I really should learn to keep my mouth shut." Seto nodded and the moment was shattered, smile disappearing from his face. He hadn't known what had made him feel so…relaxed…in that moment, but he had and strange things had come out of it. He wasn't sure whether he wanted it to happen again or not.
"Hey Joey, where did you disappear to?" Seto scoffed and stormed past Joey, marching past Yugi with a sort of dignified air that screamed of isolation. If there was an award for the best actor in all the school Seto would be the least likely candidate, but definitely the one to win…if anybody actually took the time to discover how many times he fooled the world with one of his acts. Yugi just watched him leave before running over to his friend.
"Watch it jerk!" Joey screamed after him, rubbing his sore shoulder and glaring after him. He'd actually elbowed him, and it had HURT! What kind of a prick was he that he couldn't even pretend to be nice around other people? Geeze.
"Just leave it alone, you know Seto won't apologize or anything. Come on, we were all worried about you." Joey laughed shortly, dropping his hand from his shoulder with a smile.
"Yeah, I guess it's not every day I'm late to lunch, huh?" Yugi smiled and nodded his agreement; it certainly was a strange occurrence. He smiled to himself as they walked down the hallways, humming a little song. He really liked the chance to hang out with his friends during the school day, since they couldn't exactly talk to each other during class.
"I can't believe you let that guy make a fool out of you, that's not like you Joey," Yugi offered as they turned the corner, and Joey sighed. He hated this topic more than anything, but it was the definite talk of the day, so there was no way he could avoid it.
"I guess I was too caught up trying to look cool, huh?" he asked, smile on his face as he turned to his friend. Yugi just nodded slowly and Joey sighed, crossing his arms behind his head as he walked. He knew exactly why he'd done it, but he wasn't going to tell anyone that. Deep blue eyes and a small approving smile on a normally impassive face…he'd been so caught up trying to prove himself to Seto that he'd forgotten to think things through. He really needed to work this shit out before it seriously screwed up his life or reputation…even more.
"Joey, where were you? We were starting to get worried," Tea offered as they finally met back up with their friends, and Joey resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Sometimes that girl got on his nerves…She wasn't necessarily nice to him or anything, so why should he like her? In his mind she ended up coming off as generally spoiled instead of 'cool' like she tried…but that was just his opinion, and Yugi was friends with her so it didn't really matter. He wasn't going to demand they stop hanging out with her or anything…he could deal.
"Yeah, you're normally one of the first people down here," Tristan offered, feeling he should add his opinion in there as well. Joey shrugged and sighed, tuning out as Tea starting talking about this and that…things that he really didn't care about. Blinking he noticed Seto standing in the hallway, smiling to himself slightly. Some day he'd prove himself worthy of Seto's friendship…if he was lucky maybe even something more.
Seto blinked as something moved towards him, catching sight of the blonde head outside, sighing. He should have known. It was almost becoming like a sort of sixth sense, knowing when Joey was around…or when Joey was paying attention to him. It was definitely unnerving. He'd call it paranoid but it wasn't like he was afraid of Joey being around…to tell the truth he almost enjoyed the company. He would never EVER tell anyone that, however. Not even Mokuba.
"What are you thinking about?" one of his fellow classmates asked as she took a place next to him at the window, looking down at the kids outside. Seto made no move to show that he even acknowledged her presence, simply glanced out at the horizon. "Come on, I know you can hear me. I just want to get to know you better."
"Because I'm good-looking?" Seto inquired coldly, turning to glare at her. Her deep blush made it obvious that was all she was thinking about. "I don't date, so your efforts are wasted," he stated in that same cold tone. Slowly the girl nodded and backed away, retreating down the hallways as quickly as she could manage without running. Her friends were right, he WAS scary!
"You're the only person who didn't want to get to know me because I was good-looking…for some reason it makes me WANT to trust you," Seto offered to the window, finger resting on the vision of the blonde outside. "I hate people, though, so I can't…not fully. Stop asking so many ridiculous things from me," Seto demanded harshly, pushing himself away from the window and walking down the hallways, this time without a destination in mind…just wandering…
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Where the hell is he?" Seto asked as he waited outside, looking around for the blonde idiot that was staying with him. Why in the world would he be so late? He had this slight feeling he was forgetting something, and if Joey didn't show up soon it would damn well be him. He hated it when people made him wait; he was seriously starting to get pissed off. However, even he had the common sense to feel the slightest hint of concern…
"Forget it!" Seto screamed after another 10 minutes of waiting, opening the door and climbing inside, slamming it behind him. "Just go home and leave him, he should know his way. If not then he's dumber than we thought. It's his own fault anyway," Seto managed in exasperation, leaning back in his seat and trying to think. He'd spent so much time trying to figure things out that he couldn't for the life of him remember what it was that was nagging him somewhere in the back of his mind. If Joey needed to tell him something he should have told him after school, because unlike the idiot he actually paid attention in class.
As he walked inside the door he was surprised that Mokuba wasn't waiting for him…or telling someone to call him. Normally the poor boy freaked out when he wasn't home on time. "Seto! Come in here!" Mokuba requested as Seto walked past the room, eyes not leaving the TV. His peripheral vision had always freaked out the people who weren't used to it…luckily Seto wasn't one of them.
"What's so interesting?" He asked as he walked into the room, wanting nothing more than to lie down and think. He was getting sick of being delayed, to tell the truth…he wasn't used to such things. Seto blinked as Mokuba pointed at the screen, catching sight of a certain blonde on the TV screen. What in the world was that idiot doing on TV?
"He's dueling against some other guy. I wasn't home in time to catch why," Mokuba explained, sitting up so his brother could sit down next to him. He was right, Seto actually was at least partially interested in Joey…maybe they could really be friends. Mokuba really wished that his brother would have a friend or two of his own, that way he could be happy. He really wanted his brother to have fun every once in a while.
"That's the same guy that made an ass out of him this morning," Seto offered coldly as they continued watching, leaning back in his seat and listening intently to what was going on. He smiled evilly to himself as he realized Mokuba was taping the whole thing. If Joey was going to lose Seto was going to make sure that it was a loss Joey remembered. Maybe that would teach him to learn to pick his fights better. The guy had made him look like an idiot once already; he should have learned his lesson.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Joey sighed as they all sat around, chatting with Duke as if nothing had happened between them. Everyone must have seen him on TV; even Seto had probably seen it! What in the world was he going to do now? He'd been so intent on trying to prove himself that he'd screwed up and embarrassed himself even more Even if Seto hadn't seen it, the rest of the school probably had and would be talking bad about him all of tomorrow. He could only hope that Seto wouldn't make fun of him over it, he was embarrassed enough as it was.
"…Joey must feel horrible, making himself look like an idiot twice in a day," Tea offered into the conversation, as if it didn't matter to her. It probably didn't. She was the little model of their group, it seemed. Kind of like a cheerleader that didn't do much more than stand there. She had no right to say things like that about him, he was sure that she would have lost even faster than he had. It would be amusing to see HER in that damn costume, or worse…as Duke's personal SLAVE! Joey had to try hard not to laugh at that image, feeling sorry for the both of them.
"I guess I should say sorry, then…I didn't mean to embarrass him in the classroom like that…well, I guess I sort of did, but…I didn't think he'd actually fall for it." Joey glared at him, crossing his arms and sinking down in his chair, blushing slightly. This conversation was really starting to get on his nerves. Why did they always have to bring his stupidity into the conversation? He was well aware he was stupid; he heard it from everyone every day…they didn't have to rub it in his face. They were supposed to be his friends! Except maybe Tea and Duke, of course, they both irritated him…
"I don't know Tea, Joey did alright…and I'm sure a lot of the people there would have fallen for that trick as well…" Yugi offered in his defense and Joey smiled, nodding his agreement.
"Yeah, I bet you would have fallen for it too, Tea. You're not the brightest kid in class, either, you know," Joey offered in a sort of challenge, casting a glance over at Tea. Tea just glared back at him before going back to the conversation, deciding it wisest to ignore Joey's comment. She probably would have fallen for it to, she admitted to herself, but there was no way she was giving Joey the satisfaction of knowing that.
"Guys, it's getting late. I really have to go home or I'm going to miss dinner," Tristan offered after a while, noticing how upset Joey looked. Like a good friend he was there to bail him out whenever he needed it. Besides, he was actually getting sort of hungry and he didn't have the money to buy anything. Therefore he wasn't lying, it was getting fairly late as far as he was concerned.
"Yeah, now that you mention it Grandpa might be wondering what happened to me," Yugi offered, eyes growing wide as he stared at his watch. This wasn't going to be good. He'd told his grandpa he was going out, but he hadn't said for how long…this was WAY later than he'd thought.
"I guess you're right," Tea offered politely, standing up with a sigh. She would be glad to be home and away from Joey's attitude anyway. Joey felt the same about her, of course. Neither of them was going to say it, though, for the sake of preserving what little maturity they were putting forth into the conversation.
"I suppose now would be a rather opportune moment for you all to leave, seeing as we're not doing much more than talking. You can stop by any time, of course. I really am sorry about everything," Duke offered politely, standing up. Everyone smiled and nodded, saying their goodbyes as they turned to leave. "Oh, Joey, can I talk to you for a moment?" Joey blinked and turned around, nodding slightly. Duke smiled and waited until everyone had left, listening to the door latch softly behind them.
"So, what'd you want?" Joey asked after a while of silence, crossing his arms and leaning back against the side of the nearest couch. Duke laughed slightly and brushed a bang back from his eyes, trying to think of how to go about this sort of thing. He'd only known the guy for a day, but…
"Actually, I was kind of won…this isn't like me at all! Geeze! Would you so much as even consider going out with me? I know I was a bit of a jerk, but…" He managed, not sounding as nervous as he should. He was such a jerk to Joey but that was the way things went in the world, some people picked on the people they liked the most to hide it. Something about Joey's childish stupidity had attracted him within the few rare glimpses he'd had of him earlier and their meeting that day.
"After what you did to me out there you expect me to go out with you?" Joey asked incredulously, eyes growing wide. Who in their right mind would just come out and ask something like that? Not even he was that brave…or stupid, for that matter.
"Yeah, I guess so. Well…not really, actually. I was just wondering if you would consider it," he managed with a small smile and Joey sighed, running fingers through his hair. Things were just getting weirder and weirder as of late. It could really take its toll on a person. Only a few days ago no one had cared about him outside his little group of friends. Suddenly Seto was willing to attempt being friends, Mokuba was acting like his own little brother, and some guy he'd only just met had just asked him out! He didn't know what the hell he was supposed to do…
"Sorry, but I already have my hopes set on someone else," Joey managed after a while, feeling his cheeks grow hot at the very thought. He hated this subject, really he did. It was awkward enough admitting to himself that he liked a guy, but to another GUY…who happened to like HIM, no less…it was just unnerving.
"Really now? That brown-haired friend of yours?" Tristan? Tea? No way. That was just…wrong, on many levels. Sure, Tristan was a good friend but Joey wouldn't date him, and Tea got on his nerves so badly…and he was almost positive that he wasn't referring to Seto, since everyone in the school knew him by name…and also that they didn't get along very well. Absently he wondered if Duke would be surprised to find out that he actually liked the biggest asshole in the school…he sure as hell was.
"No, not really. I…kind of like Kaiba…" he managed softly, blushing a little bit. He could hear Duke trying not to laugh from the other side of the room and he shot him an evil sort of glare. It was nothing to rival Seto's, but threatening non-the-less. Duke's laughter really wasn't helping his situation at the moment. He was embarrassed enough as was. Duke shook his head slowly, still smiling and trying to keep himself from laughing.
"It's not like that's anything bad, it's just…I couldn't see someone like you falling for someone like him. You're so different. Plus, almost everyone's given up on Kaiba already. No offense but he's one hell of an asshole." Joey shook his head and pressed a finger to his chest, smiling widely.
"I haven't given up on him, and that's why I'll win. Whether he likes me back or not, I'll at least get him to recognize me as an equal," he offered happily, and Duke's smile changed from one of general amusement to admiration. There really was something special about Joey…too bad he was one of the only people to realize it. He was sure Seto would realize it, too, if he actually looked past Joey's simple-minded stupidity. True, Joey's task was much easier said than done, but if someone tried hard enough…he was sure Joey could accomplish anything he set his mind to.
"Well, if you need someone to talk to, you can always talk to me. Not sure why you'd want to, but just in case...I'll listen." Joey smiled and nodded, flashing him a thumbs-up.
"You'll be the first person I'll turn to. To tell the truth, you're the only person I've told. A little scared to tell anyone else." Duke laughed and nodded slowly.
"I feel honored," he offered happily, and Joey just smiled wider. He wasn't so bad…once you actually got past the fact that he loved to tease people and jumped to conclusions easily…kind of like Seto, once you got past his cruelness. "Or maybe just far enough out of the group, huh?" Joey shrugged. Duke just shook his head and walked over to the window, glancing down at the group hanging around outside. "Your friends are waiting for you, you might want to leave." Joey nodded and walked over to the door, stopping as his hand rested on the doorknob.
"Thanks for your help," Joey offered before he opened the door and left, shutting it behind him carefully. He sighed as he walked down the hallways, massively confused. This wasn't one of those things you learned to deal with through school and all that, it was one of those things you learned through experience…something that Joey had none of.
"Joey! Hey, what did Duke want?" Yugi asked as Joey finally stepped out into the fading sunlight, surprised at how dark it was getting in such a short time. He wasn't going to make it back to Seto's house while it was still light outside, that was for sure. He couldn't even run and make it there in time, he was sure of it.
"Nothing important, really. Don't worry about it," Joey offered as casually as he could manage, wanting to head 'home' as soon as possible. He also didn't want anyone to press the issue, as he didn't feel like lying, nor like telling them something Duke hadn't meant for them to know. If he'd wanted them to know he wouldn't have had them all leave first, would he have? "Come on, let's start walking. I'd prefer if the sun didn't set before I got home," he offered as casually as possible. He wasn't afraid of walking alone after dark (he'd done it enough) but he needed an excuse. Besides, it wasn't necessarily something he enjoyed doing. It got colder after sunset, after all.
"Yeah, I agree with Joey. We should start towards home," Tristan offered, backing his friend up once again. He knew Joey wasn't really worried about the sun setting…that he just wanted to get back and laze-off. They'd been friends long enough that Tristan could tell when he wasn't telling the truth. It was rare that Joey lied about anything, but he made up excuses all the time. He didn't think of it as lying, only as a way to get your point across by appealing to other people's fears, wants, and opinions.
"I agree. Hay, if you guys want you can all use my phone to call your house when we get there. I don't live that far from here, you know," Yugi offered sweetly, hoping to spend some more time with his friends. He knew that Tristan and Tea had to walk the other way home from here, so it was only going to be him and Joey this time around.
"I guess I could use the phone for a moment, if your grandpa doesn't mind. Besides, since Joey's so afraid of the dark I might as well walk with him," Tristan offered, nudging Joey lightly. Joey glared at him but didn't say a word as his friend smiled back at him. They both knew it was all in good fun, and Joey wasn't in the mood to continue this argument at the moment. He was too confused and exhausted. His brain was actually starting to hurt.
"Well, I'm just going to head home, since it's faster this way. Talk to you guys later," Tea offered with a smile, waving and heading off in the other direction. None of them were worried about her, she lived close enough that she'd probably make it to her house before any of them reached Yugi's place. She was the one that was least likely to get into trouble out of all of them.
"Bye," they offered as they waved as well, watching for a short while as she headed in the opposite direction. Like or dislike her it was cruel not to make sure she didn't get into trouble…at least for a little while.
"Okay, let's get started. I'm going to have to run to get home at this rate," Tristan offered, turning around and waiting for the others to start on their way as well. He knew that Joey had to go the other way as well, so they would both have to run after they got to Yugi's place. They had to pretend Joey was going to his house so Joey, at least, had no choice other than backtracking. He wasn't about to make his friend walk all that way by himself, though.
The walk started off in silence, everyone so lost in their own thoughts that no one really bothered to speak. Even the slightest attempt at conversation was sure to be brushed aside anyway, seeing as each of them had something else on their mind. However, after a short while even these thoughts dimmed and an attempt at conversation was made. Useless conversation, really, but something to keep the atmosphere at a more friendly level.
It wasn't until Tristan was done calling home that the actual important conversation began. "So…how are things going with you?" Tristan asked as they walked around Yugi's block casually, making the turn-around for the way back to his house. He was still a little wary about Joey staying with Seto. He didn't necessarily have a reputation for being a nice guy.
"Pretty well, I guess. I mean, I'm not dead, right?" Joey asked with a reassuring smile. Tristan wasn't too relieved, though. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Mokuba will protect me even if Kaiba does try anything. You know Kaiba'll do anything for his little brother." Tristan laughed and rested a hand on his friend's head, messing with his hair.
"What are you going to do, take the poor kid hostage?" Joey growled at him and batted his hand away, trying to fix his hair as they continued walking.
"I'm not that mean," he whined, burying his hands in his pockets when he was satisfied with his hair. It wasn't that he was worried so much about how it looked, he just didn't like that 'touched' feeling. It was a personal pet peeve of his. Of course, that didn't stop him from doing it to other people…
"I think Kaiba would probably kill you faster if you were to try something like that," Tristan offered with a smile, stopping as they reached his doorstep. He could trust Joey to get home by himself, that wasn't the problem. He wasn't so sure that Seto was going to let him in so easily after being so late. He should have called, too. He worried about things like that; it was something that came along with being Joey's best friend. "You sure you're going to be alright?"
"Tristan, you don't have to worry so much. Geeze. No offense but it's getting kind of annoying." Tristan just sighed as he turned his key in the lock, opening the door slightly.
"I guess, but I don't know Kaiba all that well—and neither do you for that matter—so I don't really know what to expect from him. If you do need to stop by, though, go right on ahead. You know I probably won't be sleeping anyway." Joey smiled and nodded, waving goodbye before turning to run back to Seto's house.
"I'm back, Kaiba!" He cheered happily as he ran into the living room, bright smile lighting up his face. He was panting and out of breath but he'd made it back just before 8. That was pretty good timing for him. Seto just turned to stare at him, looking bored. Oh well, at least he wasn't mad, that was always a good thing.
"You're late." Joey just laughed nervously and nodded, knowing somehow that he really was getting somewhere…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
WHEE! It took forever and it sucks, but at least it's finished, huh? Sorry it took so long, but I had a lot of troubles writing this chapter and what with the fic-loss thingy I've been trying to catch up on other things…but ANYWAY, on with it…
MANDATORY MOKUBA KIDNAPPING PART 5:
Joey: So if I kidnap Mokuba, then Kaiba will love me?
Tristan: Um…maybe not…
Mokuba: *playing video games* I'm ignoring them because I can
Joey: *sneaks up and kidnaps Mokuba*
Seto: -_- Let go of him
Mokuba: O.O Why is it always me?
Joey: Um…because you're cute? ^_^;;
Mokuba: I guess that makes sense
Seto: He is my brother after all…now let go.
Joey: *Lets go*
Tristan: You are such an idiot…
Joey: If I act like Mokuba will you love me?
Seto: …
Joey: Please?
Seto: …
Mokuba: Oh yeah, I rule. Everyone wants to be like me. ^_^
*begs for reviews* I promise I'll try very hard not to take so long on the next chapter, but I need nice l'il motivational reviews, as do most authors deep down.
We need a national 'review the fanfic author-people' week, seriously ^_^;;